By Natalie De La Garza
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — When people like Lisa Grondin, Sheri Cox or Barbara Hull say their prayers, it tends to be for things like health, well being and world peace.
But despite the respectful, life-centered nature of their religion, people often assume — erroneously — that because Grondin, Cox and Hull are pagan, they worship the devil.
“That’s the biggest misconception — that we’re Satanists,” said Cox, of Caribou. “And we don’t believe in Satan at all.”
Affording pagans of the region an opportunity to get together, and providing the public with the option of coming to learn about what pagans believe, the Northern Maine Chapter of the worldwide Pagan Pride Project will be hosting Pagan Pride Day on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Collins Pond Park starting at noon and running until about 5 p.m.
“We basically want to let the public know what we’re about, to try to take away that fear,” explained Cox, who is the president of the Northern Maine Pagan Pride Association. “We want to take away some of the fear and the prejudice, and kind of educate people.”
While the event is an opportunity for pagans to come together in a friendly environment, the group will also be hosting different workshops throughout the day for folks interested in learning a little about their pagan neighbors.
It’s Cox’s hope that at the end of a perfect Pagan Pride Day, community members will have attended the event, had a good time and learned a little bit about the religion.
“Maybe they walked away with a little understanding that we’re not so bad,” she said.
Workshops held throughout the day include decorative broom making, hosted by Treasurer of the group, Hull, who’s from Woodland. Grondin, the group’s secretary of Caribou, will be hosting a workshop on the art of scrying with water. The day will feature a “Paganism 101” course, during which the group will aim to explain what it is that pagans believe.
They’ll also be coordinating a meet-and-greet with different pagans of the community so that people can ask questions in an open, friendly atmosphere.
“One thing I want to come across is we want to be part of the community quilt,” Grondin said. “I’d like to be part of the history of this community, the growth of this community, and I would like for other pagans and pagan-friendly folks to come into this county and not be afraid to be who they are.”
The group expressed that their religion does not believe in proselytism [trying to get others to share their belief system], “and people find it amazing that we don’t try to convert people,” Grondin said.
While anyone and everyone is welcome to attend the event, which will be held rain or shine, attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item.
“We will be doing a food drive as the entrance fee,” Hull said, explaining that one of their core values as pagans is giving.
Cox explained that the items collected will be given to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Caribou for donation to the local food pantry.
“If people can’t bring something, they can still come,” she added, “nobody gets turned away.”
Additional information on Northern Maine Pagan Pride Day can be found by visiting nmppd.com
