The Craft of the Wise - Not the Craft of the Nice

[Lark]

Somewhere along the line it seems to me that a trend has crept into modern Paganism, and into Wicca in particular, that advocates political correctness in lieu of critical thinking.  I’m not talking about being rude, or bashing someone personally, or creating drama for the sake of drama.  What I am talking about is the attitude that one cannot be a real, true Pagan and speak up when we see things which are inaccurate, misunderstood, or (gasp!) just plain wrong no matter how politely we may phrase our responses.

How often do we hear the phrase “Wicca is anything you want it to be.  How many times have you seen people taken to task for challenging an incorrect fact and told that facts don’t matter as much as feelings?  How many times have you seen a comment that disagreed with an on-line post or a discussion in real life assumed to be “bashing” because the responder didn’t sit their nodding their head like one of those bobble-head dolls?  How often has someone been accused of starting a Witch War because they’ve pointed out that the actions and claims of some in the community might be harmful to others.  And I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been called elitist because I cannot go down the path of make believe simply because someone else does. 

In “The Heart of Wicca” by Ellen Cannon Reed she states that Wiccans need to be willing to reclaim the “W” word, and by that she meant the word “wrong”.  I could not agree with her more.  We need to stop checking our brains at the door.  We need to learn to verify facts, verify claims and credentials, and stop thinking that anything is true just because someone believes it is.  And when we see something that is not correct we need to have the fortitude to stand up and say so…politely, calmly, intelligently…but firmly.

Wicca is not anything we want it to be.  It is a specific spiritual path which specific beliefs and practices which must be present in order for it to be Wicca and not something else.  Saying it is anything you want it to be opens the doors for many different things.  By saying it is anything you want it to be you could be saying that it's OK to do animal sacrifice as part of Wicca, because that’s what the person believes Wicca is all about.  Someone who molests children in ritual as part of their Wiccan practice could not be told they are wrong if Wicca is anything they want it to be.  The whole idea of anything goes quickly gets out of hand.  And saying, “But that’s not what I meant!” sill does not work.  Somewhere there are limits before what one does is no longer Wicca. 

Personal gnosis and belief is fine, but it does not trump facts.  I could say that it has been revealed to me that gravity doesn’t work and I’m entitled to that belief.  That doesn’t mean that the natural laws are going to change just because I don’t believe in them.  The same goes for historical fact.  I may believe that the Burning Times were a war against the women in which 9 million women died.  Lots of people do thanks to some less than stellar books.  But the historical evidence does not support that idea and the myth that is so dearly held by a lot of people damages what we are trying to do now.  I think when we are presented with statements about factual events we are obligated to do our own research to see if those statements are true or false and not just accept them as being accurate.

The same need for critical thinking is there when one is looking at members of the community, and especially when one is thinking of approaching someone for teaching.  Do they really have the knowledge and training they are claiming?  Is their behavior ethical?  People can say whatever they want, it’s up to us to make sure that what they say is the truth.  And then I believe we have an obligation to speak up and expose the frauds before they can damage the community.  It’s not starting a Witch War if you know that someone is not truthful or that uses unethical practices with their students.  It’s protecting the student, the community, and the reputation of all of us who follow that spiritual path.  The predators are out there.  Who better to police them than those of us who are vitally interested in the welfare of the community?

And when we come across something which is wrong we need to be willing to say so.  We need to be able to communicate our concern and why the instance is incorrect, backing it with facts whenever facts are needed.  But we absolutely, positively have to get over the idea that being nice and having our minds so open that our brains fall out and roll around on the floor is the only way to be Wiccan or Pagan.  The Gods gave us brains and meant for us to use them.  That’s why it’s called the Craft of the Wise, not the Craft of the Nice.

-Lark-

[Gryphon]

Too True.

Nowhere in the Rede does it say we must be doormats. Do what you will has been corrupted to me do what ever you want. Harm none has been misinterpreted to become a catch phrase without thought or meaning behind it.

I once got trashed by a woman claiming to follow a Wiccan path, but she had some odd ideas as to what was Wicca. I said that when elements were added to Wicca it was no longer Wicca but something else. She was very defensive and would not accept that Wicca is a specific spiritual practice with a set of finite practices and precepts. to add or subtract from these rules changes the practice to something else.

How can we expect the mundane world to take us seriously if we ourselves are so scattered that a set spiritual practice can be expanded or subtracted from at will? 

