Swinburne Pagan Society Start of Uni Get Together

2017 is well and truly over, and as we recover from the silly season and bask in the long, hot summer days, we can’t help but start looking forward to what we have planned for the coming year.

Meetups: Last year we hosted more than 50 meetups across the state, giving Pagans of a wide variety of locations, traditions and walks of life the opportunity to come together and socialise over a cuppa (or beer!). This year, our meetups will continue apace, with Melbourne Pagans in the Pub in the CBD, the Monthly Hills Pagan Coffee Meets in Belgrave, the Frankston Pagan Meets and the Central Vic Pagan Meets in Creswick and Castlemaine. This year, in conjunction with Druids of Victoria, we will be co-hosting Wandering Druid Coffee Meets in many different locations around the state. If you are a Druid or interested in Druidic practice, take a look.

As always, all our Meets are held according to the Standards laid out in our Mission Statement. Our community is diverse, supportive, and nurturing, and we love it that way.

At present, all our Meets are adults-only. Please do not bring children. If you are a parent wanting to run family-friendly Pagan events, get in touch with us and we’ll help you get started.

Public Rituals: Once again we will be co-hosting free public sabbat rituals with a range of groups and individuals from across our diverse Pagan community. Coming up next weekend is our public Lughnasadh ritual, which will be co-hosted by the Hills Pagans in Belgrave.

Future public rituals include an Imbolc ritual co-hosted by Silver Birch Grove ADF, an Ostara ritual co-hosted by the Sovereigns of the Golden Path and a Midsummer ritual co-hosted by the Melbourne Grove of OBOD.

Patreon: In the very near future we will be launching a Patreon page, where anybody interested can support the PCV with a small monthly donation.

Membership the PCV is free, and we want to keep it that way. We don’t believe access to one’s local community and the potential support network and friends should be put behind a paywall and limited to those who can afford it.

With that said, as the Collective has grown in popularity so too have our costs. When we first started out, costs were covered by a small group of founding members. Now that we have grown much larger, we’re hoping that our community can help us out with some of these costs via a small monthly contribution, and maybe help to fund some exciting future projects, too.

Our Patreon backers will receive exclusive backer-only updates, free entry to our workshops, and discounts for a range of our other initiatives.

Redbubble: Also coming soonish is our Redbubble store, where our friends and supporters can buy groovy PCV merch. We’re currently working on organising a discount for our Patreon backers – watch this space.

Community Safety Month: March will once again be Community Safety Month for the PCV. We will be sharing valuable resources across our online and social media platforms, and discussion topics at our March meetups will be geared towards keeping the Pagan community safe, inclusive and nurturing for all.

Pagan Pride Day: After the huge success of last year’s inaugural Pagan Pride Day, we will be doing it all again in April this year. Pack a picnic and come along for an afternoon of connecting, sharing and celebrating with your community. We will have guest speakers from Victoria’s active Pagan traditions, a ritual and more. There are even rumours of a witches vs druids kubb game being planned.

Community Calendar: We are putting the finishing touches on our 2018 Community Calendar. This calendar contains information about all Pagan events in Victoria and is a valuable resource.

This year, we have made important changes to our calendar policy: “In accordance with Victorian law, groups and individuals running ‘family friendly’ events will need to supply copies of Working With Children Cards for all organisers and volunteers in order to see their event included on the Community Calendar”.

Workshops: We have a number of workshops planned which will be offered free to our Patreon backers. Watch our Facebook Page for updates.

Phew! 2018 is already looking jam-packed with fantastic offerings for the Victorian Pagan community. And with such a wide variety of events and locations, there is sure to be something to suit everyone.

See you there! ❤

community calendar community safety month Meetups Pagan Pride Day Patreon PCV merchandise PCV Public Rituals workshops
March is Community Safety Month for the PCV. Throughout this month we will be promoting safe, sane and inclusive Pagan community for all through the sharing of information, discussion topics and more.

We decided to start by sharing advice and information for people new to Paganism. These articles have been shared daily on our Facebook page.

PAN Safety in Circle Pamphlet: This brochure, by our friends at The Pagan Awareness Network, is essential reading for any Pagan new to face-to-face events and groups. It covers basic personal safety within the Pagan community and what to do if you witness or become the victim of illegal or unethical behaviour. PAN is one of the longest-running groups dedicated to Pagan networking, fellowship and education in the country, and we are proud to share this as the first of our Community Safety Month resources.

The Pagan Community – A Survivor’s Guide: In this piece, UK musician and storyteller Damh the Bard offers some pearls of wisdom for those new to the Pagan community. He also discusses the ideal motivations for seeking community in the first place.

