[Today we welcome our newest columnist, Mary Shoup. Mary lives in Washington State, where she volunteers for the Aquarian Tabernacle Church. She recently graduated from Western Washington University’s Huxley College with a degree in Environmental Studies/Journalism and currently works full-time as an editor. Her monthly column #Pagan will focus on the youngest sectors of our collective communities, with articles that highlight their work and discuss their concerns. Welcome, Mary.]
Millennials have grown up in a constant state of change. With the seemingly never-ending release of the newest and biggest gadget, and the steady influx of information, we have become accustomed to changes that appear to come out of nowhere.
Having grown up in that near-constant flux, we have learned that it’s not hard to push for change one way or another. It only takes a few people standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it should be” to get others moving in a new direction. Through our history books, we saw this happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – cases in which a few strong voices motivated a nation into action.
![[Photo Credit: Kyle Mooney, Jess Debski / Flickr]](https://wildhunt.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/3317342811_e2be0d012f_z-500x332.jpg)
[Photo Credit: Kyle Mooney, Jess Debski / Flickr]
Change has become an integral part of the millennial generation through embracing it, much like how Wicca, as I learned it, embraces change as a core tenant.
With the recent deaths of Margot Adler and Pete Pathfinder Davis, many Pagan communities have been forced to see the changes that they have gone through over the past few decades. We are no longer made up of the same groups of people that were once fighting for the right to exist. We exist. We are, in many ways, recognized. Now we need to look forward into the future, and see what more we can do.
And that’s where we are headed. The newest generation of postulants and dedicants are Millennials, those who have embraced the ever-changing nature of our world and have tried to fill whatever needs are seen. My own college group Western Washington University Pagans holds quarterly fundraisers, donating half of what is raised such as, Planned Parenthood or the Whatcom Humane Society. The group also has representatives sitting on the WWU interfaith panel, Ask Us Anything. We saw a need to reach out, to donate and to have more representation, and we fulfilled it.
At the same, Millennials have never known many of the early leaders in their prime. People exploring, dedicating or beginning clergy-training now will never have known Isaac Bonewits or Morning Glory Zell-Ravenhart, or if they have met them, it wasn’t quite in their glory days.
I met Pete Davis a handful of times before his death. And, from all accounts, I never really met him. By the time I did, he no longer had the energy to talk for hours on the phone with community leaders. I will always be left saying, yes, I knew him, but not as well as I would have liked.
However, these elders and leaders of the past have left behind a legacy, one that will write their history. Millennials will learn from that history, through the rose-colored glasses of their students. While we’ll never know exactly what they would have said in response to current events, we can speculate. And, the generation in between, our current leaders, can be both our greatest ally in this or one of our biggest hurdles. Hopefully they will bridge the gap and enable Millennials to make their dreams possible.
It’s a daunting prospect, to be moving forward not quite knowing if the direction we’re taking is the direction that those early leaders intended.
Circle Sanctuary. [Photo: Paula Jean West]
Because while we should never forget what those early leaders struggled through to get us to where we are today, there is a time to move forward. Millennials will bring the concept of change, one that we’ve grown up with, into our spiritual practices. We will form our own ideas, and voice our own opinions with regards to the present. When we’ve done that, we will grow and expand beyond our founders’ and leaders’ wildest dreams.
Belladonna Laveau, the archpriestess of the ATC, has a saying, “When you see a need, it’s the Goddess’ way of saying it’s your duty to fill that need.” Millennials, as a generation, have already internalized this. We’ve come to realize that change is possible, and that if we want it to happen, we need to step up and fill that need.
So what needs do Millennials see? There are so many, varied and determined by the community around us. We will find the needs specific to our own areas, like WWU Pagans did. We will be that change we wish to see in the world. And we should never forget – it’s our world, our religion, now.
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So happy to see young voices being given a seat at the table. Thank you, Wild Hunt for hosting this column. And thank you to Mary for the words provided. Very much looking forward to a bright future with the up and coming Pagan youth.
