Vested Interest

The Pros and Cons of Pagan Clergy

One of the things that sets Pagan religions apart from "mainstream" religions is our general lack of paid, public, professional clergy. Like our diversity and decentralized organization, this is both a strength and a weakness. This complex issue, currently unresolved, causes a great deal of friction in the modern Pagan movement. I think we should stop screeching at each other, give the issue some reasoned consideration, and attempt to reach some kind of conclusion -- which individuals and groups could then support or ignore, as they do with any other, in classic Pagan fashion. Better to move forward than keep spinning our wheels here.

That said, I believe that professional clergy could provide many benefits to the Pagan community. Given our extreme diversity, I also think we would avoid the pitfalls that other religions seem to hit when they institute professional clergy. Indeed, Paganism is not a monolithic religion but a vast array of different Earth-centered belief systems. We would not need to settle on one specific arrangement for professional clergy; each tradition could choose a variant suited based on their own requirements or even decide that professional clergy would not fit into their system. The rest of us could then enjoy the services of professional clergy from many distinct systems.

A lot of folks like to argue that the very idea of professional clergy inherently goes against Paganism and all it stands for. This is silly because, as anyone who has ever tried to organize Pagans knows, not all Pagans or branches of Paganism hold the same stance on a given issue. Something utterly unacceptable in one system may prove mandatory in another, as with skyclad worship or the use of alcoholic beverages in ritual space.

However, I want to discuss some historical precedents before I get into modern circumstances. Ancient tribes followed Pagan religions in the dawn of history because no one had invented the Judeo-Christian or other monolithic systems yet. People lived intimately with the land and faced great challenges just to survive. That meant that most members of the tribe did not specialize; they had to do a little bit of everything: hunting, gathering, making clothes and tools. They dealt with the divine ones directly. Gradually people discovered that specializing and trading made life a lot easier: a skilled flint knapper or potter could trade good tools for food, clothing, and most other necessities. I expect that dealing with divinity emerged as one of the very first professions, because the tribes were so dependent on fortuitous hunts, weather, and fertility. A good shaman or herbalist would be too valuable to risk in the hunt or waste time doing menial work.

A pattern emerged which took root in many cultures around the world; indeed, it survives today in some areas. One or a few people in the tribe would specialize in such skills as communing with Gods, Goddesses, and natural spirits; calling animals for the hunters, blessing livestock, casting protections against dangerous predators; working fertility magic for women and men; healing; providing counsel, directing tribal rituals, and passing on cultural material. The mix depended on the tribe's needs and beliefs. In exchange for these services, the tribe contributed to the shaman's support. Individuals usually brought gifts when they asked for the shaman's help -- fresh meat, clothing, furs, a term of service doing errands, etc. [1]

In other words, many ancient Pagan cultures had individuals whose primary function was to tend the spiritual and related needs of the community and who received compensation for doing so. As agriculture caught on and cities grew, many Pagan religions developed a network of temples complete with priests and priestesses to run them. Their training usually took place over a period of years and left them prepared to handle a wide range of situations. Besides ministering to the people's needs, these skilled individuals took on other important tasks which varied according to their society -- in African and Celtic cultures they tracked genealogy, in Sumeria they kept count of grain and other supplies in the storehouses. In most places they did a great deal of teaching and advising the leadership; in other places they became the primary leadership. Sometimes this worked well, other times it didn't, but overall we have a rich history of professional Pagan clergy which continues to influence the modern outgrowths of these ancient traditions. [2, 3, 4]

Throughout history and in the present, the amount of spiritual work people do for a community varies. Some people prefer to keep their spirituality private and focus primarily on their own growth, family needs, etc. Many develop one particular skill, such as divination or crafting ritual tools, which they use to barter for their other necessities. People may come and ask these individuals for help rather often, and it is a major part of their lives. A few people dedicate their entire lives to serving the Divine Ones and their community.

The title of Priest(ess) may cover any or all of the above categories depending on the tradition. A woman might call herself a Priestess of Isis because she does a great deal of work with and service for this Goddess, but not generally make herself available to the Pagan community. A man might not call himself a priest at all, yet constantly give of his time and energy to those in need. Many Pagans feel that an essential quality of Paganism is that each individual can serve as priest(ess) for his or her own needs and also serve in that capacity for anyone else who wishes. We do not require the intervention of ordained clergy in order to receive spiritual benefits. The same holds true for certain other religions as well, such as the Baha'i faith. [5]

However, we may still find the services of experienced clergy members useful in various circumstances; someone who takes care of routine maintenance on her car will probably still take it to a certified mechanic if it needs a new transmission. Practice does not always make perfect, but it usually makes a great improvement, especially over time. Likewise, ministering to such an independent, resourceful group of people as Pagans can prove quite challenging. [6]

So how exactly do we define professional clergy? Well, a "profession" refers to someone's life work or career, as opposed to a hobby; and it typically involves reimbursement, as opposed to the amateur level which rarely does. When people choose religious service as their life work, we call that a "vocation" to acknowledge its special meaning. Furthermore, "professional" implies "formally trained" or "highly experienced" or both. "Official" points to recognition by some organization, such as a church or the U.S. government, and lends additional weight to the "professional" qualification. The details vary, but the basic idea remains the same: a person with significant experience and training who performs clerical services for the community in exchange for compensation.

