Letter from the Editor - September/October 2008

September/October 2008

Welcome to the very first issue of Indianapolis Pagan! This publication was created out of a need expressed in the pagan community: a need for one site to contain accurate and relevant information about local pagan events, businesses, groups and services in and around Indianapolis. Together with our sister site, The Phoenix Feathers, we bring you not only the most recent news and events, but also the voice of the local pagan community. This is your site. Become a part of it, and join in unifying the Indianapolis Pagan community.

This is more of a formal introduction between you and I than my would-be normal random musings. I will break the ice with a confession - I was born and raised in Indianapolis all of my life, and I absolutely hated it. I dreamed of the day that I would be able to start over in any other state but Indiana. As I got older, Indiana grew on me, taking care of me and giving me what I needed at the right time. Sure, I am fully aware that we are a bible-thumping (insert comment about our license plates here) conservative state that has absurd laws (like you can not buy cold beer in grocery stores), but hey, no one is perfect.

I am currently a Junior at IUPUI, working towards my Bachelor of Science in Media Arts & Science from Indiana University School of Informatics, complete with a certificate in Business from IU’s Kelly School of Business and a certificate in Applied Computer Science from Purdue‘s School of Science.

My first program was in Visual Basic on my Commodore 64 (circa 1990), and my first web site was about my dogs. I am a self professed nerd and part time dork, and also have plenty of blond moments that will leave you questioning the true color behind the hair dye.

My other greatest passion is the study of earth-based religions and paganism. I love learning about other cultures and religions; past and present. For all the superficial differences among religions (and individual people, for that matter), I started to find fundamental similarities. I discovered that we’re connected by more than just race, heritage or religion. It has been said many different ways by many different people, but we are all heading for the same place, we just choose different paths to get there.

It was only natural then, that I combine my two greatest passions, and this is the result of that union. I am very passionate (slightly obsessive would be a better term) about the internet: designing, programming, social networks, gaming, marketing, and the online pagan community. Eventually, I would like to market myself as bringing a professional web solution to pagan run businesses and organizations, but for now, I am hard at work in my studies, and maintaining this project on the side.

A wise man once said, “The more I know, the more I realize I don’t know.” That is true in all aspects of this journey of life, and I hope we can walk down this road together as we discover more about the world around us. Thanks for reading, and here’s to hoping for many more issues to come!

Aeryith
Editor and creator of Indianapolis Pagan