"A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” - Colin Powell
There are many different types of Wiccan Clergy here in the South where I dwell and this gives one many options as to how you might work as Clergy as a Wiccan minister (I will try and share the different types next blog). Many of us here evolved from being Highpriests or Highpriestesses that ran covens to people that decided to "found and form" Wiccan Temples or Churches. Now before you get all blustery on me and "high and mighty" look at where we live. WE live in the BIBLE Belt. People here are harassed if they are different. One of the first questions people ask you here when they meet you is "what church do you attend" and when you answer if it is a church they do not blink and eye, but if you say "Coven of the Raven Stinger" they definitely would shudder and cause a ruckus. If you use a language they understand, they leave you alone; and if you worship in a building they see you as hardly any different from them; which in many ways we are not. This is good; I have never met anyone that wants to live their life fighting and hiding!
Here where I live Pagan/Wiccan communities are not new in fact this is the logical reason why we grew into and formed Temples and Churches. Covens and that model could no longer serve the needs of the people, at most Sabbats we were averaging over 50 and most new and full moons 30 to 40 easy. Most of the people here know one another, it is that "small town" mentality and many have grown up in Wicca from their teens! But like most of the landscape in America, Leaders in this faith and teachers are much scarcer than you would think. Many people have a first degree status; but we find this is where most are comfortable at and this is where they stay. They are active they go to almost anything and everything but first degree is their commitment level. (Just in case you do not know first degree means the person has undergone at least one year and a day of training and iniation; it usually implies more than one year on average two; and for some who stop and start due to jobs and college and marriage and kids it can take much longer). Thus we have more people in the community than we do leaders but it should be stated the Clergy and Teachers are fiercely on working on changing this ASAP.
When you want to worship here in the South you can worship in the backyard at someones home or a park. That is it. When I first moved here no one worshipped in the back yard at someones home; and when I asked why I was told many had tried it but after a while people got tired of taking care of so many people and having their house run down and trashed. I could see it...but what option did we have? To go to a park, means you might have to reserve something,and pay for it and let them know you are coming (not a good idea). Or better yet, get up at 5 am or 6am and go there with a sleeping bag and sit in the pavilion until time for worship since many parks here are FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. Then if you do get the park, you get to put up with the glares and stares and just feeling darn uncomfortable while people take their kids to soccer games, walk their dogs, or just walk the tracks in the park. Not a very happy warm trusting feeling is it? I thought we wanted to create a warm, friendly environment to worship in....well at least I did.
Back to the two choices, Brian and I decided we would build a circle in our back yard of our brand new "first home" and a big altar and have our Church over at our home until we could do better. We had a beautiful back porch, and an open carport and a privacy fence. My home at the time was 3 bedroom and one bath it had a dining room, living, room den, and kitchen. It also had a double driveway to park in. So when we founded the Temple we decided that we would get people used to the idea of worshiping at a home, a building, and use the circle outside for rituals. The plan was to do this until we could raise enough money to lease our first commercial space. This we did for two years, and it was very tiring the upkeep was immense, the utility bills out of this world, the plumbing was always being patched, the yard was run down quickly, and we had to pay the city extra to pick up trashcans and recycling bins we had so many. Every plate I had, every piece of silverware, every glass, and every tray, table and piece of furniture, and my bathroom was no longer mine it was the Temple's....though technically I took care of it; and technically I owned it and paid for it. This was hard work, and stressful to say the least for a woman who worked full time and had a new baby. But it worked! Eventually the sacrifice of one's home and yard, led to us saving enough money to move to a commercial space.
Other Southern Clergy in the Mid south have open circles on their property too, and many have structures that they have built for people to dine in or have workshops in so let me state my sacrifices were not unique they were similar. Some have managed to even build wonderful outside bathrooms and showers and kitchens. This way their own home is their "own home" or the "parsonage" if you will. But they all started out with people just coming over to their homes, and worshiping in their backyards until they could raise the money and materials to do more. This is amazing, considering when you look back only five years ago this was not standard; and definitely not the way most people were accustomed to worshiping Down South.
