I hadn’t intended to do another post on this but recent discussions made me realize I left out one major area where discernment is vital and very underused…so let’s start with a story…
I had made an appointment for an Ogham reading at a local pagan shop, because, well I had never run across an Ogham reader before and I couldn’t resist. When I arrived for the appointment I was told the original reader was out sick but that another man was in who also read Ogham so I agreed to see him instead. We went back and sat down and he began the normal introductory speech about what the Ogham are; as soon as politely possible I broke in and said I already knew what they were.
Reader: “Oh, are you interested in Celtic things?”
Me: “You could say that.”
Reader: “If you ever want to really learn about Celtic magic or practice I’d be willing to take you on as a student. I’m the arch-druid of the Northeast and I mentor for the Ancient Order of Druids in America.”
Me: Blink. Blink.
This was the point when I should have used some discernment and politely gotten the heck out of there with my money, but sadly I chose to stay…and ended up reading for myself, after the “reader” pulled out the book that came with the Ogham set and asked my opinion on the interpretation….but as soon as I left I emailed the AODA to confirm that he was telling the truth, or more to the point that he wasn’t, about his claim of being a mentor for them. I received a very nice email back from John Michael Greer confirming my suspicion that his organization did not include this person as a member and that he in no way taught or mentored for them.
The point of this story? Discernment extends to claims people make about themselves; we can’t just blindly trust that people are what they say they are, and more importantly there is absolutely nothing wrong with checking on people’s claims. I have several “titles” which I don’t often use but if I were to use them they could all be easily confirmed with the groups I belong to. For example, if I were to tell someone, perhaps at the next pagan pride day, that I was a Druid that can be confirmed through my Order (the Order of the White Oak – you can check too). When someone claims to belong to a group or organization it can be checked. When they claim a specific title or position within a group that can also be checked. Don’t be afraid to check. It isn’t rude, especially if you are thinking of this person as a potential teacher.
So, you’re asking, what about the things that can’t be checked? If someone claims to be solitary priestess or a Druid without a group affiliation? That is when discernment through observation comes in. Do they embody what they are claiming to be? If they do, good. If they don’t then they aren’t. Pretty much anyone can claim to be anything – claiming it doesn’t make it true. Being it makes it true. This doesn’t mean you have to do anything about your conclusion, necessarily, but if someone is claiming to deserve respect because of a false title you aren’t obligated to give them special treatment or to excuse bad behavior. If someone is offering to teach you or include you in their group but they can’t seem to find their butt with both hands you have every right to back away slowly and politely decline. And never surrender your own opinion to anyone just because they claim a big fancy title. It can be easy to get over-awed by a person throwing around impressive sounding credentials and in the pagan community there seems to be this unspoken rule that we just take people at their word, but if the credentials are sound they will hold up to scrutiny, and if the person is what they say they are then you should know it because they should embody it.
Oh, and that whole “arch-druid of the north east” thing? Some groups like ADF do have archdruids, but if someone claims to be the head of an entire pagan population without having a group affiliation it’s pretty obviously BS. Anyone can claim to be the archdruid of the north east, or the witch queen of CT, or whatever…sounds impressive but it’s nothing but ego talking.<>
<>
