Introduction

Despite endless training and a well-honed collection of specialized tools for the job, chaplaincy often comes down to this: meeting face-to-face with a person in distress who knows me only as “the Chaplain” and, in this moment, cares to know no more about me than what I can and will do to help right now.  I know only that it is my job to be here– now–and to help.

My tools are myself and the contents of my pockets.  My physical presence is important – and there may be nothing more needed than for me to listen actively and attentively.  It may even be sufficient that I am known to be in the room–or at least in earshot.  I must assume that, as a chaplain, I might be a blank screen bearing the projections of all concerned (maybe even my own) of their conceptions of God's representative–or even of Deity Itself .  Walking with them might help them weather the storm or, with inattentive demeanor or inept intervention, magnify the crisis of faith riding in on the breeze.

I am a Pagan priestess, trained and ordained, called by the Goddess – Our Lady of the Silver Boot – to be here, now – mind, body, and spirit – bringing all of my resources and Hers to bear on the situation unfolding before me.  At the same time, I am a chaplain, trusted and commissioned by the organization that brought me to this place and this person in distress, to bring all of my resources and the organization's resources to bear on the situation in the name of that organization.

This is interfaith service in no uncertain terms.  The person in need of my help may be of any faith – or claim none.  The organization which empowers me to serve is, more likely than not, bound to serve without discrimination on the basis of religion.  The others with whom I serve and share the learning experiences of our service may be of any faith; we are colleagues in service, whatever our sustaining communities of faith and particulars of calling.

Because it is my belief that we as Pagan clergy have much to offer in service as chaplains and because I believe that working side-by-side in mutual respect with other clergy in interfaith service is an important contributor to peace in our anxious world, I offer these gleanings from my experiences and education.  I can only speak here for myself and from my own understanding of what I have read and observed.  I encourage others who consider entering this service to explore the references and links when discerning their own leadings toward chaplaincy.

 

Why now?  Why me?   

As I write, in April 2011 in the USA, Pagan clergy are beginning to be accepted among the leaders and workers of other religions in advocacy, scholarship, and interfaith concerns.   We have and assert (cautiously) protection under the Constitution of the United States from discrimination by institutions under its authority.  Such institutions are careful now to interact with us fairly, and those which do not face legal challenges.  At the time of writing, the appeal of the Reverend Patrick McCollum lies before the Appeals Court of the 9th Circuit, challenging the unfair treatment accorded him as a Pagan volunteer chaplain by the California Department of Corrections.1  With reasonable presentation, other Pagans are beginning to find volunteer and paid opportunities to serve as chaplains in public and some private organizations.

The doors are opening, but the hands of real people with their own experiences and interpretations are on the handles on each side.  How we present ourselves, enter, and make ourselves at home will affect our opportunities for years to come.  I am one of those who would prefer to knock the doors down and stride in triumphantly, but I know that I could not do so without a negative impact to the Pagan community and to the people I might otherwise serve.  Bowing to the wisdom of the Crone, I am taking the following steps.

From sometime in 2004 through the present, I have served as a volunteer Pastoral Caregiver at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, VA, an 860-bed general hospital and regional trauma center.2  On first offering my volunteer services, I was turned down: the Manager feared for his job if it became known he had added a Witch to his operation – real people, real experiences, leading to valid personal concerns.  Later, the Manager accepted my administrative services in the office – but not visiting patients – as long as I just identified myself as a Quaker when asked (and in a chaplaincy office, I would be asked as a matter of course).  With time and openness with the Manager, I was allowed to start visiting patients.

After my father's Crossing in December 2005, the Manager began sending me to patients in end-of-life situations, which he had protected me from while my father was in his final illness, and I became an on-call interfaith chaplain.  As such, one weekend a month, on average, I carry a pager and respond when a chaplain is requested for an impending or problematic death.  Finally, within the past year, the Manager has become comfortable enough with me and secure enough in his own position that he has freed me of the restriction on informing other staff and volunteer chaplains of my Pagan affiliation.  

