Like
a lot of things in my life lately, I'm a little late to the party.
That's OK. I'm here now. In support of the The Pagan Values Blogject , I've written a short series of what pretty much amount
to rants about the current state of Paganism. I try, for the most
part, to shy away from straight out rants on this blog. Rants just
don't fit into the purpose. Instead, I slip them in to my blogs in insidious and snarky ways. However, during the month of June, the
Pagan Values Project, invites Pagans to share their ethics, values,
and virtues with the world at large and to rant about the importance
or lack of these things in the Pagan community.
So,
with out further ado, here's my list of rants about the Pagan
community and the things I see as important.
- Yes, despite the nature of my blog, I do have ethics, values, and virtues that I live by and that I expect other people to live by too.
- Despite what many people may think, I'm very old fashioned and in some ways quite conservative.
- I don't necessarily have problems with folks who are fluffy bunny Pagans in general, I have a big problem with fluffy bunnies who are narrow minded. Part of why I started this blog was to broaden the horizons of those fluffy bunnies who think ideas such as mine have no place in modern Paganism.
- Pagans need to fully embrace that sex and procreation are part of nature based religions, but that while everyone should fully embrace this, it's not appropriate to have literal representations at all events. It's OK to have family rituals and adult rituals, but please make sure that it's not for some lame fluffy bunny reason like "the intensity of the power raised in circle will be too much for children" or "the deep personal journey of the guided meditation is not appropriate for the child." Please, those are bullshit reasons not to have children at ritual. Be an adult and say you don't like children because you think they're disruptive.
- It's alright if the grittier side of Paganism is not for you--and please feel free to judge away because I've already judged you--but stab me in the chest instead of the back. Pagans seem to think that back stabbing, bickering, and witch wars are perfectly acceptable. It's not acceptable. We shouldn't be fighting more than the Baptists. If you can't say something to someone in person because you don't have the balls, then you shouldn't say it online. Electronic testicles don't count in the real world. They only count in your false reality.
- Sacrifice is important. The aversion to all manners of sacrifice is the reason why America and Pagans often fail. Submission, Perseverance, and Endurance is the path to Deity. Think of the Chinese Kung Fu master in the Kill Bill movies. He is Deity and Bea Kiddo is on the path to enlightenment.
- There's a time for modesty and a time nudity. Sometimes your blouse needs a safety pin and you need to wear a sweater.
- Be authentic or you'll never truly be able to interact with Deity.
- If there's going to be a viable Pagan community that is going to be taken seriously, then people need to be active and involved. The includes charity and volunteerism. While Pagan clergy should not be paid for their services, especially if they don't hold a divinity degree, Pagans should be the ones to fund their covens and groups. This world no longer works on the bartering system. Dig in your pocket and find a dollar. That being said, clergy and others should not live off their groups. Religious education should be free, and the only people who should be allowed to make a living from holding a Pagan event is somebody who is honest enough to bill themselves as a promoter instead of hiding being a clergy title and a group affiliation.
That's
my rant for now. Jilting clergy will be up next, and irresponsible
polyamory will end the series.
