Community Profile

"I started getting frustrated when all I could find at the book store or online was the same thing over and over. How to set up an altar, how to draw a circle, nothing about the spiritual side or WHY. Too much focus on the spells and symbolic and not enough on the spirituality." - sweatydog, in her intro post

We, as pagans, have very beautiful spiritual beliefs. What ties us is our acknowledgment and appreciation of many aspects of the God and Goddess and our practice of magick. Magick is an expression of those beliefs and an important part of our religion, but it's not the only part. The Gods, what they're all about, and the wonderful purpose they serve have unfortunately taken a back seat in many circles. They've been all but replaced by empty symbolism, flashy ritual clothing, the thrill of working with energy. While there certainly is nothing wrong in enjoying this part of pagan religions, it seems that more and more people are forgetting what it means to be a part of a religion in the first place.

This community, so far, has been a great relief for pagans that don't want to only talk about magick but who want to talk about the Gods as well, faith, lack of faith, what gets them through the day. They want to have a forum to discuss all pagan issues, whether it be exploring the great mysteries of life, to our standing in society, even personal issues in which the help and feedback from other pagans are much needed. I've created this forum for all of us who need to address these things. So do you think we can do this? Can we go on a full spiritual journey together?

People of any religious persuasion may join ljbookofshadows, but keep in mind that we are not a teaching community. While any passing member may answer your question, no one is obligated to do so.

This community is currently developing a number of heartfelt essays written by our very own members for the purpose of promoting religious tolerance and education. Feel free to read them in the memories section.

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Community Guidelines & Rules

RTFM or you may end up with the grumpy end of a mod.

We are here to express ourselves, share honest opinions, even support each other, not tear each other down (says stardustnprison). If you can't play nice, you get the banhammer (says animamea). Now let's go over our main theme:

Do NOT abuse your SixApart-given right to free speech.

Post with respect. Do not post inflammatory statements. Do not post sexually explicit material. Please make posts that have some discernible point. DO NOT FLAME. DO NOT TROLL. No racism, homophobia, sexism, or any kind of negative -ism. No harassment. No threats in any form. No swearing at other members. No slurs of any kind. No insults. No attacks.

Don't delete posts or comments unless you posted in error (posted a comment from the wrong account, posted here when you meant to post to ljboobies, etc). If there's a problem, tell the mods.

We advise you not only to post with respect, but with wisdom. If you will react badly if someone disagrees or disapproves of your post, don't post. If you disagree or disapprove of someone's post, try to be constructive, or at least amusing, with your criticism.

Know the LJ Cut. Love the LJ Cut. It looks like this: <lj-cut>. If you want to get fancy, it looks like this: <lj-cut text="What you want the link to say"> Use it when:
- A mod tells you to. Yes, I actually had to say it.
- Posting any image or embedded video larger than 500x500.
- Posting multiple images or embedded videos, preferably after the first item regardless of size.
- Your post exceeds 350 words and/or three long paragraphs and/or you have a scroll bar on your posting form.

Yes, you can pimp your website, community, book, etc. but please send a quick LJ message so that I'm aware of what's being promoted. I have to make sure that whatever communities are promoted are in keeping with the LJ Terms of Use (send LJ messages to stardustnprison If it's just a pimp post, put the entire post behind a cut. If you happen to put a link to something else in your post, it doesn't need to be cut (unless it meets a cut rule).


Your mods are stardustnprison and animamea. Feel free to send an LJ message if you need help. If we receive complaints regarding your behavior from three users, and we decide that you are in violation of the rules or spirit of the community, you will be banned. Your mods are cranky but fair.

We reserve the right to change, add, or remove rules at any time, and we may or may not inform you. Since most of the rules are common sense, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

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