I blame James Grimswolf for this. Deep thoughts on what I want out of tradition

So in a conversation James got me to thunking.  What do I want out of group or a community.  It doesn't help that the Kenny Klein thing has gotten us all talking about ethics and think of the children.  So I'm in deep thought mode.

Keep in mind, while writing this, I am comparing and contrasting stuff I've experienced and seen. I'm comparing and contrasting solitary Wicca, Wiccan covens, some group work I've done, Kindreds and churches.  These are my feelings.

Well, I'm an American.  I'm not really all that into Wicca hierarchy nor Chieftains.  Have those that know what they are doing, be nominally in charge.  But I do think that everyone should have a say, that is in the group.  Lets vote and do it Republican style(the Roman term not the political party term).

The whole lets go and be what the ancients were, leaves me with the not so warm and fuzzy feelings.  I'm a modern person and with that, comes some benefits.  I don't want to copy what the ancients did.  I want to learn from them, use what is good and put in a box(the stuff I don't find good, but others may later) the other stuff.  I want us to appreciate our moderness.  I don't know about anyone else but air conditioning is fricken nice.

I think that Group work is just as important as Solo work.  I think a community or a tradition should be able to accommodate both.  We don't need to do Pagan Catholism.  We need to see what works for us and do that.  Small stuff is just as important as Pomp and Circumstance.

One of the reasons, I found I wasn't ever going to be BTW Wiccan, was meeting the Goddess was like having High Tea with the Queen.  There wasn't the small familiarity of family from my previous encounters. The rituals weren't adaptable. I was trying to do a simple Garden blessing and all I could hear was Pomp and Circumstance music in the back of my head.  I wanted the small waltzes of Beethoven, or the soft music of Lorena McKennit.

I am not Wiccan, because the religion didn't feel as real or rich to me as I need.  It felt contrived.  It felt too immersed in New Agey concepts and too mixed.  So for me, I need something that has the richness and primalness of Ye olden days.  I need the Gods to be equal to.  No male God is the consort of the Goddess thing.  I need the Gods to be thought of as real, not as Pantheistic concepts.  So the community can't be so overly diverse that we end up being another UU CUUPs thing.

I need the community to be involved in interfaith and intrafaith stuff.  Why, because there are things that all the religions can do that need doing.  Homeless shelters, food banks, helping those in prison etc etc etc etc.

While we are at it... The community can't be I hate Jesus and God.  It's time to grow up and put that crap aside.  We are becoming an adult religion, and with that comes like acting like an adult and working with people you don't agree with.  So conflict resolution skills are going to be imp.