Image Credit: Creative on Purpose
I don’t get paid for my work.
Sadly, that bit of truth also applies to the overwhelming majority of my pagan and polytheist peers. There’s no direct, accountable reciprocity for the time, energy, emotions, effort, care, training, expenses, and concern we offer our ever-growing, individual polytheist churches and their congregants. Properly “priesting” takes talent (things you’re naturally “good” at), skill (things you can train to do), and knowledge (things you can train yourself to know). Good priests are embodied representations of those three, above-mentioned abilities. Priesting is a comprehensive “art”; it's caring for people’s delicate, unseen soul-parts with a set of often unseen tools, solid logic, and invisible truths.
Would getting paid for my work be preferable? Well, yes. Of course.
But like other artists, I can’t not do this.
I don’t have to do this. I choose to do this. Even if I got book deals, or was being shipped around the country to talk about the topics in my ministry, or anything remotely close to “success” by societal standards, I’d still choose to serve a small church, with congregants with whom I could have one-on-one relationships, being a simple “parish” priest... even if that meant not being reciprocally compensated for that work.
Because of the love I have for my work, I have to be true to my vocation and do the work I’m inspired to do, even if that’s got me living as a mendicant.
I love what I do, as humble as the work may be.
It’s my humble, beloved duty.
May you love your calling as I do mine.
(See y’all tomorrow)
Sadly, that bit of truth also applies to the overwhelming majority of my pagan and polytheist peers. There’s no direct, accountable reciprocity for the time, energy, emotions, effort, care, training, expenses, and concern we offer our ever-growing, individual polytheist churches and their congregants. Properly “priesting” takes talent (things you’re naturally “good” at), skill (things you can train to do), and knowledge (things you can train yourself to know). Good priests are embodied representations of those three, above-mentioned abilities. Priesting is a comprehensive “art”; it's caring for people’s delicate, unseen soul-parts with a set of often unseen tools, solid logic, and invisible truths.
Would getting paid for my work be preferable? Well, yes. Of course.
But like other artists, I can’t not do this.
I don’t have to do this. I choose to do this. Even if I got book deals, or was being shipped around the country to talk about the topics in my ministry, or anything remotely close to “success” by societal standards, I’d still choose to serve a small church, with congregants with whom I could have one-on-one relationships, being a simple “parish” priest... even if that meant not being reciprocally compensated for that work.
Because of the love I have for my work, I have to be true to my vocation and do the work I’m inspired to do, even if that’s got me living as a mendicant.
I love what I do, as humble as the work may be.
It’s my humble, beloved duty.
May you love your calling as I do mine.
(See y’all tomorrow)
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