by Rev. Terry Riley

Wiccans, by definition, are deeply involved in their environment – the community in which they live. They worship the Earth; they take care of and are concerned about protecting it. Most are involved in environmental issues pertaining to preservation of our Holy Mother Earth, if not nationally then locally, especially in their private practice of the Faith. We profess about our “Pagan” communities, which include our fellow Pagans; but that also includes, by our faith, the trees, bugs, animals, spirits of the land, and all levels of vibratory existence on multiple levels of consciousness. Yes we are a “Nature Religion.” Well if our commitment to our Tenets doesn’t include all levels of our community, are we being too exclusive? Shouldn’t we, as Wiccans, pay more attention and get more involved in national and world events? Especially since these affect our communities in which we live and how we practice our faith.

Many current issues in the mainstream of our culture are being brought into a conversational debate nationwide and moving into governmental policies. Whether we want to admit it or not these policies affect our freedoms and rights. Now in the last twenty years there has been a shift in certain groups in America on how to gain control over these policies. Case in point: In 1995 at a meeting in Memphis, TN, a group of conservative Christians, called The Christian Coalition, who had a membership of 40 million in the U.S. at that time, laid out a plan to take control of the government. The main speaker said, “If we want to get our agenda into law we have to become a silent guerrilla army. We have to get our people voted in starting at the local levels. During the election, if they want to talk about cable TV, we talk about cable TV, when we get in office we vote against abortion. They don’t have to know our real agenda. Statistics show only about 30 percent of the eligible voters actually vote. All we have to do is control 10 percent of that vote and we can get whatever we want instituted into law.”

Now that is a sobering thought. To know that there groups in our country plotting to take control of the constitution of the U.S. But what can we, as Wiccans, do? Well aren’t we as our religion claims, “Keepers of the Earth?” First, every Wiccan/Pagan needs to be a registered voter and VOTE. By doing this we can send a message to the politicians that we have a voice and our concerns and opinions need to be valued. Make no mistake – most of elected officials do not care about moral or religious standards of any group per say. But if that group is the one who holds most of the votes that keep it in office, that’s who they listen too. After all they’re supposed to represent the people, but if only one third of the people are talking and voting, then that one third are in control.

Today Wicca is the fifth fastest growing religion in the United States. An estimated 10 million people are Wiccan or have interest in the faith. If we were to become more politically active and more public about it, that might help level the playing field in the political arena.