Last Wednesday, Terence Ward of The Wild Hunt compiled a very good list of recommendations from Pagan priests on the topic of The limits of ministry: Pagan clergy and serious situations<\/a>. I recommend you read the whole thing, particularly if you consider yourself a priest, or if you ever consult a priest.<\/p>\n These are the things I can do for you in my role as a priest, and the things I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n Need somebody to listen to your challenging life situation? I\u2019ve been doing that since I was a child. I can listen and I can ask questions that may help you change the way you see your circumstances. I can tell you what\u2019s worked for me in similar situations, and what hasn\u2019t. I can point you toward resources that may be helpful to you. If you have a religious, spiritual, or magical problem, I can propose a religious, spiritual, or magical approach to deal with it.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m a Druid and a priest, not a psychologist \u2013 I can\u2019t provide mental health care. I can\u2019t diagnose depression and I can\u2019t treat it. I certainly can\u2019t treat more complicated mental health conditions. I can listen to you and if your situation exceeds my skills and training I can refer you to a mental health professional, but I can\u2019t substitute for one.<\/p>\n I also can\u2019t provide counseling on an on-going basis. If you need my counsel more than a couple times, you almost certainly need a mental health professional. I can provide spiritual direction on an on-going basis, but only if what I can offer<\/a> is a good fit for you.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve studied ritual all my life. I understand the preparations that go into a good one: finding an appropriate site, picking the right day and time, and making sure we have the right stuff in the right places. I pay particular attention to the necessary spiritual preparations: prayers and offerings to the Gods and spirits, meditations and divinations to make sure we\u2019re all on the same page (sometimes literally, if you ever look at one of my ritual scripts). I\u2019m not very charismatic, but I\u2019ve developed some ritual presentation skills over the years, and I know how to put the right people in the right roles.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just me \u2013 any skilled ritualist can do these things. But while we can create the conditions conducive to the first-hand experience of a God or spirit, we cannot guarantee they\u2019ll show up. And if they do, we cannot guarantee you\u2019ll see or hear or feel them.<\/p>\n If you aren\u2019t open to Otherworldly experiences, you\u2019re probably not going to recognize them even if they happen right in front of your face \u2013 you\u2019ll rationalize them away. If you\u2019re looking for something out of a movie, you\u2019re going to be disappointed. And even if you\u2019ve done everything right, the Gods and spirits are individuals with their own autonomy \u2013 they do what they do for their own reasons, not because we command them.<\/p>\n Most people who come into a ritual in the right frame of mind (and many who don\u2019t) do experience something. But I can\u2019t guarantee it. Your spiritual life is ultimately your responsibility.<\/p>\n If you come to a Cernunnos devotional ritual and you have a powerful but indefinite experience of wildness and Nature, I can be fairly confident that was, in fact, Cernunnos. But if you have a series of dreams about a nameless Goddess who\u2019s speaking to you in general terms, I\u2019m not going to be able to tell you \u201cthis was Brighid\u201d or \u201cthis was Hecate\u201d or this was anyone else.<\/p>\n I can recommend stories to read that will help you understand how Gods and heroes were seen in ancient times, and that will help you learn a bit about who they are. There are lots of good books available from contemporary practitioners, ranging from general introductions to deep academic works to devotional anthologies. There are priests and devotees who are happy to talk about their experiences and relationships so you can see what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n I can also point you toward possible mundane interpretations. Sometimes what seems Otherworldly has a perfectly ordinary explanation. Not always, but sometimes. The truth matters, even when it\u2019s disappointing.<\/p>\n But religious experiences are innately personal. Only you know exactly what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and felt. And while certain deities are more active than others, sometimes Someone who hasn\u2019t been heard from in centuries pops in and wants to talk. You have to do the prayers, offerings, meditation \u2013 and the mundane research \u2013 to figure out exactly who or what you encountered, and how you should respond to your experience. I can\u2019t do that for you.