So this guy hates pagans too

@Ynotisay Yeah... They're much worse than nations who participated in slave trading, right???

@HootyTheNightOwl Make sure you warm up before you stretch like that. Don't want to pull a muscle.

@Ynotisay
Paganism is actually far from any need to belong to a group of like minded thinkers. People often try to lump Paganism in with organized religion but for myself and many people I've met it's more a solitary practice than group one. It's a spirtuality for which there is no right or wrong way to practice. It's whatever feels right to you the individual. It's about walking your own path.

@Ynotisay Yeah, God forbid we accept that those same nations were also partaking in witch hunts, too...

@robingoodfellow Fair enough. But you have to get your information from somewhere right? There's leaders in Paganism. There's a general path. It's why they have non-profit status. I mean, if someone is going to call themselves something there needs some type of structure, right? And at the end of the day, It's still deities, and reincarnation and the supernatural which people turn to for solace, togetherness and whatever else they get out of it. I don't subscribe but whatever. Different paths. Just be a decent person.
But the Pagan thing, which as an outsider I sort of see like veganism in that people love to mention it's their lane, seems like a bit of a push with the nature connection. Because when you're really connected to nature and spend time in it, the lesson should be that a human being is no more or less important than a termite eating a dead tree. The understanding is that humans are animals and nothing more than a part of the natural cycle. Nature just is. And that's where the power lies.
Now I'm no expert but it seems like that's sort of one of the main constructs of Paganism. That we're all a part of a nature. But human arrogance, under the guise of being "special" and a promise of some type of afterlife, takes control. If you're just a part of nature there's no need for any of the rest of it. That's the element I find really interesting. But again, whatever. People like to believe in things that aren't supported by anything other than belief. It's just the way our species rolls.

@Ynotisay I know you're into nature and hiking and the wilderness so yes, you are kind of in tune what Paganism is about.
The word Pagan originally was a term for country people: people who lived off the earth and were very in tune with the seasons and the nature all around them.

You know when your alone in the wilderness and it becomes more than just pretty views all around you? You start to feel part of the scenery. You begin to get a perspective of the interconnectivity of everything.
Pagan spirituality is an extension of that.

I understand what you mean by the veganism reference. But I'd compare that with Christians who love to flaunt the bible at you whether you're interested or not. It doesn't discount the Christian who quietly finds peace and solitude in reading scripture. Hey people are people, no matter what they believe.

Are there leaders in the Pagan community?
If there are I don't know them.
There are some authors who've written books for people interested in getting into it. And there are Wiccans who prefer a coven and I guess they may have individual leaders.
Speaking for myself it's always been a personal and private path. I incorporate many things including Native American philosophies.

@robingoodfellow Appreciate that. I just did a quick search, because I'm not very familiar, and it appears that Pagan leadership is a real thing. There's seminaries. But that makes sense. But it also doesn't mean that everyone needs to subscribe to the "group think" that takes place around religions or beliefs. There's always different paths up the mountain.

And yeah. I'm in the wilderness most every day and definitely relate to when things are extra nice, extra bad or when I've had unusual experiences with wildlife. But I personally don't attach anything more to it than what it is. It doesn't mean I experience anything more or less than those who do apply something 'deeper' or have a supernatural component attached to it. But for me, who is all I can speak about, it's just a lesson in humility and respect. And that's directly related to being out there safely which is necessary if you do it a lot. I'm lucky in that I feel safer and more "alive" when I'm alone in the remote wilderness than anywhere else. But that's all on me and my relationship to it. I don't feel special or have the need to apply something "bigger" to explain it. Nature just is. And "it" gives two shits about me. I'm no more or less important than a bug. Personally, I like that feeling and don't feel the need to see beyond that. Others do. And that's fine. But it's not real. It's human beings applying their own consciousness, needs and beliefs to something that, in my opinion, doesn't need explaining. But again, different paths up the mountain.👍