[Labrys]

I am not even Wiccan and it makes me a bit crazy to hear some of the tripe being flung about under the label. 

Worse yet is the sheer amount of unexamined nonsense floating about as pagan spirituality.  It is often the ugliest possible mishmash of new age fluff, superstitious fear, and badly quoted Wiccan precepts.  If you attempt to wade into this flotsam to sort it out and explain why it doesn't work coherently together, you are accused of being judgmental or elitist. 

Judgment is what has kept human beings alive and ahead of the rest of the predators thus far.  And it isn't elite to have a functioning brain and critical thinking skills, it is protection against any loud-mouthed huckster. The older I get, the less impulse I have to be nice. 

[Shadow]

If you attempt to wade into this flotsam to sort it out and explain why it doesn't work coherently together, you are accused of being judgmental or elitist.

I don't mind that label; I wear it proudly!

The older I get, the less impulse I have to be nice.

Darlin', you just have a set over here with me and RedRonin: people have been saying that about us for years.

[Rowan CedarWolf]

YOu definately will not find any fluffy bunny stuff with shadow or red!

[Labrys]

Darlin', you just have a set over here with me and RedRonin: people have been saying that about us for years.

::::sits, holding tray::::::

Coffee? Tea?  Lemon or sugar?

[Still Kate]

Hello Everyone,
             What it boils down to, is the fact that people don't understand or learn about what a certain belief system, religion, way of life ....  actually means. This, it seems, is true of many people following different religious paths. Rules are not made up as they go along, though some think so. And the interpretaion of writings and teachings are slightly different, or completely askew, with each person.

I have some eclectic beliefs, I am now solitary and I would say that I follow more a path of ritual witchcraft and Paganism rather than Wicca. I don't question others beliefs unless, a) I don't understand, or b) they are shoving them down my throat.... in which case I tell them exactly how I feel. But the distinction is, that its how I feel, not necessarily how everyone else feels and certainly not how they must think.

I don't mince my words, as most on this board know. How people think of me is entirely up to them. And it was someone here, who, a while ago advised me that it wasn't my business what people thought of me, when I was having a hard time with family. That always makes me feel quite comfortable to remember.

I have the joys of my mother-in-law tonight, who, some will remeber had a huge problem that I wasn't going to raise Millie Roman Catholic, the damned woman still hasn't been in a church since Grandad's funeral, almost 3 years ago!
I did take advice from everyone here and since I said my piece, she hasn't mentioned again,  Millie or our new baby,Liam, being Baptized.    (Jon's already asked if I was in an accomodating mood for being nice to his mother tonight or not.....

Human nature is such, that people will arrange things to suit themselves and mix that with a big enough ego or rather, super ego, and you get an individual who believes their way is the correct way. 
It depends on how you feel about your beliefs whether you question their statements.
On the plus side, Martin Luther King fought for equal rights, on the other side there was the KKK.

As for myself.... creeping up very close to 40, my children are everything, I'm happy being true to myself and my loved ones,  I am fulfilled by my beliefs and I'm not gonna waste my time explaining this or anything else for that matter to persons with narrow minds.

Blessings
Kate. XX

[Lark]

Kate,

I wish more people would have the strength and confidence that you do to decide what they want in the way of a spiritual path and just do it rather than trying to take the name of a completely different belief system with completely different practices and try to tack it on to what they're doing.  It's that lack of intellectual honesty and personal integrity that is making it so difficult to explain what Wicca is and is not to a non-Wiccan.

-Lark-

PS:  Good luck with the MIL.  I know how hard it can be when you have to be nice to someone your husband loves when you really wish they wouldn't call or visit again.

[RedRonin]

Darlin', you just have a set over here with me and RedRonin: people have been saying that about us for years.

::::sits, holding tray::::::

Coffee? Tea?  Lemon or sugar?

Actually I'm leaning more toward gin and tonic...... 

[Labrys]

Actually I'm leaning more toward gin and tonic...... 

Ewwww...gin?  I'll have Scotch, neat, if it is THAT kind of teaparty!

[Lark]

Actually I'm leaning more toward gin and tonic...... 

Ahhh, my favorite summer drink.  Bombay Sapphire, tonic, a large slice of lime and lots of ice.

Best one of those I ever had was sitting on the patio at Fort Ikoma in Kenya watching the sunset over the Serengheti and feeling like quite the colonialist.

-Lark-