Editorial

Welcome!

Whether you are new to the society or an old member, welcome to the Fourth issue of the Cardiff University Pagan Society magazine, and to a new academic year.

As a Pagan it always concerned me that the new academic year begins during a time of endings and harvest, in the Autumn. This year, Fresher's Week falls mere days after the Autumn Equinox- the point at which the Sun begins to descend once more, and the nights lengthen for Winter. Yet within these endings there are new beginnings and growth, as the new intake of students begin to settle in.

The start of university is always an exciting and frightening time. Even for those of us who are returning for another year, there is a chance to meet new people and have new experiences. For those of you just starting, this is probably your first chance to look after yourself and taste freedom. But you are in a new city, living with strangers, trying to find your way around the labyrinthine university buildings. You have moved away from home, leaving friends and family behind, and now you're on your own. That's scary.

That is why Fresher's Week is such a good idea: it allows you a chance to get out and make new friends, join societies and clubs, and familiarize yourself with Cardiff. That is also why you should take part in society activities: you can make friends that are interested in similar things to you; you can make useful contacts; you have support.

These things are even more necessary for Pagans. As a group we tend to be quieter about our spiritual beliefs and lifestyles. We don't try to convert or evangelize, and we're so diverse that there isn't one single symbol that we can wear to show our religious affinity. We're a difficult bunch to spot. It's even more difficult to go up to a complete stranger and ask them if they're Pagan! (One can imagine the horror stories now!)

So, we have the Cardiff University Pagan Society (C.U.P.S.), where you don't need to go to any immense trouble to find us. You don't need to nervously tap that black-clad Gothic looking person in your lecture on the shoulder and ask them timidly if they're Pagan. You don't need to search on the internet for Pagan friends. We're here, you can find us at the same place every week, and we can provide you with friendship, contacts, support, and new experiences.

The aims of C.U.P.S. centre around providing these things through our events- socials, trips, talks, and workshops- in the hope that you will make new and important friendships, have some amazing experiences you wouldn't have had otherwise, learn more about Paganism in its many diverse aspects, and have fun with likeminded people.

We have plenty of events lined up for you this year, including a talk by the author Professor Ron Hutton, who currently lectures at the University of Bristol, talks on Tarot, divination, folklore, Hermetic magic, Kabbalah, spellwork, eco-magic, ritual, and more. We have weekly socials open to all, at the Mackintosh pub (Richard Street, Cathays) every Thursday night from 8pm, we hold events for the festivals that fall in the academic year, and we have quite a few trips to sites of interest coming up: Glastonbury, Stonehenge, Avebury, Boscastle, and possibly Ireland.

To get an idea of what these events have been like in the past, take a look at our Photo Gallery on our website: cardiffpagan.co.uk/gallery There you can see plenty of photos of our previous trips from 2003 and 2004, as well as some of our parties. The gallery also hosts images of our collaborative Tarot deck.

All our events are free, (though you have to pay your own way with the trips), and you will receive information about them via the mailing list nearer the time.

That being said, I hope you all have a very enjoyable first term, and that you come along to some of C.U.P.S.' events.

Blessings,

Kim Huggens
C.U.P.S. President