Living with a community of Pagans

Thanks to Pagan Godspell for posting (and answering!) these questions originally from Mahud over at Between Old & New Moons.

*** Clarification: The questions below were answered by me, not Sara Sutterfield Winn over at Pagan Godspell. She has posted the same questions that originated with Mahud at Between Old & New Moons in three much longer parts over on her own blog! Here are parts one, two, and three. If you’d like to repost my answers to the questions below, please attribute them to me, Eir’s Initiate (a.k.a. the Keeper of the Grove). Thanks and apologies for the confusion! ***

Choosing a Paganism

Is it OK you be just a ‘Pagan?’

Yep. I like being “just a ‘Pagan’” because it doesn’t box me in. I generally identify myself as Norse Pagan, which includes the pantheon I tend to worship. But I’m not reconstructionist, nor do I adhere to any particular path other than my own. So I think it’s a nice umbrella term. Especially since Wicca is the inaccurate umbrella term used by most of the non-Pagan world. I might identify as Heathen from time to time, but not often.

As I understanding it is is an umbrella term used much in the same way as ‘Hinduism’ is used to represent a whole range of different beliefs and practices?

Yep. Although, since my education on Hindusim is scanty, I’d say it was more similar to the term Christianity as an umbrella for all Christian denominations. Although, Paganism is different because it includes not only many different cultures and ethnicities, but also many different, autonomous pantheons. Which few (if any) other religions can say.

If so, is choosing a specific Pagan path essential?

I’m a firm believer in choosing your own path. If that path is with a certain tradition, that’s fine. Mine happens to be all on its own. There is something to be said for collaborative effort and community within Paganism, however the current social and political climate tends to preclude any sort of meaningful interaction by solitaries with other groups.

Nature affirming Pagan

Are you a Pagan because you are drawn or feel a connection with nature?

Oh yes. My mother was a biology major in college and we did a lot of camping when I was a child. So I’d always been exposed to nature and wildlife, both flora and fauna. As an environmentalist, I consider myself earth-centered, even if the life I currently live isn’t so kind to the earth. I’ve always felt connected to wind and water and the sky (hello, I live on a flat prairie with few trees, this is sort of a given). And trees to a lesser extent. Birches and aspens in particular, though I’m fond of the native cottonwoods. I think my connection to nature also has something to do with my love affair with the aesthetic. And Nature is about as beautiful as you can get.

Do city dwelling Pagans find it difficult to practice in the City?

It can be a little hard sometimes. Luckily, I currently have a fenced-in backyard and a garden. Plus, my city prides itself on being “the city of parks,” and I don’t live far from the river. And my workplace is kind of out in the country. So interaction with deer (even on the block I live on), turkeys, racoons, and of course, squirrels, bunnies, and birds of all kind, are a regular occurance. I think a garden is the best way to connect to the earth when you live in a city. Even if it’s just a window box garden.

Is it easy finding a community of like-minded Pagans?

Not really. On the one hand, there is the fabulous online community. But I feel that that community is perhaps more like solidarity than an actual dynamic community. It doesn’t help that I’m technically in the broom closet. Also, I view religion as a very private thing. So while it’d be nice to get together with like-minded people on holidays and be able to relax and be yourself among other Pagans, I don’t think I’d want to do any sort of ritual with anyone else. Not that I’ve much of a penchant for ritual anyway, but I think that the sheer diversity of beliefs in the Pagan community means that any sort of ritual is either going to be really Wiccan, or so generalized that it doesn’t feel right to anyone participating. Maybe someday we’ll have little communities that share homogenized beliefs, like the tribes and clans some reconstructionists are always going on about. But until then, I think that large-group community worship is not as important as some would believe. Of course, if you want to worship with others, that’s your perrogative. I’ll worship my own way, thanks.

Are there any local Pagan communities where you live, and was it easy to integrate into your community? Perhaps it took a while to find a community that met your needs?

