Women Clergy Robes And The Modern Pagan

By Christi Larsen


There is controversy in the Christian church regarding female lead figures in church, but in the Wiccan community, there are many women clergy robes. Initially, Pagan males and females often create their own ritual clothing. However, as they become better entrenched into the Pagan community as a whole, they often meet up with professionals who create very elaborate and ornamented garments for ritual.

A neophyte first starting out will usually follow a simple t-shape pattern which suffices. However, this particular spiritual path encourages artistic expression and exploration, and often these people will make additions to their robe later. Many can be seen with beading or hand-stitched bordering that personalizes it.

Such a robe is worn by both males and females during rituals honoring either full or new moons, or other celebrations known as Sabbats. Wiccans and Pagans nearly always have a Priest and a Priestess who conducts the ritual. The purpose to this is to maintain the balance of masculine and feminine energies.

This is a beautiful alternative to the traditionally patriarchal religions which have been dominating mankind for the past two thousand years. Traditional religions tend to view women as being inferior to men, and this has resulted in bitterness between the genders. Pagans knew the importance of cooperation, for without it there is no balance.

Even with this balanced belief system, this does not mean that same-sex couples are discriminated against. The exact opposite is true, as many Priests and Priestesses have conducted a sort of marriage ritual for gay couples. In Wicca it is called a handfasting, and they do not care if the establishment recognizes their union or not.

Much like the yin-hang symbol, Wiccans believe that males have an active creative energy while females have a receptive nurturing energy, but each gender has a seed of the other within. Women have a powerful, active, creative side just as men have a nurturing, feminine side. The idea is to recognize, accept, and balance these energies within the individual.

As with Christians, there are variations of philosophies in Wicca. There are even female-only groups who are referred to largely as Dianic groups. Unlike Christianity, however, the different denominations of Wicca have never engaged in armed combat with one another due to their different philosophies.

The peace between various Pagan groups comes from the fact that Pagans and Wiccans do not believe in proselytizing. While spreading the belief system is such a part of Christianity, Pagans and Wiccans are offended by this practice. They believe that everyone has their own path, and to pressure someone into changing their path is simply wrong.

One requirement to adorn women clergy robes is a commitment to self empowerment and the learning of wisdom. Christianity has largely destroyed the notion of female divinity, and it takes a strong and wise woman to change this perspective in the world. These Wiccan Priestesses wish to change the world perception of them in a loving and positive way.




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