7/29/2019 On Pagan Time

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On a typical Tuesday night, Cara

McCalley can be found at the

 Tate Theater for a meeting of 

Crossroads, the “campus crusade for

Christ,”worshipping the one and only

God she has always known. She, along

with the other students at Crossroads,

live by the verse John 14:6— “I am the

way, the truth and the life. No one comes

to the Father except through me.”In a

di erent part of Tate, another meeting

is underway. Although their meeting

starts about 15 minutes late, nobody is

upset—they laugh, saying they’re on

“Pagan time.”As students le in for a meeting of 

the Pagan Student Association, pizza is

distributed and the Beatles are playing in

the background. The topic of discussion

tonight: yoga. Next week’s meeting topic

is calming meditation. These are typical

Pagan Student Association gatherings,

and they welcome everyone, regardless

of their beliefs, with open arms.

According to witchvox.com, the word

“Pagan”comes from the Latin word

“paganus,”meaning “one who is not

from the city, but from the country”and

refers to the religion’s close ties with

nature. Many religious customs have

been branded “Pagan”over the centuries.

 Today, Paganism is used as an umbrella

term to describe all religions that donot fall under the traditional Abrahamic

religions. Paganism is not one religion,

but rather a collection of religions,

including agnosticism, atheism, panthe-

ism and polytheism. PSA has been a

social organization for over a decade at

the university. It is a non-denominational

space for both members and visitors to

discuss and explore the idea of spiritual-

ity in general. It also provides a safe place

for Pagan students to learn from one

another.

“The PSA is a small socializing and ad-

vocacy organization,”says Martin Hogan,

PSA’s president of internal a airs. “Its

primary function is to be a space where

people who subscribe to any Pagan

belief or people who have any interest

in Pagan beliefs or cultures can gather to

discuss, learn and socialize.”

 The three pillars of the group are

education, advocacy and community.

All are welcome, regardless of their

beliefs. PSA participates in numerous

events throughout the year. The social

calendar tends to follow nature’s calen-

dar — events include celebrations for

the vernal and autumnal equinoxes and

the summer and winter solstices, as well

as certain points in the solar and lunar

cycles.

For Halloween, the club celebrates

Samhain, a traditional Celtic harvest fes-

tival similar to All Hallows’Eve, the day of 

remembrance of passed ancestors that

eventually became modern-day Hallow-

een. Festivities often include food, fall

games, costumes and spiritual rituals.

Another annual event is May Day,

which is always on the 1st of May and is

traditionally a fertility festival deemed

the “Pagan’s Valentine’s Day.”There are

also annual dances, pre-exam medita-

tions and Bardic Circles, where everyone

gets together for bonres, cookies, sing-

ing and ghost stories.

 There are certain times during the year

when PSA members are especially active

on campus. At the annual anti-abortion

protest in Tate, PSA members are t here

to hand out pictures of kittens as a coun-

ter protest. PSA tries to quell the mad-

ness of such protests at Tate by passing

out material that is non-controversial in

comparison. Other counter-protests in-

clude holding up resistance signs when

religious leaders preach condemnation

to the students standing in Tate Plaza.

In reference to one of the preachers, a

member recently stood nearby and held

up a sign that read, “Don’t feed the troll.”

At a typical PSA meeting, one mem-

ber of the club will lead by sharing with

the group a certain aspect of Pagan-

ism that they nd fascinating, ranging

anywhere from fairy folklore to the role

of science and capitalism in Paganism.

Cailyn Nagle, PSA’s president of external

a airs, says hearing from the members is

her favorite part of the meetings. “I love

everyone’s chance to share what they’re

passionate about,”she says. “You really

learn from each other.”

Members of PSA have been leaving a

quiet mark on campus since the group’s

founding in 1995. On 9/11, the group

conducted a candlelight vigil at the

arch and formed a discussion circle on

the steps. People passing by started to

gather, and when the group eventually

departed they left their candles with

other participants. The vigil carried on

for over a week and grew to cover the

steps. A pen and notebook were left

on the stairs, where people wrote their

thoughts about the catastrophe. The

university library documented the scene

and parts of the sketchbook went on dis-

play in the library this year for t he tenth

anniversary.

 There have been times when members

have been discriminated against for

what they do — or don’t — believe. For

instance, the group set up a boot h last

year to raise money for tsunami relief in

Japan with free tarot readings and free

cookies. One student approached the

table, took a cookie, realized the name of 

the club, put the cookie back down and

walked away. The group is often stereo-

typed by a belief in violence and sadistic

activities. “Pagans don’t drink goat blood

or summon demons. They’re tolerant,

interesting and intelligent people,”says

Isaiah Broomeld. Nagle agrees, saying

“misinformation breeds hatred.”

Although members have to deal with

their share of mistreatment, acceptance

of the club, and Paganism in general, is

to convert anybody,”

says Robert Warren.

 The group welcomes

students of all reli-

gious beliefs — even

non-Pagans with an

interest in the club,

whom the group

refers to as the “Pagan

friendly.”“I do not con-

sider myself a Pagan,”

says Broomeld. “I was

instead drawn to the

organization because

of its tolerance and

diversity. It is a perfect

place to explore one-

self and one’s relation

to other people from

other faiths, creeds,

etc.”

Junior Dina Abdul-

hadi is atheist, but

attends PSA meetings

regularly because

she appreciates the

philosophy of pagan-

ism and its spiritual

connection with nature. “I n

nature,”Abdulhadi says.

According to Justin Willcox

ty advisor, past members hav

ed a wide variety of religions

ranging from clergy to athei

attended meetings. “I would

urge you to attend a meetin

ing too hard to characterize

Willcox says. The Pagan Stud

tion welcomes all to join the

spiritual journey.

On Pagan time

InterestedPSA meetin Tate 14at 7:00 p.mevery oth Tuesday

generally on the rise.

 The TV station The CW

has a new show de-

voted to Pagan ideolo-

gies, called “The Secret

Circle,”and Pagans have

also been featured on

HBO’s “True Blood.”The

belief system is also

becoming more com-

mon — 93 registered

Pagan organizations

now exist in the state of 

Georgia alone, accord-

ing to witchvox.com. LizKaufman, a history and

anthropology major

from Lawrenceville, says

not many people show

a strong reaction to her

pagan beliefs. Every-

one’s pretty cool about

it,”she says.

 The group emphasiz-

es nding and following

an individual path while

respecting others’rights

to follow their own

paths as well. “We’re not

outBY ELLEN BARNES / PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDSAY BOYLE

 The Pagan Student Association

has been an established social

group at the university for over

a decade.