Merry Meet All,

The groups "Lily Dale" name lead me to believe that the group was composed of Spiritualists with Wiccan leanings ala Unitarian CUUPs sort of group. If you google "Lily Dale and Spiritualism" you will understand the association. Was you town established by Spiritualist by any chance?

I have been a Gardnerian Witch since about 1981, but I find I enjoy attending Spiritualist services (Spiritualists in the State are very Deist--a Universal Intelligence animating all life, so I don't have to make theological leaps to avoid the Abrahamic Gods). Gives me something to do on Sunday morning, I enjoy the singing and the fellowship (potlucks). I have been attempting to integrate bits if Wicca in to their the practices, and I would like to see Wicca emulate some of the Spiritualist practices (I believe that many of Gerald Gardners origninal witches were Spiritualist- -that is my particular history hobby horse which lead me to the Spiritualists to begin with). When I saw your group in Yahoo I thought I'd found a group of like minded Spiritualist Witches (duh, me).

The pokey little Spiritualist church I attend has shown how much can be done with so very little (resources and theology), establishing a church seems to be just a matter of doing it every week and making sure people know you are doing it every week.

I'd like to try (when I retires) renting a storefront or hall, doing a weekly, open to the public Wiccan ritual--be matter of fact about it. Of course, I do live in the San Francisco Bay Area so my life wouldn't be as endangered as it might be in other "less liberal" locales.

Oh, well--I should probably drop my membership.. .mistaken identity.
xox
Joanne