As at Saint Elizabeth’s, I refrained from mentioning my Pagan side to patients, family, and visitors in the interest of keeping the focus of conversation on them rather then myself: this is part of my service.  Others chaplains who encounter possibly Pagan patients let me know, and when I visit those patients, I am open about both sides of my faith.

Since 2002, I have studied at Cherry Hill Seminary (with a break from taking courses while I was at Saint Elizabeth’s), and I am currently enrolled in the program leading to a Master of Divinity degree in Pagan Pastoral Counseling.  Even though Cherry Hill Seminary will not have achieved accreditation by the time I complete the degree, I will submit that necessary application to the Association of Professional Chaplains toward completing my BCC.

It has taken me seven years to reach the significant milestone scheduled for next September 22, 2011:  the Manager of the Pastoral Care Department at Inova Fairfax Hospital has asked me to address the rest of the volunteer pastoral caregivers and on-call chaplains with a presentation on Pagans in the hospital setting, including my own spirituality and affiliations.  It is expected to be somewhat controversial, as at least half of the potential listeners will be the Roman Catholic Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist whose service at the hospital is only to their fellow Catholics and whose interfaith sophistication is limited.

As I see it, in September I will introduce Paganism to my colleagues in chaplaincy, and in this treatise, I am introducing interfaith hospital chaplaincy, as I see it, to my fellow Pagans.  And the broom closet is closed and locked behind me.

 

Chaplaincy  

Chaplains are spiritual caregivers who are retained or empowered by an organization to support the  spiritual and emotional well being of its clients, staff, visitors, or other individuals served by the organization.  Chaplains are, in general, individuals endorsed by a faith group as clergy or a near equivalent to serve in that role in the group's name – after which the faith group's role is only as support to the individual as a member of the faith group, not to the organization's mission.  The organization, having accepted the individual's services based on its mission and the endorsement of the faith group, defines the individual's mission as a chaplain and empowers the chaplain to fulfill it.

 

Certification

The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) has established the gold standard for education, endorsement, and experience that has found the most favor among organizations that hire chaplains, and its certification is often a requirement for employment.  Several faith-specific organizations offer similar certification that is considered the equivalent in the United States, but APC serves the widest base and is best known of the interfaith groups.

I have found groups on the Internet that present themselves as similar, but I have not seen them listed among the accepted certifiers of a chaplain's qualifications.  Perhaps we will one day establish a Pagan or interfaith chaplain's association that will achieve an equivalent credibility.  If in the meantime we can help APC to gain a thoroughly-diverse interfaith understanding, we will eliminate that need.

According to APC, a board-certified chaplain is defined as:

"A person who has demonstrated professional excellence as a chaplain, meeting all eligibility requirements including a Bachelor’s Degree, a 72-semester credit graduate theological degree from an accredited school, four units of clinical pastoral education (CPE), ordination or commissioning to function in a ministry of pastoral care, and ecclesiastical endorsement by a recognized faith group, is recommended by a Certification Committee, approved by the Commission on Certification, and ratified by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. Board of Directors.”3

The excellence is expected to have been demonstrated through at least 2000 hours of service as a chaplain after the completion of the four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE).  The proficiencies that must be demonstrated through the application and interview process are worth enumerating, as a similar list guides CPE:

Section I. Theory of Pastoral Care Competencies

TPC1: Articulate a theology of spiritual care that is integrated with a theory of pastoral practice.

TPC2: Incorporate a working knowledge of psychological and sociological disciplines and religious beliefs and practices in the provision of pastoral care.

TPC3: Incorporate the spiritual and emotional dimensions of human development into the practice of pastoral care.

TPC4: Incorporate a working knowledge of ethics appropriate to the pastoral context.

TPC5: Articulate a conceptual understanding of group dynamics and organizational behavior.

