YouTube Sister judedirect posted a video "Paganism and Love". Is there an expression of love within the pagan community? Is love experienced in our rituals?

This is in response to her video.

I can only express my own personal experience and feelings on this subject.

First of all, I believe the Divine has appeared to humans throughout history in a guise that would be most accepting and understandable of the people, their region and their time.

This is why there are so many different Gods and Goddesses. In other words, the One Divine has many faces and therefore there is no one true path. There are many long winding paths that are all connected. For me being raised Catholic, Mother Mary and Jesus are who I connect with the most but for me it seems they are faces that the Divine knows I am connected to. There are so many aspects of the Divine and I appreciate all that I come to learn about each of them. They each hold precious gifts and insights into the Divine and humanity.

I experience such great love when connecting with others in the pagan community and especially during ritual when all is quiet and I am surrounded by the Divine and each of the Divine's gifts. Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Each is a gift to be accessed and cherished. We have been given such great power that most will sadly never come to know.

Sometimes the love is so overwhelming during ritual it brings me to tears. This doesn't happen every time but quite often.

I believe that in human form on planet we must experience the dark in order to fully ascend into complete Love and Light in the next realm of consciousness. It is a test, a lesson, a weapon, and a challenge to conquer.

When I am sitting at home watching YouTube videos posted by those that are of like mind I smile, giggle, sometimes get all warm and fuzzy. It depends on the person and the topic but I can tell you this...there are several that you can't help but feel the love that comes through the screen. The fact that they take the time to share their experiences, their lives, their sadness and joy is a gift to be treasured and to be grateful for. I believe that we are all coming here to connect because of love and the understanding of others that are of like mind.

That is what seems to be overlooked these days by some. People want to judge and be critical because they see the light that shines from so many of that which they are lacking. So what do they do? They project all of the negative junk that is brewing within them at everyone they come into contact with. Be it online or in person. I learned a long time ago that if someone has a toxic personality....stay clear of them. This is why the block and delete buttons are so useful. If everyone would ignore the behavior they would be forced to stop. They feed off of the arguing and negativity that it can breed.

I have seen over the past week or so, people getting upset and leaving YouTube because of the few hateful people trying to unleash their own negativity upon us but in reality, in the pagan community all that was truly unleashed was even more love and respect.

So my answer is clearly yes to "Is there an expression of love in the pagan community and in our rituals?"

Love really is all there is. The very reason I do my best to "Harm None" is because I love everyone. If you truly believe we are all connected, how can you not love all? Don't you love yourself?

That is not to say I don't get angry. I get VERY angry at times but I do not waste my energy or time on those that wish to destroy love. So, what can be done you may ask? We shall gather, stand tall, side by side, hands clasped, eyes open, mouths closed and when they are met by a wall of silence they will either open their hearts to love or retreat. The choice is theirs.

Blessings of Love