Do you have any advice for young people who are set on becoming polytheist clergy? What would you counsel a teen Pagan to do about college, seminary, and major career\/life decisions?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is a not an easy path. And it\u2019s a path that hasn\u2019t been traveled very much. If you want to be a Methodist minister, a Catholic priest, or a Buddhist<\/a> monk, there are clear steps for how to get there. Our Pagan and polytheist communities still haven\u2019t figured out what \u2013 if anything \u2013 we want from our clergy, much less how an individual should go about becoming clergy.<\/p>\n The simple answer is \u201cjust do it.\u201d That\u2019s rather flippant, but there\u2019s some truth to it \u2013 start doing the work and the work will find you. Still, this is a serious question and it deserves a serious answer. One of my primary religious identities is that of priest. I\u2019ve served as Pagan clergy for close to 20 years now. I\u2019ve watched what my friends and colleagues have done. What follows isn\u2019t the only way to become polytheist clergy, but it is one way, and I think, a helpful way.<\/p>\n And that starts with understanding what it means to be Pagan and\/or polytheist clergy.<\/p>\n When most of us hear the word \u201cclergy\u201d we think of Catholic priests and Protestant ministers. They lead worship, conduct weddings and funerals, do pastoral counseling, and represent their congregations in the wider community. And most of them are full-time religious professionals.<\/p>\n There are very few Pagan or polytheist priests who are full-time religious professionals. All the ones I know are either writers (who live a very modest lifestyle) or they have spouses who support them financially. There is no path to independent living as Pagan clergy, nor is there likely to be in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n And yet, there is always a need for clergy in a religious community. Someone has to do that work. Some people are better suited to doing it than others. And some people are called to do it: by their Gods, by their communities, or by their deepest desires.<\/p>\n The terms \u201cPagan\u201d and \u201cpolytheist\u201d have significant overlap, but they are not the same things. I\u2019m going to be writing from my perspective as an ancestral, devotional, ecstatic, oracular, magical, public, Pagan polytheist<\/a>. To the extent that your path and your tradition is different, you\u2019ll need to make adjustments. But I think those will be small adjustments.<\/p>\n And with that out of the way, let\u2019s talk about what priests do.<\/p>\n Priests serve their God or Gods<\/strong>. The temple priests of ancient Greece and Rome were not clergy. Their job was not to serve their communities, it was to serve their Gods: to recite the necessary prayers and make the necessary offerings to maintain good relations between the Gods and the people. It\u2019s much the same for contemporary polytheist priests. The foundation of both my personal practice and my public priesthood is serving Cernunnos, Danu, the Morrigan, and all the many Gods with whom I\u2019m acquainted.<\/p>\n Priests mediate for their God or Gods<\/strong>. This is somewhat controversial in parts of the Pagan community \u2013 many of us have strong anti-hierarchical feelings. To be clear: no one requires a priest to speak with the Gods. But I get regular requests from people asking me how to form and maintain a relationship with Cernunnos. I get even more requests asking how to respond to a call from the Morrigan \u2013 even though I\u2019m not Her priest<\/a>.<\/p>\n And occasionally one of the Gods taps me to be Their messenger<\/a>.<\/p>\n Priests serve their community<\/strong>. This is what most people think of when they say \u201cclergy\u201d \u2013 especially leading rituals, rites of passage, and providing pastoral care. Most people who haven\u2019t done these things don\u2019t understand just how much work is involved. Seasonal rituals take many hours of research and preparation. Rites of passage typically take even more. And then there are the phone calls and e-mails at odd hours when someone needs spiritual, emotional, or physical support.<\/p>\n This is work<\/em>. It\u2019s time consuming and it\u2019s physically demanding. I\u2019m not complaining \u2013 it\u2019s rewarding and I do it gladly\u2026 although the older I get, the more boundaries I\u2019m having to set.<\/p>\n If you follow none of the other links in this post, read this one from 2015: Sore Quadriceps and the Reality of Pagan Priesthood<\/a>. Every Pagan priest I know has their own version of this story.