An Interview with
Eleuthera

Hellenic neo-Pagan

Q. Tell us a little about yourself?

I am just a person. Like everyone else. I have my faults and my good points. I have a history that is just my version of every man, woman and beast’s story. I was raised in a convent, studied drama after that. But that was back in the days of the old apartheid (as opposed to the new apartheid) so Equity bans ended what would have been an abysmal career anyway. So I became a jack-of-all-trades and a master of one or two of them. After an extended illness, I decided to put all my wasted energy to better use and embarked upon a spiritual odyssey of self-transformation. I guess you get to a turning point in life where it’s either make or break. So I decided to make it. It’s a long way up when you hit rock bottom. The last ten years have been the slow ascent. Learning the ropes. Finding out the pitfalls in life. The good ways to climb and the easy ways to fall. So who am I? Just a student of life who just happens to use Pagan tools to find her way.

Q. How and why were you led to become a Pagan? What kind of Pagan are you?

How and why did I become a Pagan? I had just come out of a long-term relationship, had just lost a business and had just been through nine hospitalizations. A real mess. I realized that I needed some form of spirituality if I hoped to survive in this world. You could say that up until that time I had a ‘callous’ youth. I had heard that Pagans were starting to gather in SA and I set out to find them. I found a string of teachers and each one of them had something different to teach, another piece in the puzzle so to speak.

What kind of Pagan am I? I am a self-sufficient Pagan. My interest in ritual and magic has waned over the years but my love for the religion has grown from strength to strength. What do you say about a form of spirituality that can take a broken person and make them whole. I found true healing here. My chosen field of religious study is the mysteries of Ancient Greece incorporating early cosmology and metaphysics. My personal spiritual practice involves methods of self-transformation, research into my chosen field, psychically counseling others and teaching kundalini yoga to other women.

Q. Do you remember much about the early days of Paganism in SA when the PFSA was being formed?

No. Thanks to my hypnotherapist, I have successfully managed to forget the early days of SA Paganism. It could be denial or total amnesia. I will let you know if I ever remember. All jokes aside, I do remember that we were all much younger (spiritually and emotionally) and hadn’t yet learnt that power without applied wisdom is corrosive. We had much to learn about retaining our humanity (compassion, mercy and all that gunk) and maintaining our sense of humors. Everyone took it too seriously. A good friend and great teacher of mine passed away on winter solstice last year (ironically it was also his birthday) and he always used to quote Robespierre, ‘ God is a comedian playing to an audience with absolutely no sense of humour’. There is a great lesson in acknowledging our own absurdity. Both as individuals and as a community.

Q. Do you think Pagans are looking for representation in SA?

I can’t talk for other Pagans but from a personal perspective, I am not looking for representation at all. You said a long time ago that politics and religion don’t mix. I disagreed with you then out of gullibility and inexperience. But I take it back. You were right. Religion and politics have no place together.

Q. Do you think there is a place for Pagan clergy?

I do think there is a place for Pagan clergy but I shudder to think of the politics involved. A great deal of individual spiritual growth must be sacrificed in order to become bureaucratic enough to have an organized clergy. And alas any clergy needs to be organized, preferably unified and have standards if it is to have integrity. The old adage ‘Too many chiefs…’ applies.

Q. Tell us more about the Hellenic 'heroic' path.

The Hellenic tradition is really a generic expression to encompass many different inner traditions that all derive origin or are inspired by the Hellenic body of mythos. The various inner traditions are based on sometimes-strict disciplines, codes of behaviour and are fairly demanding time-wise. It is the ideal tradition for those with lifetime dedications who are patient enough to spend years wading through all the misinformation to get to the heart of the matter.

Q. I believe you are getting married to another Pagan soon? Will you be hand-fasted and who will be officiating the ceremony?

Both of us are very casual, very private people who abhor fuss so there is no big wedding per se. Hand-fasting is out of the question because it is not recognized legally and I couldn’t cope with two ceremonies. So the officiating body is the local Magistrate for the paperwork whilst our spiritual commitment will take place in a private ritual.

Q. Have you met with any secular Pagans yet? Do you think there is a place for secular Paganism in SA?

I haven’t personally met any secular Pagans and am quite confused with the association. I do understand the psychology of it though and ultimately to each their own.

Q. Do you think the PFSA is a neutral Pagan organization capable of representing the interests of the Pagan communities in SA? What about Donna Vos's new group the Circle under an African Moon?

The perception of neutrality lies in the eyes of the observer. I am not in a position to judge the capabilities of either the PFSA or the Circle under an African Moon. I haven’t read the book, haven’t done the courses, don’t attend the rituals and haven’t watched the TV programmes. Perhaps the solution is for all organizations to be disbanded and one new unified body to be formed with democratically elected representatives. I know other Pagans who would prefer a state of anarchy. You can’t ever keep everyone happy. Each group must sweep in front of their own doorsteps and represent their own interests.

Q. What's it like being a Pagan mom?

Being a parent is the hardest challenge anyone can face and it’s the same for every parent regardless of religion. My son has a basic understanding of what makes Pagans different to other religions. But he is more interested in acquiring a Play station 2 than worrying about spirituality. It doesn’t matter what you teach them, they are still going to grow up believing exactly what they want to. Just like we did. His religion at the moment is soccer, PS2 and mass consumerism in general. His God is the Mighty Buck. Kids are kids regardless of what you tell them to believe in. Being a parent tests each and every facet of your personality. One cannot survive without being jaded.