Let’s break Paganism, together, shall we?
The Cesar Tower of Provins
The Tour César is a 12th-century keep, built on the highest point of the medieval town of Provins in the Seine-et-Marne department of France. It served various functions throughout its history, including a watchtower, prison, and bell tower. Perhaps a future Pagan Homeland?
Think of the Tower card in Tarot. It often shows a structure that's no longer working well, about to fall apart. As someone who reads Tarot, I see this as a choice: we can either be overwhelmed by the chaos of things changing, or we can face it head-on. For Deeply Rooted Church, my role as a caretaker means both embracing the changes that come and actively working against anything that holds us back.
Sophia’s Plum Grove, Deeply Rooted Church
Our shared collective knowledge on how to run our businesses, churches, and other Pagan-based organizations is useless unless we have pride in ourselves to work together. How do we access information and different ways of thinking without completely destroying one another?
This idea helps explain where we are right now – with the Pagan Homeland Collaboration, Deeply Rooted Church itself, and the wider Pagan community. Even though Deeply Rooted Church has seen different leaders and changes over its 25 years as a non-profit, our core remains strong. We have a solid network of our religious leaders, caretakers, and members. Even when we don't all agree on every detail, we communicate well and work together professionally towards our shared goals.
Deeply Rooted Church
Founded in 1999 by Wade Mueller. It was originally intended to be an off-the-grid, intentional community. Do you think that we’re still living that vision in the current Deeply Rooted Church model?
Too often, I think we, as a larger Pagan community, accept failure too easily. We sometimes seem to wait for someone or something to magically lift us to the next level. But as Pagans, we understand that no divine being is going to suddenly appear with all the answers. There's no mystical sign saying Odin, the Morrigan, or Hestia will swoop in and fix our problems for us. We have to take action ourselves.
Odin, The Allfather, Norse Pantheon
Odin is an extremely important figure in ancient Norse society however, the only thing he ever promised to get rid of was the Frost Giants - and I don’t see any of those around here, do you?
I see Deeply Rooted Church, the organization, like a person growing up. When I first came here, it was about 12 years old. As a parent of five, I know that kids this age can be a bit disorganized, not always reliable, sometimes messy, and have interesting priorities! For its age, Deeply Rooted was actually doing very well.
Ancestor Shrine, Deeply Rooted Church, Athens WI
Our land has had as much a past as our organization. The Behm family (Wade’s ancestors) fought the land to be a productive barley farm. The land had a greater destiny, however, could the Behms see that destiny in light of their own failure?
Now, Deeply Rooted is 25 years old. We've been through tough times – disagreements, breakups, all sorts of human mistakes that could sound like a comedy show if I listed them all. But through it all, we've used every challenge as a chance to learn and grow, just like a 25-year-old adult who doesn't expect someone else to clean up their messes.
Rev. John Robinson, Kemetic Path, Deeply Rooted Church
Rev. Robinson is a leader within our community and also an elder. He freely shares his wisdom and insight with our membership and guests that visit our land. Do you need support? Contact us.
Recently, after some great talks with our members, other outside community leaders, and the board, I’m presenting the idea of marketing Deeply Rooted Church as The First Pagan Homeland. I'm so thankful for a supportive team that gives such helpful feedback. Moving forward does not mean that it’s happening - the magick is in the discussions open up new pathways for us.
246037 Bungaloo Road, Athens WI
Roundtable discussion creates an environment of sharing ideas. We don’t have to decide on an idea indefinitely… as Pagans we have the opportunity to embrace a season of how ideas can manifest, rather than committing to an impossible standard for ourselves.
I'm tired of accepting defeat. I'm tired of seeing my community assuming things will fail. Yes, some things will, but we've had many more successes than failures. I'm also tired of judging our success by standards that don't really fit Pagan culture. I think sometimes we get close to achieving something big, and then we doubt ourselves or lose our drive. And finally, I'm tired of "Pagan Standard Time" – we have the ability to be on time - it takes effort and sacrifice on everyone’s part.
Thistles, Deeply Rooted Church
These thistles can be a thorn in your side or they can be used in pollination gardens to save our bees. Ideas that we have to further Paganism are similar - how will you choose to use your knowledge, experience, successes, and failures to share in our collective definition?
So, let's talk about breaking the mold. Should we challenge the ways things have always been done and embrace our growth as a community? Or am I completely off track? There are no wrong answers here – what are your thoughts? Let's have a real discussion.
