Welcome to week three of my multi-week series, Intersections: Exploring Gender and Spirituality. Read week one featuring Sunni Muslim women here. Read week two featuring perspectives on Judaism.

In the interest of transparency, I (the interviewer) am a cisgender Protestant woman, and this may have influenced the questions I asked.

This week, I talked to Sarah, an eclectic pagan woman and Lisa L. who identifies as "a solo Wicca practitioner".

Paganism is a broad umbrella term for many spiritual traditions. Historically, the word has had some negative connotations, especially among Christian circles, so I appreciate Sarah and Lisa L. taking the time to share the ins and outs of her spiritual practices with me (and all my wonderful readers!).

In one significant way, my interview with Sarah and Lisa L. were an exception from the rest. Paganism (in both their views) is matriarchal in practice, so we didn’t have to have the conversation about distancing oneself from the patriarchal aspects of one’s faith. As Sarah explained, the “whole principle” rests on the fact that there are “many gods but the two most important are the Lord and Lady.” As the “Creators of Life”, this pair of deities give “duality and some gender equality” to Paganism. Lisa L. sees the duality of paganism as a universal lesson many folks in today's culture could benefit from; "I believe society reaps [its] highest rewards when feminine and masculine are in perfect balance with each other. Neither should be stronger and each should compliment the other".

Sarah also expounded on the many minor gods and goddesses who can have a variety of gender expressions. Race or ethnicity of a deity is not standardized either, due to each worshipper’s personal connection with a deity who can appear differently to each person. To Sarah, “they are not white in [her] mind”.

This absence of canonical imagery is likely due to paganism’s “eclectic” nature, borrowing traditions from around the world and part of it is. Neo-paganism mirrors spiritual traditions around the world. A salient example Sarah came up with is some African cultures worship "the triple goddesses of land, ocean, wind/storm” while Norse traditions have the “mother, maiden, crone. There are so many similarities and similar concepts.”

Despite the international influences, Sarah acknowledged issues with societal privilege in the community; “non-cis, non-white women don’t get included in pagan religions, [it’s] unfortunately a reality”. There can be “a lack of understanding in the coven, [when] new spiritual experiences are not always met with open arms.” Sarah mentioned how different people can witness the Goddess having very different gender expressions which covens may not always be willing to accept.

Wicca specifically is a modern religion based on specific traditions from pre-Christian Europe. The natural world is representative of the divine and the major tenet is the Wiccan Rede which can be summed up in the words "Do No Harm". Lisa L. wrote about her experience summoning the goddess

While worship and acknowledging the gods and goddesses is a vital aspect of paganism, the other is the spiritual community of the coven. “Everyone in the coven brings something to the table” when “[members] have spiritual discussions with each other.” In general, “the religion is open to everyone, [it has] no base rules” because it doesn’t have a specific doctrine or a holy text that can be problematically discriminatory. In Sarah’s experience, many pagans are white feminist women “who are frustrated with patriarchy” and are “recovering Catholics.” Many of these women find affinity with the Goddess because the female body is considered holy as the source of life. [Interviewer’s note: The Lady and the Goddess are two terms for the same deity].

As Lisa L. put it, "The divine feminine is acknowledged and support entirely in paganism and that is what drew me to it. The divine feminine has been oppressed ever since Christianity was used as a political tool to bring and maintain patriarchal control."

As , “I represent the Goddess in bodily form” (because she is capable of giving life) which many cis females in her coven find to be empowering. (Other women may feel quite the opposite.) This is very much unlike many Christian traditions: according to Christianity, Eve is considered the root of all sin and Mary, the mother of Christ, is honored for her purity. However, “women tend to follow the Lady more strongly, which I think is wrong […] for me, it’s neglecting a whole half of existence. [The Lord and Lady] work together so closely, it’s like yin and yang.”

Thank you Sarah and Lisa L., for your willingness to share and explain the beauty of your faith to us.