Recent SCOTUS rulings in the U.S.A. have quickly overturned decades of hard-won rights for some of our most endangered individuals. Many saw the writing on the wall for some time, but for others, those who trusted in their government to protect them and to uphold logic and fairness, the results of the past few days must be quite shocking. If you find yourself bewildered, know this: evangelical Christianity has been organizing, sometimes loudly, but often quietly. It has raised generations upon a central story and core beliefs. It has aggressively pursued conquering what it terms the “seven mountains” of the earth:
1. Education
2. Religion
3. Family
4. Business
5. Government/Military
6. Arts/Entertainment
7. Media
By working to place their faithful in key positions that our own people have often shunned as being corrupt and unworthy of interacting with (law enforcement, politics, education, private business), evangelicals have seized control of all areas of power and are now moving to consolidate their hold and drive our country towards a bloody Armageddon. The culture war has been taking place for decades…it is long past time we organized and developed an effective strategy.
In 1974, Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, president of the famous Pagan and occult publishing house Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, organized the convening of a council of North American witches to establish a set of centralized beliefs for the new religion. While largely mocked by many Pagans today, it would be a mistake to think that they had no impact in their short existence. Their Thirteen Principles of Belief were incorporated into the U.S. Army chaplain handbook, and many Pagans today who are fighting for their right to be recognized and accorded the same consideration as Christianity will frequently turn to the military’s recognition of the pentacle on the tombstones of fallen Pagan military as a ground upon which to begin building their defense.
While there have been several attempts to reorganize the Council (each of which has failed due to lack of transparency, clear goals, and a deep distrust of centralized power in modern Pagans), each of these attempts have failed. What we have been left with is no centralized group of Pagans to act as our collective voice and focus our efforts. The only thing worse than a broken system is a lack of one (or one that is so inactive that it might as well not exist). When there is no power structure in place, we are left unorganized and without any clear plans when things go awry. We have no structures in place to oust abusers. We lack a unified voice with which to demand our rights. We rage, impotently, when hostile forces step in to seize the reins that we have dropped, and then, because it is human nature, we become quieted and docile as our focus wanes.
It is vital that we organize, that we overcome our fear of power and responsibility, that we step into the roles of the forces that have harmed us and seize their power by the roots. We have trusted to the humanity, integrity, and fairness of others to protect us and we have suffered for this.
It is time for Pagans to seize our power and unite.
[Written by Ashley Nicole Hunter.]