Welcome Mary ! And good luck for your future articles!
we
have learned that it’s not hard to push for change one way or another.
It only takes a few people standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it
should be” to get others moving in a new direction. Through our history
books, we saw this happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and
Malcolm X – cases in which a few strong voices motivated a nation into
action. – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/12/hashtag-pagan-enter-the-millennial-generation.html#sthash.wKLscWGJ.dpuf
Hi Mary! Welcome. I too live in WA and am a graduate of WWU. I am really pleased to see this column here at the Wild Hunt.
However, I am incredibly dismayed by your second paragraph. (My laptop isn’t letting me cut and paste right now, I apologize.) It’s not hard to push for change? It only takes a few people? Have you been reading the news? Thousands have been rioting and protesting for months over the Michael Brown’s death and the lack of indictment of his killer. This is not an isolated event.
You mention Gandhi, MLK Jr, and Malcolm X in that same paragraph. They did not create movements of just a few people. They mobilized thousands, millions, over a lifetime and were killed for their work.
I applaud your optimism and your acceptance of change. My generation (X) was also inspired by the same people you cite. Yet we have perpetuated the abuses, injustices, and travesties that we’re reading about in the news. Absolutely work for change, but don’t think that it just takes a few people and little effort to see changes in our society.
Having
grown up in that near-constant flux, we have learned that it’s not hard
to push for change one way or another. It only takes a few people
standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it should be” to get
others moving in a new direction. Through our history books, we saw this
happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – cases in
which a few strong voices motivated a nation into action. – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/12/hashtag-pagan-enter-the-millennial-generation.html#sthash.wKLscWGJ.dpuf
Having
grown up in that near-constant flux, we have learned that it’s not hard
to push for change one way or another. It only takes a few people
standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it should be” to get
others moving in a new direction. Through our history books, we saw this
happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – cases in
which a few strong voices motivated a nation into action. – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/12/hashtag-pagan-enter-the-millennial-generation.html#sthash.wKLscWGJ.dpuf
Having
grown up in that near-constant flux, we have learned that it’s not hard
to push for change one way or another. It only takes a few people
standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it should be” to get
others moving in a new direction. Through our history books, we saw this
happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – cases in
which a few strong voices motivated a nation into action. – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/12/hashtag-pagan-enter-the-millennial-generation.html#sthash.wKLscWGJ.dpuf
Having
grown up in that near-constant flux, we have learned that it’s not hard
to push for change one way or another. It only takes a few people
standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it should be” to get
others moving in a new direction. Through our history books, we saw this
happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – cases in
which a few strong voices motivated a nation into action. – See more at:
http://wildhunt.org/2014/12/hashtag-pagan-enter-the-millennial-generation.html#sthash.wKLscWGJ.dpuf
Wow, what just happened there? Is the formatting weird for others too?
The Wild Hunt/Disqus seems to dislike copy/pasting.
Hi Mary! Welcome. I too live in WA and am a graduate of WWU. I am really pleased to see this column here at the Wild Hunt.
However,I am incredibly dismayed by your second paragraph. (My laptop isn’t letting me cut and paste right now, I apologize.) It’s not hard to push for change? It only takes a few people? Have you been reading the news? Thousands have been rioting and protesting for months over the Michael Brown’s death and the lack of indictment of his killer. This is not an isolated event.
You mention Gandhi, MLK Jr, and Malcolm X in that same paragraph. They did not create movements of just a few people. They mobilized thousands, millions, over a lifetime and were killed for their work.
I applaud your optimism and your acceptance of change. My generation (X) was also inspired by the same people you cite. Yet we have perpetuated the abuses, injustices, and travesties that we’re reading about in the news. Absolutely work for change, but don’t think
that it just takes a few people and little effort to see changes in our
society.
