The Role and Misuse of Modern Sacrifice
I look through photos of a friend's clan's ritual and come to one of a nice cello surrounded by firewood, nestled in a small circle of stones. Even though I can extrapolate what almost certainly then happened, I have to click through to the next picture of the flames licking the bottom of the instrument, then the cello engulfed, then close-ups of the burned and useless husk. My throat feels thick just looking at this; if any group should be sensitive about burning things at the stake, one would imagine it would be Witches. Worse, I know the woman who lovingly took the photos, who prides herself on being a musician far more than a Pagan, but who apparently didn't offer a word to stop this. None of the many Pagan attendees apparently had a solitary issue with this immolation.
I send a message to the friend, politely demanding she tell me that there was a very good reason for doing this. While I am annoyed, I am willing to allow for some extenuating circumstance I cannot currently fathom. She assures me that there was a good reason, but doesn't offer it. I reiterate my request, my phrasing slightly less polite and more insistent, and she tells me that the cello would have been pricy to fix so they decided to torch it to manifest a new one.
"It could have been donated to a school for a nice tax write-off and quite a bit of positive karma," I write.
"But it was painted on."
"Paint can be stripped and instruments revarnished. I'm sure a school would love to have fixed it up to give it to some kid." Furthermore, how much credibility would this clan get if the donation was publicly credited to them? How many generations of kids would think a little better of Pagans because a coven of Witches helped them become musicians? And how loudly would these Witches have mocked a group of Christians who pulled an identical stunt, expecting that Jesus would respond positively to a burnt offering in this age? There were numerous and better mundane solutions to the issue of a broken cello (give it away, donate it, sell it, repurpose it) that would have bettered the world. Instead, a beautiful and expensive instrument was a minute's worth of kindling.
Even assuming this is how the divine works, I can't imagine a godhead who would be too pleased by these actions. If I gave a child some wonderful gift and their response was to utterly destroy it because they were done with it and then ask for a new one, I would ground them for a month and force them to volunteer helping some people who are truly in need so they could learn to appreciate what they have. They would absolutely never get a new cello after behaving so disrespectfully. Conversely, if I saw my child give their cherished toy to someone else who would appreciate it so that it might continue to do good in the world, I would be far more inclined toward assisting them toward a new one.
While I am not faulting this clan their wish to destroy this instrument - it was theirs and, while I disagree with their choice, they are free to do what they wish with their property - it leans too close to an issue I have. To a large extent, I see this level of supernatural entitlement among Pagans I encounter, even and especially those who should be past the adolescent allure of magick as a way to "get stuff." They spend $50 buying herbs, spices, and rocks so they can do a spell to help them pay the rent. They shun their "normal" friends, hygiene, and social skills because they are going to enchant that utterly unattainable person to love them. They act as if their religion were a celestial gumball machine, taking no blame for personal failures because they won't manifest their will in the real world by working for their goals. I'm not sure what lessons you took from Gerald Gardner, but let me assure you that a successful Witch tends to be a successful person (even and especially if that success is simply appreciative satisfaction for what one has). And, most importantly, this shows a grave misunderstanding to the concept of sacrifice.
Sacrifice has a long pedigree in Pagan paths, as is evidenced in people still associating Paganism with the human sacrifices of millennia past. Indeed, the act of sacrifice is a powerful one, but it needs to be repurposed in a modern age (as much does). If you think it is spiritual to burn food in front of starving people in hopes that your gods will bring this back to you in triplicate, you are utterly missing the point and sowing animosity from all sides. Instead, work with personal sacrifice. Sacrifice by donating your time and money to a charity or food bank. Sacrifice by going without, by living simply so that others may simply live. If you do not need something that it is still useful, give it to someone who will appreciate it before you douse it in lighter fluid in hopes Santa Odin will put a new one under your Yule tree.
We are put on this Earth to do good for others. We serve the world, it does not serve us nor should we expect it to.
