Tha glé garbh a th' ann

Living on an island has its upsides. It never ceases to be beautiful, there's a great community, and the reality that you live in a place people pay thousands just to visit. However, the summer has receded and now we remain, with the wind. There's a lot of it today. One of the reasons I believe that I've found resonance with Gaelic Polytheism is the environment. I live on the edge of a coastal heath, whipped by winds in the North Atlantic. When I talk to fellow students in Scotland we have a mutual understanding when we say the ferry has been canceled for days, and there's no milk...anywhere. 

The great gift is the connection to the environment we all have. The weather dictates everything here. Warm weather brings tourists, and work, while rough weather cuts us off and brings us closer together. It's not uncommon to lose power in a storm here and have half your neighbors congregating in one kitchen with a generator running on the deck outside. Nature is still a major part of our everyday lives, and we're very lucky for that.

The last refuge of Pagans has generally been the most remote climes and places, for the above mentioned reasons and many others. Their environment was more important than anything else. Today however it seems different. The more Pagans I meet, the more I meet who are running back to embrace something. Most have grown up in urban or suburban areas, only occasionally experiencing more rural environs where the weather effected more than their commute. As they've grown, many have found a home in those removed places. This is quite the shift. This isn't to say the majority of the Pagan community doesn't live in urban areas, which I guess is true. The point here is the importance placed on rural places, connection to the natural world, and some of the values found in those places. Community, family, local history, are a few. What will be most exciting, is how these ideas are integrated into urban and suburban environments. 

The Pagan community has a unique outlook and value system that as time goes on, will change their social and physical environment to reflect those values. As a community, I think we have exciting times ahead. It may also be that I've had too much coffee. Enjoy your Sunday folks.

Tapadh Leibh

Owen