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Pagans and Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
SEX? DRUGS? ROCK n'ROLL?
By Puritan X
The issue of secrecy aside, the Pagan community does have
some unique problems of etiquette. There is some conflict
between the intimacy of worship, especially minority worship, and
the privacy commonly given an individual surrounded by strangers.
Some people think that because there are so few of us, we are all
family and should be naked together and comfortable with physical
contact - anything from handshakes to body massage - with no
reservations and no introductions, while others feel that the
host or hostess of the circle should introduce everybody and
provide refreshments.
Public Pagan rituals are a tension between being so silly in
front of other people, and the unease of not knowing some of
them. In large rituals, people may wear name tags, and clump
together with their friends, rarely venturing forth to introduce
themselves. In small living room circles, they may introduce
themselves as part of the ritual, or be introduced by mutual
friends. Unfortunately, in my opinion, there is a tendency for
people to just float around unintroduced. It is often assumed
that mature adults are capable of saying their own names and
inquiring after others' when in fact, many people have been
raised not to do so.
Emphasis on intimacy is ripe for sexual exploitation; the
female Pagan who rejects certain points of embrace or massage may
be accused of being overly uptight, the male Pagan who is
embarrassed when a mother hauls out a breast to feed her baby may
be accused of insufficient reverence for the Goddess' form and
function in Her earthly representations. Ours is a nature faith,
one replete with sexual imagery, but ours is also a faith of
power lodged in the individual-- and that includes the power to
be clothed and untouched.
More thorny and less horny is the uncontrolled recreational
use of illegal chemical substances, especially at festivals. The
use of drugs is a religious tradition in some cultures, it is
true; but usually under much more limited and formal
circumstances than those foumd at most of our gatherings. I
think circles in which members are under some influence should be
clearly declared such, and "clean" circles also established;
chemical and non-chemical space, as it were. That includes to my
mind such "soft" drugs as alcohol and nicotine; possibly even
caffiene, as it does affect concentration. It was the drunken
behavior of sheer twits that revealed for all the public to see
the male mystery of bonfire pissing. It is hoped that they were
appropriately chastised for revealing religious secrets, a
distinct danger of the publically inebriated. The fair sex,
given sufficient chemical stimualtion, is sometimes given to
groping and cursing; possibly more hygenic, but no less
disturbing in a sacred situation.
There is also the problem of how to deal with others'
children. Some handle it as if we were all family, and every
adult has the right to discipline any child. Some parents have
the opinion that children are little people whose wills should
not be thwarted. When these two groups meet, Hela breaks loose.
Others find great humor in introducing children to pleasures they
will not find at home, especially those in the awkward teenage
years. When I was a minor (about 14) at SCA events, I was oft
plied with drinks. I suspected at the time this was to lower my
resistance to practices of questionable taste and legality, and
so desisted in the practice. Perhaps I had too high an opinion
of myself in so assuming. I mention this not to impune the SCA;
the same happened at science fiction conventions, but Pagan
events often have the same cheery atmosphere. Never mind messing
up a ceremony, if I catch any nerd offering my child drugs, I
will practice ritual mutilation with good cheer and clear
consience.
The solution, as the American Tobacco Institute is so fond
of informing us, is communication. If somebody is doing
something unpleasant, say so politely. Some people do have a
sincere chemical addiction necessary to free their minds for
religious experiences. If you are not comfortable grounding
energy via sexual intercourse you can say that as a religious
opinion. If people are hurt by your non-participation they will
not invite you back, but that's OK, you weren't happy enough
together to get anything done anyway. As for imposing
puritanical standards upon an entire gathering, one accepts the
rules of that gathering by attending.
"An it harm none, do what thou wilt" is a fair rule of
etiquette. The tricky part is reading other people's minds. Or
expecting others to read your mind. (Granted, we all believe in
psychic powers, but some of us just don't have The Talent yet).
"Do what thou will is the whole of the Law" is a rule fit only
for the rugged individualist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Drugs, Alcohol and the Pagan Community
© 1986 Anna Moonowl
Part I:
Making Choices, Taking Chances: Drug and Alcohol Use in Ritual
The issue of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the Pagan
Community has not been addressed often and is probably controver-
sial. Despite all the current media coverage of these subjects,
I've only seen them addressed once by Pagans - at a COG Festival
workshop, Abby Willowroot's "The Government Wants to Keep You
Stoned" (1984 COG Grand Council).
People choose to use or avoid many substances for a variety
of reasons, including allergy or other medical indication, convi-
ction or personal preference. Some of those most commonly
avoided are certain medications, other drugs, preservatives,
tobacco, alcohol, salt or sugar. I will focus here on alcohol
and drugs; please note that I am not making moral judgements on
their use.