Section II: Identity and Conduct Competencies

IDC1: Function pastorally in a manner that respects the physical, emotional, and spiritual boundaries of others.

IDC2: Use pastoral authority appropriately.

IDC3: Identify one’s professional strengths and limitations in the provision of pastoral care.

IDC4: Articulate ways in which one’s feelings, attitudes, values and assumptions affect one’s pastoral care.

IDC5: Advocate for the persons in one’s care.

IDC6: Function within the Common Code of Ethics for Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, Pastoral Educators and Students.

IDC7: Attend to one’s own physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

IDC8: Communicate effectively orally and in writing.

IDC9: Present oneself in a manner that reflects professional behavior, including appropriate attire and personal hygiene.

Section III: Pastoral Competencies

PAS1: Establish, deepen and end pastoral relationships with sensitivity, openness and respect.

PAS2: Provide effective pastoral support that contributes to well-being of patients, their families and staff.

PAS3: Provide pastoral care that respects diversity and differences including, but not limited to culture, gender, sexual orientation and spiritual/religious practices.

PAS4: Triage and manage crises in the practice of pastoral care.

PAS5: Provide pastoral care to persons experiencing loss and grief.

PAS6: Formulate and utilize spiritual assessments in order to contribute to plans of care.

PAS7: Provide religious/spiritual resources appropriate to the care of patients, families and staff.

PAS8: Develop, coordinate and facilitate public worship/spiritual practices appropriate to diverse settings and needs.

PAS9: Facilitate theological reflection in the practice of pastoral care.

Section IV: Professional Competencies

PRO1: Promote the integration of pastoral/spiritual care into the life and service of the institution in which it resides.

PRO2: Establish and maintain professional and interdisciplinary relationships.

PRO3: Articulate an understanding of institutional culture and systems and systemic relationships.

PRO4: Support, promote and encourage ethical decision-making and care.

PRO5: Document one’s contribution of care effectively in the appropriate records.

PRO6: Foster a collaborative relationship with community clergy and faith group leaders.4

Somehow, I think completing a doctorate would be easier.  There is good news, however:

“Equivalencies may be accepted for a bachelor's degree, graduate theological education, clinical pastoral education (CPE) and/or work experience as a chaplain.”5

 

Ordination

We have flexibility within the Pagan community to establish our own requirements and procedures for ordination or its equivalent, inasmuch as we are not subject to an existing hierarchy with established procedures.  Given the diversity of faith groups in the United States, APC needs to have flexibility to work with diverse groups possessing diverse practices.

 

National governing body endorsement

Sacred Well Congregation, as part of its mission to provide military personnel with Pagan options, has become an accepted endorsing body for the military.  At this time, Sacred Well Congregation has the paperwork prepared to submit to APC for its first Pagan chaplain's application.  Such a precedent will smooth the way for subsequent chaplain applications.   While Sacred Well Congregation can only speak for its own ordained clergy, it is gracious in helping others along in the interest of fulfilling our joint missions of service.   

 

Master of Divinity degree    

Even before Cherry Hill Seminary achieves accreditation, completing the Master of Divinity (MDiv) program can be offered on the APC application as an excellent acceptable equivalent to such a degree from an accredited institution.

 

Clinical Pastoral Education

The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE), National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), and the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE/ACPEP) offer CPE that meets APC requirements6.  ACPE standards require that CPE be offered without discrimination on the basis of religion, which implies that any existing CPE center should be open to our applications for enrollment.

“The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) is a professional association committed to advancing experience-based theological education for seminarians, clergy and lay persons of diverse cultures, ethnic groups and faith traditions. ACPE establishes standards, certifies supervisors and accredits centers to provide programs of clinical pastoral education (CPE) in varied settings. ACPE approved programs promote the integration of personal history, faith tradition and the behavioral sciences in the practice of spiritual care. ” 7 [ACPE Mission Statement]

CPE is frequently offered at no cost or minimal cost to the student, and participation frequently comes with a stipend – much like any other academic residency. CPE is offered as full time (40 hours a week) education/service, allowing 4 units to be completed in one year, or it is offered in extended units, where each unit of 400 hours is accomplished over a longer duration.   

“Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) was begun in 1925 as a form of theological education that takes place not exclusively in academic classrooms, but also in clinical settings where ministry is being practiced. CPE is offered in many kinds of settings: in hospitals and health care including university, children's, and veterans' facilities; in hospices; in psychiatric and community care facilities; in workplace settings; in geriatric and rehabilitation centers; and in congregational and parish-based settings. The textbooks for CPE include in-depth study of "the living human documents." By "living human documents," we mean both the people who receive care as well as a study of ourselves, the givers of care. Through the practice of ministry and the reflection thereon with supervisor and peers, the experiential learning that is CPE takes place.”8

Taking a single unit of CPE brings a wealth of valuable experience and education; as such, the first unit is required by some seminaries and multiple units accepted by some seminaries toward fulfilling their ministry degree requirements.  A single unit of CPE on one's résumé can open a number of doors, as well as equipping one to serve.  

2000 hours on the job:  Clergy with 4 units of CPE are welcome applicants for many positions, paid or volunteer.  The year-equivalent of study and service is grueling and intense, producing clergy who are ready for the challenges of chaplaincy.  In the present hard times of tight budgets, institutions are often willing to soften the requirement for a BCC with “or certifiable”, reserving a pay raise or satisfaction of a probationary period for actual certification.

Chaplaincy is one route by which a Pagan can become paid clergy.  In my opinion, targeting a BCC is appropriate for someone interested in making a career of chaplaincy.  One unit of CPE is useful for acquiring very useful skills for clergy and for exploring the appeal of full time professional chaplaincy.

 

Interfaith Service

Chaplains serve in places where people are separated from the support of their faith groups and may need spiritual support because of the situation that separates them.  The primary examples are military service, hospitalization, incarceration, first responders, and victims of disaster.  In these situations, chaplains also serve people who are unaccustomed to having the support of a faith group and who may deny having a faith.  Chaplains serve people in need where they are, and the specifics of religion are rarely the highest priority.  Spiritual needs transcend religion and affiliation, particularly in times of need; when the religious needs become paramount, if the chaplain cannot meet those needs, the chaplain leads the search for someone who can (for example, a Catholic priest to anoint a dying patient and perform the Sacrament of the Sick).

Chaplains are distinguished from pastors (generic term that covers clergy of any faith) in that pastors are in service to their faith group through one of its congregations or other institutions.  Pastors serve members of their congregations and are accountable first to their faith group; chaplains serve individuals as their capabilities allow and are accountable first to the organization that empowers the encounter with the individuals in its care or in its service.

Chaplains are most efficiently utilized when they can be sent to anyone in need, regardless of faith or lack thereof, with referrals available to involve clergy of particular faiths when the specifics of religions require.  Where an organization – such as the U.S. Army – has multiple chaplains available for service, assigning them to populations by faith group makes sense, as long as services are provided to all who need them.   

In my opinion, the two-tier system that Patrick McCollum's case is challenging in California comes at least partially as a result of organizational leadership taking a path of least resistance to address the spiritual needs of inmates.  Chaplains being useful for motivating good behavior among inmates and intervening in growing problems before they reach crisis levels, officials accepted the services of clergy from faith groups whose religion mandates proselytizing – clergy with motives beyond helping the inmates tap into their own spiritual resources.  The officials, by hiring from the groups most seeking the advantages of access to the inmates, developed an institutional preference for hiring only from the most populous and eager groups.   

This is a worst-case scenario which, I think, plays out across organizations and institutions: taking the easiest path to meet goals not just of service but of public opinion, compliance, and organizational relations.  Large squeaky faith groups win.