Instituting a professional clergy does pose some potential problems. The most obvious of these is power-tripping. We already have that. Professional clergy might provide a more public forum for some control freaks to make fools of themselves, but it doesn't introduce anything new. Ossification also looms large in counter-clergy arguments. I suppose a monolithic religion would have a lot to fear from dogmatic fossilizing, but I don't think this really applies to Paganism. We have so many different traditions that no single clerical order could adequately serve all of them to begin with, and not all of them would recognize said clergy to begin with. Furthermore, Paganism as a whole is too fluid and personal to solidify like that. Disputes over hierarchy might also arise, but again we already have those, especially between degreed and egalitarian traditions. Some people would look up to professional clergy based on their credentials, others would not; just as happens with degreed Pagans now. Fear that we would lose the essential intimacy of Paganism, the direct connection with the Divine which draws so many to our paths, also falls flat. If the professional clergy members don't stay in line with where people want to go, Pagans will ignore them just as they ignore "mainstream" clergy and follow their own hearts instead. Individuals could still deal with the Divine directly; professional clergy would add another option instead of restricting the field of choice. Not everyone enjoys spectacular success in every spiritual and magical discipline, after all, which is why we invented specialization in the first place.

So the question becomes, what can professional clergy offer to Pagans in the modern world that makes it worth the risks? First, it would give us a solid group of people with proven skills in appropriate areas --grief counseling, leadership, conduction of rituals, purification, healing, a familiarity with the Divine, etc. -- on whom Pagan individuals and groups could call at need. Their registration would provide a list of names and locations so we could contact them readily. This would allow Pagans to enjoy many of the same spiritual privileges available to "mainstream" followers: the right to call on a priest(ess) of one's own faith while dying, or in a hospital, to preside over one's funeral or wedding, to provide counseling after the loss of a loved one, to teach one's children about spirituality, and so forth. It would also lend Paganism greater credibility with "mainstream" organizations and make it much harder for them to dismiss us as "inconsequential" or "not a real religion" in the future.

As things stand now, Pagans face unfair discrimination in areas where a professional clergy would make all the difference in the world. Imagine what would happen if you and your friends got in a car accident -- you could ask the hospital chaplain to find you a Pagan priest with the reasonable expectation that one would soon arrive to offer healing prayers suited to your own faith. You could enjoy your handfasting in a public building, without worrying about a police raid. You could hold a Pagan funeral in a dignified funeral home instead of somebody's spare room, and you could have readings from Pagan literature instead of the Bible. Most "mainstream" establishments refuse us those rights now because we don't have much official recognition.

I find it ironic that people argue so much over this issue when in effect we already have some professional clergy in the Pagan community; they just don't enjoy the advantages of official recognition as such from Pagans. As things stand now, many Pagans hold a ministerial license which enables them to perform as clergy under the laws of the land --they can preside over legally- binding marriages, for instance. That makes them "official" clergy in *somebody's* book, yet the Pagan community still continues to argue over "professional" clergy. We even have some organizations and individuals that offer seminary-type instruction for Pagans, such as the School of Wicca and Starhawk's WitchCamp. Some Pagan churches, like the Church of All Worlds, already have their own established parameters for priest(esse)s, as do some systems not so tightly linked with the modern Pagan movement. Don't forget all the key community members who devote massive amounts of time and energy to help other Pagans cope with grief, sort out their lives, learn new magical techniques, etc. and otherwise serve as ministers to the people. These folks may or may not hold credentials of any kind, and most of them receive no remuneration for their efforts; they simply do what needs to be done, often without thanks and to a point that keeps them from earning a living in this workaday world. We lose a lot of potentially helpful people from this pool because they refuse to keep giving so much for so little return; they can't afford to if they have families, for instance.

Furthermore, what functional clergy we have is hampered by a lack of organization and recognition. How do you find out which people to call, their specialties, and their contact information? Most of the time, you don't. I see numerous networking attempts by Pagans trying to locate someone to provide an urgently-needed service, such as a deathwatch or handfasting. Some of these efforts succeed, others fail. Listen, folks, in order to function as a community, we *need* to get our act together in this regard!

