Orthodox Paganism

Pagan temples in every major city, pagan community centers and libraries, pagan-run food banks and community gardens, no pagan having to celebrate a sabbat alone, unless they chose to do so, politicians having to consider the ‘pagan vote’, pagan political action committees, having a pagan on every interfaith panel around, having pagan groups listed in every Yellow Pages published, having the general public so well-educated on the topic of paganism that it is as controversial and spooky as someone being a Lutheran, having every police station in the country with a reliable pagan resource to contact, never having to see a child taken from its mother in court because she is pagan, and infinitely more. These are some of the things that I can see our community accomplishing in the next few decades, but I see no way for us to get them done if we keep doing things the way we do them now.

I’ve been a self-identified pagan for the last 18 years and an organizer/activist for the last 12. Over that time period, I’ve gone out of my way to see and understand the pagan community here in Wisconsin as deeply as possible and the vast majority of my observations and beliefs on the topic are WI-based. There is a distinct possibility I’m completely wrong as it relates to the rest of the world and if so, if someone has information that is different, please let me know, otherwise I shall labor under the assumption that Wisconsin pagans are fairly typical.

The Problem
Most of us who have come to paganism were typically raised in a Christian world with a Christian world view that was rejected and replaced with a practice that can only be described as ‘extreme eclectic’. We are a religion/path/spirituality of converts with a hard core individuality streak that often lead us to immediately reject any formal doctrine, structure or dogma. Most of us have taken this to the point of becoming sole arbitors of our path and how we chose to exist as a pagan. This is fine for individuals who are seeking their own way in the world, solitary and alone, but completely unworkable if we are to accomplish things as a tribe or community. We act as though we, as individuals, are the center of the universe and everyone and everything is secondary to, or revolves around us. This has led us to a situation in which organizations and groups of pagans focused on and accomplishing goals are extremely rare to the point of near non-existence in most areas. Here are a few of the primary issues I’ve seen arise in a consistent manner within paganism over the years that have consistently held us back and kept the community exactly where it is now.

‘Organizing pagans is like trying to herd cats’

A common phrase spoken by anyone that has every tried to get more than a handful of pagan folk moving in the same direction on anything at all. We are independent, stubborn, and anarchistic to a fault, which is fine as long as you are content with how things are done and how the mainstream society sees and treats us. Many pagans will sit in a meeting and instead of focusing on the project at hand and making that a priority, they will put energy toward the idea of who among the group they won’t work with or trying to making sure the project is done the way they want it done. As one might imagine, compromise is hard for folks who are used to living by their own standards. If the work gets the slightest bit hard or folks realize there is real work that needs to be done that isn't fun and exciting, people start drifting away. The handful of leader-types or folks that want to get things done are quickly left with a dwindling number of people that are progressively burdened with more work and frustration and/or the mentally unstable that inevitably want to be involved in any project going. Burnout follows rapidly and the project fails, the leaders and good workers disappear, sometimes forever. This is because of their aforementioned individuality that we had to fight for to get where we are and our unwillingness to budge, even a little, on our view of it. The project or event has to mean more to the individual than their personal ego in the moment and there are just not that many pagan folk around that are able or willing to do that. The temporary sublimation of the ego to the advancement of the greater good is the only way vital projects and basic goals can be accomplished. We have to start thinking of this as we do work. Very few of us would go to our jobs, for no pay nor would we do things exactly as we are told, if we had the choice. But because we need money (or wish to accomplish our goal) we sublimate our ego and buckle down, doing what needs to be done. If we want to see our community advance, we need to apply the same standards to our work within the pagan world as well as in our interactions with our larger community.

