how we do what we do

I’ve been thinking and reflecting alot lately on not only what we do, but how we do it. To me, a strength of what I personally bring to the wider Sydney and Western Sydney pagan, witchcraft and occult community is the community spaces that I build, host and create. I’m good at it and I love what I do. It’s deeply rewarding.

When I first came up with the idea for The Pagan Fringe, I wanted a community space where witches, occultists and pagans from all backgrounds, local to me, could meet and connect. I wanted to rope some of my existing friends in as well. And I wanted to feel a little less isolated. I’ve had ALOT to do with various pagan communities over the years, however being on maternity leave and having major life changes like moving house, and starting a family really shook things up. I wanted to go back to what I knew well and that was building communities so we could all feel a little less alone.

So that’s the origin story, but what you might not realise is that The Pagan Fringe is still a grassroots, community-responsive space and behind the scenes, it’s mostly me juggling the planning, writing, social media, event prep, and all the other little tasks that help bring these gatherings to life. Credit where credit is due – responsibility has also been collectively shared amongst friends over time in the past when I haven’t been able to attend. It continues to be a labour of love – one that feels deeply rewarding when I see folks connecting and building friendships. But honestly, the heart of The Fringe isn’t in the minutae of the tasks, it’s the people who show up, ask questions, share ideas and create a an awesome little community together.

When you attend an event, ask a question, take notes, share your insights, chat with friends, meet someone new, or even just read a blog post and think about it later, you’re a part of this little community. And I’ll keep on doing this until I run out of energy, or everyone gets bored and moves onto something else, whichever comes first! 😉

Because it has grown over time, it has changed from the collective social meet ups, to me developing and presenting rituals, hosting discussion and teaching groups, and now moving into more thought-provoking events like the upcoming death cafe series, I’ve put some time into thinking about how I do, what I do. What makes The Pagan Fringe events special, interesting and potentially unique, – what makes them worth nuturing and sustaining for the benefit of community?

I’ve developed a guideline for how we can all continue to create safe, respectful and engaging spaces, which I’ve called a conduct agreement. I wanted to put into words some of the things I already do, and promise to do, which aligns with my values and why I’m doing what I do in this space. At its core, it’s a statement of my values and what I think is important in public witchcraft spaces and occult spaces. It also helps connect into the mission of The Fringe which is to build a strong interconnected network and community. Publishing this feels like I’m birthing something. I’m simply asking folks to continue to do their best, and I’ll do mine too.

I hope its well received 🙂

(If you’re keen to help out with The Fringe events, or if you have space where we might be able to gather in Western Sydney, give me a shout via email. I’d love to hear from you!)