LOVE and Neopagan Spirituality

Recently,  Teo Bishop posted a provocative essay about
the relationship of love to our souls and Pagan identities.

This reminded me of a program I had presented at a local festival a couple years ago.
I've long been interested in this dimension of our spiritual journeys and the various
consequences of the crossing of our paths, both in the potentials realized and
the losses we suffer every time we allow Opportunity to pass us by...

Here's the workshop outline; 
I look forward to developing it further and presenting it again sometime soon:

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LOVE and NEOPAGAN SPIRITUALITY

This program will examine the role of spiritual love, compassion and
fearlessness as applied to Neopagan living and religion. We’ll work toward building a dialogue, charting how our tendencies to limit the natural flow of love in our interpersonal relationships robs us and our community of our future and ultimate potential...

The Nature of Love
     What were not discussing today
     Sensation and emotion
     Reciprocity

Must we love?
     Must we be-loved?
     Recognition and acknowledgement

Natural love
     Compassion & seeing ourselves in the experiences of
     others; the importance of expression and connection.

Being supportive vs. being intrusive
     The propriety of emotive and magickal meddling…

The Pity Trap  &  Super-Natural love (Spiritual Love)

Black & White Generic Love? -is love always relational?
     A reservoir of potential Magickal dynamics

The Challenge of Objectivity
     The blind men and the elephant.
     Gaining perspective

Sacred or Saccharine?

Love and Risk - fear and security
     Real risks: loss and consequences
     The greatest loss

Fearlessness and the invincibility of the Open Heart…

Giving and Receiving Blessings
     See:  Blessing - the Art and the Practice by David Spangler

Love and Heart in Community - the fullness of heart (in a group)
     Conventional models for consideration:
     Christmas, graduations, leaving home, weddings, childbirth, funerals…

Related Challenges in the Neopagan Community
     Effective liturgies
     Safe ritual space; self awareness and boundaries
     Me-me meemies
     Love junkies and co-dependency
     Hugs:  the pros and cons (and pros) of physicality

Hospitality
     Fielding inquiries from newcomers.
     Feeling welcome: having a plan for new members*
     Cliques: The challenge of keeping your group an “open” group…
     Staying connected to your community
     Inter-group relations

Us vs. Them - Understanding Newbies and the Next Wave

Listening for the common song
     Our community and the future...

© 2003-2012, Earrach of Pittsburgh, ADF
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IMAGE CREDIT: detail from "Ornament" 

- Sulamith Wulfing, 1975