I am sure if you are reading this, you do not have to be told that the amount of money, sweat, blood, back breaking work it takes to build not just a beautiful circle, but a library, an shower house, a Pavilion where you can have workshops and study groups is a lot of work. It takes time, and sacrifice on the part of the Clergy involved because most of the time they are doing most of the work by themselves with just one or two people helping them when they can drop by. Most of the Clergy that do this were not carpenters in their previous lives and so it takes time for them to learn the skills and time for them to gather the materials, and definitely time to raise the money with their congregation to get the buildings raised, painted, roofed, and completed. I should also state that most of the Clergy are not under 45, so this is a time in life where you probably don't have the physical stamina you once did. Did I mention that many work "real jobs" and their "clergy jobs" and run circles and Teach classes, and run and manage festivals and help other communities with their festivals while still hammering away one nail or board at a time on their "Temples to the Lord and Lady".
I have never met one Clergy in this area that does not pay the majority of the cost for anything they do out of their own pocket...not one. I have also not met ONE Clergy in this area that gets a salary or makes alot of money (and no I don't think this keeps them" honest" I think it makes them poor, lean and hungry). Yes, they do have raffles, and workshops, and ask people to help during circles or have a volunteer crew at Sabbats, but in our religion we expect people to understand that you cannot have anything without a little sacrifice for the greater good; just like the God we worship who has an aspect we refer to as the "sacrificed one". Thus, many people do not upgrade their cell phones, or have full cable, they do not buy newer cars they keep what they have and we learn how together pitch in our funds so that we as a community can have better for ourselves in a safe environment. One less cup of Starbucks means five dollars to put in on utility bill that we all use!
Slowly, but surely we all have gone from having no where to worship at all to having safe structures to worship in! In the more rural areas they have built worship buildings and have beautiful circles with statues and altars. In the more urban areas we have rented commercial space and have erected Altars for all to light candles at and move our circle into place every ritual, while using the space for workshops and events during the week to raise the money needed to keep the roof over our heads. Wicca is changing, we as a civilization are changing, and the Goddess "changes everything she touches'. It is a good time to be Wiccan Clergy, for we are part of the Change definitely not against it; and it is a darn good time to be part of a Wiccan Temple here down South.
Maybe your communities have grown so much you also need Temples. Some people ask how do you all have worship spaces; hopefully this share with you how it is done. Lastly, remember that the next time you hear Wiccan Temple or Pagan Church it is more normal than not down here. The landscape of our religion is changing with the times; and using the laws to our favor. I pray that this post is clearing up some misconceptions about our path and workings.
There are many different types of Wiccan Clergy here in the South where I dwell and this gives one many options as to how you might work as Clergy as a Wiccan minister (I will try and share the different types next blog). Many of us here evolved from being Highpriests or Highpriestesses that ran covens to people that decided to "found and form" Wiccan Temples or Churches. Now before you get all blustery on me and "high and mighty" look at where we live. WE live in the BIBLE Belt. People here are harassed if they are different. One of the first questions people ask you here when they meet you is "what church do you attend" and when you answer if it is a church they do not blink and eye, but if you say "Coven of the Raven Stinger" they definitely would shudder and cause a ruckus. If you use a language they understand, they leave you alone; and if you worship in a building they see you as hardly any different from them; which in many ways we are not. This is good; I have never met anyone that wants to live their life fighting and hiding!
Here where I live Pagan/Wiccan communities are not new in fact this is the logical reason why we grew into and formed Temples and Churches. Covens and that model could no longer serve the needs of the people, at most Sabbats we were averaging over 50 and most new and full moons 30 to 40 easy. Most of the people here know one another, it is that "small town" mentality and many have grown up in Wicca from their teens! But like most of the landscape in America, Leaders in this faith and teachers are much scarcer than you would think. Many people have a first degree status; but we find this is where most are comfortable at and this is where they stay. They are active they go to almost anything and everything but first degree is their commitment level. (Just in case you do not know first degree means the person has undergone at least one year and a day of training and iniation; it usually implies more than one year on average two; and for some who stop and start due to jobs and college and marriage and kids it can take much longer). Thus we have more people in the community than we do leaders but it should be stated the Clergy and Teachers are fiercely on working on changing this ASAP.
When you want to worship here in the South you can worship in the backyard at someones home or a park. That is it. When I first moved here no one worshipped in the back yard at someones home; and when I asked why I was told many had tried it but after a while people got tired of taking care of so many people and having their house run down and trashed. I could see it...but what option did we have? To go to a park, means you might have to reserve something,and pay for it and let them know you are coming (not a good idea). Or better yet, get up at 5 am or 6am and go there with a sleeping bag and sit in the pavilion until time for worship since many parks here are FIRST COME FIRST SERVE. Then if you do get the park, you get to put up with the glares and stares and just feeling darn uncomfortable while people take their kids to soccer games, walk their dogs, or just walk the tracks in the park. Not a very happy warm trusting feeling is it? I thought we wanted to create a warm, friendly environment to worship in....well at least I did.
