Dismounting a dead horse?

It is hard for me to admit, and it feels like betraying the trust of almost 80 people who supported this project. But I think it’s time for me to finally do it.

I’m closing the chapter of Society of Pagan Organisations/Sněm pohanských obcí. Waiting for the domain to die (it will still take a few years since the EU domain was paid for 10 years), then shredding all the signed petition papers. Unless someone contacts me who would be willing to resurrect this noble endeavour.

I never planned to be the one who would turn the lights off, but everybody else already left - I’m the last man standing. I was never meant to be the front man, I was just the support person, willing to help - never meant to be in it alone.

Enough of sadness, let me start from the beginning.

It was the Bealtaine celebration of 2018, and I met a person who loudly complained about the unfairness of the Catholic church having the right to do a legally binding marriage ceremony and that all pagans need to go to the city hall instead. That’s how it is in the Czech Republic.

We spoke about it a little. What are the legal options, and how can it be arranged so the pagans have the same rights?

The options are simple: you need 300 practitioners to sign a petition to register a pagan church. The Ministry of Culture will grant them first-level registration.

First-level registration is more of an acknowledgement of your existence (later, we found out that you can also establish your own burial grounds). Then, after ten years, you can submit another petition, this time signed by one promille (0.1%, about 10.000) of the Czech population, which will give you a second level of registration.

With a second-level registration, you can sign a contract with the state and have the right to perform legally binding marriages.

A few months later, we spoke again, this time she wanted to do it, to start the process. At least the first-level registration, so the ten-year waiting period can begin.

She also had some friends who would help collect the signatures and guide the community in general.

The preparation took us until 21st April 2019 - we had the statutes and many ideas on what to do and how to get those signatures.  

The founding document was signed.

We’ve started collecting signatures, and it went better than I expected.

But then, everyone can probably guess what happened soon after. Indeed, the COVID-19 restrictions and everything we planned were cancelled - the concert, Morana, everything.

Everything changes over the years, even us. We still tried to collect more signatures and get some online attention, but it was getting less and less. Some stopped contributing sooner, some later as their priorities shifted. Our number shrank until only I remained.

My last attempt to resurrect it came later in 2024. I had found some new people, a new adoptive family for this project. But when I spoke to them a few months ago, they admitted they don’t have the capacity, and I was alone again.

Which leads us to now. Moving forward, I won’t put any more money into it. There will be no further domain prolongation or postal address. I will maintain the project only until the last domain expires, which will mark the official end.

This is the end for me - it’s time to dismount this dead horse. But maybe you can have some water of life for this horse; if so, let me know.