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<\/a>Last week The Wild Hunt ran a feature titled What Will Paganism Look Like In 100 Years?<\/a> I was one of eight contributors who discussed our hopes, fears, and predictions for the future of our movement.<\/p>\nWhile all religions are rooted in the experiences of their founders (which may be one individual or may be an entire tribe of people), religious movements rise as they respond to human needs in an particular environment, and they fall as they cease to be relevant to their followers. Modern Paganism is a response to the abuses and excesses of the Christian church, to the separation of people from Nature, and to the separation of people from their Gods and ancestors. These conditions, which gave rise to the emergence of Paganism in the 19th<\/sup> century and to its explosion in the 20th<\/sup> century, will continue in the 21st<\/sup> and 22nd<\/sup>. Paganism will continue to grow in both breadth and depth over the next 100 years.<\/p>\n The question, then, is \u201chow do Pagan leaders foster both breadth and depth?\u201d That is, how do we appeal to ordinary people who are dissatisfied with their current religion (or lack thereof) but who aren\u2019t interested in becoming mystics and magicians. And at the same time, how do we develop and support practices that appeal to those who are<\/em> called to be mystics and magicians?<\/p>\n How do we foster elite levels of skill and devotion without becoming elitist?<\/p>\n I see far too many Pagans who want one of these but not the other. Some want to include everyone no matter what and get upset if anybody starts talking about the differences between, say, polytheism and non-theism: \u201cwhat difference does it make \u2013 just dance!\u201d And others are suspicious of growth and don\u2019t care if their tradition has more than four members so long as they\u2019re doing really deep work.<\/p>\n Growth for the sake of growth is cancer, but if a religious tradition is healthy and vibrant it\u2019s going to attract newcomers. Let\u2019s make room for them and let\u2019s help them participate to the extent of their talents and desires, however small or large those may be.<\/p>\n Before we go any further, let\u2019s be clear about one thing: yes, you\u2019re a leader. If you plan and facilitate rituals for more than yourself, you\u2019re a leader. If you talk about Pagans and Paganism in person or on social media, you\u2019re a leader. If you wear Pagan jewelry or t-shirts, you\u2019re a leader. You may not be an elder, or a high priestess, or a senior Druid. You may have no organizational status or responsibilities. You may be leading at a level far below that of Pagans who are generally recognized as leaders. But if your life influences others \u2013 whether you want to influence them or not \u2013 you\u2019re a leader.<\/p>\n So, how do we foster both breadth and depth in our Pagan traditions?<\/p>\n We foster breadth by respecting religious freedom<\/strong>. This doesn\u2019t mean \u201cbeing nice to your Christian relatives\u201d \u2013 though that\u2019s usually a good idea. It means understanding and accepting that different people are called by different Gods to worship Them in different ways. It means understanding and accepting that some people aren\u2019t called by any Gods, or they\u2019re unable or unwilling to accept the existence of Gods and spirits.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not our job to steer them toward \u201cproper\u201d practice. It\u2019s our job to accept them for who they are and to judge their religion (or lack thereof) by how it inspires them to live their lives, not by how closely it matches ours. It\u2019s our job to work with them when we have common interests, and to work separately when we\u2019re called to do something that doesn\u2019t match up with their practices. \u201cLeast common denominator\u201d religion doesn\u2019t serve anyone\u2019s best interests.<\/p>\n This is leadership by example.<\/p>\n We foster depth by practicing deeply ourselves, and by connecting with others doing the same<\/strong>. If I seem to be constantly emphasizing deep spiritual practice<\/a>, that\u2019s because there\u2019s nothing else that will build connections to the Gods, spirits, and Nature as strongly and as reliably. There are many practices<\/a> and you don\u2019t have to do them all. You probably can\u2019t do them all \u2013 I certainly don\u2019t. Rather than doing many things weakly, do a few things consistently. Make a conscious effort to do them as well as you can and you\u2019ll get good at them \u2013 you\u2019ll grow in spiritual depth.<\/p>\n Then find other people who are trying to do the same thing. Perhaps you find you\u2019re the most skilled with prayer. Someone else is the most experienced with meditation. Another is the most knowledgeable about history and lore. You work together, practice together, and learn from each other\u2026 and all of a sudden, you\u2019re all deeper together than you were separately.<\/p>\n Maybe this ends up becoming a grove of Druids or a college of mystics. Maybe it becomes a priesthood. Maybe you\u2019re just a group of friends who drink tea and talk about what you do. The main thing is that you\u2019re a collection of Pagans who want a deep practice, and you\u2019re there for the next person who\u2019s looking for the same thing.<\/p>\n This is leadership by participation.<\/p>\n We draw boundaries tentatively<\/strong>. Many Pagans have a strong bias against authority and for inclusion. But while radical inclusion has a place in our wider society, we do ourselves no favors if we na\u00efvely insist our many diverse religious and spiritual traditions are really all the same.<\/p>\n Institutions have clear boundaries: if you want to be an OBOD Druid<\/a>, you have to sign up for the Bardic course<\/a> and start working your way through the material. You\u2019re either in or you\u2019re out. Roles and traditions are considerably less well defined. What\u2019s a priest<\/a>? What\u2019s a witch? What is Irish Paganism<\/a>? There are no clear definitions. My seemingly obvious statement that Polytheism is Theism<\/a> drew 185 comments, many of them insisting I had no right to draw even the most basic of boundaries.<\/p>\n Where there are clear, natural boundaries, let\u2019s acknowledge them. Where there aren\u2019t, let\u2019s draw them tentatively. Our understanding of the nature of the Gods and the definition of magic will always be incomplete. Let\u2019s draw the boundaries that are necessary for effective practice, but let\u2019s remain open to new thinking, new experiences, and new interpretations.<\/p>\n This is leadership by integrity.<\/p>\n We maintain boundaries compassionately<\/strong>. We live in the most religiously diverse and religiously fluid society in the history of humanity. We get a lot of people who pass through Paganism on their way to something else, and people who wander into the Big Tent<\/a> without knowing whether they\u2019re really called to Wicca, traditional witchcraft, OBOD Druidry, Hellenic polytheism, or some other tradition.<\/p>\n Neither breadth nor depth will be achieved by pushing people into practices and groups that don\u2019t interest them or that they\u2019re not ready to tackle. Nor will it be achieved by setting barriers so high ordinary people can\u2019t get over them. Most people do a pretty good job of self-selecting themselves into and out of groups and traditions. Early in my Pagan exploration, I selected myself out of a Western Mystery Tradition group. They were good people doing good work, but I had no desire to learn Hebrew and work with Gods as archetypes.<\/p>\n Occasionally, though, leaders are forced to say \u201cthis is what we do here \u2013 you don\u2019t seem to be committed to the same things we are.\u201d Or, if the group was intended to be more general and inclusive, leaders may need to say \u201csome of us are going to form a subgroup to focus on this one specific tradition.\u201d We cannot allow a few individuals to distract a group and its members from their core purpose.<\/p>\n This is leadership by discernment.<\/p>\n The future of Paganism is bright<\/strong>. The factors that gave rise to the restoration and recreation of Paganism will continue for the foreseeable future. If anything, environmental concerns and the general decline of the American empire should increase the number of people who are looking for what we already have, and what we\u2019re building<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Pagan movement will continue to grow in breadth and depth. It falls to all of us in the Pagan community to exercise the leadership necessary to be ready for this growth.<\/p>\n![\"Beltane](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2016\/01\/Beltane-2015-15.jpg\")
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