Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Wicca a Religion of Clergy?

Just started to read Starhawk's The Spiral Dance. What I don't get is this:

Quote from: Starhawk 1999, p.38
"Every initiate is considered a priestess or priest; Witchcraft is a religion of clergy."
I guess you can practice witchcraft without being a priest/ess, so she's aparently speaking only about Wicca. But why is it a religion of clergy? Why are the initiates priests/esses?

Aren't they all equal anyway, except for the high priest and high priestess?

Or is it a matter of everyone being basically able to lead a ritual? But isn't priest/ess about intermediate-ship, wouldn't it become obsolete once you have a group where everybody is a priest/ess? Or is it to stress the difference to the non-initiates?

I guess I'm somewhat predisposed through my Catholic upbringing, please explain me what I don't get.

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