{"id":2958,"date":"2010-01-01T01:10:39","date_gmt":"2010-01-01T06:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3017"},"modified":"2009-12-19T18:50:20","modified_gmt":"2009-12-19T23:50:20","slug":"the-gods-are-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/01\/01\/the-gods-are-within\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gods Are Within"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

I\u2019ve watched Paganism in America change considerably in the last thirty years and I sometimes wonder what the next thirty will be like.\u00a0 As the New Year begins, it is often the case that we look both to the past and the future with wonder.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I first became interested in Paganism, most of us called ourselves witches.\u00a0 If you wanted in on the fun, you had to really dig and show interest in just the right places and to the right people.\u00a0 Not much was written about us that wasn\u2019t 99% junk.\u00a0 And even the stuff that was real was full of weird explanations that you sort of had to work around in your mind before they made much sense.\u00a0 And if you were lucky enough to find anybody who actually knew what they were talking about it was like pulling teeth to get them to open up and tell it to you straight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then you had to wait about a thousand years before you were offered initiation.\u00a0 Well, maybe not quite<\/em> that long, but it seemed like it.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t enough people who could or would initiate folks and you didn\u2019t get \u2018IN\u2019 unless you were initiated.\u00a0 At the time, when a high priest and\/or priestess initiated someone, the initiate\u2019s magical behavior was the responsibility of the initiators.\u00a0 The etiquette was that if you had a dispute with someone, you either dealt with them directly to resolve it or you brought it before your elders.\u00a0 In most cases, the \u2018elders\u2019 were the priestess and priest that governed the coven.\u00a0 If the problem involved people of different covens, it would probably involve both covens\u2019 leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the mid to late eighties, the coven system of government and isolation was breaking down.\u00a0 This was due to several reasons but the most important one was because the definition of initiation was changing.\u00a0 The concept of self-initiation was gaining legitimacy and without a lineage of initiators, the authority of each coven to self-discipline was on the way out.\u00a0 This also eroded the confidentiality and secrecy that had been a cornerstone of the coven system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Covens had been much like the French WW II underground.\u00a0 Each group was a closed unit and only its leaders knew of the other covens, where they were, who led them, and what they did.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t any large festivals or celebrations as there are now.\u00a0 For the most part, coordination and communication between covens was limited to the leaders of the covens, a so-called \u2018gathering of Elders.\u2019\u00a0 Occasionally, two or more covens would celebrate a sabbat or esbat with a related coven.<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, books began to become available that gave just enough information to non-initiates that they began to practice magic and conduct their own celebrations.\u00a0 Before that time, every person initiated to the Craft was told that they were a priest or priestess.\u00a0 That is, they were considered to be responsible for the preservation an interpretation of their own spirituality.\u00a0 With self-initiation, a much larger group of people began to emerge who wanted to follow a path of magic and spirit but not lead it.\u00a0 The initiates of the coven system tried to respond and develop liturgy that didn\u2019t require the entire circle to be of the priesthood.\u00a0 But many of these chafed at the demands of clergy or simply didn\u2019t have the skills.\u00a0 Those who did step up made a big difference to the face of Paganism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Covens still exist that maintain the initiate\/priesthood format but they are few and far between, probably no even as numerous as in times past.\u00a0 Most covens today consist of a loose body of people following one or two leaders who have gained sufficient knowledge and skill to hold the group together.\u00a0 The differences, when compared to the old system, are significant.\u00a0 Most importantly, today\u2019s covens usually aren\u2019t very exclusive or secret.\u00a0 Certainly that\u2019s not universally true, but it is for the majority.\u00a0 The general social culture in America today is nominally tolerant of most of Paganism\u2019s various forms of expression and most Pagans are not secretive about their spirituality.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are now many open celebrations held throughout the year all over the USA and Canada as well as open circles for full and new moon services.