Pagan Connections: Pagan Blog Prompt

Prompt: Connecting

Lately, the topic of connecting with other Pagans has been in my mind, even if just in passing, or it has come up in conversations around me. So I'm asking all of you today....

How do you connect with other Pagans?

Do you have a local group you can meet with on a regular basis?

If you can't connect with local people, where online do you connect with people of like mind?

What's the hardest part about connecting with other Pagans?

I find over time i have developed several different connections both on the net & outside of it.
I attend a local monthly moot where i have gotten to know several people & whom i try to stay in touch with as often as possible.
I even meet up with some of them away from the moot. For me thats quite something as i've never been known for being outwardly sociable. I've always been a bit insular, but decided some time ago that being a homebody only had so many positive qualities. My striving to become more outgoing & get to know more people with similar interests began to pay off & now i can happily say i can think of several people of whom i can discuss any number of topics with at any given time.

Online i am a member of several forums & connect with people via facebook also. My main online connections are more recently a site i run myself & also another which i help to moderate. Im currently trying to make my site more interactive with chatroom discussions being set up in the next month or so as members have shown an interest in them.

The hardest part about connecting with other Pagans for me is how self-absorbed i can become especially when meeting new people for the first time. I've always been a bit socially awkward & can come across as quite quiet & often air-headed simply because people make me nervous. Once i get to know someone i can speak up more but i can find it quite trying at times.
In some cases strongly opinionated people can result in me clamming up because a mental block comes into play & my mind ceases to continue following the thread of the conversation. When i was a child i think it was a defense mechanism as i was bullied quite a lot, but as an adult it causes awkward silences & i think it often makes me come across as rude or just plain vacant.
I find talking online much easier as im more anonymous & being faced with a screen of words is easier to understand for me than dealing with actual people. (makes me sound like an anti-social hermit..lol)