Ministry

Eventually, I will have more information here, including links to ceremonies I have performed, outlines, essays, etc. For now, I offer part of my entrance essay for Cherry Hill Pagan Seminary

Over time, I have begun to realize that I have become a minister to my "tribe of choice"- the extended group of friends and loved ones that are part of my life. This is not by any choice of mine, but more by a subtle and sometimes subconscious decision of those in the tribe to seek me out. Not just the happy things, like performing weddings or handfastings, but other, deeper and more difficult matters. It doesn't seem to matter to the people who seek me out whether they and I are in complete agreement on spiritual matters- they approach me because they value my perspective, and treat what I say seriously.
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I have acted as a priest in many pagan rituals, large and small, over the years. But I think of ministry and priesthood as being two different (but interdependent) functions. I see priesthood as in essence a ritual function- the priest/ess coordinates the creation of sacred space, the invocation of Powers, the raising and directing of energy, and the safe return of all when the ritual is done. It is in a way a "vertical" function- concerned with the interrelation of our plane of being with higher (and sometimes lower) planes.

But ministry is a community function- dealing with the "horizontal", the interrelation of people in the tribe.. Certainly, there are ritual elements to the role- but the rituals (handfastings, namings, funerals and the like) are about the interrelations of people with each other- calling the blessings of the Divine on the important events of our days. Ministry in the modern pagan community is also about harmonizing the many, various, and often contentious paths and schools of thought that occur- listening impartially, finding common ground, helping people find the synergy that often lies in the meeting of two apparent opposites. And ministry also involves one-on-one spiritual guidance- providing counsel and advice, but also having deep conversations in the Sufi mode, where each participant is as much teacher as student, and each learns greatly.