\u00a0 Pagans of all stripes are now adopting forms very much like the Judeo-Christian religious organizations that dominate North America.\u00a0 They are forming churches that interact with the greater society in nearly exactly the same way as their much larger spiritual cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost inevitable once an organization begins to seek legitimacy and legal protection within the social order that they adopt the form and appearance that makes it easiest to receive those benefits.\u00a0 Ironically, the harassment of many Pagan groups during the eighties helped to cause those same groups to come out of the broom closet and demand the legal rights guarantied to them by the laws of the society that sought to persecute them.\u00a0 The institutions developed in this more open setting are often held back by two problems:\u00a0 There aren\u2019t a great many qualified leaders, people who have the skills necessary to run an organized religious group.\u00a0 And there is not, as yet, the acceptance of the people who would use such an organization sufficient to support it.<\/span><\/p>\n

No religious movement, and that is what modern Paganism is, ever starts out as an organized religion.\u00a0 It always develops as small groups and then grows.\u00a0 That growth is always beset with problems and disagreements among the groups but eventually some sort of common ground is reached and then the growth continues on a sporadic and somewhat confused basis for some time.\u00a0 Paganism has pretty much gotten over the \u2018witch wars\u2019 that seemed to dominate the nineties and now must face the challenges of the more conservative assimilation processes of becoming legitimate in the eyes of society.<\/span><\/p>\n

I well remember the hue and cry set up by the secretive covens over the concept of self-initiation.\u00a0 The issue was not only the controversy of the idea but the impact it would have on the authenticity of lineage.\u00a0 It was feared, and rightly so, that the uncontrolled growth it would foster would destroy the coven system altogether.\u00a0 While it hasn\u2019t destroyed it, it has made a change in the direction and focus of our religious practices.\u00a0 Modern institutionalized<\/em> Paganism has created a whole new demand for qualified leadership and a material commitment from those who are to be its members.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s impossible to know where Paganism will be and what it will look like in another thirty years, but it\u2019s probable that the next ten years will either drive it back underground or make it an important social voice in western society.\u00a0 It is up to everyone who seeks a balance within themselves between the dynamics of being human and the need for greater personal involvement with Spirit to determine what it will be like.\u00a0 Remember that gods are within each of us and how we worship them will be the deciding factor in how our world will survive.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve watched Paganism in America change considerably in the last thirty years and I sometimes wonder what the next thirty will be like.\u00a0 As the New Year begins, it is often the case that we look both to the past and the future with wonder. When I first became interested in Paganism, most of us called ourselves witches.\u00a0 If you wanted in on the fun, you had to really dig and show interest in just the right places and to the right people.\u00a0 Not much was written about us that wasn\u2019t 99% junk.\u00a0 And even the stuff that was real was full of weird explanations that you sort of had to work around in your mind before they made much sense.\u00a0 And if you were lucky enough to find anybody who actually knew what they were talking about it was like pulling teeth to get them to open up and tell it to you straight. Then you had to wait about a thousand years before you were offered initiation.\u00a0 Well, maybe not quite that long, but it seemed like it.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t enough people who could or would initiate folks and you didn\u2019t get \u2018IN\u2019 unless you were initiated.\u00a0 At the time, when a high priest and\/or priestess initiated someone, the initiate\u2019s magical behavior was the responsibility of the initiators.\u00a0 The etiquette was that if you had a dispute with someone, you either dealt with them directly to resolve it or you brought it before your elders.\u00a0 In most cases, the \u2018elders\u2019 were the priestess and priest that governed the coven.\u00a0 If the problem involved people of different covens, it would probably involve both covens\u2019 leaders. By the mid to late eighties, the coven system of government and isolation was breaking down.\u00a0 This was due to several reasons but the most important one was because the definition of initiation was changing.\u00a0 The concept of self-initiation was gaining legitimacy and without a lineage of initiators, the authority of each coven to self-discipline was on the way out.\u00a0 This also eroded the confidentiality and secrecy that had been a cornerstone of the coven system. Covens had been much like the French WW II underground.