Truth and Tales about Paganism: This is another excellent brochure from our friends at The Pagan Awareness Network. This one busts some commonly believed myths for newbies to Paganism and Pagan Community.

Pagan Pathways: Continuing on with our overview before we delve into more complex subjects, this brochure by the Pagan Awareness Network explores and demystifies many different Pagan traditions. Essential reading for anyone new to the community or to Paganism in general.

Wicca and Witchcraft – Which is Which?: The last PAN brochure we looked at explored and explained a variety of Pagan paths. This one sets out to define the differences between Wicca and witchcraft, which are two very different labels that are often confused with one another.

Paganism for Beginners – Controversies: UK Wiccan Yvonne Aburrow’s Paganism for Beginners pieces are all wonderful, but this one is especially useful to anyone just discovering the Pagan community and all its intricacies.

Sacred Ground and Acknowledgement of Country: Pagans in Australia are practicing on a land already rich with spiritual history. In this brochure, the Pagan Awareness Network discuss the importance of acknowledging the land’s traditional custodians, as well as other ways we as Pagans can show respect.

Sacred Knives: Athames and other sacred blades are used in rituals by some Pagans. But what are they used for exactly? Is it legal to carry one or use it in a public place? Our friends from the Pagan Awareness Network have got the answers in this handy brochure.

Five Things I Wish I’d Known as a Beginner: In this article, US author Thorn Mooney has some great advice for anyone new to Paganism or the Pagan community.

Skyclad – the Bare Facts: Some Pagans practice naked, or Skyclad. This brochure from the Pagan Awareness Network contains important information about the whys, the hows, the shoulds and the should-nots of ritual nudity.

acknowledgement of country advice for new pagans athames community safety community safety month information for new pagans pagan awareness network inc pagan community pagan traditions paganism for beginners ritual ritual nudity sacred ground sacred knives safe spaces for pagans safety in circle skyclad Thorn Mooney Wicca witchcraft Yvonne Aburrow
Many thanks to Alex, Sarah and Ryan for these great photos of our January adventures!

The January 2018 Hillsmeet. Photo by Sarah.

The January 2018 Hillsmeet. Photo by Sarah.

Our 2018 Lughnasadh Ritual was hosted by the Hills Pagans. Photo by Alex.

The January 2018 Hillsmeet. Photo by Sarah.

Our 2018 Lughnasadh Ritual was hosted by the Hills Pagans. Photo by Alex.

The Jan 2018 Melbourne Pagans in the Pub. Photo by Ryan.

Our 2018 Lughnasadh Ritual was hosted by the Hills Pagans. Photo by Alex.

Our 2018 Lughnasadh Ritual was hosted by the Hills Pagans. Photo by Alex.

Our 2018 Lughnasadh Ritual was hosted by the Hills Pagans. Photo by Alex.

Belgrave Lughnasadh Melbourne CBD Melbourne Pagans in the Pub throughout and about
We just met our first funding goal on Patreon!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us in this way. Your support means we can keep our memberships free and still cover essential running costs.

www.patreon.com/pagancollective

You can support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month to help us bring future projects to life, such as:

– Website hosting/maintenance fees.
– Guest speakers for our meetups.
– PCV Merchandise.
– A podcast showcasing viewpoints and issues in contemporary Australian Paganism
– Concerts with Pagan acts (*cough* Spiral Dance Melbourne Concert *cough*)
– An annual Pagan art exhibition.
– Venue hire for events such as rituals, community dinners/potlucks, film nights, workshop days, markets, etc.

Fundraising Patreon thanks
For Yule this year, we teamed up with the good folks of the Melbourne Heathen Moot for an excursion to the Vikings exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. This was followed by a lovely dinner at a local pub and a brief sumbel to mark the occassion.

Many thanks to PCV committee member Dean for organising this wonderful event!

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Dean.

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Ryan.

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Dean.

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Ryan.

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Ryan.

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Ryan.

At the 2018 Yule museum outing with the Melbourne Heathen Moot. Photo by Ryan.

Asatru/Heathenism Heathenry jaunts and outings Melbourne Melbourne Heathen Moot Melbourne Museum photos sumbel Vikings Winter Solstice Yule
The PCV is now on Patreon!

Help support us for as little as $1 (US) per month and get rewards such as patron-only content, priority sale to ticketed events and free entry to our workshops.

Membership to the PCV is free, and we want to keep it that way. We don’t believe access to one’s local community and the potential support network and friends therein should be put behind a paywall and limited to those who can afford it.

With that said, as the Collective has grown in popularity so too have our costs. When we first started out, costs were covered by a small group of founding members. Now that we have grown much larger, we’re hoping that our community can help us out with some of these costs via a small monthly contribution, and maybe help to fund some exciting future projects, too!

Fundraising membership Patreon

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