www.thepowerteam.com

   In "Biblical times" it was common for people to perform miraculous fetes in the name of one's god(s) or church. The more powerful the god the more powerful the fete. This was known as Charismata. Churches that are apart of the Charismatic movement believe in the manifestations of the holy spirit, that is, the Charismata of old today. Some examples of this is deliverance and speaking in "tongues." By achieving these, for lack of better words, unique characteristics, these individuals and organizations are able to sway followers into their herd.
   The Power Team is an organization body builders whose claim to fame is their charismatic abilities of strength. They travel to various churches performing amazing physical fetes, like breaking bricks and bending bars, in the name of Christianity. This Power Team preaches that their abilities come from their belief in God, despite the immense training I'm sure their prowess entails. Unfortunately for them, the Shaolin Monks (and numerous others) have been performing these same spectacles and much more for the past forty years. Does this mean that I should be swayed to Buddhism because of their more powerful charismata?
   All of this relates back to the same psychodrama I have spoken of before. People believe they are filled with the presence of the holy spirit and start spouting out gibberish. By giving it a name doesn't make it any less ridiculous. True, Pagans are known to speak spells and ceremonies in different languages and even some Roman Catholics give service in Latin, but these are official and learned languages, not made up. Likewise, being able to break a brick with your hand requires physical and mental training, a state of psychosomatic presence that allows for your breakable body to become very unbreakable. Don't get me wrong, these fetes are still amazing, but understand the science behind it, and perhaps the spiritualism... just remove the religious mumbo-jumbo already.

   On 9/11 of this year I posted an article called "Who Is Defining You?" The article was about the Hip-Hop artist Baby Bam and his slandered definition of Paganism. After writing that article, I didn't feel it was enough to just bring it to my reader's attention, but instead attempted to contact both Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Below I have inserted the confirmation e-mails that I received from both sites which include my initial message to them. At this point in time (two months in a week from my initial contact), I have heard no response and their websites still remain unchanged. If you are Pagan, or perhaps just a supporter of equality, and you want to benefit the Pagan Community by preventing the misinformation that has been plaguing our cause as human beings, then please follow in my footsteps and send these two sites an e-mail. They may just be two in a sea of uninformed, but it is a start. Thank you!

http://www.merriam-webster.com/info/contact.htm

Send Message to: Language Research Service

Your name: Brandon Baranowski

Your e-mail address: thebaron@witchmoot.com

Subject of your message: The Word Pagan

Please type your message below:

Your online dictionary ("Open Dictionary") defines the word Pagan as " one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pagan). Not only is this a completely inaccurate statement, but is very insulting to me and my own. There is a large number of active practicing Pagans alive today who are not Neo-Pagans (as defined by your site). A Pagan is an individual who gives grace to the planet usually through the practice of folk-religions such as those immortalized in the current mythologies (Greek, Roman, Norse) and usually believe in more than one God (polytheism). The Gods of Paganism are the personification of man's relationship with nature. Pagans are known as the "Children of the Planet" and promote anti-materialism in an attempt to preserve the planet that has given birth to humanity. Throughout history, despite the conviction of Christianity labeling Pagans as "uncivilized heathens," many power-minded individuals, philosophers, and wealthy were indeed Pagan (where as Christianity initially was a religion that was famous among the poor). I would appreciate it if you would change your definition, since your current promotes discrimination.

Successfully submitted Sept 13, 2009

Thank you for taking the time to write to us! A Merriam-Webster representative will respond to you shortly.

http://dictionary.reference.com/help/contact.html

Contacted Incorrect Information on Sept 13, 2009.

Your Name (First and Last)

Brandon Baranowski

Your E-mail Address (e.g., user@example.com)

thebaron@witchmoot.com

Your Message:

I looked up your definition of Pagan (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pagan). Your first two definitions are correct. However, how can someone who is polytheistic also be irreligious? And as far as being hedonistic is concerned, Pagans do not lack morality just because they don't believe in sin or a hell. They do believe in enjoying life to the fullest, which incorporates moderation. The synonyms which include Godless, Impious, Atheistic, Idolatrous, etc. and the antonyms of religious and believer are incredibly insulting to those of the Pagan faith, and promotes discrimination. I would greatly appreciate it if you could correct these injustices. Thank You.

