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<\/a><\/div>\nAlison Lilly, chief cat herder at No Unsacred Place<\/i><\/a>, has a piece at her own Meadowsweet and Myrrh<\/i> blog <\/a>where she says \u201cI found myself striving to become an Expert In All Things Pagan.\u201d Alison explains in detail the many and varied expectations she felt as she grew beyond beginning Paganism. She suspects she isn\u2019t alone, and I agree.<\/p>\n Even if you ignore the difference in \u201cflavors\u201d of Paganism (Wicca, Druidry, Heathenry, etc.), there are still multiple ideas about what it means to be an \u201cadvanced\u201d or \u201cexpert\u201d or \u201cmature\u201d or \u201cdeep\u201d practitioner. Each of those multiple ideas (we can call them \u201careas of emphasis\u201d or \u201cchannels of practice\u201d) has multiple advocates \u2013 people who are doing them, doing them well, writing and talking about them, and either directly or indirectly encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s a brief outline of the major channels of practice, or at least, the ones that occur to me. If you think of some I missed, let me know in the comments.<\/p>\n Mystics<\/b>. These are the people who are walking between the worlds: the shamans and hedgewitches<\/a>. They experience gods, spirits and the Otherworld directly, and some of those experiences are as real to them as your experience of today\u2019s lunch. <\/p>\n Magicians<\/b>. From the high magic ceremonialists to the low magic kitchen witches, these people are all about causing change in conformance with Will.<\/p>\n Environmentalists<\/b>. Whether they see the Earth as a living being or simply as the only planet we\u2019ve got, these people emphasize living sustainably and with deep concern and respect for other creatures and ecosystems. <\/p>\n Advocates for Justice<\/b>. The political Pagans, questing for the rights of religious minorities and for an end to exploitation of the environment and of the poor.<\/p>\n Artists<\/b>. Writers, poets, musicians, dancers, painters, film makers, sculptors, liturgists, costume designers and all the people who articulate Pagan concepts and practices and who make them beautiful.<\/p>\n Culturists<\/b>. Historians, anthropologists, folklorists, linguists and others who study what our pagan ancestors believed and did. Some attempt to re-create or re-imagine ancient practices, while others simply try to understand our ancestors so we can better honor them.<\/p>\n Priests<\/b>. Priests and priestesses serve their gods and goddesses and they serve their religious communities. They are the glue that holds covens, groves and other groups together. They do the planning, organizing and leading of our seasonal celebrations and other rites.<\/p>\n Theologians and Philosophers<\/b>. (added on prompting from Alison Lilly) The people who study our beliefs and practices and organize them into a rational framework that helps us understand and explain our experiences.<\/p>\n This is a very general, very brief look at some very deep practices. I\u2019m sure you can find something to add or expand. The point is that if you spend any time in the Pagan community and on the Pagan internet you will encounter people in all of these areas who argue \u2013 explicitly or implicitly \u2013 that their particular channel is of critical importance, either for your personal development, for the future of Paganism as a religion or religions, or for the future of Life On Earth. <\/p>\n If you take your religion religiously, this can be overwhelming. Do you need to be an expert in every channel of practice? Is that even possible?<\/p>\n\n\n
\n <\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n Isaac Bonewits<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n