 

Settings

Chaplains serve in the context of the organizations which empower them, and the setting determines many of the conditions for what a chaplain may and may not do or say in that service.  Opportunities are expanding, propelled in some part by the realization that chaplains are among the less expensive professionals who can provide very beneficial services.  Volunteer opportunities abound, even where professional positions do not.

 

Healthcare

My own experience is in healthcare settings: a public psychiatric hospital with a large forensic population and a large nonprofit regional trauma and medical center.  In the psychiatric facility, the individuals in care suffer from illnesses which are not curable, and they are, for the most part, in the facilities of last resort: some have been in that hospital for over 50 years and many are unlikely to make sufficient progress to be moved to less restrictive facilities.  This is especially true of forensic patients who are in the hospital because they were found not guilty by reason of insanity.  In the trauma and medical center, patients are moved to less intensive facilities as quickly as their conditions can be stabilized and the course of care determined.  Insurance regulations prevent the hospital from keeping patients who are not being treated actively; bed rest and tended healing are provided in skilled nursing facilities, not in hospitals.

A chaplain in the psychiatric facility has the luxury of working with individuals in care over months and years, planning pastoral interventions, and learning from results.  A chaplain in the medical facility may encounter a patient once, possibly twice, before the patient moves elsewhere.  Certainly some stay longer, but the prevalent pattern is outpatient treatment or an overnight stay.  Encounters with individual patients and their families seem to fall into into two categories: brief and friendly visits that comfort the patient with demonstration of the chaplain's interest, care, and availability on request; or immediate response and intense participation in an end-of-life or other traumatic situation.

My experience with hospice is limited, but I am aware that they include chaplains on their care teams, which serve individuals with terminal illnesses in their homes or in institutional settings.  A current classmate at Cherry Hill Seminary ministers to hospice patients who are without family and do not want to die alone; she sits with them and maintains a safe, peaceful, and sacred setting for their final hours.  Skilled nursing facilities and other long-term care residential settings may present similar opportunities.

 

First Responders

Compassionate professional support in the first few hours after a traumatic experience appears to be crucial for minimizing the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Police, firefighters, search-and-rescue,  and emergency medical personnel often have chaplains attached to their operating units or organizations to help in the aftermath of high stress situations, both to help the victims find their own resources and support networks and to work with the rescuers as they come to terms with the violence, destruction, and suffering that are part of their jobs.   

In Fairfax County, Virginia, where I live, the Fairfax County Community Chaplain Corps9 (FCCCC) has been established recently, using federal funding, to train and prepare local clergy as first responders in the event of disasters or other critical incidents where people are displaced from their usual social support networks.  The FCCCC chaplains are all volunteers, all of them clergy who meet qualifications somewhat less stringent than a BCC, who agree to serve under direction of the County when called.  I am working on being accepted among their ranks, lacking at this point a two-day training session on Assisting Individuals in Crisis, taught by the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc. 10  Within the past week, I was interviewed by phone by one of the lead chaplains, a cantor in a local Jewish congregation.  It was his first introduction to the Pagan community, spirituality, and clergy (I doubt that I will hear the results before the end of Passover.)

Taking the first two-day course provided, Pastoral Crisis Intervention, was an enlightening interfaith experience that allowed me to ask the questions and point out the possible sticking points that might affect members of the Pagan community under the response protocols being taught.  It is another welcome step out of the broom closet.

 

Prisons

I look to Patrick McCollum as our expert on prison ministry and I would defer to him on these chaplaincy issues.  I know that my introduction to the forensic unit at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital was greatly eased by the material covered in the Cherry Hill Seminary course I took from Patrick in spring, 2006.  The St. Elizabeth’s forensic facility is essentially a psychiatric hospital housing individuals who, but for being found not guilty by reason of insanity, would be incarcerated, as well as individuals awaiting trial.   