Thank You!

Your message has been forwarded to the proper department at Dictionary.com.

Please note that we are unable to reply to any questions or comments that have already been addressed in the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). You may wish to review the FAQ to see whether your question or comment has already been addressed there.

While we cannot guarantee a reply, we do read every comment, and we sincerely appreciate your feedback.

   I don't know if we have enough of a following at Witchmoot yet for this, but I would love it if anyone who does contact one or both of these sites could copy & paste their letter into the comments of this article. If you share that you too have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, perhaps you could inspire others to do the same!

  Feel free to use what I have written for your letters or write your own. We don't all have to agree on what it means to be a Pagan if we can at least agree to stand up for what it does not.
Thank You.

     Due to last weeks article and current issues I'm dealing with (waiting to hear back from both Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster Online + running the info booth at Newaygo County Pagan Pride Day) I've decided to write an article about being Pagan. What does it really mean to be Pagan? Many people have different ideas on what it means to be Pagan and I will attempt to explain my definition from my own scholarly point of view (if you disagree feel free to leave a comment explaining where you disagree or how you would define it).

     What is Pagan? A Pagan is one who adheres to Paganism and Paganism is a general term for a religious archetype no different than Shamanism, Buddhism, Hinduism or Judeo-Christian. Within each of these archetypes there are different "sects." For example, Buddhism has Mahayana and Theravada; Judeo-Christian has Judaism, Muslim, Christian (and within Christian there are Catholics, Baptists, Protestants, Lutheran, etc etc); and Shamanism has various "sects" as well, like those of the Native Americans. Paganism has many sects just like the others, such as, Asatru (Nordic), Druid, Celtic, Gaelic, Greek, Roman and so forth. Pagans even encompasses Neo-Pagans, or those who believe in the Pagan ideals but don't necessarily follow any particular sect, deities, or community (very similar to the Non-Denominational Christianity). From my knowledge of American Pagans, most would lump themselves into this Neo-Pagan category due to a lack of knowledge on what it means to be Pagan (and the reason for this article).

     Now Paganism is the second oldest religious archetype (the first being Shamanism) and has it's roots deep in history. The type of religion that Paganism is (with the exception of some Neo-Pagans) is polytheistic. "Poly" meaning many and "theism" means the belief in a deity. Therefore, traditional Pagan religions believed in many gods or more than one. The opposite of this would be monotheism, or the belief in one god, and that can be seen in any of the Judeo-Christian religions.

     The gods of paganism have been labeled many things by other religions, but what are the facts? Well, most Pagan gods are the personification of nature and/or emotions. For example, Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love or Aries the God of War. In nature, the God and Goddess Dianus and Diana are viewed to be the representation of the Earth, Male and Female Polarities, and/or the Sun and the Moon. This is also why the original God of the Woods was a deer (in order to help the original hunters) and as man settled down he became a bull in order to still meet man's needs as a farmer. For more information on how these "mythologies" and gods were attributed their different natural attributes look to my earlier article where I explain the myth creating process (The Myth Making Process).

     Due to man's fondness of travel, the deities of many religions have been at war for thousands of years. Christianity's Satan is a "rip-off" of Pagan Gods, not necessarily due to lack of talent, but because the Christian faith would like to convince people that Christianity is the right religion and Paganism the wrong. This is why Satan is often represented with horns and calves legs (such as Pan), a trident (like that of Poseidon), and the color red (such as Sett). This is believed to create Satan as the direct opposite of good (Satan literally translates to "Adversary"). The only problem with this is that no matter how creepy or frightening some of the Pagan Gods may appear, none of them are evil. In fact, there is no evil deity in any of the Pagan Religions (any of the main ones I'm aware of that is).

