What constitutes “the Pagan lifestyle?”
A hard question to answer, however, if the gatherings of Pagans in these United States are any indication, then the majority of Pagans have three things in common:
- They like to run around naked.
- They are interested in, or actually practicing, polyamory.
- They worship a Goddess.
The last everyone knows of course. The other two are less obvious, unless you happen to attend one of the major Pagan festivals that take place every summer, and are attended by thousands of Pagans of all types:
Those are the four big ones; the most famous (or infamous). There are numerous others also, practically in all 50 states. They all have a few things in common. All of them are “clothing optional.” If you attend one you will see naked people walking around. Lot’s of them. Maybe I am exaggerating. It may be the kind of thing where you notice something because you’re doing it too, or you want to (like when you bought your first VW Bug, suddenly you noticed hundreds of the things). All I know is, there are lots of naked people at these events, and the organizers encourage that behavior. The other thing is “Polyamory Workshops.” Every Pagan festival in the last ten years has featured workshops on “polyamory” or “polyfidelity.” These are well attended, so even if “polyamory” is not a lifestyle that a majority of Pagans subscribe to, there is an enormous amount of interest.
Q: Does RDG require it’s Groves to be “Poly..?”
A: We did in the beginning. Today it’s simply a preference, and not a requirement, much in the way we prefer that members pay dues but we don’t require it. Most of our members are solitaires, which is to say that they practice the tradition alone. Many have never had any group experiences before, and many have never even attended or heard of any of the Pagan festivals. These folks embraced the RDG philosophy wholeheartedly, but not the nudity or the poly parts. So, how important then are “nudity” and “polyamory?” Well, not all that much. It’s an acquired taste after all. 🙂
Waiting is.