March 18, 2005 - No shit, there it is. How come I didn't see this before?

Talking with Narabali today cleared a lot of things up. She's got an amazing ability to straighten things out and talk through them. I'm going to miss her when she moves out of the country.

In the end, it came down to what I think clergy is. We chatted back and forth for a while, using the LiveJournal entry I made last night as a jumping-off point.

We never actually defined clergy, but we talked about what it meant to us.

A lot of it revolved around why I would want an "official" designation of clergy. There are a few reasons why.

First, only ordained clergy can perform marriages in Ohio. This might seem like a small thing to some, but it's become a huge thing for me. I talked a while back about gay marriage; ordination would, should I choose to become involved in activism, lend some legitimacy to my activities. Performing a marriage ceremony that is not legally binding due to my non-ordination is an entirely ineffective way to go about trying to change things, but performing one that is legally binding in all things except the gender of the bride and/or groom is an effective means of protest.

Why not just get an internet ordination? Can't do that in Ohio. ULC ordinations aren't legal here for marriages. Besides, I'd feel really weird being ordained in some other organization.

So we have one thing: marriage.

But am I really interested in activism? Yes, but it's not a primary reason to reach out to become clergy. What I really want is to provide members of my Grove with the ability to get married by someone who shares their faith that they have immediate access to. I have been elected Senior Druid of this Grove, and our bylaws make me the spiritual leader of the Grove. I need to be able to perform these rites for our members.

Narabali asked me a very pertinent question, though: what would I be doing if I wasn't SD? Or if I was solitary?

I told her that if I wasn't SD, I would still be leading rites, helping with liturgy, giving advice on DP's, providing prayers and laughter and shoulders to cry on. I mean, that's what I feel that I'm supposed to do.

If I wasn't with a Grove, I'd be doing al this stuff long distance, via email or phone.

"You aren't doing this for you," she replied. "This much is obvious."

She's right. I feel blind that I didn't see it before now, but she's definitely right.

I suddenly feel like I've found my calling.

It was right there all along: I just needed someone to show me where to look. I even recognized it when it bit me on the nose.

Thanks, Narabali.

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