Witchvox Article

Author: Ehstemai
Posted: March 15th. 2009
Times Viewed: 3,252

I distinctly recall the first night that I began my job as an exotic dancer. To say that I was terrified would be an understatement! I could spend an entire essay explaining my reasons for beginning that job, but that would be a waste of space. Suffice it to say that I never in a million years pictured myself doing that job. I wasn’t necessarily afraid of the nudity, but I’m a very clumsy person, so the thought of traipsing around in seven-inch platform heels on a stage in front of dozens of people was intimidating.

My first time on stage, I was tense and frightened. I didn’t even know how to dance or even walk in my heels! Three of the more experienced dancers took me back to the dressing room after my set and began walking me through the moves. They taught me to dance, to hustle, to talk to the customers, and all of the etiquette I needed to know in the strip club. Despite the fact that these women were my “competitors”, they took time away from their moneymaking time to show kindness to the new girl. Later on, when I saw that tension and fear, I did the same thing for the scared new dancer. I showed her how to dance. I taught her how to hustle. Most importantly, I extended a hand of friendship to her so that she didn’t feel so alone. To me, that was my obligation. Since I could never repay the girls who trained me, I needed to pass it on.

In a lot of ways, new Pagans are a lot like new dancers. They’re uncertain about how to proceed. They’re clumsy and afraid. They don’t know how to work in the magickal world. Yet so few Pagan elders are willing to help them find their way. I have seen sincere seekers ignored by more experienced Pagans in spite of their numerous requests for help.

I have watched experienced Pagans organize classes and social groups that serve experienced Pagans, with never a thought to the needs of the new Pagans. How can we expect new Pagans to successfully navigate the potential minefield of Pagan books and websites (some of which are good and some of which are bad) without a helping hand?

Every Pagan in the world today owes his or her faith to the teaching of a kind and experienced Pagan. Maybe that Pagan was their first High Priest, or maybe it was their mother. Maybe their first teacher was Scott Cunningham or Raymond Buckland or Amber K. Regardless of the source, none of us were born knowing every last thing about Pagan theology, practice, and belief. We have all had teachers in some form or fashion. We have all been helped along the way.

How have you repaid your first teachers?

Perhaps you paid them financially by buying their book. Perhaps you paid them by caring for them in their old age. But nothing you have done is more valuable than passing it on. Your teacher knew how important it was to help new Pagans, or s/he would not have helped you.

As an experienced Pagan, we have a duty and an obligation to the younger generation. Pagans recognize that we are not isolated. We all worship the same deities. We all live in the same world. We all are a part of the human experience. Helping another person helps yourself.

One of the principles that I have always taught my own students is that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. A newborn child has virtually no responsibility. They are not even responsible for using the toilet! They don’t have the power to walk or talk, so we do not ask nor expect them to be responsible. On the other hand, a sixty-year-old man who cannot manage his money wisely or control his baser urges is a laughingstock. We expect a man of that age to be financially and mentally responsible. He has greater power.

Nobody expects a first-year nursing student to save a cancer patient from death—he does not have the power or ability to bear that level of responsibility. But we do expect a neurosurgeon to be sober when she performs our surgery.

In the Pagan community, we must acknowledge the responsibility of more mature and experienced Pagans to those younger and less experienced than they. They have a responsibility to steer the seeker in the right direction. They have a responsibility to present a positive image of Paganism to the youthful Dedicant. They have a responsibility to lead and guide the next generation into Pagan practice and belief.

It has been many years since most of us have faced blatant persecution at the hands of our oppressors, but at one time, the knowledge and understanding of Paganism was only passed down through oral instruction. It was clearly viewed as the duty of every Pagan to find someone who could be entrusted with preserving the traditions for future generations. Now, with the advent of readily available information and publications, many Pagans avoid teaching at all times.

Despite my assertion that experienced Pagans are responsible for the training and education of new Pagans, I will be the first to admit that not all Pagans should be teaching. Teaching demands certain abilities and characteristics. A teacher must be willing to make sacrifices for his/her students. That may mean helping a student with a personal crisis at three A.M., or it may mean driving across town to pick up a carless student for a class. It requires a blend of parenthood, friendship, and wisdom. It may demand your time, your energy, and your patience, but it is worth it.

Did our teachers not suffer from our mistakes? Did they not surrender their free time to tend to us? I will make what I consider to be a very controversial statement: If you are not capable of teaching, you should be under the care of a teacher (be that a spirit guide or a human mentor) . If you do not possess the compassion, patience, energy, and wisdom to teach, you should stop to develop those characteristics in your own life.

If you are a part of a coven or group, ask what your group is doing to help new Pagans in their quest. When was the last time your group held a beginner-level class? When was the last time your group interviewed a new Pagan for membership, or (if your coven is not accepting new members) referred a new seeker to a more suitable organization? When was the last time you took a few minutes to personally talk to the newest member of your coven or group? When was the last time you had coffee with a new Pagan? When was the last time you answered a question about your faith? All Pagans, whether coven-based or solitary, who are not in training themselves should be ready, willing, and able to pass along our Pagan heritage to future generations.

One of the most frequent laments that I hear from Pagan elders is, “These new Pagans are making the rest of us look bad, ” or “These new Pagans don’t know what they’re doing.” Elder, that is your fault. It is your fault that so many young people now equate Asatru with neo-Nazism; when you do not teach our youth the true meaning of your Norse heritage, you are allowing their ignorance to flourish. It is your fault that so many young people think Wicca is about casting love spells and playing “light as a feather” on the full moon; you are showing them no other path. It is your fault that so many young people think that Paganism provides a license for drunkenness, debauchery, and selfishness; you are giving them no other alternative.

In any strip club, there is a code of unwritten rules. Girls who violate those rules can create tremendous anger and animosity from the other dancers. “Old school” dancers would handle such a girl by destroying her things or simply assaulting her in the dressing room. The newer, milder generation of dancers will “nominate” one of the more experienced women to teach her the right way to handle things. You cannot complain that she doesn’t follow the rules if you’ve never bothered to teach them to her.

As the Pagan movement evolves and changes, I am greatly saddened by the number of positive and helpful Pagans seeking out a new path. They grow frustrated with the ignorance and ineptitude of some of the newer Pagans, not to mention the general sense of disrespect and arrogance that so many display. I certainly understand this sentiment! But I have found that the disrespect and arrogance of young Pagans most frequently stems from a desire to cover their own sense of inadequacy. They know that they are ignorant of the ways of our faith, and yet they have been derided as “fluff bunnies” and “newbies” and are afraid of revealing their lack of understanding. Teach them with respect and compassion. Do not walk away from the Pagan community! Do not turn your back on the young people who need you so much!

For the sake of the young, ignorant Pagans (who we all were at one time) , I beseech you to give them a chance. For the sake of the Pagan community, I implore you to pass our ways down to the next generation. For the sake of your own karma, I beg you to take responsibility for the young Pagans placed in your path. They stand before you for a reason.

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Ehstemai

Location: Amarillo, Texas

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