Many Gods.

Generally speaking I have respect for most pagan associations approximately equal to the sum of the respect I accord most of their members which is somewhere in the vicinity of zero. This being a general position there is, of course, one particular exception which springs to mind and that is the Association of Polytheist Traditions.

Now, the APT are a mixed bunch of lasses and lads who regard Gods as people rather than as energy fields or psychic archetypes of computer simulators and this to me seems an eminently sensible position to adopt about Gods - if they exist - for various reasons of which I might speak in subsequent entries yet which may be taken broadly as arising from the observation that people trade with other people and are not engaged in conversation by, for example, nebulous clouds of electricity, Oedipal complexes or picket fences. Their chief redeeming feature, and in this day and age most artificial groupings require at least one of these, is that as an organisation they, and this is faintly surprising given certain pie-sticky fingers, have no truck with Pebble, that self-appointed band of women and men who regard themselves, as if such a thing were ever possible or in this case realistic, as being a sage council of representatives to the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on behalf of all British paganism and pagans.

The APT are, it seems at least for the moment, fiercely independent of the politics, back-stabbing, grunting and splashing which composes so much of the background of modern British paganism, being less concerned for their prestige as a group than in doing a good job honouring their own beliefs by quietly organising conferences, encouraging individual religious and cultural scholarship and maintaining the polytheist line. The next event at which they will have a presence, according to their website, is to be held in Peterborough on the 9th of August and, billed as Heathenfest, will doubtless prove welcoming and interesting to polytheists and pagans of many backgrounds. Shortly afterwards on the 31st of August the APT will be holding Pookaspageant in Ipswich, billed as a storytelling day it will likely be good fun although, not wanting to mischaracterise an event on which so little advance information is yet published, I strongly suspect that the stories will be as much for adults as for children. While I only have access to the information currently published upon the APT website I would recommend that those looking for a good day out, a day of fun and educational experiences and meetings, contact the APT for further information. For those who love a bargain and who like to join groups it should be noted that until the 31st May 2009 membership of the APT is free of charge and will gain you copies of the APT magazine Many Gods, Many Voices, including back numbers where available, although it is unclear whether members receive concessionary entry to APT events.