\u00a0 Each group was a closed unit and only its leaders knew of the other covens, where they were, who led them, and what they did.\u00a0 There weren\u2019t any large festivals or celebrations as there are now.\u00a0 For the most part, coordination and communication between covens was limited to the leaders of the covens, a so-called \u2018gathering of Elders.\u2019\u00a0 Occasionally, two or more covens would celebrate a sabbat or esbat with a related coven. Eventually, books began to become available that gave just enough information to non-initiates that they began to practice magic and conduct their own celebrations.\u00a0 Before that time, every person initiated to the Craft was told that they were a priest or priestess.\u00a0 That is, they were considered to be responsible for the preservation an interpretation of their own spirituality.\u00a0 With self-initiation, a much larger group of people began to emerge who wanted to follow a path of magic and spirit but not lead it.\u00a0 The initiates of the coven system tried to respond and develop liturgy that didn\u2019t require the entire circle to be of the priesthood.\u00a0 But many of these chafed at the demands of clergy or simply didn\u2019t have the skills.\u00a0 Those who did step up made a big difference to the face of Paganism. Covens still exist that maintain the initiate\/priesthood format but they are few and far between, probably no even as numerous as in times past.\u00a0 Most covens today consist of a loose body of people following one or two leaders who have gained sufficient knowledge and skill to hold the group together.\u00a0 The differences, when compared to the old system, are significant.\u00a0 Most importantly, today\u2019s covens usually aren\u2019t very exclusive or secret.\u00a0 Certainly that\u2019s not universally true, but it is for the majority.\u00a0 The general social culture in America today is nominally tolerant of most of Paganism\u2019s various forms of expression and most Pagans are not secretive about their spirituality. There are now many open celebrations held throughout the year all over the USA and Canada as well as open circles for full and new moon services.\u00a0 Pagans of all stripes are now adopting forms very much like the Judeo-Christian religious organizations that dominate North America.\u00a0 They are forming churches that interact with the greater society in nearly exactly the same way as their much larger spiritual cousins. It\u2019s almost inevitable once an organization begins to seek legitimacy and legal protection within the social order that they adopt the form and appearance that makes it easiest to receive those benefits.\u00a0 Ironically, the harassment of many Pagan groups during the eighties helped to cause those same groups to come out of the broom closet and demand the legal rights guarantied to them by the laws of the society that sought to persecute them.\u00a0 The institutions developed in this more open setting are often held back by two problems:\u00a0 There aren\u2019t a great many qualified leaders, people who have the skills necessary to run an organized religious group.\u00a0 And there is not, as yet, the acceptance of the people who would use such an organization sufficient to support it. No religious movement, and that is what modern Paganism is, ever starts out as an organized religion.\u00a0 It always develops as small groups and then grows.\u00a0 That growth is always beset with problems and disagreements among the groups but eventually some sort of common ground is reached and then the growth continues on a sporadic and somewhat confused basis for some time.\u00a0 Paganism has pretty much gotten over the \u2018witch wars\u2019 that seemed to dominate the nineties and now must face the challenges of the more conservative assimilation processes of becoming legitimate in the eyes of society. I well remember the hue and cry set up by the secretive covens over the concept of self-initiation.\u00a0 The issue was not only the controversy of the idea but the impact it would have on the authenticity of lineage.\u00a0 It was feared, and rightly so, that the uncontrolled growth it would foster would destroy the coven system altogether.\u00a0 While it hasn\u2019t destroyed it, it has made a change in the direction and focus of our religious practices.\u00a0 Modern institutionalized Paganism has created a whole new demand for qualified leadership and a material commitment from those who are to be its members. It\u2019s impossible to know where Paganism will be and what it will look like in another thirty years, but it\u2019s probable that the next ten years will either drive it back underground or make it an important social voice in western society.\u00a0 It is up to everyone who seeks a balance within themselves between the dynamics of being human and the need for greater personal involvement with Spirit to determine what it will be like.\u00a0 Remember that gods are within each of us and how we worship them will be the deciding factor in how our world will survive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}