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The
Nanaimo Pagan Pride Day is an annual event held at the Kin Park on the
beautiful Departure Bay Beach in Nanaimo. The
day is chalked full of musical entertainment, speakers from around the
province, demonstrations, workshops, vendor tables full of Pagan and
Pagan friendly goods and services as well as great food! First and foremost is the goal of Pagan Pride Day is educating the public about the beliefs and practices of various Neopagan traditions. The general public is invited and there are usually tables of reading materials, staffed by members of a range of Neopagan denominations. Speakers may focus on dispelling common misconceptions about Neopaganism, or they may seek to educate outsiders about the details of their particular beliefs and practices.
What Is A Pagan? A
Pagan or Neo-Pagan is someone who identifies as a Pagan, and whose
spiritual or religious practice or belief fits into one or more of the
following categories: Honouring,
revering, or worshipping a Deity or Deities found in pre Christian,
classical, aboriginal, or tribal mythology; and/or Practicing
religion or spirituality based upon shamanism, shamanic, or magickal
practices; and/or Creating
new religion based on past Pagan religions and/or futuristic views of
society, community, and/or ecology; and/or Focusing religious or
spiritual attention on the Divine Feminine. We celebrate our sameness and differences and our joy of life and community on this day. Our
Purpose: The Pagan Pride Project is a non-profit organization. The primary purpose is the advancement of religion and the elimination of prejudice and discrimination based on religious beliefs. Mission:
Our mission is to foster pride in Pagan identity through education, activism, charity, and community. Defining
Our Mission Statement: We
try to keep our purpose balanced through the inspiration of Air, Fire,
Water, and Earth Air:
Education To
be able to practice our spiritual paths openly we need to give the
public accurate information about what we do and do not do. Fire:
Activism The
general public is not going to go out of its way to find out what Pagans
really do. Therefore, we need to have the courage to act on our
convictions and do what we need to do for accurate representation. Water:
Charity We
know that what we do returns to us. We need to demonstrate this by
offering compassion to our communities where needed. When we share our
own abundance, we show that we trust the gods to share abundance with us
in return. Earth:
Community To
practice our paths openly we need to make contact with others in our
cities, towns, and rural areas. We need to support one another to show
that we are a growing congregation of people who adhere to a faith,
while different, is as valid as their own.
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