The two aspects of this issue which crop up most often are official recognition and payment. Who should set requirements and issue credentials for professional Pagan clergy members? Who should be eligible and who should not? Should professional clergy members be paid or not? If so, who should pay them and how much? What about nonprofessional clergy?

I don't think a universal Pagan clergy would be possible. The community is too diverse for a total consensus (on this or, probably, any other issue). That said, I think the most workable option would offer training and certification for professional Pagan clergy through new or established Pagan churches, schools, and other organizations. Each tradition or school could set its own requirements (so that Druids would study the sacred trees and herbs while an African school might feature Ife divination instead) and standards for qualification. Applicants could even take credit for knowledge gained elsewhere, like a college class in Ancient Greek or a course in crisis intervention. Some organizations might offer honorary credentials to existing Pagan leaders who already have demonstrated their ability as priest(esse)s and don't need the certification course. Others might offer a general certification with specialization by denomination within a tradition, comparative religions, or skills: "Priestess of Wicca" (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianic) or "Eclectic Priest" (Asatru, Inuit Shamanism, Stregheria) or "Pagan Priestess" (pre-dedication counseling, initiations, divination). This would preserve the autonomy and diversity of our many traditions.

The existence of professional clergy also offers a chance at some quality control, something rather lacking today. The Pagan community could communicate to the schools what qualities would be desired in professional clergy. The credentials issued by a school or church would thus gain weight and respect based on the thoroughness and effectiveness of their program, the reliability of their ordained clergy members, and the reputation of the organization itself. People would soon learn the "top" schools and churches, whose clergy would enjoy the community's respect. Conversely, "no-work" ordinations would not impress anyone, and a priest(ess) who abused the title by incompetence or outright wrongdoing might have that title revoked by the organization that issued it. Some organizations might prefer to issue irrevocable ordinations, where others would welcome the use of ordination as an ongoing stamp of approval.

With professional status available, some of our current community members would choose to earn their credentials while others would not. I don't know what I would do -- I already contribute a fair amount of time and energy to the Pagan community, I try to stay active and accessible, but my writing career also takes up a lot of my time. For now I'll probably stay out of the professional clergy circle, but in a later life phase I may decide to devote more energy to the community, and then professional clergy status would make more sense for me. Other people in a similar situation as mine might wait awhile before applying for professional status, so we should have a steady stream of new clergy members. Some not currently involved in serving the community's needs might find it more attractive as a professional option, too.

The objection to payment for Pagan clergy largely stems from a strong belief in many traditions that money should never be involved in spiritual matters -- members never pay for a divination, they make rather than buy their supplies, etc. I certainly acknowledge this as a viable spiritual principle, and indeed I lean in that direction, especially preferring to avoid connecting cash with altar tools whenever possible. However, an equally viable principle concerns the conservation and exchange of energy -- that for everything you receive, you should give something in return, and that what you do returns to you in some form. Gift giving itself plays an enormous role in many traditions, especially the Native American ones, where the idea is often to increase energy flow by keeping the gift-giving cycle moving as intensely as possible. People who feel that any transaction "taints" a spiritual issue should of course avoid such action. On the other hand, a fine compromise would be to avoid cash transactions instead, and offer gifts of food or other goods in the traditional manner. Most Pagans "talk barter" anyway, given a less-than-average obsession with money.

As another solution, a non-profit organization could hire professional Pagan clergy members as staff. For instance, a Pagan school might pay for clergy to teach children's classes in their tradition, to maintain a Pagan library, or to staff a stone circle or other sacred space. In a large city, a group might hire Pagan priests and priestesses to provide counseling, survivor support, and related services to Pagans in the area upon request. A Pagan church could choose to keep a clergy staff on hand to serve the needs of church members, paid for by membership dues. This type of arrangement would offer general availability instead of individual fee-for-service transactions, and would also make it easier to locate professional clergy members.

While I do believe in some form of remuneration for services rendered, I do not want to see any kind of fee required for the formal ordination of Pagan clergy. This should not be something which can be bought, like a generic ministerial license. It should remain within reach of anyone who feels the calling to serve and has the dedication to go through the training. Yes, an educational program costs money --raise it from somewhere besides the clergy in training. Yes, any teachers involved should receive pay for their work if they want to (some may not feel comfortable with that) but again -- don't charge the trainees. If there simply must be a training fee, offer a work-study option for everyone who can't afford to pay in cash or whose beliefs prevent them from doing so. The last thing we need is to get into the kind of monetary embarrassment the "mainstream" religions do. Keep the opportunity open to all.