 

Military Interfaith  

I look to David Oringderff of Cherry Hill Seminary and Sacred Well Congregation (SWC)11 as our expert on military ministry.  SWC supports military personnel who are distinctive faith group leaders (DFGL) who, under authority of a sponsoring military chaplain, facilitate faith groups in their own traditions when those traditions fall outside the capabilities of the military chaplaincy to support:

“The DFGLs may provide ministry on an exception to policy basis when military Chaplains are not available to meet the faith group coverage requirements of Soldiers and Families. A DFGL provides a very precise service for a proscribed period of time to further the CMRP in the free exercise of religion. The DFGL has no inherent authority or implied permission to conduct religious activities outside of the CMRP.” [Army Regulation 165-1 5.5a 3 December 2009 ]12

Unlike chaplains, who are commissioned officers assigned to that duty as their full time specialty, DFGLs serve in addition to their assigned military duties and are restricted to serving individuals in their own faith groups –  those of SWC are referred to as Open Circles and are active on US bases and overseas.13  

“The Open Circles are led by an Ordained Cleric, an Ordained Deacon or Deaconess, a Congregational Emissary, or any combination thereof. Open Circles closely follow Traditional Craft Wicca, and their leaders are trained, or are in training in the Greencraft Tradition. At their discretion, and with the endorsement of the International Executive Council (IEC), they may conduct, host, sponsor, or support Affiliated Study Groups. From time to time they may host, sponsor or facilitate seminars, workshops and gatherings.” 14  

SWC Open Circles appear to attract Pagans of many paths, particularly when they are the only Pagan support group at an installation.  

My Pagan Perspective on Serving as an Interfaith Chaplain  

Chaplaincy opened my eyes to the many needs arising day by day in the world around me and the capabilities I have acquired through my Pagan experience to help where it is needed.  I choose to do this work for the people in need – where the demand far exceeds my personal supply of time and energy – for the Pagan community – where our need for acceptance in the wider community can be served by our participation in helping others in crisis – and for myself.

I have included a great deal of detail in this hurried treatise because I have learned that my own anxieties, fears, and needs are best served with information.  Having an overabundance, I am scattering it widely, trusting that some will fall on fertile ground, some will provoke discussion and interest, and the rest will drift quietly on the winds.

 

God

We see the Holy from different angles, through different lenses, in different contexts, and we speak of God by different names.  For myself, I know God the Infinite, the Incarnate, the Indwelling as others might speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in whom we live  and move and have our being (in the words of St. Paul).  And I know that same God in the presence of the Lord and Lady, who are to me quite real and personal and important in my life.  I know the Father and Mother of us all and the great Mystery of their Love.

To me, as Pagans, every Deity we name is a manifestation of the Divine, the One.  And each name carries with it a rich persona, attributes, and history we can honor and embrace within the limits of our human understanding – each being a face of the Infinite viewed from our present angle of sight, through our present lens, and in our present context.  Each name may remind us of one who walks or walked Incarnate among us, experiencing this world as we do, sharing attributes similar to our own while exemplifying qualities we aspire to emulate – or to avoid.  That same name may remind us of the Indwelling guidance and power that challenge us to be the instruments of God in this world, particularly when we speak or act in God's name.

We use many names – echoes of the Name which cannot be spoken, for to speak the sacred Name is to limit the Unlimited.   Yet any divine name I speak might carry such a charge – such a burden of the sacred Power – for a listener that I must be mindful and intentional in its use, lest I bring harm unwittingly.  

From my panentheist perspective, I delight in defining God as That Which Is.  I step from there to defining spirituality as an individual's relationship to the Universe – to That Which Is.  Religion becomes the set of tools we use to support our Spirituality.  In my chaplain's perspective, I am very careful which words I use in naming or referring to God.

