Back in the day, if you could find and be accepted in a coven (any coven) was difficult and hard just to locate them much less try to be accepted for studies. At that time, the majority of groups were Gardnerian based or hived or Welsh traditional or Dianic (female mysteries only). Asatru was not out there so much and had a long fight to separate itself from “nazism” as the Nazi’s took a “portion” of a misconceived interpretation and incorporated it into their regime. In fact, they still continue to battle with this misconception.
Paganism is the religion and Wicca was/is the priesthood. Those in the priesthood (both male and female) were called witches. As the religion and priesthood has expanded into the public consciousness, other priesthoods have emerged as well. Pagans (those who worship, but are not in the priesthood) began assuming the names of witch as well.
The movement of paganism and Wicca into the public consciousness has expanded at such a rate that the need for elders to train has far surpassed the number of those actively seeking to learn. With the sudden expansion, there has been a change in attitude and approaches. One thing has been the attitude towards elders. Due to lack of training and knowledge, the belief that elders and “old people” are not so useful has been carried forward from the “mundane majority world” into the community. Because of this, we have a further reduction in Elders in those that just don’t want to deal with the BS anymore.
Because of the lack of Elders versus the vast number of seekers these days, you now have a majority of people in paganism without formal training in the priesthood. But because they feel the need for a priesthood, they are trying to step in without formal training and are attempting to gain knowledge from books and burning their fingers on the oven. There are simply not enough elders, so they are trying to fill the need on their own and doing the best they can. Not all their beliefs are on track, but they are trying the best they can.
To be honest, I was a reclusive elder for a long time because I was turned off by the community. There used to be pointless witch wars that distracted from our purposes and then dealing with the whackos and resistance from the “moral majority” meant that some of us were supposed to remain in the closet. If you came out, you often got a brick through your window as well.
But the Goddess has called me out and I see that others are coming out as well. So this may be the beginning of the return of the Elders.