     So where do these signs of Satan worship come from? Well I already explained that other religions (especially Christianity) wanted people to accept their religion as the correct religion and thus the "evil" role of Paganism was born. Pagans historically would meet under the moon in the nude and fornicate in honor or worship to their Deities' gift of life. This has created the title of Pagans being "sensual," but is far from the truth (many Pagans today practice family friendly rituals). Pagans are also often said to give offerings, such as cutting a goat's throat. All religions throughout history have given offerings to Gods (even Christianity) and this was a representation of the times and not the religions themselves. No where is it stated that a Pagan must sacrifice to a God.

     Early I stated that Paganism is the second oldest religious archetype (next to Shamanism). Paganism has been around for possibly as long as 10,000 years (if not longer)! Paganism found it's start from Folk-Religion. Folk-Religion is a structure of beliefs adhered to by local inhabitants of an area. A lot of "witchcraft" started out as man's attempt at keeping a relationship with the Earth in order to live in harmony. Farmers who had a "green thumb" would often study nature, the stars, and sun to figure out how to best grow their plants. Travelers (and sailors) would study the stars in order to know where they were going and many could "read the sky" for knowledge of oncoming weather changes. Medicine men would use various herbs to cure and prevent illnesses and injuries. Alchemists (the forefathers of Science) attempted to study the planet in order to alter metals and stones for the betterment of humanity. The myths and folk-lore that surrounds Paganism were due to an unscientific community attempting to explain why certain things (especially bad luck) happened. All of these things were passed down from generation to generation orally and were rarely recorded. Christianity (and all of the Judeo-Christian religions) is actual unique in the sense that from it's very beginning there was scripture to follow.

     Folk-Religion, and Paganism, is a religion that evolves around nature. Due to this, Pagans tend to honor natural events as much as they can (such as Equinoxes, Full Moons, and Seasons). Pagans tend to have a natural love for the Earth and prefer to use all-natural products. They also prefer to give back to the Earth and focus more on a spiritual relationship instead of a physical. This is the exact opposite of materialism (as stated by some dictionaries). Pagans follow their beliefs everyday, they live them, and don't just practice them on sacred days. They attempt to live a life as spiritual as possible and therefore are very religious, even if they don't tend to congregate on a normal basis like other religions.

     Finally, Paganism is far from a rare religion. Pagans do not have a need to convert or outwardly express their belief system. Therefore most Pagans go unnoticed. When Judaism was created, majority of Europe was Pagan. Almost every scholar, politician, and philosopher believed in a pagan religion. This means that historically Pagans were very civilized, knowledgeable, and often times wealthy (and actually most Christians in the time of it's inception were the opposite, they were poor and unschooled... even some of, if not all, the apostles were illiterate).

     I hope you have enjoyed Paganism 101 and hopefully now whether you're a Pagan or otherwise you will be informed when addressing the matter. As I have stated before, it is up to the Pagan community to tell others what being Pagan means, and not let others decide what it is for them. Knowledge is power, so empower yourself. Much love as always and I hope the Harvest finds you all in good spirits!

picture provided by SoulBounce.com

After watching VH1's top 100 Hip-Hop songs I was inspired to look up more information on Baby Bam (Afrika Bambaataa) due to a comment made about him being Pagan (by Bam himself). My first thought was excitement at the thought of a Legendary Hero like Bam being a Pagan. Unfortunately, through many searches via Google I haven't found too terribly much info about it. I've found plenty of biographies and discographies about Bam that list a very impressive record of achievements and awards. I also found a few pictures of him with make-up on that is "due to him being Pagan." He has his Pagan Society (http://www.myspace.com/pagansociety1) with 2nenBladez, which is apparently a music group. Here is what their MySpace says:

About Pagan Society
PaganSociety Biography PaganSociety is the brainchild of 2nenBladez and B.A.M. Their vision from it's inception was to produce a sci-fi film musical group. Ironically the two first met on the evening of October 31 while trick or treating at a fetish costume party in Miami Florida. B.A.M. was composing music to score the film titled 1922:ZooPraXiScopE. 2nenBladez (film editor) inspired by the soundtrack decided to shoot behind the scenes footage of the production of the film with finances he raised from his practice that uses optical illusions to treat his patients with acute mental disorders and selling portraits of himself in different characters created from his illustrious imagination. After 2nenBladez convinced B.A.M. to release the music for the film to promote the forthcoming project, they came up with the idea of performing the material live dressed up as two of the stories main characters to include in the behind the scenes making of documentary of the motion picture. Relying on skills developed in their former careers - B.A.M. (theater actor, writer, character model) toured Europe during spring-summer festivals casted as the Wicked Witch of the East in his adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" and 2nenBladez (character model, sound provider, stage show producer for film trade show events, costume designer) - the two are peerless in their genre. Composing classical music with various genres rooted in electronica they conjure a fantastical performance with a controlled dichotomy that is scary yet seductive. Dark, sensual, moody, dramatic and spontaneous is how best to describe the sound of this film project now adapted for live performances. Viewers and listeners are enchanted and held in suspense by the mental stimulation put into PaganSociety's cinematic-like theatrical displays of the compositions. Though the project did not expect attention from the mainstream conciousness the first song recorded "ThePaganSystem" - 2nenBladez debut as a vocalist - coincidentally and oddly enough, wound up becoming the top 5 most requested song on Power 96's affiliate radio station and is now up for consideration by the program director for regular rotation. Indicative of how bizarre and freakish mainstream pop culture has become. Currently their brainchild PaganSociety has attracted media's attention causing emotional confusion, gossip and rumors to spread. After a photograph of B.A.M. in character was snatched off his myspace page he was accused of being "the gay rapper" even though he's not a rapper in PaganSociety. Further research into the allegations made by the public led to the discovery by the media of his connections to the group PaganSociety which led to more accusations of him being apart of a cult. If the saying holds true that 'everybody has a twin' this was one occassion that the possibility was ruled out in the public's eyes during the assessment of the situation. B.A.M. neither confirming or denying the accusations, holding out for the highest bidder, has contributed to the mystery of the project gaining them the cult status/following they desired to have for the characters and the film to be released in conjunction with launch of the website. For additional information: pagansocietybiz@gmail.com

I also read an interesting article about PaganSociety from SoulBounce.com (article found here) which quotes Merriam-Webster's online dictionary of what a Pagan is, which I also found interesting.

* Main Entry: pa·gan
* Pronunciation: \ˈpā-gən\
* Function: noun
* Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, civilian, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere to fix — more at pact
* Date: 14th century

1 : heathen 1; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person
3 : neo-pagan

— pagan adjective

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pagan

And a neo-Pagan is a noun that means "a person who practices a contemporary form of paganism (as Wicca)."

Now I'm not really sure how to feel here. On one hand you have a Hip-Hop Idol claiming to be Pagan and on the other I feel more violated than if Kathy Lee Gifford had just 'come on' to me. It appears that there is still a lot of uneducated individuals out there that are in desperate need of information. And the only people who can do it are the Pagans themselves. So a little food for thought, who knows you're a Pagan and do they even understand or know what a Pagan is? If you want to be held as an equal, you'll have to stand up for your own definition, or be defined by others.

I hope you will join me for a one-of-a-kind edition of Living Reciprocity; the Pagan Values Special.

What you are about to read is unlike anything I have ever written. As many of you know, Pax put the thought into the air; a month where pagan bloggers wrote about values. The writers here at witchmoot embraced the idea, and we have written some very good posts on the subject.

I knew that given the theme of the month, I wanted to write something very different for this months Living Reciprocity, but I didn’t know what.

I have been doing a lot of thinking over the last few months about community, and ethics, and how we as pagans interact with each other. I have definite beliefs about where we are going, and where we need to go as a community. I see parallels in other sub-groups that have walked these paths before us. But how could I be sure that what I was feeling and what I was sensing were really valid? What if in the diversity of the pagan community, everyone was fine with how things were? Could I really be off base?

The answer was simple. Living Reciprocity is not just about me, it is about the people who are out there doing things. What would they think is the most important ethical issue facing the pagan community? There was only one way to find out, so, I sent out a question, and waited for replies. I hoped that by reading the answers of others, I might be able to answer the question myself. The question, you may be asking?

