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More on Belief and Diversity
I’ve been meaning to respond to some of the comments on the first week’s question, but it’s been such a hectic few days that I’ve barely had time to read them. However, I want to say thanks to all those who wrote in with some very kind, supportive words, and thanks to all those who took time to express their own opinions here. While I won’t attempt to answer every question, I do want to say a bit more on a couple of different themes that cropped up several times: belief and diversity.
I should also say that nobody can speak for all Witches or all Pagans. The view I present is my own, but I do believe it articulates many of the things we hold in common and that characterize our traditions.
For Pagans and Witches, ‘believing’ just isn’t the central issue that it seems to be for a lot of faiths. It’s not that we don’t believe in things—like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, we often believe six impossible things before breakfast, just to keep in practice! But for us, the Goddess is immanent, that is, present in the world around us, continually revealing Herself, always speaking, and visible in the most common, everyday things: stones and stars, roots and falling leaves, the flight of the eagle and the lowly castings of the worm. Our spiritual practice is about learning to open our eyes and ears and hearts so we can appreciate this revelation, approaching the world around us with wonder, gratitude and reverence, and so be moved to experience a deep connectedness, a love that goes beyond words.
The Pagan worldview is one of a dynamic universe that moves in cycles, where seeming opposites are polarities held in dynamic balance. Diversity and unity or integrity are one such dynamic polarity. In order for there to be diversity—in an ecosystem or a human system—each thing needs to first be itself, and must have the space and resources necessary to develop its identity. But the system as a whole needs enough difference to provide a spectrum of responses to change and disturbance in order to have resilience. And the diversity that sustains a system is not just the diversity of elements in it, but the diversity of relationships between them. Healthy, resilient systems are those in which the elements are capable of forming webs of mutually supportive relationships. Elements which destroy that balance, impoverish relationships or commandeer resources would be destructive and not desirable, even if they are diverse.
I realize that’s getting a bit abstract, so let me give an example. An old growth redwood forest is far more diverse than a forestry plantation of single-age, cloned Douglas fir. Yet the forest would not be improved by introducing a cactus, which couldn’t grow under the same conditions as a redwood, or a voracious disease organism, or a runamuck logger with a chainsaw. An old growth forest has actually relatively few species of trees and understory plants that can adapt to the low-light conditions under redwoods. Yet it has an amazing diversity of relationships—between trees, fungi, lichens, animals, birds. To have the full complement of relationships, to provide habitat for the full range of creatures that have coevolved to live there, it needs to be a certain size, measured in miles, not acres. The integrity of that forest then can be an element of diversity in the larger mosaic of ecosystems in an area.
As far as religion goes, Pagans would not find it desirable to convert everyone in the world to our views. We do find it desirable to have enough social space and freedom to allow our traditions to develop, to be able to practice it and teach it to our children and to those who are drawn to it, to have our values and worldview given the same kind of respect and consideration of other religions. We hold some deep core values—and violation of them is not considered useful diversity but a destructive act. For example, for us sexuality is considered sacred, one of the most powerful ways we experience the presence, ecstasy and love of the Divine manifest in the world. For that reason, we value and welcome a range of diverse sexual orientations and expressions. “All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals,” says the Goddess in one of our most common liturgies, as one commentator noted. But we do not value coercion, cruelty, violence, or power-over. So sexual coercion, abuse, sexual exploitation of children or the less powerful, any form of sexualized violence is particularly repugnant, a violation of what should be the arena of most tender caring, beauty, and love.
