Shanddaramon

AM – This week our Featured Author is Shanddaramon. He is the author of several books, including “The Five Rings: A Guide to Pagan Ministry” and “Pagan Degrees For Children,” and is an ordained minister in the Sacred Order of Living Paganism. Thank you for sharing your time with us today Shanddaramon!

S – You’re most welcome! It is my pleasure.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself.

S – Well, I am a college professor by day and write Pagan books between teaching and helping to take care of my 2 year old daughter. I have about 12 books currently published. Two are by a commercial publisher and the rest are self-published. After my first two were published I got tired of trying to write books that would sell and wanted to write books about the things I felt I could offer to others.

AM – What led you to the Pagan path?

S – It all began on my birthday. I was living in Vermont at the time and wanted to do something more meaningful for my birthday which happens to be near the Winter Solstice. I found out about a local Pagan group and a ritual that they planned to hold on the lawn of the Vermont State House on the evening of the Solstice. I decided to attend – and it changed my life. I found what I had been searching for all my life which is a religion that made sense for me and for our times.

AM – Can you tell us more about “The Five Rings: A Guide to Pagan Ministry”?

S – The Five Rings is a work that I had been developing for quite a number of years. Just before publishing my first book in 2001, I took a job in North Carolina as a Director of Music and Arts at a large Unitarian-Universalist Church. They had a tradition of leading small group services on Wednesday nights. I decided to start a Pagan Studies class and became the unofficial director of Pagan Studies. U-U Churches (as they are called) do not have a single creed of belief to which all members must adhere. Because of this fact, people of many different spiritual practices are attracted to the church. We already had Buddhist meditations, Jewish celebrations, Hindu services, and classes for several other religious traditions but there was none at the time for Pagans so I took upon myself to start one. After a slow start, my classes began to pick up and we developed a regular group of practitioners. Eventually, they wanted to do more than just attend classes so we started doing rituals and I began to incorporate a five degree system that I had developed for myself. Eventually, the members of the group needed more than just classes and rituals. People began seeking spiritual counseling and direction. I studied these skills in earnest and developed ways to apply what I learned to the Pagan community. The result of those years of research and practice developed into the book.

The Five Rings stand for the five types of skills that I think all Pagan ministers need to develop. They are: Caring (Spiritual Advising and Listening), Sharing (Spiritual Direction), Declaring (leading special rituals such as Handfastings and Weddings), Preparing (teaching), and Repairing (leading and taking spiritual retreats). Each section of the book discusses each area in detail and offers exercises for individuals or groups.

AM – I actually just started reading “The Five Rings” last night and am really enjoying it so far. Can you explain briefly the need for more Pagan Ministers and how they differ from a High Priest or High Priestess?

S – I never want to tell other Pagan groups what to do or what titles to use. I can only tell you that in our tradition that we developed from my years at the church that we used the titles of Priest and Priestess to mean something different than the title of Pagan Minister though the the roles often overlap. To me, a High Priest and High Priestess is someone who is an expert in leading group rituals. Pagan Ministers, on the other hand, are experts in ministering and aiding others. I realize that often the HP and HPS of a group do individual ministering and we expected people to earn those titles first before becoming ministers but I have always felt strongly that a Pagan minister must learn and experience much more to truly help people in need. This is especially true for Pagans who often do not know who they can turn to for help. Every religious tradition has ways of applying their religious principles to make the lives of their practitioners better and Paganism is no exception. This is what I wanted to express in my book.

AM – Can you tell us more about “Pagan Degrees For Children”?

S – This is another book that developed from my experience with the Pagan group in North Carolina that eventually became the Sacred Order of Living Paganism. As more and more adults began to attend the classes, they began to also bring their children. We decided to develop a degree program for the children so that they could have their own classes to attend. I developed a system similar to my adult degree system but modified it greatly to work for the needs and motivations of children. The system uses three degrees. The first degree is divided further into several smaller degrees each of which uses the name of an animal and then several colors of dragons. Since the first degree is for younger children, the number of small goals created through the animal degrees provides them with easy to obtain milestones. The second and third degrees are designed for older children and are, therefore, a bit more challenging. The main focus of these degrees is on obtaining what I call Achievement Awards which are similar to the concept of merit badges. Having a variety of Awards to choose from makes the system very flexible and interesting for children.

AM – Most degree study programs only cater to adults. What did you incorporate to make the program engaging for children of ages 5 – 18? Can the whole family get involved?

S – Most groups do a very good job of developing training programs for adults but often forget that children like to explore and learn as well. Since religion is not taught in schools (except, of course, in religious schools), parents are often left to teaching those concepts to their children. I wanted to create a system for children that focused on learning Pagan concepts as well as principles of good living. Children can work with their parents or guardians alone to earn the Awards and meet the requirements or they can work together in groups. Since an adult is required to sign off on the Awards and the Degrees, I highly encourage families to get involved and to seek out other adults who may have a particular expertise to offer training as well.

AM – Tell us more about the Sacred Order of Living Paganism and where our readers can go to get more information about the organization.

S – The SOLP grew out of my time in North Carolina but the original groups have disbanded. I moved to Massachusetts and incorporated the name there. For now, the group consists mostly of people who study with me online and who have since started their own groups based on our studies. Interestingly enough, the largest number of members comes from South Africa although I have members from across the United States, Canada, and other countries. The constitution of the SOLP allows people to develop their own classes and groups once they have earned the first of five degrees.

AM – Think back to your first book release. Were you nervous? Do you still feel that way about new releases?

S – I was nervous because I had no idea how the book would turn out and how it would be received. I am less nervous now about book releases since I am now in control of every single aspect of its publication. I write and format the text, design the covers, and send out information wherever I can about them. I am no longer concerned about how well they do because I do not have to please a publisher. I write because I love to write and hope that the product of my passion will reach help others.

AM – What can we expect to see next from you?

S – The next book to come out is a collection of original Pagan aphorisms that uses the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. It is titled The Five Pointed Way. I am currently working on a book of rituals designed for the Pagan family. The rituals will be designed to be used by solitary practitioners or by families with children. There will also be many tips on how children can be included in rituals. After that, I plan to publish a book of original Pagan chants and songs developed over the years. Many of them were designed to be used in rituals.

AM – What do you think is the most important piece of advice that you would give an unpublished Pagan writer?

S – My advice is to first explore deeply within yourself to find out why you want to write a particular book. Is it to become famous and to earn respect from your peers or is it because you feel that you have truly something important to say? Your honest answer to that question will decide what success is for you. I know that I will never make great amounts of money from my writing because they appeal to a small audience. Fortunately, I have a job that pays the bills but I write because I have something to say and because I think that what I have to say is important. If there are a few people out there who benefit from my works then that is my reward. I write because I cannot NOT write just as I cannot stop breathing. If that kind of burning passion about your writing exists within you then write, write, write, and consider the results later.

AM – Where can we go to purchase “The Five Rings: A Guide to Pagan Ministry” and “Pagan Degrees For Children”?

S – All my books are available on major online retailers. You can also ask your local bookstore to order them. My first two books are available from New Page Books and the rest are available from Astor Press.

AM – We really appreciate your time Shanddaramon! Thank you for joining us and we wish you the best of luck with these and future releases.