<\/p>\n You can lead a coven or a grove or a CUUPS group without being a priest of any deity. Or rather, maybe you can, but I couldn\u2019t. It isn\u2019t that being a sworn priest provides me with any authority \u2013 it doesn\u2019t \u2013 but rather that my priestly connections provide the spiritual support I need to do the work of serving my community.<\/p>\n Who is calling you to be Their priest? There may be many deities in your life \u2013 who is first? What have They asked you to do? If this is to be an oathed relationship<\/a> \u2013 and it probably will be \u2013 take care that you fully understand what you\u2019re signing up for.<\/p>\n If you want to be a priest but feel no specific calling, you can pursue one. It\u2019s always good to honor the Gods. If you start praying, meditating, and making offerings, you\u2019re likely to get Someone\u2019s attention. That\u2019s not guaranteed to turn into a priestly relationship, but it often happens.<\/p>\n On the other hand, this can\u2019t be forced. You can ask anyone out for a date, but they have to say yes or there\u2019s no date. And just because they say yes to a date doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll say yes to a marriage proposal.<\/p>\n If you want to be polytheist priest, the first step is to form and maintain a solid devotional relationship with a deity.<\/p>\n The fact that everyone who isn\u2019t born rich is forced to sell their time to keep from starving and being homeless is an indictment of modern Western society \u2013 especially in this country. On the other hand, this is reality as it is. We don\u2019t have to like it but we do have to deal with it.<\/p>\n There is no path to making a living as Pagan or polytheist clergy like there is for Christian clergy. Perhaps that will change at some point in the future, but no one who feels called to this path should count on it.<\/p>\n I had a very bad experience growing up in the Baptist church, but one of the helpful things I learned was the concept of bivocationalism. This is a term used for someone who serves as ordained clergy but who also works a regular job in the secular world. Early in my career I worked with an engineer who was also the pastor of a very small Baptist church. There were times when he\u2019d say \u201cI can\u2019t work late on Wednesdays \u2013 I have to preach.\u201d I\u2019ve followed this model in my own priesthood \u2013 my paying work supports my sacred work.<\/p>\n Choose your secular career wisely. Professions that require a massive commitment of time (like law and medicine) will make it difficult to serve as a priest. Religious discrimination is illegal, but Pagans teaching in public schools generally have to keep a low profile. I\u2019ve spent my entire career in a corporate environment \u2013 that\u2019s worked well for me. The hours are reasonable (mostly \u2013 there was a time when they weren\u2019t) and if you do good work nobody cares what religion you practice (again, mostly \u2013 there are unfortunate exceptions).<\/p>\n In 2021 I wrote a \u201cgraduation speech\u201d titled How You Make a Living and How You Make a Life are Two Different Things<\/a>. I strongly encourage you to read it, and then figure out how to apply it to your life and your calling.<\/p>\n If you want to be a Unitarian Universalist minister, you need to be credentialed by the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee<\/a>. That\u2019s a long process, and one of the key requirements is earning an M.Div. \u2013 a Masters of Divinity degree.<\/p>\n There is no such requirement for Pagans and polytheists. But our wider society often expects religious professionals to be certified, by somebody \u2013 especially if you want to be accepted as clergy by other clergy in an interfaith setting.<\/p>\n Cherry Hill Seminary<\/a> is an online Pagan institution that awards the M. Div. degree, as well as Masters degrees in pastoral counseling and Pagan Studies. It is not currently accredited \u2013 seminary accreditation is a long and expensive endeavor, and that\u2019s before you get to the Christian assumptions of accrediting agencies. If you want to do the things that Cherry Hill trains people for doing, check it out. But that may not be the best route for polytheist priests.<\/p>\n You will likely need an ordination to be able to legally perform weddings. Requirements vary widely by state, and even more widely outside the United States. The Universal Life Church<\/a> will suffice in many states \u2013 it\u2019s quick, easy, and cheap. I wanted an earned ordination<\/a> \u2013 I\u2019m not sure my specific path is still open. ADF<\/a> offers clergy training and certification. It\u2019s not quick and easy, but it is good training to become a functioning polytheist priest.