Laren
Also, just because people are attending organized meetings and rituals does not mean that they are giving up their practice of free thought. Yvaine and I are examples of that. We attend Roman Catholic church on a regular basis, but we have spiritual and philosophical lives outside of that.
Organized religions are handy little foundations that provide a nice place to launch from. Often times someone else has sat down and pondered the same things we do and has figured out a lovely way to say it. I say to organized religion, "thanks for saving folks some time" so that we don't have to start from scratch and can also enjoy the human need of community. That community would disintergrate the moment it promoted that everyone go off and do their own thing!
Laren
Not everyone wants to have their own philosophy. Not everyone wants to know what monsters the angels and gods protect them against. Not everyone wants to know magic. It is up to those of us who travel the path of mysticism to bring enlightenment and understanding where we can, and to promote humanity above all things. Connection is the source of magic, and we must foster it.
Here's the fun part: those who do have the urge to launch off from what is being fed to the masses are now free to enter the mysteries. Unfortunately, this is when we have to go back and reasses our easily digested foundation for cracks and faulty logic. But after that it gets fun!
And yes, cry for most mainstream wiccans. My dear, dear, wiccans...when will the crap end?