Yeah. One might also mention that Generation X was actually, up to that point, THE most active generation in terms of volunteerism, political involvement, etc… never mind our slacker image. But there weren’t enough of us to have the impact of the Baby Boomers, because there weren’t enough of us, period.
Millennials have both numbers and high percentages of involvement on their side, and the potential to do great things. But don’t think it’s going to be easy.
Are we “Millenials” actually more numerous than the previous generations?
Yes. Slightly more than the Boomers, about 20% more than Gen X. http://www.prb.org/Publications/Reports/2009/20thcenturyusgenerations.aspx
More than the Boomers? I would certainly believe that worldwide but I am surprised that it’s also valid for the US and maybe the West in general
The Population Reference Bureau numbers are for the US.
The key question is, are Millennials a bigger fraction of the US population than Boomers were at the same age?
“Millennials have grown up in a constant state of change.” Yes and so have Gen Xers and most certainly Baby Boomers. My grandparents were born in an age before airplanes and just a few decades later they saw people land on the moon. That’s change in a hurry.
I’ll also add that lots of previous generations have been fighting for some of the progressive social change you mention in your article. I also think it’s easy to think an entire generation is fighting for change when looking through the world in Pagan-colored glasses. I think Pagans as a whole are more active politically and socially. Just because Pagans are engaged doesn’t mean an entire generation is. Only 25% of registered voting Millennials bothered to show up in this year’s midterm elections for example. If Millennials really want to address the big problems in the world they might want to start by voting. In that sense Millennials are much like previous generations . . . .
To be fair to the millennials, they inherit a much more difficult world than we did. Yes, we came of age into Reagan’s recession and a time when a movie about nuclear war gave so many schoolchildren ptsd that some districts had to bring in counselors. But we still had a reasonable expectation that we’d make as much, and probably more, than our parents. The idea that we could move out when we finished HS or college, get a job, a family, a mortgage… this was still a real possibility. Yes, getting out of college with $20k or $30k of debt was horrid, but I’d happily take that over millennials’ *six freaking figure debt*. That dream is dead now– millennials not only face a world where climate change will remake it entirely too soon, but one where their pricey degree is nearly without value. “Why am I paying all of this money for school if there’s no job in sight?” say nearly every millennial I know. Their schooling is like nothing we ever experienced– overstuffed, overscheduled, and hideously overtested to meet “no child left behind” standardized dysfunction. We at least had art, music, and recess. While I could (and have) bemoan not having internet when I was a kid, the ways in which being the “internet generation” affects millennials aren’t all good– privacy was actually a thing for us. We could say lousy things and get drunk on weekends without worrying that a screenshot will pop up five years later or someone will tag us in a photo our employer will see.
“Constant state of change” does describe us Xers, but theirs is, IMO, much more dire. Pointing at voting as a measure of involvement doesn’t really work anymore– we thought we could bring change from within and reform the system. They know, or at least have the vestigial fear, that this is improbable at best, and are busy in so many ways making experimental new cultures and new economies (functionally, many millennial-heavy internet communities are precisely that). I do wish they would turn out to vote more, though, especially locally where you actually might find a more radical-thinking candidate that hasn’t yet been muted by big money.
Roger your comment on voting in local elections. “Think globally, act locally” applies to electoral politics. Local elections have the lowest turnout, yet they are the elections where grassroots campaigns can beat established politicians with wealthy donors. Local elections are the place where changing the person holding the office has a chance of affecting policy.
Local offices are still the farm team for candidates for higher office. Politicians who start their careers by running in local elections are the ones most likely to understand and be responsive to the needs of ordinary people as well as the wish lists of pressure groups. If you have any hopes of backing a third party that will have a chance of actually winning state or federal elections, building local organizations that elect people to local offices first is not just the best, it’s the only way to accomplish that. In the last forty years I haven’t seen any third party in California make a serious try at building a local political machine with actual power instead of running symbolic campaigns.
we still had a reasonable expectation that we’d make as much, and probably more, than our parents
One good thing in all this recession thing is that considering we probably won’t “make more” than the previous generation we might be able to “make better” by researching truly satisfying ways of life and spirituality.