“We just don’t have any good leadership”

Leadership within the pagan community is a strange and multi-layered issue that needs its own anthropological study at this point. See if this sounds familiar to you; Lady Jane has been around a while and wants to start having consistent sabbat celebrations in her community. There are a number of pagans of many paths around but no solid groups, so she asks around, best she can, and gets a handful of exited folks that willing to help and they start. Soon it becomes apparent that not everyone that volunteered is quite qualified to do the tasks and roles they would like to or as inspired to get the work done as Jane thought they were. Jane ends up covering for people who do not show up or taking care of the designated responsibilities others had agreed to help with. Personality conflicts from years past begin to bubble up and meetings are taken up with petty squabbles and melodrama. Jane does her best to focus people on tasks at hand, yet acknowledges that everyone’s concerns and feelings are important. More work falls to fewer people, personal lives suffer and more workers start to fall out. While trying to maintain a façade of things working and that the sabbat event is coming together, Jane is getting stressed and has no idea why people don’t just focus on getting the work done. She wonders why people think their petty personal dramas are more important than the work they signed up for. Amazingly, she pulls it off with a couple of good folks that stayed on task and managed to throw a great day long sabbat celebration. She and one other person had to cleanup afterwards though, as everyone else just went home. Instead of the participants seeing how “together” Jane seems to be, they see a stressed individual. After it all Jane starts hearing back, about people that were pissed off, that weren’t included in a way they felt they should be or upset because they were not asked to bring something to the event and some say that others felt that she was a bit “authoritarian” about how she ran her meetings. She tries to get the next sabbat celebration going and again ends up spending her time dealing with people wanting to be in charge of things they are not qualified for taking on responsibilities that they may not be able to meet and getting phone calls from people telling her how to run things ‘the right way’. Eventually Jane just can’t take the prospect of spending so much time on so much frivolous drama being injected into the process of serving the community by organizing an event, so she simply stops. The events end and the rest of the pagan community think and say, “Well, that’s just what happens with pagans and our events”.
It’s happened to me like that and to a half dozen others I know personally, I can only imagine how often it has happened across the country, or in fact, around the planet.  There are many good people in our community willing to step up and do good work but the general pagan community simply does not support leaders. We are inherently suspicious of someone ‘in charge’ and not only will a prospective leader get little to no support, they will be consistently attacked and undermined by those within our community that do nothing, have nothing to contribute or help with and will always take as much as they can and give little or nothing back. These people are commonly known as “trolls”, this small percentage of pagandom is responsible for more pagan leaders leaving and more projects failing than any other single factor. (http://www.wargoddess.net/essay/troll.php is the amazing and definitive essay on the idea of ‘trolls’ and is required reading for any pagan leader)*Let me say, The Otherfish Wrap apologizes in advance because at the time of this posting, this link is no longer active.

The solution is simple; support established good leaders and new ones just starting out in any way you can, do it in a way that demonstrates that you know your own resources, abilities and limitations. If you cannot or will not support a leader/organizer for whatever reason then at the least don’t attack, undermine or gossip about them. If they are an idiot or incompetent they will rapidly be standing alone and need no help from you getting there. There are the rare cases where a ‘leader’ is acting in a criminal fashion and needs to be dealt with by the community, a topic for another time. We have plenty of good leaders and potential leaders waiting in the wings, we just need to support them. If you are a good leader, do it without apology or the expectation of making everyone ‘feel’ good and accepted or wanted. Coddling people that need a case worker, medication, a hug, a friend, or whatever else is not your job or responsibility and the time you spend on that, exponentially increases your burnout rate and undermines whatever good work you are engaged in. It’s great to take care of people and work to assist the needy within our community and if that is what you are driven to do, great! If not, just don’t do it, explaining politely but firmly that you do not possess the resources, skill, willingness etc. and are not able to help them in that way. Respect often follows being clear and truthful about your personal limits, even if it occasionally follows at a distance. Ideally, the community is large enough and diverse enough, to be able to foist the “needy” person off on someone who is willing and able or has the resources to work with them in that regard.