Surprisingly, at many Pagan functions it seems people forget
that others may have made usage choices. Even people who are
adamant in enforcing tobacco anti-smoking household rules may
fail to understand someone else's desire to avoid exposure to
marijuana smoke. I have been present at rituals where everyone
else got stoned into near-catatonia, and the air was thick with
smoke. I now try to descretely inquire if there will be drug use
involved in a ritual before I go. If I don't get a negative
response ("I don't know" doesn't hack it), I stay home.
It may be fairly straightforward to avoid drug use at gath-
erings, but alcohol use is woven deeply into Pagan ritual and
custom, as well as being inescapable in modern society. Ritual
drug use is uncommon - alcohol is commonplace. Other than the
choice not to drink, some people cannot use alcohol for various
reasons. These involve medical reasons - including alcoholism.
What about alcoholism? I'm not a specialist, but I'll give
a try at a description. Alcoholism is a progressive, fatal
disease which causes specific biochemical and neurological chan-
ges and damage. There is a genetic link in the suceptibility
pattern. The alcoholic's body does not process alcohol in the
same way as a non-alcoholic's does. Toxins are produced in the
alcoholic's system that are not in the "normal" drinker's. This
is coupled with a gripping physical addiction. People who are
alcoholic usually have these biochemical changes and the
addiction long before they show obvious signs of the disease,
even to themselves. Alcoholism is not caused by over-drinking,
nor is it due to emotional or psychological problems. It is
usually the cause of such problems, as the disease follows its
inevitable, ultimately fatal progression. Conservative
statistics show that one person in ten is alcoholic. Anyone who
would like the straight facts about this disease from a medical
point of view should read Under the Influence by James R. Milam,
PhD. and Katherine Ketcham (Bantam Books, 1983, $3.95). It's
written in a layman's terminology and is compelling reading.
Many alcoholics are fortunate to have been diagnosed, and
have received treatment. The fact is that once one's body has
begun the biochemical changes that occur with alcoholism, one can
never again use even small amounts of alcohol (or certain other
drugs) without re-triggering or maintaining the chemical
addiction response and the disease progression. It's a matter of
life and death.
Why is this important to Pagans? Two reasons immediately
come to mind. First, as a priesthood one of our responsibilities
is counseling and referral. Alcoholism and substance abuse cause
serious internal and inter-personal disruptions, and unless we
can recognize it we cannot guide those in need to appropriate
treatment. Second, because there are so very many Pagan rituals,
feasts, gatherings and festivals where food and drink is offered
that contains alcohol. I'm not recommending that we all become
tee-totalers, but there are many occasions where alternatives
have not been offered, and could have been, especially in ritual
settings. I've seen brandy-soaked cakes and whiskey used as
cakes and wine, for example. Sometimes it's hard to tell if an
item contains alcohol (what if you've got a stuffed nose?). If
the alcohol content is discovered, one can easily be faced with a
choice of bowing out of a ritual, often after it has begun. It
can be embarrassing or rude, declining the Cup or sniffing the
Cakes before taking one, as well as leaving one with a feeling of
spiritual incompletion at not being able to partake fully in a
ritual of one's religion. I've tried "annointing" with wine
rather than drinking, but it's just not the same.
Non-drinking alcoholics usually do not introduce themselves
to all they meet with, "Hi, I'm Bob/Jane, I'm an alcoholic and
I'd like you to point out anything that has alcohol in it so I
can avoid it." Some Pagans who would like to attend open rituals
or festivals avoid them for this reason. On the other hand, not
everyone who chooses to avoid alcohol is alcoholic. It remains a
personal choice.
I would like to see Pagans routinely offer a choice to
people attending rituals - a choice to avoid alcohol, drugs or
sugar, and still partake fully in worship. How about a non-
alcoholic drink being offered with the Wine? How about a biscuit
or cracker being offered with the Cakes? How about mentioning if
drugs will be a part of your ritual when you invite someone? Or
perhaps a tradition could evolve to label "substance-free"
gatherings as such; how about it?
~~~~~~~~~~
[Editor's note: Before our readers get their collective
bloodpressure up and write scathing letters about the inference
of commonplace ritual drug use, we'd like to comment that while
it is far from commonplace, it does happen. Drug use seems to
pervade every facet of life in this country, even on occasion,
religion, sadly enough. Those thoughtless people probably never
consider, aside from any moral considerations, that they are
risking all of the gains Wicca has made over the thirty years
since Gerald Gardner opened the broom-closet door. No matter how
small the gathering, the headlines would be the same - "Drug
Arrests Made At Satanic Witchcraft Rites." You can imagine the
rest of the story (they always seem to throw Satan in for better
reading). We agree with Anna Moonowl that 1) there is no place in
a ritual for ANYTHING that has not been consented to by EVERYONE,
AHEAD OF TIME, including drugs and alcohol, and 2) risking what
we have gained thru years of hard work for the illegal thrills of
an hour or two is not only inconsiderate, its DUMB. Why give
those who would still persecute us any ammunition? Just plain
DUMB, if you want my opinion. -Pete]
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