What is the greatest ethical question or problem facing the pagan community today?

One of the very first replies I received was from the always warm Janet Fararr and Gavin Bone.

This has to be its movement into the mainstream! Many pagans simply don’t want this to happen - they feel it will ‘water down’ the belief structure and commercialize it. But, on the other hand, many pagans realize that this movement is necessary for acceptance from other religious groupings if we are going to avoid discrimination.

The whole issue brings up other ethical concerns as well, charging for teaching, making a living from paganism, acceptance of newer traditions etc. with out the watering down as mentioned.

It seemed to me that perhaps I was on the right track. The things Janet and Gavin mentioned were indeed a large part of what I was seeing as I looked about. Mainstreaming is a very good term for a whole host of issues. It really boils down to how well we stand together as we face the world at large. But is this the whole of the issue?

Bill “Strings” Hilton also gave a very thoughtful answer. Strings is the President of the Maritime WI BACA a very good organization for everyone to check out.

I can see a whole bunch of “ethical questions” that need to be addressed. Not only by the pagan community, but by society in general. But pick one? Hmmm…

This is going to sound odd, but I think the biggest “ethical question” would be how to address our differences, both within the pagan community, and between ourselves and the “mainstream". And it IS a thorny problem. I’ll take those as separate issues.

Relations between the pagan community and the mainstream have been strained many times. On the mainstream side, many Christians feel the need to proselytize to “the heathens". This creates ill-will, which can be exacerbated by irritated pagans lashing back at them: I’m sure you’ve seen the folks that would be easier described as “anti Christian” than “pro Wiccan": their lives seem composed of attempts to belittle Christians and their beliefs, baiting them into debates with no purpose but to try and humiliate them. We (as pagans, represented by these folks) come across as trouble makers, not as followers of a different path. This is enhanced by the number of people who use Wicca as a way to rebel against their parents during their teen years. I can expand on this concept more, if you’d like…

The challenge within the community itself is slightly different, and even more alarming. The “witchier than thou” thing can NOT be overstated: far to many people on the pagan path feel that THEY are “true Wiccans", while everyone else is “just a poseur". This creates strife within the community, straining bonds between people with wide-ranging beliefs. Add in the ease with which a pagan path and be co-opted by a cult (of which there are a few), and the divisions with the community can become deadly to all involved. All it takes is one or two “bad apples", and all of us are tainted in the eyes of our parent society.

We need, as a community, to learn to be accepting of other beliefs and viewpoints. I know, many say they are: but go into most pagan groups and try talking about the benefits of hunting, or a prolife stance regarding abortion. Show yourself as having beliefs different from the group, and you see the fangs barred rather quickly. So much for “tolerence", huh?

It’s a many-faceted problem, and one with no easy answers. Maybe learning to be truly “tolerant” would be a good first step…

I thought to myself that I saw a theme indeed forming. Here are some very diverse people all speaking about mainstreaming. Strings raised some excellent points about our image and how we project ourselves both within and without the community, points very similar in some ways to ones Janet and Gavin raised.

Feeling buoyed by the answers I was getting I thought I must be on t something. But I was temporarily confounded by the answer I received from a Facebook request I had randomly sent out to Ellen Bergstrom.

Sexism and meanness of Patriarchy. Too many Pagans are unaware of/or chose to ignore Goddess as the original Pagan religions as well as the initial matriarchy the once existed. So many also are unaware that Patriarachy is not the opposite of matriarchy. They are two different things.

We all need to do our homework on various things but this is a must know. And I am not interested in communing with people who identify themselves as pagans who chose to be sexist, mean, mealy mouthed, etc.

Ah, the Goddess moves in mysterious ways, but they are not ever without reason. The terms Ellen used confounded me briefly. And then I realized, that my conclusion was still, the same. Ellen’s concerns were differently expressed, but at the core they seemed to me to be very similar to what Strings answered. It was about tolerance. So then, I had to wonder, was I wrong after all? Was the grand and unifying answer tolerance, not mainstreaming? More answers were needed.