<\/p>\n Teaching Pagan and polytheist religious practice is a big part of what I do on the blog and in my book. I can teach prayer and meditation, offerings and devotion, following the sun and the moon, and many other spiritual practices. I can help you get started<\/a>. I can provide resources for interpreting your results, I can be a sounding board for your ideas, and I can help you learn to be accountable for following through with what you said you were going to do.<\/p>\n But either you do the work or you don\u2019t. No amount of in-depth conversation about meditation can substitute for sitting quietly (in mindfulness or in contemplation) day in and day out, month in and month out. I\u2019ve written what people tell me is a very good book on Pagan practice<\/a>, but I can\u2019t read it for you \u2013 and I can\u2019t do the rituals and exercises for you either.<\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re talking about mundane skills or spiritual practices, there is simply no substitute for doing the work yourself.<\/p>\n Proselytizing is evil. Promoting your religion is good and necessary. If you don\u2019t understand the difference, read this post from 2014<\/a>.<\/p>\n I talk a lot about Cernunnos and the Morrigan. I talk a little less about Danu, Brighid, Lugh, and the Gods of Egypt. I occasionally mention other deities with whom I\u2019m acquainted. I\u2019ve had good and even life-changing experiences with these Gods, and I love talking about Them. Some of Them have specifically tasked me with telling Their stories so others can learn more about Them.<\/p>\n But I can\u2019t tell you \u201cyou should worship Cernunnos!\u201d Maybe you should. But that\u2019s the thing about polytheism: different Gods call different people to worship Them in different ways. Perhaps you aren\u2019t open to the call of a primal Forest God. Perhaps the Forest God isn\u2019t interested in you. Perhaps one of the Olympians wants you, or one of the Norse deities. This is among the most deeply personal decisions in the realm of polytheism \u2013 nobody can make this decision for you.<\/p>\n I can tell you how to pursue the Gods<\/a>. But I can\u2019t tell you which God you should pursue.<\/p>\n There is perhaps no area of priestly work as misunderstood than that of initiation. In many traditions initiation is an expectation. In some it\u2019s a requirement. Initiation carries the anticipation of sudden access to secrets and power. That anticipation makes the process ripe for exploitation and abuse \u2013 and for disappointment.<\/p>\n I wrote a fairly detailed post on the risks of initiation<\/a> last August. If you didn\u2019t see it then, go read it now. Here\u2019s a key quote:<\/p>\n An ordeal strong enough to give the candidate fire in the head can also leave them mad or dead. Again, I\u2019m not speaking metaphorically, or even psychologically. The specter of James Arthur Ray \u2013 the New Age guru who killed three people in a botched sweat lodge ceremony \u2013 hangs over every ordeal we plan and facilitate.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u2019ve planned and led some amazing initiations of some amazing people in my years as a priest and Pagan leader. I\u2019ve also facilitated one that didn\u2019t take. Part of that was my fault (I didn\u2019t make it strong enough), but much of it was the candidate, who simply wasn\u2019t ready for the transformation of initiation.<\/p>\n Some initiations aren\u2019t about transformation. They\u2019re about the recognition of a status already gained. Some of mine have been about making a statement or crossing a line, such as swearing an oath to the Morrigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n But many candidates want and expect (and at some level, need) spiritual transformation. While making an initiation more dangerous doesn\u2019t automatically make it more meaningful, unless there is some danger involved (at the least, the risk of failure) there is little opportunity for transformation.<\/p>\n As with religious experiences, initiations can be facilitated but they cannot be commanded.<\/p>\n![\"JFB](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2018\/01\/JFB-03-July-2016.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI can listen. I can\u2019t provide mental health care.<\/h2>\n
I can facilitate a religious experience. I can\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll have one.<\/h2>\n
![\"CUUPS](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2018\/01\/CUUPS-camping-Sep2016-10.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI can provide context for your religious experiences. I can\u2019t tell you how to interpret them.<\/h2>\n
I can teach you the spiritual practices I know. I can\u2019t do the work for you.<\/h2>\n
![\"Brighid](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2018\/01\/Brighid-10.27.16.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nI can introduce you to a God. I can\u2019t tell you which God you should worship.<\/h2>\n
I can take you up the mountain. I can\u2019t promise if you\u2019ll return mad, dead, or a poet\u2026 or if you\u2019ll return unchanged.<\/h2>\n
![\"anvil](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/243\/2018\/01\/anvil-11.04.17-05.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n