That Wheat and Chaff Sorting Thing...

** disclaimer** -  If you see yourself as one of the 'types' I profile in this posting, don't take it personally - unless you've met me personally. I had a specific person/group in mind with each of the types below that personifies who/what actually happened to me. Got it? 
Ok. Carry on, Mr./Ms. Prissypants.

It is natural for many Solitaries to try to reach out to others within the 'community' during their Year and A Day. Support, friendship, and help getting answers are all things we need and crave from time to time.

Who you meet can be tricky, however.  Instead of support, friendship and someone to answer your questions, you can easily get this guy:

 I'm not knocking Goth minded people or witches. So STOP RIGHT THERE - look at my disclaimer above. Now read it again. And again. Keep reading it until you get my point. NOW you can read the rest of this post. Ahem.

But it doesn't stop there - there's more. Oh, my sacred bats are there more! 

Another type that can fool you very well over emails and the phone is this group:

 

You also can't smell them over the phone. They also usually forget to mention how they are all polyamorous, and kinda/sorta hope/expect you and your whole family to be as well. 

But they didn't want to put you off early on. 

And, by the way - any chance you'd sell your car, house, and all your possessions, donate all the money to the group, and come live on that bus with them Manson-Family-style? 

No? Then you're not a real witch, according to them. You haven't learned to let go of your Christian upbringing and notions of right and wrong, and you're too tied to material possessions -  blah blah blah blahhhh.

Maybe, instead, you decide a Pagan drum gathering, or other community type event would be easier for you to make connections with people.  Sounds great, doesn't it? There will be tents in a natural, wooded setting, circles of people with like minds and merchants available to sell everything you've been desiring. 

You pack up and head out for the weekend. 

And this is what you find: 

 

You see that teepee? That's the only tent, and the lone merchant there is selling stuff that would have a Police K-9 signaling his handler like an epileptic during a seizure.

Once again - I'm NOT knocking community events - I'm merely pointing out that not all of them are great events, and careful research and review of events will tell you a great deal.

Most of the people you meet within the community will be wonderful people - but many will not be, and many have very distinct ulterior motives in getting you to talk to them. Your job is to sort through them. Some want power, some are just on ego trips, and some are just clueless and want numbers to validate them. Many more will use witchcraft as a pretext or reasoning for bad behavior, criminal activity, psychological abuse and worse. Some are innocent people who feel the need to pose as things they are not. Being new to witchcraft, it can be harder to spot those you are better off staying away from.

(And, no - I'm not going to tell you who or what types to stay away from - not even the types I've poked fun at today - not ALL of those within those types are bad, or necessarily weird.)

A Last Word About The 'Community'

I'm not trying to malign the community, or individual groups within the community, but there is indeed a lure about witchcraft that seems to have a neon sign out for the fringe element of society. I am not knocking them. I am simply calling a black cauldron a VERY BLACK CAULDRON. I understand they come to our community because they are looking for acceptance and identity. Many stay and become amazing witches. Many more, however, move on rather quickly - often leaving a trail of destruction and negativity in their wake.

You cannot judge a book by its cover - this is true.

 

I am only going to point out to anyone new to witchcraft that not everything is all peaches and roses, and that you must quickly learn to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. There are wonderful witches out there - you just have to find the ones that you feel comfortable with!