Luckily for me, more were coming, namely from Tommy-Elf, the host of one of my favorite podcasts From the Edge of the Circle.

This is a tough question to tackle. The supposition here is that a particular choice will be widely accepted as an “issue” of an ethical nature within the Pagan community as a whole. The problem with this is that the Pagan communities – smaller, regional groupings as well as even smaller communities within city and belief systems boundaries – may not view these same questions/problems as being anything to provide substantial concern. Priorities can be different amongst those groups, as well as social differences, which can drive the differences in what would be the greatest ethical question or priority facing the community at-large.

With that bit of a disclaimer out of the way, I would consider acceptance of other Paths to be the largest ethical issue facing the community at-large. Pagans discuss the need for acceptance in pain-staking detail, but then provide the same level (or sometimes greater) of discriminatory and exclusionary practice towards their own fellow Pagans. I cannot even begin to count the numerous times I have heard that one particular individual is not a “real” Pagan because their understanding of the concepts of Paganism are too “fluffy” or “white-light” to be considered “serious” Paganism. An interesting quandary arises there, as there are similar notations made against Pagans by individuals on a Christian path. The Pagan religion lacks a standard aspect of “authority” such as the Christians have with the Bible as written in the Old and New Testaments or as the Catholic faith has in their Papal authority. Pagans constantly rail against this concept, pointing out that the Pagan faith is a non-central position of religious faith, with no central figure of authority – and decry this as a position of strength. The degree of hypocrisy that this position applies when the “fluffy” aspects of the Pagan faith are sneered at and dismissed out of hand is quite telling.

As I noted previously, there will be various smaller communities that will take exception with what I am stating – providing ample evidence that their particular community does not tolerate or practice this kind of exclusionary measure. I am also quite sure that no matter the type of question or issue that is presented, there will be groups/communities that will provide the same position of exception for their position. Therefore, it would seem to me, that the question of what is the “greatest” could be up for open debate, no matter what the presented particular states.

Once again the theme comes forth. Tolerance. Acceptance. Could this be the answer I was seeking for my own? But then another answer came that pushed me even further. I knew the chances of hearing back from her were small, her office help told me so. She is on the road a lot, teaching for extended periods with limited internet access. So imagine my surprise when I opened my email and found a wonderful answer from Starhawk.

The greatest ethical problem at the moment, I think, for those of us who believe the earth is sacred is how to respond to climate change, to the immense potential loss of life and biodiversity it represents, to the personal and social challenges it poses. How do we both live with personal integrity and also help to galvanize a more effective public response? How do we make people aware of the urgency without plunging them into cynicism and despair? What sacrifices are we truly called to make, and how do we
formulate a truly pagan response, that avoids falling into quasi-Christian moralism, that lets us continue to value pleasure, joy and beauty, that seeks to create abundance, regeneration and healing?

Starhawk had sent me a very powerful note about the environment, and more so about what we as pagans might do in response to environmental needs. It talks about what we can do, and what sacrifices we can make. Once again my thoughts changed. Perhaps mainstreaming and tolerance were just aspects of a larger ethical call; coming together, and making sacrifices to protect the larger world and the Gaia? Should we be focusing on strengthening the community, mainstreaming and building tolerance so we could be a larger force for action?

Famed pagan academic Judy Harrow seemed to align with this thought stream.

I’m a bit leery of picking out the single greatest ethical issue before us. I think different issues become salient for different people depending on their own inclinations and situations – and that a Pagan perspective (or the perspective of any other religion) would be applicable to any of them.

For me, personally, it would be the challenge of living “green” in the City. Other people may feel more called to address other issues.

So if I had to reduce it to one question, it would be very generic. It would be “how do I live my everyday life in congruence with my values and beliefs?”

While Judy’s reply had an environmental theme to it as well, it too seemed to want us to focus on what we could do. How we lived our lives and the choices we made. How do we live what we believe? That statement alone is a very powerful one. Could that be the overarching theme I was seeking?

World renowned author Storm Constantine sent a reply which took this thought further.