There is one Pagan community that I know of, but I haven’t checked it out in four or five years, so I don’t even know if it’s still around. I wasn’t very impressed with the way they handled my questions when I was 18, so I gave up. I’m too much of an individualist anyway. I think Paganism has a tendency to attract rather unorganized people who don’t want or can’t handle real leadership. Of course, there are obvious exceptions. But as a leader and organizer myself, I can’t help but be critical. *sigh* If only I could be out of the broom closet, too. Or rather, if only I knew whether or not the world and my family would accept me and my chosen religion! But I ramble…

Do you find your community to be a group of loving people who deeply care for others, esp’ outcasts in society?

Yeah, for the most part Pagans in general are pretty loving people. Obviously, there are exceptions, mostly power-hungry folks who manipulate and take advantage of others. But we’re very tolerant folk, which generally translates into caring about others. I’m not sure the outcasts thing is accurate. Most who are labeled “outcasts” (goths, punks, and otherwise rebellious teens) use Wicca or Paganism as a way to rebel from the mainstream. Paganism is still seen as shocking, falsely associated with devil worship, etc. Not all, surely, for Paganism accepts all people regardless of dress or race or gender or socio-economic status (unlike another “popular” religion which shall remain nameless). But still.

Is there a kind of leadership? Or are some members considered to be more authoritative than others without any rigid kind of leadership structure.

*sigh* I hate this question, I’ve got to tell you. There seems to be within Paganism a dichotomy when it comes to leadership. On the one hand, there are real leaders, the ones who just know and have experienced more than most of the rest of us. The people others naturally look up to. On the other hand, there are the self-styled leaders. Those who call themselves “high priestess” after having completed an online course or something and who seek to lord it over others. I don’t have much use for false authority, in any aspect of my life, but it seems that Paganism is rife with those who seek to be more than they are without doing the works it takes to get there.

I should also point out that there is absolutely no religious structure or hierarchy. Hierarchy is contrary to Paganism, essentially. We Pagans tend to dislike authority of all kinds (myself especially). There are some organized “churches” so to speak (some of them actually call themselves churches, anyway). But the lack of a central figure, holy book, etc. is what Christians and others usually use as an argument against recognizing Paganism as a “real” religion. The American federal government (and by extension, the IRS) included.

Is everyone encouraged to play an active role in the community, and look after those members that need more care and attention?

I’m not sure what you mean by “more care an attention.” Are you refering to the elderly and sick? As I’m not integrated into our local Pagan community, I don’t know how active they are in that sort of thing. I have to admit, the Christians do have that community service thing on us. But that is not because Pagans don’t care, it’s because the organizational and community structure is not there. Also, it’s a lot easier to be charitable when people don’t refuse your money because it’s “tainted by the Devil.” There’s also the fact that many open and active Pagans tend to not be the wealthiest folk in the world (unlike many Christians, particularly evangelicals). I think this is because many of us are called to creative jobs, or those in the liberal arts that serve the community in other ways than merely monetary. I myself, for instance, am working a wonderful, but severely underpaid job at a museum.

Perhaps you are a solitary Pagan, or your only connecting with Pagans on the internet, how does that work for you?

It works. I don’t consider myself hyper-religious and I don’t really do rituals. My form of Paganism is much less “casting a circle in fancy robes and invoking the Gods” and more ordinary, kitchen-witchy things with a healthy dose of “prayer” on the side. Magick is not really my thing. I’ve got a pretty damn good life. It doesn’t need much altering.

I’m fairly individualistic (in case you haven’t noticed or missed it the first time I said it) and am quite content being just me and the Gods. The internet is nice for a little religious solidarity, but since I’m not much into community rituals anyway, I’m okay with the fact that there’s no religious rites online.

How do non-Pagans react upon learning you are Pagan?

Ha! I tend not to tell them (hence the broom closet), but the few close friends I have told have mainly reacted with acceptance, but puzzlement. I think that religion is a very private thing, so I’m hesitant to explain my belief system in its entirety. Especially since it’s pretty complex, that and the fact that I haven’t quite figured it all out yet. *grin*

It’s mainly fear of how other non-Pagans will react (my family included), that keeps me in the broom closet. Maybe some day society will change enough that I won’t need to be afraid anymore. Until then, I’ll stay cooped up.

Pagan Rituals

What is the most basic form of ritual in your Pagan tradition?

Well, I don’t have a tradition, but I think lighting a candle is pretty basic. As is washing/cleaning things. Or cooking. Or gardening. Those are all pretty basic, and make up the extent of my “rituals.”

