Pagan Unity

A Quest for Unity Among Pagans

by StarrWalker

The cry for Unity has been building strongly during the last year in the Witch/Pagan community. Is it a possibility? Will it be difficult? What is unity? What does it involve?

Pagan Unity - Can we even use the two words in the same sentence? In a religion that is so widely diversified can we even reach a common ground among ourselves? Do we need to? One of the "tenets" of our religion is the non-conformity of it, the agreement to be different, even among ourselves. We all recognize the beauty of individuality. And if we unite, then do we lose the solitaire? The one who cannot come out, for whatever reason, job, family, etc.

What is unity? Does it mean that we all need to agree to a certain set of rules or beliefs? That the Gardnerian, the Wiccan, and the shaman must each agree to follow the same rules! We could all live several lifetimes, and never see that happen! How many of you have read StarHawks' Fifth Sacred Thing? What do you suppose she was talking about in that book? This was no fantasy but, a vision, a hope, a dream, if you will. People gathered together to honor the Earth, each in their own way. Sacred spaces were created to honor the various Gods and Goddesses, this is a form of unity. But, this utopia, however inviting, is not going to happen if we cannot unite on some level.

Remember the old saying, "The total is greater than the sum of its' parts." Unity is not theological. In this manner, the Christians are not united either. There are too many factions who cannot agree. There is no generality that you can make about pagans. Not all of them follow the Wiccan Rede, nor will everyone will agree to the standards/principles set forth by the 1974 Council of American Witches. One of our greatest strengths is embracing the philosophy that each of us is a divine being, living with the God/dess as one. If we can stand united in the belief that all individuals have the right to believe as they so choose then, we are united. This is important as strength comes from unity. The religious right, the Christian Coalition, has more than proven this point. They are not a majority in this country, just a very vocal minority. They vote, they lobby, they contribute their personal money to their belief system, they are united! This is not wrong on their part, this is smart and they get their voice heard, loud and clear.

What are we looking for? What do we want to accomplish? Acceptance and tolerance would be good. An acknowledgment that we as a group, on the whole are not evil, that we revere the Earth and its elements as sacred and all Her peoples and creatures are also sacred. We are our own press agents. Every time someone asks a question and we answer, whether its sincere or sarcastic, we help form their opinions of pagans as a whole, like it or not, your answer makes a difference. Words can cause harm. So stop and think, then answer, find that common ground. We are not all that different, we are all human, with very human problems. Many pagans came to their current religion from a Christian background, bringing with them their anger and all its baggage. Park it at the door. Get over it. If you are practicing the Craft in any form, you should know how!
Am I advocating that everyone come out of the closet and announce to the world that they are pagan or whatever? No, of course not, that would senselessly destroy the lives of some people. But, these same people can vote, can make phone calls about various pieces of legislation. They can support their local public pagan groups or councils, they can network at least on some limited basis. They can make contacts on the Internet, privately. Those of us that choose a more public life can get even more open about it. When we do a good work for a charity or a good cause, let them know you are pagan. Let them know that witches do indeed feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and give toys to needy children!

Unity is a necessity is order to reclaim our own power, in order to be empowered one must be willing to stand up for who you are. We cannot affect change from inside a closet. We as a group, need to be heard, we have a voice, lets us it. Stop giving away our power! Reclaim it! It is ours! We need to change the public perception of us as Satanists and align ourselves with more positive energies.

Graphics on this page by Celtic Blud!

Meet StarrWalker on her personal page at the Sacred Flame.

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Email: starrw@sacredflame.com