We are all Flinthills Pagans

What does that mean?

It means only one thing:
We live in the Kansas Flinthills and We are Pagan!

We are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, lovers, husbands, wives, nurses, doctors, teachers, students, bankers, lawyers, real estate agents, EMT’s, firefighters, police officers, military personnel.

We are Pagans. We are Druids, Heathens, Wiccans, Green Witches, Kitchen witches, Ceremonial Witches, Reconstructionists, British Traditionalist, Alexandrians, Gardnerians, Enochians, Hedge witches and more.

Manhattan Kansas has the unique opportunity of bringing lots of diverse people to a single area, enabling folks to meet and mingle. Students from Kansas State University, military personnel from Ft. Riley, citizens from Manhattan, Junction City, Clay Center, Alma, Marysville, Salina and many other places in the Flint Hills area and beyond.

Em started the yahoo group, Flinthills Pagans on September 11, 2002. She was looking for something positive on a day full of sorrow. She joined the Pagan meetup at http://pagan.meetup.com and wanted local pagans to be able have a place to chat and meet virtually in case someone didn't feel comfortable meeting in real life. From there, it grew and grew. It took over a year to truly take off, but now our group boasts at least 70 individuals and families. Our support network has grown and continues to grow. There is so much potential!

Kelvar was a Catholic who felt as though something was missing in his life. Through a series of unusual circumstances he met this wonderful witch and then her best friend. Eventually he became a part of fascinating online family of Pagans. Still he wanted more. He wanted personal interaction with those who shared similar paths. One day a member of his online Pagan family posted a link to International Pagan Meetups. He contemplated this course of action. Was he ready to meet fellow Pagans in a public setting? Several of them at once, even? He joined IPM and took a chance. IPM led him to the Flinthills Pagans where he began interacting with like-minded locals; first through a Yahoo group and then face to face during an IPM Day. From there he began making new friends and bonds that he now cherishes.

Ivee has been solitary since moving to Manhattan in 1997. After working through many personal obstacles, she was ready to weave a larger pagan web. As with so many of the Goddess’s gifts, Ivee cannot remember how she got involved with Flinthills Pagans. She does count this community as a wonderful gift. FHP is a warm and open group of people who share joys and sorrows, encouragement and playfulness, and daily thoughts and questions. One of Ivee’s philosophies is that every person has a unique and colorful story to tell. This group provides an opportunity to share that color with an open and accepting community. The unique combination of the online group with the ability to meet face-to-face at the Meet-ups adds depth to the community. The growth of the group has blown Ivee away! This growth affirms that "We Are Everywhere."

Luna Spellsprite grew up with an array of choices when it came to religion. Her parents decided to allow her the freedom to choose her own path. Her mother's interest in tarot cards sparked her own interest in anything of an occult nature, never following any one path but learning about as many as she could. She dedicated herself on her own path of Wicca when she was 15. As a solitary practitioner without the means of contacting others she stayed this way until 2000 when her parents gifted her with a computer. From there she opened herself to finding others that were of like mind and content with their paths. But unfortunately the majority of these contacts were all online. Life's trials brought her to Junction City in 2003 and she was delighted to find such a welcoming group of fellow pagans that were willing to gather and celebrate their paths without the undermining influence of conversion. To this day she still walks alone... yet is not alone.

After being solitary for many years, Soaring Hawk became involved with a new group on post, known then as the Ft. Riley Pagan Assoc... It was the first group recognized on post as a "Pagan Group" by chaplins and commanders alike (many commanders at least) Like everything with the military, the group became scattered throughout the US and was disbanned pretty much... A couple of the members who were part of this group still remain in the JC/Manhattan area (Nicci/Xavior and Soaring Hawk) while everyone else is either overseas or at other bases around the country now. After a year or so of not belonging to a group, Soaring Hawk decided to start JC_Pagans on yahoo groups as a way for those of the old FRPA and other soldiers and families in the area to have a point of contact with someone else who might share their beliefs/feelings. That particular yahoo group was started while Soaring Hawk was at work one night, bored, and invited a few of the old members to it. They joined, and have since, the numbers have grown 3 fold from the initial numbers!

More to Come!! :)