By
Starhawk
|
November 21, 2006; 3:03 PM ET
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Posted by: Keir Gazelle | November 28, 2006 1:09 PM
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I have been on my path for about eight years. I came to my path because as I went through my different studies I found that most beliefs talked about the right things love thy brother,peace doing the right thing. But most did not follow thier own teachings. I find that for the most part that those that follow a path similar to mine are at least better at this in actions. There are times when it doesn't seem different because of human nature to have envy of others for what ever reason we precive them. It worries me more that sometimes we or some of us voice harsh opions of those of other beliefs. We should be better than those that slander us and our beliefs just on the bases that they, even it they don't try to learn, don't understand our beliefs but think in the terms of the stories that they have been raised on. Isn't it better to try to educate those that we can on forgive or at least ignore those who don't and won't learn the turth about what we believe. Try sometime when the barbs fly by making the comment that I think that Christ was a great man, a son of God as we are all a son or daughter of the Goddress or God. I have no problem with what he was trying to teach to the world I have a problem with what the people did with what he tried to teach them. Those that I have meet that truly follow his word would never find fault with me for following my path.
Posted by: Beatrix McGee | November 25, 2006 10:47 PM
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Thank you for so clearly defining "good" vs. "bad" diversity. Yes, everyone has a right to his/her opinion, but those that are destructive to our social fabric need to be countered and not given power.
Posted by: Karen Stingle | November 22, 2006 12:18 PM
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Starhawk, thanks again for posting! I just found this blog via your website, which I link to from my homepage as "one of my favorite sites" to visit.
There are religions in this world that have tried to "take over the world", as it were; but within each religious tradition, there is much diversity of belief and interpretation. Within American Christianity alone, there are upwards of 200 different denominations (probably more than that by now); and outside the U.S., there are hundreds more. Such is yet more evidence that not everybody feels at home in the same house.
There is much talk in American politics about religion being "driven out of the public square." I personally would love to see all religions brought back INTO the public square, and told to coexist peacefully as best they can. I believe it can be done, speaking of beliefs...
Anyway, good luck with this new project, and do please come back to Seattle, if only to do a book reading or some such!! You might not like the weather here right now though; we've already broken all rainfall records for November, and just this afternoon, we got rain and hailstones poured on us for over an hour. In any case, Peace, Love and Courage to you and your colleagues down the coast...
Posted by: Karen | November 21, 2006 9:46 PM
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How would you then suggest that NeoPagans learn to steer clear of the visciousness that is so prevalent in our Witchwars and communities? We write such beautiful things about what "we" supposedly believe, but a lot of our practitioners do not embody or practice these values, especially when the few become larger communities. This is one of the reasons why I don't seek out or belong to a Pagan community; and it is why others remain solitary practitioners as well.
I would have all people read, study and put into practice the ideas in _Truth or Dare_ so that could help keep this from happening, but this is not possible. So, do you have any good solutions?
BTW, thank you for both _The Spiral Dance_ which started me on my path back in the late 80s and for _The Earth Path_ that expresses where I've come to in my journey 15 years later. Thank you also, for the co-written _Pagan Book of Living and Dying_ it was a written sacred space that I visited occasionally as I sat at my grandfather's death bed this February.
Sincerely,
Rose
Posted by: Rose | November 21, 2006 6:25 PM
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Rose,
Yes there are Witch Wars and disagreements.
The ones I have seen though were never about religion, but ego..and they did not include knowledgable and experienced leaders, but untaught neophytes.
This is the bane of our beloved path...the belief that you do not need a teacher. Oh you can learn by book, but then you have that author's knowledge and way...which, in the case of Starhawk, can be very good...but there are other Pagan writers that I would not want to be the only view of being what a Witch is or a coven.
With a knowledgable teacher you also get her/his experience and the things that can not be taught from a book. Witch wars do not often happen in a strong coven.
I love my coven mates...they are my chosen family, a support to each other, play mates, teachers, moms, dads, and children. I am blessed to be their Priestess and gain from knowing them.
I would advise you not to close your mind to being a part of a group...when you do that you may be closeing the door on a deep blessing.
We need to understand that ego and lust for power is not living as representitives of our gods. Trying to have power over is what brings the most strife to the world...seeing God/dess in all life, specially your sisters and brothers will bring love and peace in that place that we turn to in times of need.
Circle in-
Goddess Bless,
Lady Keir