Liberty, Responsibility and Pagans

“And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in Her praise.” – The Charge of the Goddess

Sunday is Independence Day in the USA, a day to remember how we broke free from a foreign Empire to form a republic of the people, by the people and for the people.

I’m lucky enough to live in a country that guarantees freedom of religion, which is good considering I’m a Pagan mutt: a syncretist, an eclectic and a Witch. I don’t pretend my walk of faith is any harder than those of other faiths. If anything it’s far more liberating but for every once of liberty you also receive a pound of responsibility.

Being Pagan, there is no outside force on which to blame my actions. I take responsibility for all my actions here, in this life, and I’ve been very cautious in my actions due to that. Sure, I’ve made mistakes, we all do, but I’m careful to try not to make those mistakes in the future.

However, what passes for prudence may actually be prudery. The Charge of the Goddess is one of the most beloved pieces of liturgy in Modern Paganism, and if we had holy scriptures it just might be a candidate. However if you read the quote above it says as a sign of freedom we are to be naked in our rites. Most Witches don’t do this. I’ve only ever met one coven that worked skyclad over the past ten years.

Now I’m not saying we should all worship in the nude, although there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. What we should consider is if we are really free? Or have we merely bounded up the freedoms given by our religious choices by prudery masquerading as mature responsibility? Are our souls free or bound?