My first reaction to it was that I don’t think Pagans are facing problems of an ethical nature any different from any other member of human society. We are all just humans facing the same mess that our world has become.

When I thought about it more, I considered that - and this is not so much an ethical matter but one of belief - many Pagans got into their various alternative belief systems in the 80s and 90s, and there was a strong conviction then that the world *could* be changed for the better, with a meld of New Age, Buddhist and Pagan views on compassion, tolerance, positive thinking, magic and respect for the planet. I do wonder now how many of those initiates feel jaded and hopeless in the face of what appears to be increasing estrangement from a possible hopeful future for the earth and humanity. Do Pagans still believe things can change positively, or do they have to accept that the majority of humans are fast asleep, unaware, lacking any sense of self-responsibility, and do not even *want* to acquire qualities to the contrary, and that beneficial change is therefore very unlikely?

As far as actual ethics are concerned, I think that the greatest one among Pagans (now, and always has been), is how much should you act to create change when it impinges upon the will of another, when certain action is regarded as expedient. And what constitutes expedience? That could tie into the question of belief also.

There was the thought again. Belief. If we believe we need to live it. Living it means showing tolerance, and acceptance. We need to build the community. We need to mainstream so we can become a larger for for action both in our own lives and in the world at large.

There it was. I had one more reply to read, one more that I hoped would complete the thought. And in a serendipity that was beautiful to behold, I happened to email Emma Restall Orr just as she was preparing to give a talk on issues facing the pagan community in London. What would this groundbreaking author share with me? Her generosity amazed me, as she shared more than I could imagine.

To answer this question with respect to the whole Pagan community, the broad diversity of that community risks invalidating any answer. It would be easy to address the environmental crisis, for example, as a key issue relevant to Pagans, but some within the broad Pagan community do not consider environmentalism an inherent or relevant part of their religious practice. Equally, in an overpopulated society with families dispersed and neighbourhoods no longer cohesive communities, the ancestor worship and social responsibilities important to some Pagans are dismissed by others, happy - even proud - to consider themselves detached from mainstream society.

The single word answer, then, that I would offer in response to the question is: integration. Risking disagreement from some quarters, with some confidence I propose that the vast majority of Pagans hold a similar belief about the fundamental construction of nature. The semantics differ from the metaphysical to the poetic, with notions such as the woven fabric, the web of threads, the coherent field of vibrations, and so on, but the essence is the same. It is this weave of connectedness that lies as the basis of Pagan practices from animistic devotion to the efficacy of magick.

Yet the Pagan community still presents a significant gap between the understanding of this notion, and any expression that fully grasps the comprehensive implications of this belief. Personal decisions, clearly revealing where we place our care, from simple daily actions of how we spend our money, what we consume in terms of food, drink and drugs, through to life decisions about employment, travel, family and social responsibility, too often do not reflect those beliefs asserted. Until they do, Paganism and Pagans will not and do not deserve to be taken seriously.

Integration begins with the achievement of an internal consonance. This requires study of one’s own beliefs, assumptions, attitudes and expectations, in order to clarify and hone one’s thinking, uncovering prejudices, hypocrisies and unconsidered conditionings that limit our willingness to learn or act in accordance with our religious beliefs. If we understand nature to be a web of interconnecting threads, the self and soul are equally made up of threads that need to be held in the ease of perfect tension if we are to be sustainably sane, functional, creative, peaceful.

Only once we have found some of that clarity are we able to integrate our beliefs with our actions, making decisions and behaving in a way that is ethical. Able to justify our actions by explaining our ethics, where we fail to act ethically we are aware of having done so. This integrated behaviour includes the willingness to show one’s face, to stand tall in one’s own shoes and express those beliefs through respectful communication: my own tradition would speak of acting in a way that makes our ancestors proud. The misuse of drugs, sex and ego, were the sabotaging features of Paganism in its twentieth century revival; in twenty first century Pagan communities, the internet allows interaction that is faceless, and so too easily dishonourable.

