Expectations and Goals:The goal is a united community even while beliefs, practices and
personalities may differ. We will build on courtesy and mutual respect
to create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere for all involved. The
Temple would be more for "common" ground for all. A place to feel
comfortable no matter what from prying eyes of doing public ritual at a
park. The goal is to support and encourage each other, share
experiences, studies, and inspirations with others so we can all learn
the different aspects of the religious community. In the end we will
strive
to become a strong, united community even while beliefs, practices and
personalities may differ.
The public must be reminded that a return to older religions also means a
return to structure, discipline and community involvement, concepts
adopted by later Christians, although many times not properly
administered or activated. It is unfortunate that so many use their
solitary status or their protestation of their religion as their excuse for
lack of discipline and community involvement. It is time to step up and
take responsibility.
The "pagan" religion is growing while other religions are losing
members. It is time to set some standards, because when you have
standards, the initiations you give mean something. A true initiation
is not a ritual, it is not entrance into a club, it is not just a
dedication. An initiation is a spiritual step to a higher stage in
spiritual growth. There are many such steps. Such "initiations" are not
given by High Priest/esses. They are given by the Gods. An initiation
ritual is an acknowledgment by a coven leader that the Initiate has, in
that leader's opinion, reached a certain stage in spiritual growth. All
of them must find their own ways of determining whether their students
have achieved this growth. They must also give what guidance they can
to those attempting to achieve it. While it’s customary to dedicate
yourself to the Goddess and God when you begin a new spiritual journey,
a formal ritual is just an outward confirmation of your beliefs, and
does not in itself make you a Wiccan or Witch or any other title except
for what you choose.
A temple can help reach these goals. Be a place for newcomers to come
for information and guidance. To help educate society what we are truly
about and contribute to said society instead of hiding in the "broom
closet". If we are to be taken seriously we must demonstrate that even in our different ideas and beliefs we can be organized and a positive contributors to the community we are in.
Develop your Belief / Path
One of the challenges in developing a belief system is that truth has
many sides, often paradoxical. For example, in one sense, what we
believe does not matter. What is, is. In his Book, Infinity in Your
Hands, William Houff tells of two goldfish debating the existence of
God. Finally, in total frustration, one says, Well, if there is no God,
who changes the water? At one level, what we believe does not alter what
is. We can believe that there is God, but if there is not, our thinking
will not create that reality, except in our minds. Likewise, we can
believe that there is not God, but if there is, what we believe is not
going to diminish God, except in our minds. So there is a sense that
what we believe does not matter. It does not change some dimensions of
reality.
The other side of the paradox: What we believe does matter. What we
believe has a significant influence on what we do. If we believe in
justice, we are much more likely to act in behalf of justice. If we
believe there is hope for this life, that belief will influence what we
do and how we plan for the future. What we believe not only influences
us, it influences our children and society. For my purposes here, I
assume that what we believe does matter.
Many of us are looking for the freedom to personally delve into the
mysteries of the divine and find our own answers. No central authority
exists or any official bible. Experiences from others in myth legend
and stories can help us find our ways but ultimately we follow our
individual paths that we find true to ourselves. Being polytheists we
acknowledge other points of view without judging or persecuting we have
endured in the past. Each path contains a different focus. None are
completely right or wrong but are correct for the individual at a
certain time in life. Religion, as a living transforming process, is
alive in the forest and oceans, working for the healing of the earth.
Religion, is alive in the whole human
family, working for the healing and reconciliation of our global
village. Religion, is alive in each
of us, working to bring us into conscious awareness of our indivisible
union with this one indivisible life. Be humble enough to stay open to
new ideas, new realities, new paradigms, but have faith enough to
follow with conviction your own reason and conscience.
James McDonald