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sabrinamariA friend and colleague of mine has been making fascinating posts about his experiences studying and practicing across multiple Craft traditions.
His experiences inspired me to think about what it means to work within one Wiccan tradition for many years.
Periodically, discussions emerge in which folks in my tradition talk about the various benefits and drawbacks to change within the tradition itself, or to change within personal spiritual practice.
When I first began studying Craft, my teachers showed me a model in which spiritual practice evolved, but slowly, and always within the same general framework. In this model, students could be expected to stay with the same teacher(s) for many years, maybe even all the way from Dedication to Third Degree. Insights and transformations occurred, but always within the same basic paradigm.
This model has not held up well to long-term observation. It hasn't adequately reflected what I've seen before me over the last couple of decades. Over time, watching, listening and experiencing, I've come to think about the learning process differently than when I first began studying Craft.
I don't see how it is reasonable or even possible for us to expect that the evolving personal wisdom and character growth that springs from true initiatory progress will be accompanied by static spiritual practice.
That's just crazy.
It's like saying,"Hey, we're going to push you to move from first grade all the way through an undergraduate college degree, but you have to raise your hand whenever you want to go to the bathroom for the rest of your educational life".
For me, this makes no sense.
As I understand it, the point of an initiatory spiritual path is to facilitate personal growth and positive transformation, bringing the student closer to her/his own Divine nature and connection to Tao, the universe, or the God/s (choose your preferred concept). If the process works, the student will move from teacher to teacher (sometimes happily, sometimes painfully), from transformational lesson to transformational lesson and from practice to expanded practice again and again as she/he grows.
If the process doesn't work, then the practice will stay the same and the same teachers will always be standing at the helm.
But in my view, that means that either the path or the student have fallen short---maybe both.
I think that multiple teachers and traditions enter into the active student's experience over time, deepening his/her understanding, enriching his or her spiritual and social network and generating a more complex web of understanding as time passes. Extremely successful, long-term student-teacher relationships eventually transition into flourishing collaborative, peer relationships, in my experience.
Almost every long-term Third degree (and several Seconds) that I know well have made tremendous leaps and experienced prodigious transformations in their own practice. Many have entered into the study of other traditions/paths, most have explored/are exploring new paradigms, and quite a few are actively creating new, hybrid traditions of their own.
I think that's what's supposed to happen.
It's what's happening to me, and to most of the observant (in the sense of spiritually active) Seconds and Thirds I know.
What do you think?
His experiences inspired me to think about what it means to work within one Wiccan tradition for many years.
Periodically, discussions emerge in which folks in my tradition talk about the various benefits and drawbacks to change within the tradition itself, or to change within personal spiritual practice.
When I first began studying Craft, my teachers showed me a model in which spiritual practice evolved, but slowly, and always within the same general framework. In this model, students could be expected to stay with the same teacher(s) for many years, maybe even all the way from Dedication to Third Degree. Insights and transformations occurred, but always within the same basic paradigm.
This model has not held up well to long-term observation. It hasn't adequately reflected what I've seen before me over the last couple of decades. Over time, watching, listening and experiencing, I've come to think about the learning process differently than when I first began studying Craft.
I don't see how it is reasonable or even possible for us to expect that the evolving personal wisdom and character growth that springs from true initiatory progress will be accompanied by static spiritual practice.
That's just crazy.
It's like saying,"Hey, we're going to push you to move from first grade all the way through an undergraduate college degree, but you have to raise your hand whenever you want to go to the bathroom for the rest of your educational life".
For me, this makes no sense.
As I understand it, the point of an initiatory spiritual path is to facilitate personal growth and positive transformation, bringing the student closer to her/his own Divine nature and connection to Tao, the universe, or the God/s (choose your preferred concept). If the process works, the student will move from teacher to teacher (sometimes happily, sometimes painfully), from transformational lesson to transformational lesson and from practice to expanded practice again and again as she/he grows.
If the process doesn't work, then the practice will stay the same and the same teachers will always be standing at the helm.
But in my view, that means that either the path or the student have fallen short---maybe both.
I think that multiple teachers and traditions enter into the active student's experience over time, deepening his/her understanding, enriching his or her spiritual and social network and generating a more complex web of understanding as time passes. Extremely successful, long-term student-teacher relationships eventually transition into flourishing collaborative, peer relationships, in my experience.
Almost every long-term Third degree (and several Seconds) that I know well have made tremendous leaps and experienced prodigious transformations in their own practice. Many have entered into the study of other traditions/paths, most have explored/are exploring new paradigms, and quite a few are actively creating new, hybrid traditions of their own.
I think that's what's supposed to happen.
It's what's happening to me, and to most of the observant (in the sense of spiritually active) Seconds and Thirds I know.
What do you think?
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no subject
Date: 2010-04-09 11:19 pm (UTC)I encourage my students to explore other paths, as long as they give me some idea of their progress. How they possibly know whether my tradition is the right place for them unless they have some point of comparison? How do I know if I'm the right teacher for them unless they can compare me to others and make a choice?
