Thoughts on High Profile Public Rituals in Binghamton

[stupidcoyote]

Meeting just outside the Holiday Inn. There is a nice neat circle paved into the stonework patio. Process from there down under Riverside drive passing station along the way. The bridge of Riverside Drive makes an excellent passage into sacred space. Circle up in the patio just the other side of Riverside Drive. Cast circle, call quarter/

Comments

[rob_wandell]

So what are the reasons to do a public ritual?
maybe....
1.Show people what pagans do, to educate them and promote acceptance
2.To open the door to participation from other pagan people (or those that might be) who haven't found other pagans to connect with through other means.
3.Because we can, and should be able to?
4.other?

So what is your reason?

[stupidcoyote]

I guess my main reason was to do magic in the name of the city, but after writing it and reading it I realize that would violate the separation of church and state.

I would be an education thing, because people would be encouraged to watch. It would be "local color" under those conditions as well. It would open the door for people to ask about paganism and what it is.

I agree we Should be able to, but for me that doesn't translate into we can. There r MANY reasons y we can't and should, but in the end I don't think that is fair. This is a whole nother can of worms for me, and I try not to get into this can as much as I can avoid it )-:

In the end I think it is because Binghamton CAN and SHOULD be able to benefit from our magic and rituals.

[rob_wandell]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

So you are correct..sort of.. The city has "religious" leaders speak at some of their press conferences. The could not hire anyone to do religious activity, but they can allow it.

P.S. We can not buy beer before noon on Sunday....I've never desired to do so, but it is an obviously unconstitutional law. It is a law respecting religions anti-alcohol policy on Sunday mornings when people should be at church! (If it were noon everyday, it would be a secular law)

[dulcimergoddess]

for what it's worth, if you want to do a ritual in public (as opposed to public ritual -- i.e., one that is advertised to the masses and requires permits), you can just do it.

for Mean Erraigh (Ostara), my grove does a river blessing at Confluence Park, for example. i've known folks who've done ritual on the psych center property in the daylight. I've done ritual many times in public parks and folks have left me alone.

at GOG back in NJ, we did a walking through New Brunswick ritual (honoring the spirits of place and the city) every Midsummer and a pumpkin parade on the sidewalk for Samhain.

You have the same religious rights as everyone else. If you want to rent the hotel as a private citizen, process, do a ritual and return for a feast, you really don't need a permit -- any more so than a Christian prayer group would. (You wouldn't have city sanction, though; nor could you, really.)

[stupidcoyote]

It was a nice dream though :-)