OK so I wanna talk a bit about the relationships between Dedications/Initiations, Degree Systems, etc.
Personally, I shun these concepts. I'm not saying that nobody should use them, because obviously everyone's path is their own.
To me, they feel very limiting. Let's start with a Dedication/Initiation ritual. This is a ritual/event where you declare to yourself/the world that you intend to be a Pagan, practice Wicca, practice "The Craft" (god I have that term), discover the magickal workings of the world. Some people need this as a sort of turning point, waystone, or even sometimes as a cathartic moment where they're escaping something else and travelling this path as a sort of new beginning for themselves. I get that. It's important for some people. Here's why I dislike the idea. I started studying Wicca at age 14. I decided I'd check it out for a few years, having just recently separated myself from Christianity (Seventh Day Adventism) and broken my poor mother's heart by telling her I didn't want to be baptized. I figured I'd do an Initiation/Dedication/Whatever in a fancy, solo ritual in the woods behind my house and it would all be quite magical and meaningful and beautiful and I'd live the rest of my life casting spells and drawing down the moon and whatnot.
Then I hit 16, and the physical aspect of it lost meaning for me. Rituals became kind of silly to me, as if I'm actually drawing energy with this knife and drawing money to myself by rubbing a candle with some oils and saying some words. I became very "Yeah right," as most 16 year olds do, and suddenly I felt kind of Agnostic, like how could I know about the universe, how could I WANT to know, etc.
Eventually I sort of progressed back into a sort of Agnostic Paganism wherein I had beliefs but I noted that I had no truthful, intellectual way of knowing they were actually how the universe worked, and accepted the fact that each person feels the universe/god/the great pumpkin in a different light. I feel nature and the universe, and I know they exist, I believe in higher power as a part of all of us, but I accept that this is not divine "truth" and that what someone else believes, if completely opposite of my beliefs, are just as valid.
So where am I going with this nutshell rant about my spiritual musings throughout my adolescence? I keep changing, even when I'm not changing. This sort of negates the need for any sort of initiation or dedication ritual. Why dedicate myself to exploration of the Universe when really, that's what I'm here for? Can I dedicate myself to be something I already am and have been all along, an explorer? Particularly when I change my mind and add new ideas and alter old ideas to fit better. Seven hells, I'd have to do a new dedication ritual every week or so when I chew, taste, and digest any new idea. Plus, dedications seem too baptismal to me. Just my own distaste.
So anyway. Degrees. My big issue with degrees is that it feels very organized religion-y. Organized religion is like combustion: used properly, it can be useful, practical, and beneficial. When abused and spiraled out of control, it is dangerous and hurts people. Organized religion is what drives a good deal of people away from organized religions, even people who subscribe to those religions. Get the wrong people at the top of an organization, and you see abuse of power, scandal, and all sorts of terrible stuff. Just look at the Catholics. Do I have a problem with Catholicism? Absolutely not; the philosophy behind it is incredibly interesting, poignant, and I find mass to be very enjoyable to go to. I do have a problem with the higher-ups covering up scandals with little boys, and preaching against contraception. These are abuses of power.
Now, I'm not saying that every Pagan system/coven/group/whatever with degrees of initiation are suddenly going to turn into evil, scandalous, money-guzzling cretins, or even that any other group besides Pagans automatically will. I'm just saying, when you throw a hierarchy into a system of people's beliefs, you set up the possibility for abuse. If I am your "superior" in the form of a High Priestess or 5th Degree Druid or whatever, this sets me up for some sort of power over your spiritual practice (to a certain extent) and can lead to a path of issues.
Furthermore, I wholeheartedly believe that every single person in the world has a right to practice and experience spirituality how they wish, given that they don't harm or infringe on the rights of others. Everyone has access to the Universe/God/Spirit/Great Pumpkin, equally and automatically upon their life given to them. Degrees put people on different levels of closeness to the Divine, and thus undermine this basic human spiritual existence.
Degree systems mimic modern religion, in that there are stepping stones to re-connect with the Divine. I am a big proponent of the idea that we don't HAVE to strive to reach the Divine; the Divine is within us all equally. Why make Paganism into a modern religion? Degree systems are the same thing as the race to Heaven or Nirvana, just with a different name and different ideas, different methods.
Spiritual existence isn't a race. That's my personal opinion. It falls under the Pagan umbrella. I'm not here to compete with you or learn degrees or secrets. I'm here to celebrate life. That's all. Hope this makes some sense and doesn't offend too many people.
Love,
<3 Sapphire <3
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