About a year ago in “A Professional Pagan Clergy” I wrote: “I believe that professional spiritual guidance could provide many benefits to the Pagan community as a whole.”

What that article, and the article “In the footsteps of our Ancestors” – which looked at Pagan temples - however, failed to really look at was whether there is a need for Pagan seminary-type training in leadership and clergy development.

As more and more people seek a religion that meets their spiritual needs, that addresses their everyday concerns and the bigger questions in life, they are finding their way onto Pagan paths. However, as more people find themselves drawn to Pagan practices they also seek information and (a personal and professional) connection.

At the moment Pagans clergy, and those interested in entering this service, seem to be dependent on commercial Pagan/Witchcraft schools, on-line programmes and coven training - the levels, intensity and quality of these programmes can vary dramatically, and as such these do not really offer the necessary training needed by Pagan clergy. What these offer, at best, is a kind of internalised form of training which often tends to stick to a very specific tradition - and often the training is offered by “teachers” who may themselves not have the necessary background, experience or training.

Paganism includes a wide spectrum of related beliefs and practices, drawn from a diversity of sources, and the Pagan community, which is complex and rapidly growing, needs many kinds of ministerial services on local, national and even international levels. As such, surely Pagan clergy should be versed in more than their own tradition. I am sure there must be those among within Paganism who seek to deepen their practice and to hone their skills. Those within Paganism who would follow some type of seminary-training (or the equivalent) could develop specific skills and acquire a broad knowledge base as it would be training which should be community focussed.

NOT UNPAGAN

I still strongly believe that the Pagan community needs more qualified priestesses and priests - people to officiate at life’s rites of passage (childblessings, handfastings, crossings, etc); people to visit Pagans in the hospital or in jail; to help mediate community disputes; counselling, etc.

While most Pagans hold to the principle that “everyone within Paganism is a priestess/priest”, seminary training is not as un-Pagan as many would like to believe, as history shows.

There has been much study on the Bardic schools of Ireland, and it is commonly accepted that the Druidic schools followed the same pattern, and indeed, that they were likely one and the same. The training of a Druid is reported to have taken many years. Accounts vary on the length of this training but generally are in the area of 10 to 20 years.

“The Annals of the Four Masters” (Annala na gCeithre Mháistrí - which is a chronicle of medieval Irish history) make reference to a Druidic seminary, Mur Ollavan, or the “City of the Learned” - possibly 927 BCE. The existence of a Druidic school in Scotland has been referred to in at least two works - “Immacallam in dá Thúarad” (Colloquy of Two Sages) and the "Táin Bó Cúalnge” (Cattle Raid of Cooley).

Sources show that there were several different grades a Druid or Bard could achieve. The grades and level of studies can be summarised as follows:

• Fochlac - Beginner, Natural Philosophy,
• Cli - Advanced beginner, the Bard,
• Anrad - Journeyman, Moral Philosophy,
• Ollamh - Master/Warrior, the Seer,
• (Doctor/Judge, Priest)

It seems ancient priesthoods were often divided their sacred offices. The most common were the ritualists, seers, and poets/bards - perhaps contemporary Paganism could benefit from this kind of system rather than expecting every priestess/priest to fulfil every role.

The Romans had similar divisions particularly with the Pontifices who oversaw the priesthoods, the Flamines who carried the rituals out, and the Augurs who served as diviners.

Such a division is seen amongst the Hellenes as well, with the Hiereus who oversaw the rituals, ensuring that everything was prepared and performed properly and invoked the Gods, the Mantis or seer and diviner, and the Rhapsode who sang and who kept the myths and sacred poetry.

In Ancient Hellas, there were a number of “minor” orders. The Neokoroi kept the sanctuary clean and assisted the Hiereus. The Neokoros served as caretaker or sacristan of the sanctuary. The Hieropoioi organised the sacrifice, including obtaining the oblation to be sacrificed, and executed the oblation. Afterwards, they sold skins, distributed unconsumed food, and sold whatever was not distributed. The Epimeletai or Hierotamiai oversaw the finances of the sacrifices.

Others assisted in the procession or Pompe, such as the Basket Bearer, the Lustrophoros or Water Bearer, the Fire Bearer, Bowl Bearers, Bough Bearers, and the Kistephoroi and Liknophoroi of the Dionysian festivals. Musicians and dancers also assisted in the ritual. Other specialist priests oversaw the Mysteries, such as the Hierophant who introduced participants to the Holy, the Dadouchos or torch bearers, the Hierokeryx or Sacred Herald, Priestesses, and lesser purifying priests and priestesses who aided the potential initiate in preparing for the ritual, and the Mystagogues.

In ancient Egypt there is also more than enough proof that many priests were formally trained - although certain priestly titles were hereditary, usually from father to son. Here too was there a difference between “higher” and “lower” priesthood.