Back to the two choices, Brian and I decided we would build a circle in our back yard of our brand new "first home" and a big altar and have our Church over at our home until we could do better. We had a beautiful back porch, and an open carport and a privacy fence. My home at the time was 3 bedroom and one bath it had a dining room, living, room den, and kitchen. It also had a double driveway to park in. So when we founded the Temple we decided that we would get people used to the idea of worshiping at a home, a building, and use the circle outside for rituals. The plan was to do this until we could raise enough money to lease our first commercial space. This we did for two years, and it was very tiring the upkeep was immense, the utility bills out of this world, the plumbing was always being patched, the yard was run down quickly, and we had to pay the city extra to pick up trashcans and recycling bins we had so many. Every plate I had, every piece of silverware, every glass, and every tray, table and piece of furniture, and my bathroom was no longer mine it was the Temple's....though technically I took care of it; and technically I owned it and paid for it. This was hard work, and stressful to say the least for a woman who worked full time and had a new baby. But it worked! Eventually the sacrifice of one's home and yard, led to us saving enough money to move to a commercial space.
Other Southern Clergy in the Mid south have open circles on their property too, and many have structures that they have built for people to dine in or have workshops in so let me state my sacrifices were not unique they were similar. Some have managed to even build wonderful outside bathrooms and showers and kitchens. This way their own home is their "own home" or the "parsonage" if you will. But they all started out with people just coming over to their homes, and worshiping in their backyards until they could raise the money and materials to do more. This is amazing, considering when you look back only five years ago this was not standard; and definitely not the way most people were accustomed to worshiping Down South.
I am sure if you are reading this, you do not have to be told that the amount of money, sweat, blood, back breaking work it takes to build not just a beautiful circle, but a library, an shower house, a Pavilion where you can have workshops and study groups is a lot of work. It takes time, and sacrifice on the part of the Clergy involved because most of the time they are doing most of the work by themselves with just one or two people helping them when they can drop by. Most of the Clergy that do this were not carpenters in their previous lives and so it takes time for them to learn the skills and time for them to gather the materials, and definitely time to raise the money with their congregation to get the buildings raised, painted, roofed, and completed. I should also state that most of the Clergy are not under 45, so this is a time in life where you probably don't have the physical stamina you once did. Did I mention that many work "real jobs" and their "clergy jobs" and run circles and Teach classes, and run and manage festivals and help other communities with their festivals while still hammering away one nail or board at a time on their "Temples to the Lord and Lady".
I have never met one Clergy in this area that does not pay the majority of the cost for anything they do out of their own pocket...not one. I have also not met ONE Clergy in this area that gets a salary or makes alot of money (and no I don't think this keeps them" honest" I think it makes them poor, lean and hungry). Yes, they do have raffles, and workshops, and ask people to help during circles or have a volunteer crew at Sabbats, but in our religion we expect people to understand that you cannot have anything without a little sacrifice for the greater good; just like the God we worship who has an aspect we refer to as the "sacrificed one". Thus, many people do not upgrade their cell phones, or have full cable, they do not buy newer cars they keep what they have and we learn how together pitch in our funds so that we as a community can have better for ourselves in a safe environment. One less cup of Starbucks means five dollars to put in on utility bill that we all use!
Slowly, but surely we all have gone from having no where to worship at all to having safe structures to worship in! In the more rural areas they have built worship buildings and have beautiful circles with statues and altars. In the more urban areas we have rented commercial space and have erected Altars for all to light candles at and move our circle into place every ritual, while using the space for workshops and events during the week to raise the money needed to keep the roof over our heads. Wicca is changing, we as a civilization are changing, and the Goddess "changes everything she touches'. It is a good time to be Wiccan Clergy, for we are part of the Change definitely not against it; and it is a darn good time to be part of a Wiccan Temple here down South.
Maybe your communities have grown so much you also need Temples. Some people ask how do you all have worship spaces; hopefully this share with you how it is done. Lastly, remember that the next time you hear Wiccan Temple or Pagan Church it is more normal than not down here. The landscape of our religion is changing with the times; and using the laws to our favor. I pray that this post is clearing up some misconceptions about our path and workings.
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