The Future of Pagan Leadership

With the future an unknown thing, we are always asking ourselves what is next. Armageddon thoughts are filling the world once more, and never before have so many people contemplated the end of the world. It is something some view with dread and others with glee. For me, I take no joy in these thoughts and will not accept the small thoughts of doomsday. It, in fact, sickens me to see it. I do not accept nor approve of apocalyptic thinking in my life, as I truly believe that the world will continue onward for millennia yet to come.

The reason I bring this up, and begin a conversation about the future with the discussion of the common religious belief of an end of the world, is to show that I do believe in the future. That I have engaged in a life that accepts that we can plan for the future, and that we should plan for the future past our personal lives. I believe that we can now engage in thinking about projects that may take generations to complete. Witch School for me is that multi-generational project that will last all of my life and for many future lives to come. The future of the Pagan community is an essential part of what I believe in. So it is from this point of view that I begin a discussion of the future of Pagan leadership.

Wicca in it's most modern form is generally seen as beginning with Gerald Gardner in the mid-1950's. From that point on, we see a thought form grow from a few followers in England to a multi-national religion, seeking political and religious rights. What Wicca has become is from multiple sources and multiple ideals from multiple people, and these have come across several centuries of study. Wicca is a truly modern religion that is at it's core syncretic and adaptive. That no matter what different individuals and their traditions claim or demand upon the word Wicca and also the word Pagan, none has gained the right to define it exclusively. So, in this current form, Wicca is basically a Earth Religion that accepts the sacredness of life. Gardner may have begun the word Wicca, but he did not define it. He did not right a bible or created an exclusive revelation as a messiah to guide us. Gardner was as holy or as profane as the rest of us. He was our equal morally and philosophically. Instead of claiming some sacred beginning, he offered us a belief, a mythology that we could share. Even his grave is not a place where Wiccans feel compelled to visit. All he did was give us a concept, the foundation of a modern religious movement that we can adapt and add to, as we will, and for more than 50 years so far we have done so.

In this case, Wicca is all about self-leadership and self-knowledge. No matter what else is added, the core of Wicca is essentially about knowing yourself and your relationship with deity. Regardless of what you believe about deity, as a Wiccan you must accept that you interact directly with deity and that you alone can interpret what deity means for you. This makes for a powerful personal position, one of strength and self-esteem, and a certain amount of guts to follow. There can be no blame on others for your actions, no blaming supernatural forces for your behavior, and no excuses of just following orders. You and you alone account for your actions, even if you accept that deity leads them. It makes any form of leadership among such a independent people so ferociously difficult, and one that can not be held simply by title or claim. There is no true heir of Gardner, any Pagan Pope or Papess that exists at some sacred Avalon leading us all. No one can claim leadership and expect any sort of following in the Wiccan world. It is simply not part of the faith we are sharing as Wiccans. We simply choose for ourselves what and whom to believe and follow, if we follow at all.

While we call Wicca a religion, we really don't mean it is structured as a church or some easily understood path of instruction, with highly identifiable leaders. What we more are in the term religion in the definition of a bond between humanity and the gods, between humanity and the world around them as sacred. Wicca has also the political distinction of being a religion as defined by the Constitution, and the right to practice as enforceable law. This is the biggest glue of the community, this pursuit of legal rights, for a faith we can not all agree upon of definition but will fight for the right for each individual to pursue. Wicca as a religion is a religion that believes in the right to pure freedom of defining your relationship with deity without interference.

So Wiccan leadership is about being able to influence people through actions, words, and deeds that you are there to help them understand a freedom of practice and thought. It is about liberation of the mind to accept the possibility of a world where anything may be possible. The whole of the mysteries of Wicca is the discovering of these personal freedoms, this expansion of thought and leadership is designed to free the individual to be their own person. This is the hardest part of Wiccan leadership, to help people awaken and mature so they can make choices for themselves.

This is the first step to a developing a future where Paganism can continue.

To be continued.