Basic Cosmology and Worldview

Orthodox paganism adheres to some very simple and basic principles regarding the nature of the universe and our place within it.
Polytheism; there are many Gods, Goddesses, spirits and entities that are separate and distinct individuals. The New Age/Christian belief that all Gods or Goddesses are aspects of the “One”, commonly known as the ‘gemstone theory’, has no place in an Orthodox Pagan worldview. However one understands the Gods, their nature of existence, their structure and how they interact with humanity is the individual’s own business. This underscores the need to understand that some level of authority is necessary on the physical plane to get us all to the places that we enjoy. That is why most cars have only one gas pedal and only one steering wheel and why both are controlled by the same operator. We cannot all be “in charge” of everything and just because things unfold differently than we would like, or expect must never mean that they are, therefore, wrong.
The history of the universe and life; our universe is time-less, reality/matter has always been and always will be, the form merely changes. The ‘big bang’, ‘multiverse’ and other theories regarding how the universe is set up all are based on the principle that matter is neither created nor destroyed, it just is. The idea of “creation” or “prime mover” or any point where there was not nor will be matter is ridiculous and against basic common sense. Humans and all other life on this planet evolved and continue to evolve along the general Darwinian model; although we are all made up of elements that were formerly stardust, our species is no more special or unique than any other species. Race and ethnicity are opinion and personal preferences are based purely upon when a person chooses to stop going back in their genealogy. This is not to say that there is anything wrong having pride in you genetic history but in the end its really just what part of your family tree you know about, pay attention to and ascribe value to.
Spiritual/Religious practice; Orthodox pagans see Nature as inherently sacred with value and worth distinct from its value to humans. Any practice that includes that basic principal is acceptable. Magick, spells, and rituals are to be done with intent, focus and deliberation. Just phoning it in or merely “showing up” is not acceptable. These rites are powerful tools that allow us to connect with Nature and the Gods and are not to be engaged in lightly. We are 100% responsible for the affects our spiritual, mental, emotional and physical actions have on our selves, each other and the Earth. Any belief that includes a variation of the Law of Three or the understanding that we accept all of the consequences and benefits of our actions is acceptable.

Sexuality and Romantic Relationships

The underlying premise, in this respect, is that whatever consenting adults do is their business. Whatever a person’s belief, tendencies or practices are is acceptable as long as they are honest and straightforward with all concerned. Monogamy, celibacy, group marriage, open relationships, whatever. If everyone knows what’s going on and consistent straightforward honesty is used then whatever the adults involved do is their choice. With ultimate freedom, however, ultimate responsibility is required. The only concern is when honesty fails or is not part of the relationship and we call that ‘cheating’. An OP is responsible enough to be honest with themselves and anyone else in their life so that a relationship that is not working is either modified or ended as soon as possible in order to minimize the inevitable pain that occurs when a relationship of any kind ends. Flaunting sexuality in public or engaging in ribald talk when children are around is not acceptable. If you can’t keep your hands off a partner in public or refrain from talking about explicit topics around minors or keeping the sanctity of relations, then you are not OP material.

Personal Appearance

How we look matters. How we prepare ourselves before we go out in public is an indication of how we see ourselves and how we wish others to see us. Dressing up to shock or stand out for its own sake is not acceptable. We all need to be and feel secure enough in your own skin that we don’t need to draw attention to ourselves with outlandish clothing, piercings, hair styles/colors and the like. Wearing a cape, pointed hat and half a dozen pentacles to go to the store is just plain dumb and does not say ‘I’m comfortable being a pagan’ its screaming ‘look at how unique and special and out there I am, LOOK, LOOK!’  Orthodox pagans strive to be both comfortable and functional. There is nothing wrong with wearing clothing or modifying our appearance because we truly want to do so, the problem is figuring out if we are doing it because we think that’s the best way to express our identity, or if it is to get a reaction out of people. Well-intentioned people tend to judge all pagans on the first impression they get from the first pagan they run into. If the first one they see is someone with facial tattoos and ripped camo pants then their understanding of paganism will be ‘Ahh ha, pagans are creepy, scary, weirdoes’. Is it fair or right? No, but its reality, deal with it. If you are “too far gone”, unwilling or unable to look relatively ‘normal’ then OP is not for you. If fashion is more important to you than how people truly see you and our Path then you need to reexamine your priorities in life. Health, weight and hygiene are also important. If pagans are seen as obese, dirty, and unhealthy, the assumption will logically be that paganism causes people to be that way or at the very least, is unable to help them rise above such things. If we want paganism to grow and attract quality people, we need to be a cut above the norm when it comes to physical appearance and health. Personal improvement and staying committed to individual health and well-being is not only a benefit to the individual but part of our responsibility to the pagan community as a whole.

