My name is Morgana and I was first appointed National Coordinator, together with Lady Bara, for the PFI the Netherlands in 1997, although I have been a member of the PF since the early 1980's.

In July 1999 I was asked to step into the role of International Coordinator. In the previous two years our former IC Tony Kemp had managed to create a lively overseas district of the Pagan Federation. In a number of countries there are now regular pub-moots - gatherings where Pagans from all traditions can get together, socialize and discuss. And in 1999 we had our first European PF Conference in Bielefeld Germany. Hopefully this is a new tradition which will be continued in years to come!

One of the main aims of the Pagan Federation is to enable pagans to network with each other and certainly this is one of the main focuses of the PF International. With the advent of Internet and the widespread use of email networking with one another, worldwide, has become so much easier.

It is however also important to be able to contact Pagans in our own countries and to communicate in our own languages.

The PFI tries to cater for both situations. On the one hand we communicate internationally using English as our common language and at a local level we are building up regional contacts in the different local languages. We have launched two PFI-members mailing lists. One is an announcements-only list and the other is more of a chat list. We hope that members who are more isolated will join in and enjoy the networking.

At a local level - in a number of countries there are coordinators who provide regular newsletters, advertising events of interest to PFI members and also including news of local pubmoots. Most countries with a substantial amount of members are now also providing websites with the various information packs provided by the PF and translated into the local languages.

The PFI can also be interesting for Pagans who travel a lot and expect to live in different countries or live in more isolated areas of the world.

Our own contacts with England are still substantial and many of us try to attend the National Annual Conference in London. Apart from hearing the various speakers (and Pagan Bands!) it is a great opportunity for meeting other members, and of course browsing around the market stalls.

Another aspect of the work done by the Pagan Federation is to counter media distortions about our beliefs. In the UK much has been done in the field of anti-defamation. It is important for the PFI to act as a forum in assisting Pagans in other countries to dispel misconceptions surrounding Paganism. We can also help each by providing information regarding precedents in a legal context, for example regarding human rights. Much work has also been done in America in the field of anti-defamation. We can help members by pooling our resources and helping to arrange contacts.

By becoming a member you are supporting the work we are doing for the wider Pagan community, whether it is in the field of anti-defamation or supporting the work by fellow-pagans.

Greetings,

Morgana