Having grown up in that near-constant flux, we have learned that it’s not hard to push for change one way or another. It only takes a few people standing up and saying “This isn’t the way it should be” to get others moving in a new direction. Through our history books, we saw this happen with Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – cases in which a few strong voices motivated a nation into action.
Be warned, though. Other people who pushed for change include Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Robert Mugabe and Osama Bin laden…
Not all change is a good thing.
Not all change is a good thing.
So true…
When the status quo is irrevocably broken, change is essential. Yes, some changes won’t be the best ones and even good changes will have undesired outcomes, but “do nothing” is no longer an option for most people.
When you have so many people attempting change in very different directions, “nothing” is exactly what happens.
Most change that happens today is almost entirely cosmetic. Faces change, but systems remain.
Welcome, Mary!
Would the WWU group be interested in networking with other college Pagan groups? Our group at Skagit Valley College’s Whidbey Island Campus has been interested in doing something like that, so if the two groups could be in touch, that would be great, I think!
I’m not going to give you a dressing-down for being hopeful and confident. People trying to bring about change usually do it from one of two states of mind: hopefulness and confidence or anger and the kind of determination that comes from having your back against the wall. When the young feel grim and determined instead of confident, it’s a sign that things are going from bad to worse.
You wrote, “the generation in between, our current leaders, can be both our
greatest ally in this or one of our biggest hurdles. Hopefully they will bridge the gap and enable Millennials to make their dreams possible.” My primary tradition contains generations of active leaders, including a few still active founders. In the wider community I sometimes find myself in the gap-bridging role. I’m happy to explain why things have been done a certain way and where particular values and practices came from, if I think I know. I try to set a good example and to share whatever skills and insights I have. Like most of my contemporaries, I’m delighted to see younger, more energetic people taking on responsibilities and assuming leadership roles.
However don’t expect us to make your dreams possible; we are no more able to do that than your parents and grandparents. We can give you access to some resources and if you are willing to listen to advice we’ll give you our best guess on the likely outcomes of different courses of action, based on our experience. Whether you will be able to manifest your dreams will be up to you, your gods, and Tyche.
Welcome, Mary! I too live in WA (just outside of Seattle). Looking forward to your posts from the Pagan millennial perspective.
This has been bothering me for a good 12 hours now (even had a dream about it last night). The Pagan blogosphere is pretty diverse, lots of people know one another in-person from various cons and events. It seems that those core groups, when they disagree, keep things very civil (even with differing opinions).
So now we have a new voice that is emerging into the space, and this comments section (while civilized) has me completely on edge and borderline pissed off.
How many Pagans are out there that have great ideas, things to share and say that we would be friends with in real life and online that won’t put up a Pagan blog because of the nit pickings of the Pagan Blogosphere comments sections? It’s been a HUGE reason why I haven’t blogged before, and why I had reservations about “putting myself out there” co-hosting the Raise the Horns podcast with Jason Mankey.
We all know it takes a LOT for someone to “put themselves out there”, some way more than others. A thicker skin is often encouraged by veterans before entering that realm, for sure. But, this new columnist who just graduated from college. She’s emerging to find her own voice at the same time. And we cream her for being too idealistic for our own liking? We compare and contrast Gen X (of which I am a member) to the Millennial generation. Nice welcome for her, y’all.. I’m sure she can’t wait to write again.
Come on, aren’t we better than that?
Funny, I thought we were having a conversation. I think people seeing mild disagreement as too harsh as a much bigger problem, as it stifles discourse.
And here it is (just like I knew it would be), “we are having a conversation”. For some, yes you are. But when I see the side conversarions that aren’t on the blog comments about this author & topic, that’s when I decided to comment/say something.
I’m not trying to stifle anyone. It is far too easy to criticize from behind a keyboard. As we all know.