We are conducting an international survey of contemporary Pagans. If you are a Pagan we would appreciate your taking the time to complete this survey.

This survey builds on an earlier one completed over twenty years ago, primarily in the United States, which was conducted by Helen A. Berger and Andras Arthen (of the EarthSpirit Community) entitled the Pagan Census. At the time it was hoped that we could do a census of the entire Pagan population. Although that was not possible the data that was collected was the largest of it type and served as the basis of a book, Voices from the Pagan Census by Helen A. Berger (with Evan Leach and Leigh S. Shaffer). The survey data is now available on line at Murray Research Archive at Harvard University.

A number of scholars have noted that it would be helpful to have a follow-up of that survey to see if and how the community has changed or remained the same. The survey that follows uses many, although not all of the same questions that were in the original survey to provide that comparison. There are also new questions, for instance about the Internet, something that was of little interest 20 years ago but is now, and some from other studies, that again permit a comparison. This has resulted in the survey being somewhat long--we appreciate your taking the time to complete it.

We realize that the categories found in questionnaires like this one frequently do not do justice to the complexities of real life. For this reason, a number of open-ended items have been included that allow for more nuanced responses. You are also welcome to contact Helen A. Berger directly at HBerger@wcupa.edu

Please inform other Pagans about this research project and feel free to pass it along via e-mail or to post a link on appropriate blogs or websites.

Thanks for your help.

Helen A. Berger
James R. Lewis
Henrik Bogdan

To take part in this Pagan Census click here!

* editor: We should also note that Helen Berger was the theme speaker at the 1998 CUUPS Convocation near New Orleans, LA.

This year we have three individuals running for three positions on the CUUPS Board of Trustees, as well as a proposal to amend our bylaws to allow for online voting. Current voting members of CUUPS should have already received their ballots via postal mail. Please vote and mail them in the enclosed envelope as soon as you can, so that the San Antonio, TX chapter (who are serving as our polling committee this year) can count them.

Here's some brief info on the candidates:
Dr. Christa Landon
CUUPS has been close to my heart since GA of 1985, when I canvassed many hundreds of people, asking them if they knew ANY UU who was interested in Nature Worship, the Goddess, or pre-Christian Western religions. I collected about 3 dozen addresses which I gave to Linda and Leslie, who introduced themselves as knowledgeable UU organizers. This began the CUUPS mailing list.  
 
I had just completed my first year of seminary at Meadville/Lombard where I was on the A.M./D.Min. track. Before that I had been an HPS for 12 years before I came to seminary; my original goal was to study UU polity and community organization with the hope of adapting it to a model for congregational Paganism. I also wanted to develop the skills to facilitate that. 
 
At Meadville, I encountered James Luther Adams' work on covenantal theology; this is  key to moving to a deeper and healthier covens and larger Pagan institutions. For that reason I insisted that the new organization include the term "covenant" in it's name.  
 
By GA '87, I had completed my internship and was approved for preliminary fellowship by the MFC. I remained on the CUUPS Board, but the very strong Exec allowed little opportunity for my participation. Meanwhile, I co-founded and served Panthea (first Pagan congregation admitted to the UUA in 1990). Also in 1990 I finished my doctoral (D.Min.) dissertation, "Sacred Cosmos: Implications of Ancient Pagan Traditions for Modern Theology of Nature."  
 
In 1995, I was ordained as a UU minister; I served 4 years in 3 congregations as an Interim minister. Since then, I have lived in Minnesota, and with my spouse am a member of First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, which has been the home of CUUPS-Twin Cites for many years. Since 2000 I've been "inactive" as a UU minister.

Dick Merritt
Dick Merritt grew into paganism through the influence of eco-feminist spirituality in the 80's. It was a natural fit, given his agrarian background. Dick is an eclectic neo-pagan and Unitarian Universalist. He characterizes himself as a Joseph Campbell pagan because of his conviction that religion is metaphor. Strongly influenced by the Creation Spirituality movement, he describes himself as a panentheist. Dick enjoys frequent rituals and purification ceremonies. A techno-pagan, he is a retired UNIX technician and massage therapist. Dick is a charter member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Hillsborough, NC.

Dick has been a member of CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) since its inception in 1987. He attended the meeting at the Little Rock UUA General Assembly when the initial CUUPS bylaws were approved. Upon his return to North Carolina, Dick was one of the members of Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham that conceived of creating a CUUPS chapter in what was then a decidedly anti-Pagan congregation. Celebrate the Circle was the result and has been continuously active since 1991. See http://www.celebratethecircle.org. Dick is completing his first term on the CUUPS Board and is currently the Treasurer.


The other issue in this election is a change to our bylaws that would allow members to vote online in CUUPS elections. Please see the postal ballots for the exact wording on the amendment as well as the full candidate statements.

Nancy Veder-Shultz has begun blogging for Tikkun Daily (http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily). This is a really exciting opportunity for her (and potentially for you) to interact with an interfaith group of progressives, a group that hopes to create a Religious Left presence in the blogosphere.  The site was launched in July.