Paganism encourages individuality and with that comes a level of personal responsibility often lacking in other religions. In fact it’s this idea of personal accountability that helped to draw me to the Pagan path. I came from a United Methodist/ Wesleyan background where everything was part of their god’s plan or will and everything was beyond our control and we weren’t responsible for our lives because it was all in their god’s hands or conversely our behavior was swayed by the devil, again taking away our responsibility for ourselves and placing it elsewhere. This never sat well with me, even as a child. I always felt that people should be held accountable for their actions and that there was no divine (positive or negative) force compelling them to behave in certain ways. Now, I know that not all Christians absolve themselves of personal responsibility but it is a theme that can often be found in the religion and it is not the only reason I left the fold.
When I found Paganism I was refreshed by the idea that life was not in the gods hands but in our own and that we had the responsibility of shaping our own lives. A central theme of Paganism is that we are responsible for everything we do and that we must accept the consequences for those behaviors, be they positive or negative. Even if you don’t believe in karma (as I don’t) the idea of personal responsibility is still strong in Paganism. In Paganism we strive to manifest our will, yes we may seek the assistance of the gods in our endeavors but the responsibility sits on our shoulders not theirs. We make the decision as to what we want to manifest in our lives and how to go about achieving that manifestation and we must face the consequences that are brought about by our actions.
When we practice this sort of personal responsibility in our spiritual practice it bleeds over into our mundane lives as well. Once entrenched in our psyche from our magickal ethics and beliefs it becomes a practice that becomes part of our day to day lives. We see how our actions have consequences and we know that we are directly responsible for the consequences. When I worked in mental/behavioral health I always emphasized with clients that they see what are called the natural consequences of their actions. While it may seem simple enough to say that behavior A causes consequence B it is surprising how many people don’t see how their behavior directly causes something to happen. Pagans tend to understand this concept much better because they have learned to see that their behavior has a direct effect on the world around them.
Paganism offers a level of autonomy in spiritual practice that, in my opinion, is unique. This autonomy and level of individuality also breeds the sense of personal responsibility. We are not part of a hive mind, even if we practice with others, ultimately we fly solo on our spiritual journey. Pagans must find their own path and so there is no one to place responsibility on but ourselves. It is our own responsibility to seek out the knowledge we need to practice and to find the answers we seek. No one can walk our path for us, we must do our own work on the spiritual road.
Just because we’re Pagan doesn’t mean we are masters of personal responsibility though. It is still a process. We don’t start out accepting that everything is our responsibility. This is a lesson that takes time but it is worth the time and effort. Those who have lived without this sense of personal responsibility can find such a thought terrifying. It can be hard to accept that we are responsible for ourselves when we’ve lived a life were everything is blamed on someone or something else. The thought that we have shaped our own lives can be scary, especially if we haven’t done a stellar job of shaping our reality. Ultimately, though when we learn to accept the truth that we shape our own reality and take responsibility for that shaping we become empowered and liberated. What was scary can come to be seen as a gift because we realize we have the power to write our own story.