I didn’t realize that Paganism was so “American-centric.’
Indeed, many of those values were acquired by the US Founding Fathers from their study of classical Roman and Athens and their contact with the Iriquois Conferderacy. All of whom were Pagans.

A person will comment something like, “Z’ shouldn’t have been a ritual leader because of past comments.” And another person will respond to that by saying, “I agree with you that PantheaCon should allowed exclusionary rituals.” Those are very different positions.

Or a person will comment that although they wouldn’t attend a ritual that made it sound as if transgender women weren’t women, they find value in rituals for subgroups that restrict on who can attend. Another person will respond, “How can you support trans-phobia?”

Like you, I’m hoping that the conversations move in a more productive way. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/agora/2012/02/overview-of-the-pantheacon-gender-debate/

http://www.womenarewatching.org/

I also found body awareness to be exceptionally valuable for emotional (and energetic) awareness. Sometimes emotions don’t express directly as feelings, especially the ones we repress or deny; sometimes they express more as muscle tightness, a stiffening of posture, stomach tightening, shortened breath, and the like, and paying attention to your body’s signals can cue you to your emotions.

Yes, 2012 is the year to get involved and get our voices out there. The protest of SOPA/PIPA demonstrated how we can change a situation–peacefully, through rational discourse and speaking up.

And that’s the way it’s supposed to be. A democratic government is supposed to be is directed *by the people*, not the other way around. We have power in votes, in voices. Because of the Internet, voters are more informed than ever. This is an amazing turning point in human history. Let’s use our knowledge and power for the good toward a progressive, enlightened society that truly upholds a vision of freedom and human rights.

Here is my own plea: I ask younger people not to take their freedoms and rights for granted but to keep fighting the good fight–peacefully, with advocacy and knowledge. We’re dealing with a generational divide here, with an older generation that fears the future and wants to put a lid on basic human emotions and needs.

There’s a saying that freedoms must be fought for every 20 years. Young ones, we who have been keeping the light of democracy, progressiveness, and rationality alive need your help!

Thank you for this post — it’s a great reminder!

The challenge has been that while certain circles have been abuzz with this, it doesn’t seem to have been spreading outside of those circles (thanks in part to the utter lack of coverage). I am thrilled that groups like Wikipedia, Google, and Craigslist–all of which have much broader user bases–have decided to throw their hat in with a very visible display. I am hoping that this “blackout day” will do something to raise awareness and get more people involved.