Lastly, integration means no longer living on the edge of family and society, but becoming a responsible part of the societies within which we live. Many religions are populated by those seeking meaning, guidance, healing, and this is equally true of Paganism. However, while self-discovery and self-development have their place (as I have stated above), and many Pagans would deride altruism with a Nietzschian sneer, Pagans and Paganism must learn to serve more than themselves.

Individualism and anarchic self-determinism is too much a part of Paganism: it is still too often expressed through a selfish lack of integration. Its heritage of protest and alienation may be something to be proud of, but only in that perhaps it nurtured and welcomed innovative thinkers and radicals who have at times provoked conventional society to reconsider its habits and complacencies. Where such a stand is not in accord with the fundamental tenet of nature’s integration, what results is a disintegrating ethics, and the kind of behaviour that does Paganism no good at all: political grandstanding and theatrical protest, robed in hypocrisy.

Secular society is, some would say, so entirely unsustainable that we are heading for annihilation. Whether that happens next Tuesday or in another two millennia, or indeed if human ingenuity does find a pathway through the crisis, we cannot know. It is no good simply to blame the rapacious nature of secular society. If Paganism is to develop and grow healthily, becoming a valuable component in society and its uncertain future, it must learn how to share the best of its values, those based on the core belief of nature’s inherent connectedness. The only way to do this is through improving our ability to integrate those beliefs into each and every action.

I think we all have to take a moment and appreciate the depth of that answer. I’m not sure I could ever say it better or in a more coherent way.

But that would not be fair would it? That would not be living in reciprocity myself. So to be fair, to honor all those that so generously answered me, I have to answer my own question. What is the greatest ethical question or problem facing the pagan community from my point of view?

The greatest ethical question facing the pagan community IS pagan ethics.

Ethics: The science of human duty; a particular system of principals and rules concerning duty, whether true or false; rules of practice in respect to a single class of human actions

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Reading the replies I received, talking to the people I talk to, I sense that the pagan community is ready for a change, a change to a new level as a community and as individuals. To be taken more seriously, to find greater acceptance, and to take our role of prominence in the coming centuries. We are looking to become mature.

Paganism seems to be coming full circle, what started as small groups with definite rules and structures went to the opposite extreme, becoming groups of nihilistic individuals. Rebellious teens in a sense, willing to challenge and push all the boundaries just to see if we could, just to see what was there. But the challenges of finding ourselves, of finding our identities are moving into the past. We have new considerations now, new goals, and while there will always be new individuals joining, new individuals seeking their own way, I sense that all the pagans I talk to are willing to accept some sort of common framework in which we can all operate.

We seek a common set of ethics.

No matter what is before us, be it the “table manner” issues of how we act at rituals and festivals, the larger questions of how we deal with and extract sexual predators, or the very complex issues of why so many of our teachers and elders struggle financially while people still spend generously on themselves, these are all ethical questions.

While some may fear this coming, fearing that standards might create judgementalism, I say there is a vast difference between judgementalism and using good judgment. It is past time that we stop the constant rebellion, and step into a new role of leadership.

Ethics demands that we take a constant inventory of ourselves, to examine our standards to see that they are reasonable and well rounded. It is the attempt to set a code of conduct for ourselves and to make sure that we are living up to those standards though our actions. And I say to you my fellow pagans that it is our community’s shadow self. We are in denial of vast aspects of our own power because we fear what it might take. We fear the will to stand up to abuse. We fear that we might be called to sacrifice some of our resources to care for others in the community, because of the responsibility it brings. We fear we might have to justify our actions to others.

But I sense as well we are ready. That there is a movement out there, an unspoken in some cases, passion to confront this shadow, to accept our power, and to step into this new phase of life as a community. Thus I say my answer again. The greatest ethical question or problem facing the pagan community IS ethics. The solutions, the options will have to come for all of us. Are you taking part in the conversation? Are you ready to help confront this shadow?

Well, that’s about it for this issue. I hope you like it, and find it useful. Please share this link with others, and pass it around. And come back and check, I’m hoping for some lively comments, and if I get late replies I am hoping to either add them to the article, or I will post them in the comments section.

Blatant and Shameless

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