This Book of Shadows is a diary of knowledge assembled by the community as a whole. Through discussion, it is my hopes that that this Book will grow thick from experiences of those around the world who contribute. It doesn't matter to me what path you chose to walk, what name you choose to call yourself, or the particular beliefs you hold; what matters to me is the gifts we can give each other by contributing our opinions, beliefs, history, traditions and information. We can learn so much from each other.
Often times when we research, we come to dead ends or we are only presented with one sided opinions. Even if the author's intentions are good, the material may be biased or misleading. By presenting information in this format, we leave it open to the critics and the skeptics to pick apart and to those with more knowledge to contribute to and correct. This is not a bad thing! When we are presented with many views, we are allowed to see the whole picture and learn more. When presented with the facts, we are allowed to make our own informed decisions about what is correct or incorrect!
Through our contributions, this can be so much more than a discussion board. This can be a powerful reference tool for anyone to use. When we all work together to put our knowledge in one place for the community to see, then the community becomes better educated. In a pinch we wont be sifting through broad books and websites written by one author,(not that all authors who work alone should be discredited, they do meaningful, wonderful work!) we will be able to search for exactly what we need written by many authors.
I've found successful websites and forums with the same basic topic as this one, but when I tried to access their posts just to read, I was locked out because I wasn't a member. This left me feeling alone, like there was a place I could contribute too and things I would like to read, but I was on the other side of the fence. I felt like I wasn't good enough to be in their circles or that the things they have written were somehow secret. I also thought about the people who are curious about our beliefs but were ashamed or too afraid to become a member in order to glimpse into this world they only wanted to learn about. To me, it put up a wall separating the "us" from the "them" by only allowing people who have been approved to view their sites. That will never happen here, I promise you. You don't need to be a member in order to read any of these posts. Everyone is welcome at any time.
You can contribute as much or as little as you like. You will always be able to access the site for free, whether or not you are registered. You are welcome to write your own books here, or simply just read and never post. There is no pressure to be the star player and there is no pressure to ever keep your thoughts to yourself. I want everyone to feel like they are welcomed at this forum. I do ask that you follow the rules, they are not asking much. My main concern is that this remains a family friendly environment and that we can all be civil to each other.
In closing, I want to thank you for reading this. I hope you can take something away from the contents of this forum, even if it is just a broader point of view. I want you to have fun here. This is a community and I hope that you can forge new friendships and connections within the community. By providing a respectful environment, I aim to open the doors to you an anyone else who wants to have their part of this in any way, even if it is just reading what others share. Good luck.
-Jocose
This community Book of Shadows was officially started on May 27, 2009 by its founding member, Jocose.
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