Lately, I've been seeing a very disheartening trend in our community where Pagans are exposing the given names of those of us who use a magical or pen name to the world at large. While the reasons for doing so are varied, so are the reasons for using those alternate names, and the act of revealing these causes me to question the overall worth of our Pagan honor-bound oaths and integrity these days.
In a world where magical and Pagan religious practitioners are still seen as "evil" or "unethical", many of us have chosen to take on a magical name in the world of cyberspace and in public ritual attendance.We do so in order to protect our homes, families, jobs and businesses from the kind of mislabeling and "witch hunts" which could lead to job losses, destruction of property, legal issues, and/or physical harm.
Additionally, some of us (like me, as you are aware) write under a nom de plume (pen name) to separate our job and spiritual lives. When one writes articles for his/her company, speaks in a public arena, etc... the last thing he/she wants to encounter is a slew of complaints that a customer was unable to find the article because it was buried in a sea of unrelated spiritual blog posts.
Honor has historically been a cherished value within the Pagan community. The majority of us hold to the tenet that we are all "one", so that what affects one of us affects us all. To break an oath, or behave in a dishonorable manner is something that permeates our community and has destructive repercussions.
It is certainly understandable that there are places in the world where being a Witch or Pagan is a dangerous label to carry publicly. Just read any week of The Sunday Stew's 'In the News' feature or Jason Pitzl-Waters's 'Unleash The Hounds' feature on his "The Wild Hunt" site. Regardless of the reason(s), it has become common knowledge among the community at large that protection of one's privacy is a sacred, unspoken law.
What I've encountered recently has been a flagrant and careless disregard for this silent agreement, and for the honor-bound oaths taken by members of covens.
For example, a well-known elder within the Pagan community has taken it upon herself to reveal the names of those within her former tradition to authorities, thereby exposing entire lineages within this tradition to destruction. If she had been subpoenaed, it might have been a bit more understandable (although many may argue that she is oath-bound regardless of authority), but the lawsuit was a personal one that did not involve her, nor was the tradition itself under scrutiny.
A dear friend of mine shared her story in which her mentor chose to expose her beliefs to a family member in order to help said family member obtain custody of my friend's child.
Just today, I disagreed with someone (a friend on both of my FB accounts) over a political stance, and he chose to use my given name to address me (and linked it to that account) in order to "punish" me simply for disagreeing with him. While it really didn't do damage to me, it was a trust broken, and he was un-friended immediately for his lack of honor and integrity.
I've had someone do this to me before, simply because she attempted to correct my grammar and made a big deal about it on my Facebook page (I'm known as something of a grammar nazi at times).. it turned out that it was she who was in the wrong, and she purposefully used my given name (including the link to my other Facebook page) simply because of the embarrassment she brought upon herself.
Thankfully, I'm not in the broom closet. If I was, I can only imagine what the repercussions of their childishness and lack of honor would entail. I trusted these people to be ethical, especially given the trivial nature of each incident. I would have expected them to retain their honor, even if I had offended them in a serious way. My friend trusted in her spiritual mentor to keep her integrity. The tradition in question counted on this famous elder to stick to her oath.
These are but a few examples of this behavior. The list is, sadly, much larger and growing daily.
So, what's it all worth to us? Is our honor so easily sold to save face or protect our image? Is it so cheap that if someone disagrees we divulge their identities in revenge? Do we so easily wreak havoc on the lives and traditions of those with whom we were once friends or coven-mates simply to cover our backsides or mete out punishment for assumed offenses?
Social media could be a factor. Certainly, the anonymity of venues like Facebook and Twitter allows for the freedom to commit acts of dishonor more frequently than if faced with the physical reactions of those hurt by those actions.
But, in the long-run, to treat honor, integrity, fairness and respect so lightly only feeds into the stereotypes that we, and those who have gone before us, have fought to change in the world view of us. It fosters a lack of trust within our ranks as well. If we allow these behaviors to go on unchallenged, then we are just as guilty, and we'll get what we deserve-together.
To Know. To Dare. To Will. To Keep Silent. These are hallowed words for many of us. At least, they were.It is our choice to allow our community to devolve into unscrupulousness, or elevate it to a level of credibility worthy of value in society. It is we who determine its price.