How do rituals play a part in your form of Paganism?

They don’t really. If I want to connect to the Gods, I think that prayer/talking is an easier and more accurate way to do it. Of course, I don’t go on bended knee for anyone, not even the Gods, so it’s not the typical Christian supplication. It’s more like chitchat. And even that is not done very often. Like I said, my life is a lot better than many on the planet, so I don’t have much to complain about. My prayers are mostly thanks and the occasional chitchat. Sometimes I talk through my problems in my head and I know the Gods (or at least one of them) are listening. But direct intervention is not really my thing. Of course, there’s always the emergency supplication like, ”Thor, please don’t destroy my garden with hail,” or “Dear Gods, please let me not be locked out of my car!” *grin* That sort of thing.

If you didn’t practice rituals would you be considered non-Pagan?

Um, I’d say that the answer to this question, in my case anyway, would be a resounding NO! Paganism is more a state of mind and a way of living. It does not hinge on mere ritual.

I can’t say how other, perhaps more hardcore Pagans would view me, but I am definitely self-described as Pagan.

Can rituals be a guiding influence both inside and outside of the community?

I’m not sure what you mean by “a guiding influence.” And like I said, rituals aren’t really my thing, so I’m not going to answer this one. In other words: Not Applicable.

Do Rituals have a transformative effect on you as an individual and as a group, and can ritual “break through’ to the otherworld, another realm or reality?

I’ve heard they can. I have no personal experience with ritual bringing on direct connection to the Gods (that has all happened outside of formal ritual), but I’ve heard it can. Also, raising energy is apparently a semi-transformative experience for all involved, or so I’ve heard.

Have you ever met anyone, or heard about, anyone become mentally ill by participating in a Ritual.

Um… no? This is a pretty silly question. The closest to “mentally ill” I can think of in reference to a ritual would be getting “ridden” by Orishas in Santeria.

Can ritual be in any other way dangerous?

Only if people are stupid with athames and mead. *grin* No seriously, I think raising that kind of power can be attractive to the less than scrupulous. But at the same time, I think protections are mental as well as physical.

The only danger I can really think of would be attempting to command the Gods. Especially Gods with a reputation (case in point: Kali Durga, Loki, Odin, etc.). I think people also tend to underestimate so-called trickster Gods (like Loki) when they invite them into their lives. So the only danger is ignorance in what you are doing.

Perhaps now you understand part of why I don’t enjoy rituals?

Pagan ‘gods’

How do Pagan ‘gods’ have an active role in your life?

Oh. You did not just put the Gods in quotes. And with a lowercase ‘g’? What were you thinking?! *grin* Give ‘em a little respect, won’t you?

Active is debatable. They are certainly there when I need them, but I don’t think the Gods are manipulating my life. Ditto for Fate. I’m a free will girl all the way. At the same time, they tend not to stay in their “distant, remote archetypal figures” and act like real people. Much wiser and more powerful people, but still real. That’s the great thing about the Norse Gods. You already know that they are fallible (Ragnarok and all that), so they aren’t as remote as some great, omnipotent deity you worship from afar. Too much like Christianity, that.

Do some pagans create their own gods?

Of course! All Gods are created or influenced in some way by the way humans see them and worship them. But I think you are referring to Techno Gods, or the Goddess of Chocolate. I think one of the great strengths of the Pagan community is its ability to not take itself too seriously. That’s why we have chocolate rituals and the Goddess of Free Parking Spaces and such. Besides, there’s this idea with polytheism that there is a God (however minor) for everything in life. And since technology and society have changed so much since ancient times, some people see fit to create (or discover) new Gods to take up previously untaken roles. Hence techno fairies. *grin*

Finally

Are there any more worthwhile things I might need to know?

Yep. Paganism may be an umbrella term, but the umbrella spans the entire universe. Unlike other religions, Paganism spans any God, ritual, community, and magick that you can think of. Nothing is set in stone. Paganism is fluid, ever-changing, and incredibly diverse. Almost as diverse as the inhabitants of this planet we live on. Never underestimate a Pagan, never try to put them in boxes. We are complex creatures.