Let’s Clarify Some Things…

I would like to talk about two things.  The first is the term Dianic and the second, the validity of ordinations.  I feel compelled to do this because lately I have been seeing women claim their Dianic Path to be the only valid one and/or their ordinations to be the only ones that are legal.  I frankly, do not understand the whys of any of it unless possibly, it is done for self-promotion.

You will see several definitions of Dianic out there – it all depends on who is speaking!  One will say Dianic means women only religion.  Another will say that it is because we worship Diana.  Others will say that the term means that the path honors the Goddess as whole and complete and that she is Mother of all.

It is true that many Dianics practice in women only space.  It is true that worship is focused solely on the Goddess and all Her many names.  Women who practice in this way find that by working in women only groups they are able to know themselves better and come into their own power in deeper ways.  For these women, in its essence Dianic tradition is a Woman's Mysteries tradition, linked to such traditions across time and across cultures. They are a celebration of woman's bodies, woman's experiences, the Divine Feminine, and the biology and culture of womanhood, rather than a rejection or dismissal of men and masculinity.

Dianics recognize that the God is a variation of the Goddess, sourced from and contained within Her, just as both males and females are created, contained within, and birthed from the wombs of women. Therefore, the God is included as one of Her sacred creations, but He is not invoked in Dianic ritual. For women, it feels more appropriate for the Goddess and Her symbols to be present.

However, for some, being Dianic includes the idea that both men and women may come together to learn and grow in Her love.  We do not have a standard definition.  The only thing that is a constant is that Dianic is not typically a dualistic path.  There is not a shared role between God and Goddess as in other Wiccan paths.  Gods may be acknowledged but they are done so as Her sons and Her role as Creatrix is not shared with him.  Typically, if a god is brought into a Dianic ritual it is to demonstrate the sacrifice.  He dies.  He is mortal and She gives him back his life.  And this is from a mixed-gender Dianic point of view.

What needs to happen is that all of us who identify as Dianic use terms appropriate to our path or explain ourselves a little bit better.

Z Budapest calls her tradition Dianic Wicca.  She also sometimes says Feminist Dianic Wicca. Most of the time she just uses the term Dianic but when she does, she means women only.

I identify what I do as Feminist Dianic Witchcraft.  I do not think the term Wicca is appropriate for what we do in the Apple Branch, even though I am an ordained high priestess in Z’s lineage.  I also carry lineage from traditions that include men.  In actuality, the Apple Branch is inclusive of men.  I personally work in women only Circles because I have taken a vow with that intent.  Frankly, men can love the Goddess and can be feminists. I wish more did!   It is my hope that their numbers are growing, for feminism really means being against oppression of any kind!  With that in mind, I do work with men on an individual basis and would even facilitate a study group for them if they sought it.

The McFarland Dianics identify as Dianic and include men according to the desires of the high priestess of each Circle. Theirs is not the only tradition that includes and identifies as Dianic.  I know of the Dianic Nemorensis Tradition and have heard there are several others.

Then there is RCG-I, which to the best of my knowledge includes Dianic but members do not need to identfy as Dianic.  It is a women’s church, leaving personal practice to just that, personal.  People often refer to RCG-I as Dianic because it is woman only.

There is, unfortunately, so much bad information out there on the Internet.  I did a search recently looking for web sites describing Dianic or the Dianic Tradition.  I could not believe the amount of bad information.  Some of it was as if pulled out of thin air and had no basis in fact.  One site I found called the McFarland Tradition a Danaanic branch.  Where in the world did that come from?

What is also upsetting to me is the need for some people to create stories in order to authenticate themselves.  Do they think that we cannot create something beautiful and perfectly suited to our needs right now?  Why must we invent a history that never existed?

Everyone who claims to be Dianic does so based on what being Dianic means to them.  When someone says I am Dianic or if they refer to someone who is, it might be a good idea to ask for clarification!  And if you tell people you are Dianic, you might add a little more to your label for that clarification.

On to the subject of ordaining clergy…

 We are privileged to live in a country that holds separation of church and state as a holy law!  Any group is entitled to call itself a church and those they ordain are legally recognized as such.  It really is so simple!  Many of you might think that there must be a non-profit religious organization doing the ordaining but that is not so.  The only reason any organization takes on non-profit status or calls itself a church with the IRS is so that they can accept donations that are tax-free and that it will be a tax write off for the donor.  It has nothing to do with anything else, certainly not about their right to be a church or a religious organization.

 In the past few years I have seen Dianic groups claim that ordination through them is the only true Dianic ordination.  In those cases, I read it and shook my head, and read it again and I thought what?  Are they saying that all ordination of the many high priestesses out in the world that identify as Dianic are not real?  That they are not valid?  What is this about?

I hope that once you understand that any group can become a church and any church can ordain its clergy, you will see that any claims as to one or the other being legal or not legal or Dianic or not Dianic is clearly conflicted and not to be taken seriously by anyone.

Here at Global Goddess, we used to perform ordinations for women who were in service in their communities.  All it took were two letters from people they served telling us what they did and vouching for them.  That plus a commitment to give of their time and effort to Global Goddess for a period of one year.  For the most part, the ordinations were claimed and we never saw any assistance from those who were ordained.  There were a couple of exceptions.  However, we discontinued doing ordinations because frankly, it was a lot of work with very little benefit to Global Goddess.  How can you be an ordained priestess of a religious organization and not serve it?

Here in the state of Texas, you are considered clergy by the state if the people you serve consider you their clergy.  How simple!

And finally, when it is all said and done, a title is a title, is a title and as such means absolutely nothing until it is backed up in service and dedication  By our actions and by our deeds and by the value of our gifts to others, these are the marks of a priestess or priest.  She may have come up on her own, learned in the doing, without benefit of someone who came before bestowing a title upon her.  If she is in service to the Goddess and her community, is she not a priestess? 

The proof is in the pudding …

In honor and respect for the freedom of religion,

Bendis

Priestess of the Goddess