Then this morning, I was toodling around on Twitter and found that The Domestic Witch had posted a plethora of articles centering on That O'Donnell Woman's silliness (and the Pagan community's response to it), as well as this article, which puts forth the interesting idea that the traditional, Gardnerian Craft is being eroded or forgotten or made less mysterious (I'll be honest and say that I was a little confused at times during the article) as the tenets of it are being broadcast across the interwebs and, thus, folks don't have to rely on groups or covens for their teaching. Clearly, as a solitary witch who does NOT follow the Gardnerian tradition (at least not wholly), I don't know how I feel about this, although I was sort of mystified by, once again, the concept of witches having a responsibility to come out of the broom closet.
THEN I started thinking about a conversation I had with my Pagantastic brother about some advice I'd given him. He had bound somebody, a practice with which I don't agree. I just feel icky about binding, although I have worked protective spells to shield myself or others against specific people. In any case, he had contact with that person again, which to me meant that he'd wonkied up the binding, because he'd voluntarily resumed contact with that person. I felt very strongly about it, but he felt very strongly the other way.
So during a loooooonnnng field trip with my son's class yesterday, I was stewing over this whole thing. I'm not sure if the pieces all fit together the way I want them to, but here's what I was left with:
- I don't believe any person of any faith has the right to tell any person of any faith how to make his or her peace with his or her deity. I don't think Baptists have the right to tell Mormons they aren't Christians, and I don't believe that a Gardnerian witch has the right to tell a Hellenic worshipper that she isn't venerating the right goddess. I DO believe that we need to listen more to each other, however, even when what we're listening to doesn't jibe with our own beliefs.
- The Pagan community is NOT one homogeneous wad of folks, and this is bound to cause some problems for us as we become more active and accepted in our society. I think it is going to become important for leaders to start stepping forward and working together even as we grow stronger in our individual beliefs. Maybe this is already happening, and I don't know about it. All I know is that That O'Donnell Woman has put us on the map and we'd better pull ourselves together. You know, spiff up the cauldrons, put out the clean altar cloths, polish our pentagrams, trim the herbal knot in the front yard...
- The broom closet is an uncomfortable place, really. It smells like cleaning supplies and dust bunnies and, Mother help us all, I think I just spotted a spider over there. BUT--it is SAFER for me and and for my family for me to lurk here a while. I envy the folks who are free to be you and me, but I'm not. Being completely "out" would make it difficult for me with some of my family members. And, yes, Jessica, if people really care about me, they'll love me regardless of my faith. The sad thing is that our lives don't just depend upon the people who care about us. We have to work and live in communities which are full of people who don't give a rat's ass about us--they need our services or our taxes or our business and as long as they have that, they're content. But because we need them as well, for their services or goods or jobs, we have to walk a fine line. Of course, I could always sue somebody who refused to hire me because I was a witch, which would make life nigh to impossible for me in my community. Could I move to a place more understanding? If there was a job there for my husband and a climate we'd enjoy and good schools and...do you get my drift?
- I love the Pagan community I've found online. It is, by and large, supportive and eager for connection. And even if that isn't a "real" coven, it's what I've got to work with. I LEARN from folks here. I share my own knowledge. Heck, we've WORKED together, when we Meet at the Water. Yes, there are those of us who are newbies. Or those of us whose hearts aren't in it. But...there are folks in "real" covens or groups or enclaves or whatever exactly like that. Are those covens or groups or enclaves less real because of them?
- I worry about the Pagan community I've found. I haven't had many negative experiences within it, but the ones I've seen can very quickly turn ugly and bitter, with folks taking sides and calling names. We must work together to be understanding and supportive when we come to those gaps in beliefs that can become schisms within our community that cannot be bridged.
I believe that the greatest spiritual value is tolerance of other spiritual views and practices. The pagan community needs to learn that value as much as any other religion. But many are still stuck in the "I'm right, you're wrong, MY way is the ONLY way" point of view. Self-righteous intolerance can mask a lot of other issues too like power, control and abuse issues.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, I too am in the broom closet. I don't like it, but live in a very small community in the Bible Belt. Moving is not an option d/t family business (farming) those acres can't be moved. So I am stuck here, quietly doing what I do, flying under the radar so to speak. If not for the online community I don't know what I would do. I wish all could be as open and thoughtful as you. Thank you for the post.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, thought provoking post. And, I certainly agree with Debra that Tolerance is something we all need to observe in all aspects of our lives.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a Christian Educator, I am now a practicing solitary witch. I usually have raised eyebrows in the pagan community when I declare my past and sure as heck don't jump out of the closet and scare my friends from before my awareness of my real calling. Sorta like the devil and the deep blue sea thing. Tolerance, acceptance, kindness and understanding are all the essence of what I think Mother calls us to and of course defense of the defenseless. We need not devour each other in order to live together in peace. Just my opinion. Oma Linda, The Olde Bagg
I totally agree with you. On everything. (And that's something I hardly ever say.)
ReplyDeleteWell, I do kinda think there is an effort to make the "Pagan" community one homogeneous wad of folks, and an intolerance to non-acceptance. The Baptists has the right to tell Mormons they aren't Christians, and a Gardnerian witch has the right to tell a Hellenic worshiper that she isn't venerating the right Goddess. To deny them that right denies their religion the ability to define itself. It states that the only correct belief is Universalism, and an extreme form of religious pluralism that states every religion must be accepting of all other religions. A Baptist telling a Mormon they aren't Christian does not deny the Mormon their right to insist they are. A Gardnerian witch telling a Hellenic worshiper that she isn't venerating the right Goddess, doesn't stop the Hellenic worshiper from venerating the Goddess who she was about to honor. No one is harmed by any of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that no one has the right to tell you that you need to move out of the broom closet. I feel that religion (regardless of which one you practice) is an incredibly personal choice and no one person or group of people has the right to tell you that you need to claim from the rooftops and that's the only correct way to practice. I like how you spun the comment from something you perceived as negative into something thought provoking....
ReplyDeleteI feel like you just reached into my brain. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI poke my head out of the broom closet from time to time, but I'm not open with most people in my life. Usually it's just easier not to bring the subject of religion up at all. Then there are some people whom I respect and love who will be upset to learn I'm not Christian (like my Catholic grandma, for example...or my very conservative parents-in-law who have been known to fight over which version of the bible is literally true. Yeah.), so I quietly excuse myself from religious discussions.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to be able to be totally open. It would be fantastic to put a pagan symbol on my front door like my neighbor has a cross on hers. It would not be so great to have my grandmother sitting up at night saying the rosary because she's afraid I'm going to hell (which would not be out of character for her). It would not be fantastic if my in-laws either stopped talking to us or, worse, worked harder to "save" us (they already inundate us, especially our daughter, with christian books and videos).
When the time is right for my family to be open, we will be, but nobody can make that choice for us. I understand the political motivation to call for everyone to come out of the broom closet. At the same time, this is the South, and even in the relatively progressive Big-City area we live in, being out is a big deal.