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Many events which were set into motion by the creation of the IndoPaganPaths Yahoo!Group, and the knowledge
and fellowship gained by the joining together of many members of the IndoPagan communtiy, led to the formation of
The IndoPagan Project.
The IndoPagan community needed an networking "hub" which they could use as an informational headquarters
and reference-library for their ideas and practices.
In response to these, as well as other needs,
The IndoPagan Project was formed.
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The IndoPagan Project History
The IndoPagan Project was conceived after Devi Spring compiled dozens of surveys from those in the IndoPagan community,
and noticed many striking silimarities in the experiences of IndoPagans scattered throughout the world. Many of these
commonalities were distressing, and certain community needs obviously required attention.
One such experience was lack of support from the NeoPagan community at large for those drawn to an IndoPagan path.
Many people had even been told that they could not be a Pagan or Wiccan if they wished to work with Hindu Deities, or were
otherwise discouraged from doing so. This reaction was surprising coming from a spiritual community that thrived on its syncretism.
Another issue was the lack of resources available to those trying to follow a blended path of NeoPaganism and
Hinduism. There were precious few sites on the subject in the vast expanse of the internet, and the majority of
these sites were old, hosted broken links, and had contact emails that bounced. Not only were the few people that
seemed to adhere to an IndoPagan spirituality unreachable for guidance, advice, or other information, but there were
not any worship and ritual formats provided for reference. There was no point-of-reference for aspiring IndoPagans to
look to for education, inspiration and perspective - and certainly no sense of belonging to a community.
The IndoPagan Project was conceived in order to address these needs, as well as any others that may arise in the future
as our community grows and develops, including the very important issue of IndoPagan clergy.
Our Mission
The IndoPagan Project has taken upon itself to be the first, in what we hope will soon be an ever-growing number of,
resource(s) created by and specifically for the IndoPagan community. We want to create an atmosphere of openness and joyful
collaboration with all those who resonate with an IndoPagan spirituality.
- We seek to maintain a database of ritual resources that are made available to us by members of the IndoPagan community,
so that others may use them as-is, or intuitively design their own practices using these as a resource of inspiration. The
database is always open to new contributions from any who wish to provide them.
- We strive to keep track of the achievements and accomplishments of those in our community, and also facilitate networking
among the likeminded. This will help establish a permenant and expanding community that will holistically develop its own
as-yet unseen resources to address its evolving needs.
- We wish to open the lines of communication between the NeoPagan world and the IndoPagan community, in order to foster
the acceptance and support that is offered to those who follow Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Egyptian or other more commonly
represented pantheons within NeoPaganism. We aim to demonstrate that we are just as serious about our choice
of pantheon and spiritual paradigm, as others who take the bulk of their inspiration from pre-Christian European, and
Near Eastern traditions are, and that a efficacious blending of NeoPaganism and Hinduism can, and IS, being acheived
by the IndoPagan community.
- We wish to be forward-thinking in our evolution, and begin undertaking the massive responsibility of determining the role
of clergy in the IndoPagan community, including what requirements will be set surrounding their training, clerical vows and
oaths, establishing which events -NeoPagan and Hindu - should be considered as IndoPagan rites of passage, and becoming
legally recognized for better service to the IndoPagan community and NeoPagan community as a whole.
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