I think that the word "community" means something different to everyone. To me, a community is a group of people with similar beliefs and ideals coming together for a common purpose. Simply break down the word and you'll get my definition...common unity. But why is it so difficult for a group of people with similar beliefs and ideals to get along? It should be easy, right? But it's not...and why are they so important, anyway? Lots of people practice on their own just fine, so why should it matter?
This is how I see it. Individually, you have beliefs and practices that work and make sense. You're comfortable doing things your own way, and enjoy the freedom of being solitary. You don't want to join a group because you don't want to be boxed in, so to speak. You don't want to have to follow other people's rules or ways of doing things, and you don't want to look stupid. That's totally fine. I think that working alone has lots of benefits, and to be honest, I think that no matter who you are, you need that alone time. But, I also think that too much time alone and you'll go stagnant. I think that practicing with other people, even if it's just attending a public ritual, is something everyone should do at least once or twice. You can learn a lot from watching how other people do things, and seeing what they believe.
So what does that have to do with community? Well, you have a sense of belonging when being in a community that you don't get when you're on your own. You also have a bit of a support network that's not there otherwise, not to mention the vast differences you encounter amongst individual belief and practice, and the knowledge you can gain from that.
We have a fairly strong pagan contingent in my neck of the woods, but unfortunately not a lot of people get along. Well, I probably shouldn't go that far, but there does seem to be a fair bit of animosity floating around. Until recently (about 5-6 years ago), we had one of the most cohesive pagan communities in Canada, but something happened that drastically changed things. Was it one person, event, or thing? It's hard to say. All I know is that I used to feel like I was a part of something big, so to speak. That, for all intensive purposes, I was a part of a community. I no longer feel this way, and I haven't for some time.
I got into paganism about 13 years ago, and sort of quietly stumbled my way into what was a thriving community. There were lots of public rituals and events that seemed very well run with lots of smiling faces eager to strike up a conversation. I felt like I was finally in a space where I belonged, and I loved it. Now that I don't have that I miss it. A lot. Some would argue that we still have a thriving, healthy community here, but I disagree completely. How can it thrive when people are so judgemental, presumptuous, entitled, and defensive?
Not long ago a group of people got together to try to fix our broken and fractured community, and for a while I had a lot of hope that, in time, old wounds would heal and we would be able to move on and back into some semblance of a "common unity". When I saw this was not possible with the current people involved, I decided to walk away. Begrudgingly, I packed up and moved on. I want to feel connected again. I want to have a sense of belonging, and of pride. Maybe now isn't the right time for it - I know the universe works in strange ways. For now all I can do is move on, and look forward to forming a new type of community, in hopes that one day, that "common unity" will be found again, not just for me, but for many others.
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