Unfortunately, I'm not sure that all the teachers out there would agree with you, at least in practice. I've seen the following attitudes that might inhibit a teacher from encouraging students to explore, or make a student feel uncomfortable looking elsewhere:
The "Craft Must Ever Survive" attitude - the notion that the continuation of a tradition's practices and teaching takes a higher priority than personal growth.
A false sense of history - the notion that somehow one tradition's practices are better than another's because they have an older or more authentic connection to what was done in the past (whether that perception is historically accurate or not).
My Oath is Better Than Your Oath - Having oath-bound material is all well and good, but I've observed false pride in the notion that "our" secrets (which we can't talk about because of our oath) are better than "your" secrets (and why can't you talk about them, are you embarassed?).
A lack of self-analysis - "We do things this way because that's the way I was taught." If a tradition can't be honest about the reasons for their practices, how can we expect our students to be honest as they look inward to their own behaviors?
If a tradition is supposed to be a path for a student to experience personal change and transformation, then I feel that the tradition itself must be an example of that kind of change.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-09 11:58 pm (UTC)But I think the TRADITION(s) need to be transmitted coherently, without all the extras and changes. Or, at least, if you're working a blend of traditions, then transmit both traditions distinctly, and let people either make their own blend, or work with yours while they're your student until they figure out their own blend.
But if the tradition itself isn't transmitted clearly, what we end up with is a lot of stuff getting lost, or misunderstood and discarded, or whatever. You know, kinda like we have now sometimes. >:-)
no subject
Date: 2010-04-10 12:51 am (UTC)As I read you post I think about my experience with my totem spirits over my lifetime. I can recall specific points of awareness when I had moved from one totem connection to the next. The acknowledgment from that first spirit as I joined with the next one that carried through a next stage in my life. And yet again, as the next arrive to partner with my me on my path, a very real greeting and 'passing the torch that is her/me' between them. I have met my Crone totem and been told "not yet, but I will be the one", as she sauntered away, patient and powerful.
Each connection has supported me and helped me grow in some or many directions. Maybe I'm lucky that this was with animal spirits and there were none of those human emotional situations of guilt or pettiness. Yeah, a bit of fear, competition and posturing, but no confusion about who was responsible in the end - me.
I'm also aware of moments when I have met with the first totem spirit, sat at the council fire and discussed my more recent experiences. A truly beautiful and honoring experience unto itself.
I count my blessings with each log on the fire.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-10 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-10 10:17 am (UTC)We need something that does not change to retreat to so we can 'recharge'. A 'touchstone' so to say that we can count on to remain the same. He went on to say that the church filled that job. For a time I did not want the our church (Blue Star) to change because my life was changing so fast and so much I really needed to find that touchstone a lot.
Since then it has yo-yo'ed from exploring new things and finding finding the Craft as it was when I first started.
Getting others to do a Circle totally like we used to do it is hard and as I tried to find a way to arrange it I found it to be a waste. They moved on and so had I. It would be more like a performance.
The touchstone must be doable by you alone. A few others is icing on the cake. But we need that connection to a home, a past. A base we can retreat to when we need to review what changes are worth keeping.
My findings?
Change, but keep building the base. A house must have a foundation. The bigger the building the bigger and stronger the foundation must be.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-10 07:28 pm (UTC)I also think that we teach new students the basic structure (yes, we don't all agree what that means) and encourage them to fill it in as appropriate.
A tradition that is both stable and fexible. That's my vision, at least.
no subject
Date: 2010-04-11 12:40 am (UTC)I giggle because it puts a positive spin on my experiences.
In fact, it puts a positive spin on my path, and on ME in general. As well you know, I develop in a way that is extraordinarily contrary to that old way of thinking. And yet I'm VERY conservative in terms of Tradition. I believe in citing our sources down to footnotes. I believe in learning thoroughly and rigorously. And I have questions. Many questions. Some of which I'd like to work out with you....
no subject
Date: 2010-04-12 08:36 am (UTC)To me the main purpose of a tradition is not the spiritual advancement of the initiate it is the "turning of the wheel" and the interaction with our Gods. Personal growth and development is a by product of this process but not the singular purpose.
Growth and change is good, change to the core for the sake of experiment or because we think it works right now is not so good. I have found that pretty much any changes to what I have been taught as core that I am comfortable with and feel fit have always been over time and usually synchronous with other people in different locations coming up with similar modifications. It's like people who are not even working together coming up with similarly shaped puzzle pieces because of course the places that are perhaps lacking are the same across the board.
I hope that made some kind of sense, I have a lot of thoughts on this topic just not a lot of time to talk to people in person and that's how I process best so my words are lacking I'm afraid.
As always, YMMV :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-04-12 04:56 pm (UTC)That being said... we're in a time of transition now, of Aeonal shift. All religious traditions are being confronted with this. All of them need to deal with it in one way or another.
Almost every long-term Third degree (and several Seconds) that I know well have made tremendous leaps and experienced prodigious transformations in their own practice. Many have entered into the study of other traditions/paths, most have explored/are exploring new paradigms, and quite a few are actively creating new, hybrid traditions of their own.
IMHO, this seems like a valid and healthy way to deal with it...