So, the other day I was talking about public Paganism and its effect on the tenor of Paganism in general. Gus diZerega worries that an ecstatic religion is becoming staid in the process of being made palatable for a rapidly growing and increasingly public Pagan populace.
I think there is a natural balance that any religious population will achieve. I don’t know what the percentages are, but I think they’re more-or-less static, whether you’re Pagan or Christian or Hindu. As I suggested the other day, the Neopagan movement front-loaded the esoteric, mystery- or ecstacy- oriented folks. But in terms of what people want and need from religion in their lives, I think we were over-represented. As our population grows, the portion that is exoteric and casual about religion will grow faster than the mystical, ecstatic, and intensely devoted. That’s representative of how people are.
In Traditional Wicca, we sometimes call ourselves the Hidden Children of the Goddess. At one time, we were hidden primarily by being scarce. To find us, you had to figure out that there was such a thing as Wicca, and figure out a contact point. It could be maddeningly difficult, but many Traditional Wiccans believe that this hurdle brings those to us who were meant to be among us, while screening out many of the rest.
Today, we are hidden by an exoteric Pagan community and a publishing boom. You have to figure out that there’s more to Wicca than the superficial, the bland, and the anything-goes. There are many, many points of contact, and most of them are bullshit. You have to try again and again, and not be daunted by the fakes and flakes and failures. You might have to attend a public ritual where the periodic table is recited, and still keep seeking.
Somehow, this is affirmative of the Mystery nature of Wicca. The inner traditions cannot grow past a certain point, because growth denatures them. But that very fact keeps the Mystery alive; hidden, alive, and available for those who know to seek it.
As Very “New” Pagan still trying to find his way, this gives me food for thought, from the limited reading I’ve done ie: Scott Cunningham’s Wicca ( And as soon as my own Goddess is done with your book, it’s next!) The word path is used quite often, find your path, learn your craft. You can decide if you wish to “run” the path and only get to sort of know your craft, or someone else’s for that matter. But then during those times when you are reflecting and looking for truth, it’s then you will realize you have just been lying to the Goddess and God and ultimately yourself. There are no short cuts! Thanks
It sounds like you’re in a great place, Michael.
When it comes to religion, the majority of people look for the religious koolaid mint to pop in their mouth. They can spend the next 3-10 minutes slurping it, chewing it, tasting it and basking in how great it tastes. Once the taste wears off after 15 minutes or 60 minutes, they are ready to move on to something else. The people who are truly looking to make religion a
part of their lives know something quite different. It is really living what you believe and weaving that belief into everything you live. When you decide to make it matter (like everything else), it takes hard work, courage, and
persistence. Like Michael said, “there are no short cuts.”
But Proteus, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The words “koolaid” and “slurping” and so on imply that people who don’t want an intense religious life are slobs or plebian or something. But different people have different needs, and I don’t think it’s right to be holier than thou about being…holier than thou. 🙂