This Is a Way of Life. You Can Ritually Commit to It.

Atheopaganism is a Pagan path without “degrees”, levels of initiation, clergy statuses, etc. We’re all of equal value on this planet and in this practice, and so we say that any Atheopagan with the skills and inclination may, say, officiate at a wedding or a funeral, or perform pastoral counseling. What is important is not the “status” of the individual, but their abilities. This is why we emphasize learning ritual skills as a part of developing as an Atheopagan, because Atheopaganism isn’t just about what you believe; it’s about what you do.

All that said, while neither I nor anyone else can “initiate” you as an Atheopagan, you can certainly dedicate yourself to this path ritually on your own or with fellow travelers upon it.

Recently, a student in the Atheopaganism U. class described her ritual of commitment to the Atheopagan Four Pillars and 13 Principles. She described what was for her a powerful rite of dedication and commencement upon a lifelong path of learning and practice.

I was moved by this and I thought, well, of course. If ours is a path of equality, surely we can still, as individuals, ritually denote that we are devoting ourselves to it without giving someone else the power to be “clergy”. If we are the “priest/esses” in our lives, we can give ourselves the sense of passing into a new state in our lives through an initiatory ritual.

If Atheopaganism feels right to you, I encourage you to create a personal (or shared, if you have friends who feel the same) ritual to say to your deepest self, This is who I am. This is what I choose, at least for now. I commit myself to this worldview, these values, this practice.

As a part of the ritual, I suggest “consecrating” a symbol of some kind that you can carry with you or wear as a part of your daily life. An Atheopagan suntree is an obvious choice, but it can be whatever works for you.

You’ll be surprised at how differently you may feel after such an initiation. I did a self-initiation many years ago and it fundamentally changed my understanding of my relationship to my work and my path in the world.