It seems that Egyptian priest candidates entered training (they were removed from society) at age 7 and studied in secret for 40 years. One high priest named Bekehnkhonsu said he started school at age five and attended for 11 years. At age 16 he was then appointed a wab priest (performers of cultic rituals). Four years later he began to progress up the temple hierarchy until after 39 years he was appointed High Priest, retaining that office for 27 years.

DIVERSITY

The idea of a professional, trained contemporary Pagan clergy who have studied through a seminary is nothing new, and even the likes of Bonewits a lobbied for financial support for full-time Pagan clergy, but his cries fell on mostly uninterested ears. In 1988 Bonewits was even pursuing a goal of buying land on which to establish an academically accredited Pagan seminary.

But, the problem remains the same, Pagans tend to be highly individualistic, and, as Bonewits observed, Pagans are brighter and more artistic than average, but also, therefore, “more neurotic.”

It seems too many Pagans “fear” concentrating “power” in the hands of a few - or do they in fact merely fear having to give up the illusory power they have been able to confer upon themselves?

While there is a large amount of variety in groups, certain values are also familiar to all groups and many people can and do read the same material. A seminary would study all of this and give people the ability to go to their individual group and compare and contrast, as well as help organise worship for their own particular brand. So, while Paganism is a very broad term, encompassing several traditions, inclusion in the seminary would be very broad, but would essentially be aimed at those groups which had a number of principles, practices and beliefs in common - common values.

A possible objection to a seminary would be that it might be a base for the establishment of dogma; this would not necessarily be the case. Many religions exist without official dogma. A seminary would not even have to formulate dogma, perhaps merely study it. As for teaching spiritual practices it would hoped that there would be a practicum requirement, magickal work, prayer, meditation programmes, journal writing and such for all students, as well as the study and practice of rituals and how to deal with groups. While topics such as counselling skills would be included in the course of study, there would be particular emphasis on certain subjects useful to Pagan beliefs.

• Mythology of the world’s diverse religions;
• Ritual construction, liturgical theory and practice;
• Spellcraft, specific forms of change of consciousness and/or coincidence;
• History of Paganism, ancient and modern, with particular emphasis on scholarship and research of fact;
• Dealing with other religions;
• New forms of organisation and consensus building;
• Psychic skills;
• Energy work;
• Divination;
• And specific courses such as Goddesses, Gods, sacred sexuality, tantra, hermeticism, etc.
•
Study areas in mainstream seminary might be:

• The Spiritual Journey - Everybody is on one;
• Sacred Texts;
• History of the Tradition - All groups have one;
• Homiletics - Public speaking;
• Theology - Goddesses, Gods and how they function;
• Liturgics - How rituals work;
• Prayer - Incantations and meditations;
• Morality & Ethics - Good for clergy as well as others;
• Pastoral Care - Counselling techniques and nurturing;
• Healthcare ministry - The aged, the sick, the grieving, etc;
• Theory and practice of ministry;

LEGITIMACY

The legitimacy that a seminary could add to the position of Pagans and Paganism in the community of religions and in the eyes of the law could be very useful in the long run.

Helping to establish a professional clergy would help Pagans to organise in a more effective way for community worship and the needs that can only be met by an organised community effort (Pagan nursing homes; Pagan retirement homes; childcare centres, schools, graveyards; etc. This would be one of the best arguments to having professional clergy. These kinds of efforts would require full time people who could devote themselves to the kind of projects that would help the community as a whole.

With the current situation of unpaid clergy you have some people who will be spending a vast majority of their non-work hours doing things for their circles/covens/groups. Unless measures are taken, these leaders burn out or members grow resentful of the person in command for having all sorts of imagined power.

Certainly in ancient times the temples had full time priests and priestesses, and in medieval times the midwife was paid for her efforts. A paid clergy would allow some to devote their full time to the work of the gods. A seminary presupposes a professional clergy which also supposes people who are willing to spend their lives working for just the sake of the gods. More people would be willing to do this if given the chance and the organisational structure to do so.

While some religions do use clergy as the intermediaries between the individual and the divine, most, in fact, do not. Many churches believe in individual revelation and personal contact with divinity, yet have professional clergy. Clergy can function in a variety of ways. Unitarian clergy are more like worker bees, helping to keep everyone active with their faith; no matter what their idea of faith is (one Unitarian Church has Pagans, agnostics, Christians and atheists in it). Wiccans have a priest and priestess conduct the rituals and guide the energy (as well as aspect the divinity themselves). Many get around the problem of excessive control by central figures by rotating priests and priestesses, thus showing that Pagans can use new different forms of organisation and worship.

Trained professional clergy would be able to help in these efforts to seek new, non-hierarchical models. In certain churches, the ministers are prevented from conducting services past a certain percentage of the year, the congregation does the rest. This model could be applicable to Pagan groups also.