<\/p>\n I encourage prospective clergy to focus first on what you\u2019re going to do and how you\u2019re doing to do it. Then figure out what certifications you need, and how to get them.<\/p>\n You can be a solitary priest, and many priests are solitary. But the title of \u201cclergy\u201d presumes community service. What community will you serve?<\/p>\n Here, the congregationalist model is helpful, even though it\u2019s a Christian idea. UUs use this model. While ministers are credentialed by the UUA, they are ordained by their congregation. It follows the concept that ministers are people who are \u201ccalled out\u201d and \u201cset aside\u201d \u2013 their authority comes from the people they serve.<\/p>\n My own working priesthood happened through this model. I joined Denton CUUPS as an ordinary member. After a while I was elected to an officer\u2019s position. Because I wanted to fulfill my obligations to the best of my ability, I sought out training: formal training from OBOD (who does not ordain), and informal training from local UU and interfaith groups (on things like pastoral counseling). I served 12 years<\/a> as Coordinating Officer of Denton CUUPS \u2013 that role enabled me to participate in things like the National Day of Prayer<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you want to be polytheist clergy, find a polytheist community and become an active participant. Don\u2019t worry about what they call you \u2013 just do what needs to be done. Make yourself available and the work will find you.<\/p>\n For all my certifications, for all the notoriety that being a published author brings, I am clergy because people in my community call me when they need priestly work, and they call me because I\u2019ve shown that I can and will do it.<\/p>\n Do the work and the titles will follow. Only you won\u2019t care much about the titles, because you\u2019ll know that what really matters is the work.<\/p>\n I cannot overemphasize the need for all clergy, all priests, all leaders to have one or more elders: someone you can go to for counseling and advice, and someone who will hold you accountable to your commitments and to the standards you\u2019ve set for yourself.<\/p>\n Working in a CUUPS group, I\u2019m accountable to the Board of Trustees of Denton UU. But they\u2019re not capable of providing spiritual counsel. Over the years I\u2019ve developed close relationships with a small handful of Pagan leaders \u2013 they\u2019re experienced people I trust. I don\u2019t talk to them often, but they\u2019re there when I need them.<\/p>\n Religious and spiritual leaders who are accountable to no one often go off the rails<\/a>, sometime tragically so.<\/p>\n Being a priest and serving as clergy is hard work. It takes training, study, and practice to learn to do it well. It takes commitment and determination to keep doing it when things get challenging and difficult. It is tiring and often thankless.<\/p>\n And it is holy work.<\/p>\n Serving your Gods and maintaining good relationships with Them. Mediating for Them and helping others to find the information they need. Serving your community and promoting Pagan values and virtues. This is where I\u2019ve found meaning in life.<\/p>\n Blessings and good luck on your path forward.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve written a fair amount on Pagan priesthood over the years. Put \u201cpriest\u201d and \u201cpriesthood\u201d and \u201cPagan priesthood\u201d in the search block and you\u2019ll find plenty. Here are a few posts I think would be especially helpful that I haven\u2019t already linked to in the body of this piece.<\/p>\n Priesthood \u2013 A Modern Pagan View<\/a> (2014)<\/p>\n What I Can Do For You as a Priest, and What I Can\u2019t<\/a> (2018)<\/p>\n 15 Roles of Pagan Priesthood \u2013 How Many Is Too Many?<\/a> (2019)<\/p>\n Priesthood as Service to the Gods<\/a> (2019)<\/p>\n![\"photo](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2023\/05\/Denton-CUUPS-Fall-Equinox-2014-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>A polytheist priest is not a Christian minister<\/h2>\n
Priests do three things<\/h2>\n
![\"photo](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2019\/05\/Samhain-2015-51.jpg\")
<\/a>Who is calling you to be Their priest?<\/h2>\n
How are you going to make a living?<\/h2>\n
![\"photo](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2021\/06\/compass-awen-cernunnos.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDo you need certification?<\/h2>\n
What community will you serve?<\/h2>\n
Who will be your elders?<\/h2>\n
![\"photo](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2023\/05\/Ostara-2023-021-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>This is holy work<\/h2>\n
For further reading<\/h2>\n