Finances and Money

We do not seek to take vows of poverty (although some have) or live on handouts (although some do) nor do we seek out a life that is materially full but spiritually impoverished. We have all seen, first-hand the dangers of that. If you are working hard at a job that you hate because you need to buy another, or bigger, plasma screen tee vee or make a payment on the second vacation home you are doing something wrong. Wrong, but fixable. As always we are striving towards balance and sustainability. As our species has gotten farther and farther away from an Earth-based spirituality and world view we have also lost an understanding of basic economic principles. Economics is merely an extension of ecological principals as all the players within any economic system are a subset, contained within the ecological sphere. All financial situations, no matter how dire, can be solved through self-discipline, focus, and being willing to do what is necessary to achieve your goal. Many people at this point will be thinking, “No, not me, my situation is so unique and so special and I’ve been put upon and oppressed so mercilessly, for so long, that there is just no way out of it. I’m forever condemned to work a crappy job so that I can afford a crappy place and enough beer to help me forget how crappy my life is”. If that’s so and you want to continue that life, good on ya’, enjoy your choice. It really is a choice. If, however, you want to change that then there are always solutions. Ask for assistance in this regard if you don’t know how to proceed yourself, ask other people and request assistance from the sacred as you understand it. A major part of living a good life is having good meaningful work to do. Getting up each morning and having nothing else going on except deciding what videogame to play or which drug to take in order to tolerate another dawn (or noon) is not living a life, its dying by inches. There is infinite possibility in this world and anyone that is willing to work at the process can have a job that they actually love, enjoy doing and to look forward to going to again in the morning. It is all about priorities and recognizing the basic natural laws of the world we live in. Your goal can be, to have enough money to sustain a lifestyle that allows you to do what you truly want this time around. If you have to work 80 hours a week and collapse in exhaustion each night, this is not a life worth living. Ditto if you are in massive debt or spend all your time maintaining or chasing possessions and assets. Consumerism is a disease of imbalance that serves to destroy the Earth, keep consumers unhappy, focused on wasting money and lusting after things they don’t need. A wise man, Tyler Durden’ ,once said ‘The things you own end up owning you. Throughout most of human history, poverty and lack have been roadblocks to overcome; now we are in the odd situation where excess and wealth are the impediments to spiritual growth and fulfillment.




 

Sorry for the image quality...If it resonates with you, I'm sure that you can find, or make a better one.


 
What Will be Expected of You

Someone who commits to an Orthodox Pagan path is explicitly stating that their spiritual path has meaning and worth and that they are willing to work at serving that path and the others that are on it. It’s the equivalent of being a "warrior for the faith", a zealot, a fanatic. It’s for those few that can see the amazing potential that paganism has to positively reshape our world and who are willing to do the necessary work to make that vision a reality. You will be expected to maintain or acquire a stable, sustainable, and functional lifestyle. Meaning; that they have a consistent and decent paying job or at least enough income that they are not living paycheck to paycheck, own a viable and working vehicle, have consistent, reliable means of communication open (phone and email), are either single or in a stable relationship, are completely out of the ‘broom closet’, maintain a healthy lifestyle (being in decent physical shape, drinking and smoking kept to a minimum). Your public behavior must be a cut above the rest, known as “pentacle out time”. This means that anytime you are out in public and are acting in a leadership or representation capacity you are putting yourself up as an example of what paganism is. If you are a known pagan or have any bumper stickers, clothing or jewelry that identifies you as a pagan you must act in a forthright, considerate, polite and helpful manner. No cutting people off in traffic or stiffing a waitress, no uncouth language or inappropriate actions. In addition you will be expected to consistently serve the greater pagan community and assist other orthodox pagans in any way that you can. This can and will take many forms, specifically but not limited to; creating or facilitating consistent social pagan events like pub moots, tea and talks, or other purely social events. We need to have free public events where pagans can go and meet others in a simple and pressure-free environment. These are simple to start but hard to maintain long-term and are not recommended for one person to tackle on their own, because of the strong possibility of them failing or a single organizer suffering burnout.
Setting up, publicizing and carrying out public sabbat celebrations. There are few things worse than a person on the pagan path being forced to celebrate holidays alone. To put on a decent half day sabbat celebration in any medium to large population center requires at least 3-5 dedicated individuals. If you are interested in such a thing, take one sabbat that is not being covered in your area and just do that one really well for a few years before you expand to others.