Of course, even if the Pagan community does accept some professional clergy, not all Pagans will acknowledge them. No problem. I just feel we should have professional Pagan clergy available to those people who do desire their services and currently have trouble making a connection when necessary; and we as a community should honor our clergy members by helping them meet their basic needs as well so they can focus on the community instead of a day job.

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Notes

[1] Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota by Wallace Black Elk and William S. Lyon. HarperCollins, 1990. Pages xviii-xix.

"Traditionally, most shamans receive an initiatory call. ... It is really the function of the teacher to train the novice how to be trained directly by the spirits. That is, the advanced instructions normally come from the spirits themselves."

The well-trained shaman served as a bridge between the tribe and the spirit world in exchange for considerations which varied according to culture; tribe members maintained their own spiritual connections in day-to-day life, but for formal occasions or serious problems, they sensibly called in the experts. Return to text

[2] Sarava! Afro-Brazilian Magick by Carol L. Dow. Llewellyn Publications, 1997. Pages 79-80.

"The leader represents the point of equilibrium of the terreiro. He or she must constantly check the physical, mental, psychic, and spiritual barometer of the sacred space and its inhabitants, and be prepared to take quick action if a crack in the structure of the axe' is sensed. ... This can be exhausting work, fitting only for the most energetic and dedicated filho-de-santo (child of the gods), as a cult follower is called. ... Babalorixas or Ialorixas must serve at least seven years as an initiate in their own terreiros before being considered as a candidate for a leadership position. They preside over public and private ceremonies, initiations, and sacrifices ... act as counselors, spiritual mentors, and educators ... resolve questions and disputes ... ." Return to text

[3] People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out edited by Ellen Evert Hopman and Lawrence Bond. Destiny Books, 1996. Page 10.

"The Druids were the leaders of the tribes. They were the Priests and Priestesses of the Old Religions. Therefore, when they led a ritual their teaching and their religious and spiritual training were oriented to everybody in the tribe. There were esoteric things involved in the personal training of a Druid, and we have those things as well. We are developing those things in Ar nDraiocht Fein."Return to text

[4] Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery by Starhawk. Harper & Row, 1987. Page 38.

"Writing, education, science, and account keeping were the domains of a Goddess, Nidaba, and women were scribes and scholars, poets and composers of religious texts. Writing first appears in the form of pictographs used to keep accounts in the temple of Inanna, Queen of Heaven, in Uruk, and was most likely invented by women. [Following this section, Starhawk references When God Was A Woman by Merlin Stone (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976).]

... "Inanna, the most revered of Sumerian deities, was originally the goddess of the date palm and the communal storehouse. She symbolized the authority of women as producers and distributors of staple food and clothing." [Following this section, Starhawk references "State Formation in Sumer" by Rohrlich.] Return to text

[5] Baha'u'llah and the New Era: An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith by J.E. Esslemont. Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1950, 1970, 1976, 1980 (fifth revised edition). Pages 131-132.

"One other feature of the Baha'i organization ... is the absence of a professional priesthood. Voluntary contributions towards the expenses of teachers are permitted and many devote their whole time to work for the Cause, but all Baha'is are expected to share in the work of teaching, etc. ... and there is no special class distinguished from their fellow believers by the exclusive exercise of priestly functions and prerogatives. In former ages priesthoods were necessary, because people were illiterate and uneducated and were dependent on priests for their religious instruction, for the conduct of religious rites and ceremonies ...Now, however, times have changed. Education is fast becoming universal ... For a child, a teacher is necessary, but the aim of the true teacher is to fit his pupil to do without a teacher ... Just so, in the childhood of the race, the priest is necessary, but his real work is to enable men to do without him: to see things divine with their own eyes, hear them with their own ears and understand them with their own minds."

Many Pagans apply the same arguments to their own belief systems, considering professional clergy unnecessary at best and obstructive at worst.Return to text

[6] Cauldron of Transformation: A New Vision of Wicca by Lady Sabrina. Llewellyn Publications, 1996. Page 177.

"I asked clergy members of Our Lady of Enchantment several questions about their feelings regarding the priesthood. ... Aristaeus, what do you feel it means to be a priest or priestess in a religion that emphasizes individual ability? Priesthood in such a situation requires a great amount of practical knowledge and ability -- much more than superficial book learning or simple group leadership. The priest or priestess must be able to show other people how to lead themselves. Where there is a great focus on individual spirituality, the priesthood has to open the way for personal discovery and illumination. Building talent always requires more ability than leading sheep."

Note the similarity to the Baha'i argument above, with the goal of teaching independence; yet these people acknowledge the occasional need of mature people for guidance.Return to text

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Vested Interest

The Pros and Cons of Pagan Clergy

Notes

Recommended Reading