Many within Paganism are uncomfortable or even believe strongly that clergy should not be paid. Obviously, those groups would have little to no interest in establishing full time clergy and would continue to work on a small group basis. Even small groups might, however, have members interested in short term study to enhance their training.

CURRICULUM

Representatives from a wide variety of Pagan groups within South Africa could be brought together to develop a curriculum that would meet their ordination requirements. These representatives could function either as a long standing curriculum committee or be based directly on a “seminary board of directors” to help make the approach of the seminary balanced between major viewpoints. The seminary and “board” could also serve as a study centre with certification in various topics for those Pagans not wanting to become professional clergy but needing advanced training.

Money problems are not necessarily be insurmountable, but will take some time and a lot of effort. A correspondence course to start could be a possibility but it will have its own troubles - not the least of which would be making accreditation close to impossible. Also, materials for correspondence courses have to be set up differently, as well as faculty. If one wants a full time seminary, then one should aim for that.

Of course, tuition money would help once the school is established and matters such as financial aid, grants, loans and scholarships for students would have to be worked out in the initial organisation of the school. Start-up cost would be the major problem to overcome first. A seminary could most probably not be started too quickly, it would have to be a longer-term project - this would allow for time to create the necessary critical mass for support.

GROUPINGS

Because Paganism involves the experience of mystical communion with, or devotion to, nature and/or Pagan deities, it is entirely possible to be a solitary practitioner of the Pagan path. As spirituality devoid of dogma, there is no mandate to organise. However, while solitary practice is acceptable, many Pagans do affiliate with others, typically in small groups that are either governed by consensus or some form of democratic process. These groups are known as circles, groves, tribes or covens. Some groups have established leadership structures, although the small size of these groups supports direct accountability between the leaders and the membership.

Despite a romantic notion that covens of witches should be limited to thirteen members, in practice Wiccan and other Pagan groups can have anywhere from three to five or up to 100 or more members. Often larger groups will hive or split into smaller groups, thus enabling the religion to grow and allowing new leadership to emerge.

The next step for these groups has been to join Pagan umbrella organisations, such as the South African Pagan Council (and others), where not only are the needs of solitaries served, but also the needs for the more formal organised groups.

To me the creation of larger organised (umbrella) bodies is proof that many Pagans need and want more than merely belonging to small groupings of like-minded people. This may be due to a number of factors, one being, I believe, the basic reality that there is representational strength in numbers - on the regional or national level Pagan groups already join forces for common purposes, such as networking, political advocacy, environmental programmes, etc.

Pagans keep claiming that they do not need any form of recognition, but by making such a claim I doubt very much that the Pagan of the 21st century even manages to fool her/himself. It is human nature to want to belong (at times), and I think that even registered marriage officers (RMOs) are proof of this - the reason why Pagans become RMOs is surely more than merely wishing to fulfil legalities and the pride in having Pagan RMOs and Pagan weddings - it also feeds the need to be recognised by their peers, and by other clergy outside Paganism.

Pagans registered as RMOs are already been referred to by other religious leaders as “priestess”, “priest”, reverend”, etc by outsiders. Surely this is a form of “official” recognition. And why should Pagans priestesses and priests be “officially” recognised?

I would go as far to say that to have a seminary programme for Pagan priests and priestesses is in fact the next logical step, an extension or evolution of the RMO “programme”.

Perhaps Pagans in SA need a Pagan leadership-skills conference (or even an organised debate) to address the need for practical skills in the Pagan community and to collaborate on defining and meeting identified needs.

PS -- This article is Part Three of: A PROFESSIONAL PAGAN CLERGY (http://www.pagancouncil.co.za/node/162) and IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OUR ANCESTORS (http://www.pagancouncil.co.za/node/159)

SOURCES:
Excerpts from Witchcraft and the Web: Weaving Pagan Traditions Online;
www.machanightmare.com;
www.cherryhillseminary.org;
http://www.neopagan.net/IB_Bio.html;
http://www.paganlibrary.com/editorials/neo-pagan_seminary.php;
sisterhoodofavalon.org; http://www.sacredwell.org/archives;
www.spelcastor.com; http://www.solitary-pagan.net;
http://www.associatedcontent.com/;
http://cosettefromjupiter.blogspot.com/2009/08/on-priesthood-and-clergy.... http://neosalexandria.org/comp_priests.htm;
www.patheos.com/Library/Pagan/Ethics.../LeadershipClergy.html;
http://www.jstor.org; www.earthspirit.com/fireheart/pclergy1.html;
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/stle/stle11.htm;
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Discuss:Was_Moses_black;
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/educate.htm;
http://www.philae.nu/akhet/Religion3.html;
home.comcast.net/~hebsed/mendoza.htm