Okay so I was wondering if anyone here frequents some pagan community websites, based on some of my bad experiences with Wiccan-centered or New-Agey centered ones. I'd like to try something a bit different. Sure a lot of them claim they are open to listen to ideas that aren't Wiccan, or typical new age ideals but when you dig deep you find alot of the same belief ideals. The bad about that is, it seems like if you are alternative to them then you are seen a bad person and you can get banned. (Which has happened to me) Okay so yes I take from light and fluffy stuff like Christianity and Wicca but I do have other perspectives based on gritty life experiences that a lot of New Agers don't want to hear to put it bluntly. I feel I need a forum to discuss this side to me in a spiritual context.I do believe in reincarnation myself but I'm open to exploring other after-life ideals that various pagans believe. As much as I believe in reincarnation, I don't like the attitude of, "Oh if you do one thing bad you get the karmic, reincarnation version of ****," "blah, blah". Perhaps this is a good site but I was wondering if someone could help me find a pagan centered site that offered this idea of gritty paganism?

Hi, PrincessKLS. Have you tried The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum? I was a member for nearly 10 years; they're a really well established, diverse community and not Wiccan-centered.

There's also a newer community that might fit the bill if you're a hard polytheist (i.e. believe in the gods as distinct entities) called Polytheism Without Borders.

Thank you I'll try it out and in the Alternachicks section, I'd like you to view my new post about critiquing Doreen Virtue. I've tried to find real criticism of her on the webs but it seems like when you google it; the only thing people criticize is her uncredited PhD (which isn't required to do reading anyway) or the fact she's been married 3 times).

I run into the same issues that the OP does. I don't have a set religion and I don't fit into any of the cookie-cutter pagan groups. Its hard to find a group that is willing to accept differences in ideas even when they claim that they are open-minded.

Psychic, I totally agree, and speaking of open-minded, positive new-age hypocrisy, I'm starting to question Doreen Virtue's "positivity" techniques, angel cards, and angel readers after having some bad experiences with the readers being judgemental. I got one reading from an angel reader I didn't really know who basically made me cry he was so horrible and on that same day I ran to call a psychic at California psychics just to feel better, that's how mean he was! Another I sort of know very well from the internet who I don't think has the mental capabilities to be a reader period and is just doing it (she gives me free advice) to supplement her low income. I'm not against people on SSI or disability supplementing their income but they should get jobs they are really good at. But anyway, not to mention Doreen herself shut me out when I did my own reading with one of her cards and I didn't understand the reasoning behind the sequence and I questioned her theory and she deleted me from Facebook (in public). My friend overlooked the reading with my permission recently and she just was biased and took Doreen's side, instead of explaining things better. Love the Doreen Virtue artwork but these cards and readers are horrible.

P.S. The reader who made me cry was some guy from South America that told me a guy I liked couldn't be trusted and because he happens to be a different religion then me, he claimed the angels told me to find a guy with the same religion as me. WTF? type of prejudice is Doreen Virtue teaching to her readers?

Okay so I've been on the ecauldron forum for a while and I find it pretty interesting. As a whole, there's a lot of supportive people there but there's this one person who's getting on my nerves a bit, I don't know what it is. Just the way she responds to my posts and sometimes takes what I have to say out of context. Otherwise, it's great.

Thank you for helping but I now believe I'm not welcomed there, I haven't been banned but certain members have made it known to me that they basically find me worthless. Just because I questioned certain aspects of the LGBTQ... community, they claim I'm a poor ally and they are trying to paint me as a bigot. I support the LGBTQ... community, however, after being a part of my school's LGBT organizations for a long time, I do question some of the logic being taught. Such as the idea of using "asexuality" as a label to defend your fear of intimacy (I have a friend who I believe has done this) or some of the logic behind sexual fluidity and having concerns that claiming your sexuality can change overtime is actually hurting the LGBT community in a time like this, especially the much (taboo'ed) bisexual community. It didn't help matters that I said to them I think I might be bisexual or pansexual because I have a crush (minor) on a transwoman I know. Also because I did shoot myself in the foot before that; by talking about possibly doing on love spell on some guy I have a major crush on from another internet site.

That one is a bit complicated and I don't want to explain it but I do feel like it may be one of the few situations in the world where the "love-casting taboo" (which I found out isn't exclusively a Wiccan ideology) may be used for a valid reason. Meaning, it may be a good idea to cast a love spell, charm, enchantment, or at least a spell for more validation.


So again I felt I found an internet forum that closed their mind to me for many reasons.

I had a similar issue with ecauldron. It was a wealth of information and I learned a good deal/became much more open-minded, but they are extremely picky/sensitive with a variety of topics. I ended up leaving after one member in particular basically followed me around to every thread lecturing me on how I'm too US-centric with everything. I wish I could find a different pagan website as I have no local community support and am floundering around on my own.

I noticed that even some of the moderators are horrible. I hate to be a traitor to a religion I adore but it seems like a lot of pagan community sites are just set up to be judgemental, as well as a "flame war" fest. It's hard for me to find a healthy one.

Sorry to hear the ecauldron forum didn't work out. I only stop by on occasion to read these days, but there does seem to be a new group of regulars and the tone of the board has changed quite a bit.

Ah well, that's the internet for you- always changing.