Doing public outreach/relations. Things like ‘adopt a highway’, blood donation, food/clothing drives, group volunteering at homeless/battered women shelters, food banks, and similar projects require minimal effort and can do a great deal of good while also doing the vital work of changing perceptions of what it means to be pagan in the minds of those you serve or serve with. There is also the option of volunteering your time at hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, and other institutions where pagan folk desperately need to see a friendly face.

Starting a Pagan Unity Council. Once you have a fair number of committed and functional pagans in an area you might consider formalizing your efforts around a Pagan Unity Council (PUC) that will be a clearinghouse of ideas and contacts as well as a focal point for organizational efforts in a particular city or county sized rural area.

Assisting with online groups. A great deal of modern pagan community is online and having consistent and well managed online forums, discussion groups and the like will do well to serve the pagans. You might also consider compiling online information and resources about your local pagan community and making that information available to all. Having a listing of active groups both online and real world as well as contact with local businesses and events can be a huge step forward for all of us as well.

Be a contact for police, media, and other institutions. The reason we are portrayed poorly in the media and are massively distorted or misunderstood by the police and legal system is because they have no reliable and consistent source of information regarding all things pagan. Think about this, if there is any legal question or controversy in your area about anything remotely pagan who do the police and media contact? They might get lucky and know someone who knows someone, they might contact Circle Sanctuary or Deeply Rooted, more likely they will make something up or ask the first freaky looking goth/hippie type they run into on the street. Not the best way to get information, but it is perhaps the only way they know to get input. This is an extremely important role that cannot be stepped into lightly and to do so without appreciating the importance of such a role will only further undermine the public’s perception of us.

Get involved with community gardens. Nearly every city of any size has some sort of community garden space that is open to the public and most years the property sits mostly unused. I can think of no better thing for pagan folk to do then to have a huge community garden plot in which we grow a ton of food, feeding ourselves and donating the rest to local food banks. Minimal effort is required, yet it produces a maximum of benefits and a multi-layered return on investment of both time and energy.

Literally thousands of other things that need doing are not getting done. Find something that speaks to you and run with it, hardcore. Find others that will help and are willing to focus on the good work and leave any other pettiness at the door. Support any other pagan group, Orthodox or mainstream that is doing what needs doing. Be unapologetic about what you are doing when the naysayers and whiners show up. Also remember to only commit to what you intend to follow through on. Support other Orthodox Pagans to the hilt both in public and private. If there is a problem, fix it. If you can’t support someone for some personal reason then do it quietly and without drama. If someone in the community is acting illegally or unethically to the point where they are making us all look bad then talk to as many people as possible and then, remove or expose the malefactor in a rational and unemotional way. Treat your service to the community/Gods/Goddess as a job, its serious and necessary work that deserves your full attention and priority.

If you are interested in doing something and don’t know how or have questions, ASK! There is nothing wrong in not knowing, the problem is, when people try to reinvent the wheel and end up making the same mistakes made a dozen times before, rather than just opening their mouths and asking for assistance. There are almost always people around who have done or attempted to do just about anything you can think of within the community, tap that pool of knowledge. Orthodox Pagans are required, repeat, required to help others looking to do good work within the community. If you know how to do something better or easier and are asked about it or see a fellow OP struggling with something you can help with you are required, and will be appreciated if you step up and assist to the best of your ability. This is not an easy path or way of doing things, but it needs to be walked in order for us to advance and move forward. The power that we feel in ceremony can be with us in every step, every moment of our lives, but it requires us to live according to our truest, most compassionate and most pure nature.

If you have any questions or would like an application for Orthodox Paganism please email at: deeplyrooted75@yahoo.com If you would like to check out our web presence, Deeply Rooted


Note: This is a hybridization of writing from a good friend, who hails from Central Wisconsin and although I tried to stay true to his message, I admit to adding a few sentences. Thank-you Wade, for your gracious giving, your insightful vision and your thoughtful reflection on coming changes for our community, our civilization and our planet. We all need to carry water from time to time, I appreciate your labors doing so.