 

Crisis of Faith  

Faith is one of the words that seem to give Pagans considerable difficulty in discourse beyond the Pagan community.  The problem lies not so much in the denotation or formal definition of the word but in the connotation or meaning the word has for the individual, given the many ways it has been used and misused in the individual's experience.   

The most useful definition I have found was part of the Pastoral Crisis Intervention course:

“Faith = That which allows you to accept that which you cannot understand”15

Crisis of Faith describes a painful consequence to an individual who has suffered or is suffering from a trauma.   

“Crisis of faith = where one's normal established relationship with God and accompanying worldview are violated and rendered seemingly helpless.”16

The elements of an individual's relationship with God/the Holy/the Universe/That Which Is are crucial to the structure of that individual's worldview or beliefs.  The five beliefs most compromised by trauma are17:

·           The world I live in is just and fair.

·           There is value in trusting others.

·           I am effective and worthy of compassion, dignity, and respect.

·           The world I live in is safe.

·           My confidence in my relationship with God is justified.

The symptoms of a crisis of faith, as presented in training, were stated in the language of the   Protestant Christianity of most of the authors.18  The italicized portions below are my attempt to clarify these critical symptoms from my Pagan perspective:

·           Feeling abandoned by God, Goddess, or Divinity

·           Finding it hard to pray or practice or open myself to the Divine

·           No yearning for righteousness: it doesn't seem to matter; my faith has lost its meaning

·           No spirit of thankfulness

·           Hopelessness, leading to questions of whether or not this life is worth continuing, which might be a symptom of suicidality

·           Seeing no value in Scripture or in my Pagan path or practice or in my grove/circle/coven/hearth or in any of the ways of celebrating my path and gods  

Each of these results from destruction or loss of some underpinning of one's personal worldview, at least for the moment, leaving the entire structure in jeopardy, as if shaken by an earthquake of the soul.

 

Spiritual First Aid

When a chaplain encounters a person in crisis, religion is very far down on the list of immediate concerns.  From my observations in hospitals, basic survival and relief of suffering are the first focus of attention.  All effort is focused in the here and now.  At the same time, the chaplain is well aware that trauma represents a violation of belief.19

The chaplain's intervention begins with making contact with the person in crisis, offering the respect of one human being to another and hoping for an invitation to enter their very personal world of  suffering.  In these moments, I think we fall back on the ancient codes and practices of hospitality.  An intrusive approach and demand for entry can doom the encounter from the start.  Even in crisis, people tend to respond at least neutrally to a polite approach.  Once having accepted the hospitality of that personal space, we acquire the obligation of guests to do no harm to our hosts.

I suggest that, as Pagan chaplains, we make it a practice to adopt an unspoken attitude that an encounter with a person in crisis occurs in sacred space and, in our personal offices as priests, we create and maintain that space mentally.  I make an intentional habit of doing so for end-of-life encounters, drawing family and staff into respect for its boundaries and protection.  Even uninvited, we are guests in the presence of the dying one.   Gradually, in the safety of sacred space, the family begins reassembling their world in its new configuration.

Initial contact with anyone who is suffering provides the opportunity to observe and assess the physical and psychological situation as it reveals itself, with all senses alert to issues requiring immediate intervention and opportunities to stabilize or calm the person in crisis if necessary.  This is the time to be alert to the symptoms of a crisis of faith.

The goal of the chaplain's intervention is to help the person access his or her own resources and resilience to resume self care and move along the path to recovery.  Our empathy, spiritual resources, and training are our tools for helping the person recognize and reclaim his or her own.  Our organizational empowerment as chaplains gives us access to resources well beyond the spiritual, and our job is to help the person in crisis to connect with those – including those arising from his or her faith tradition and available local pastoral caregivers.  Our role stops short of pastoral care, although elements of that might be part of getting to the referral/resilient phase.

Part of the training for the FCCCC was made available through an online course, Psychological First Aid Online, developed and implemented by the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, Terrorism and Disaster Program, directed by Melissa Brymer, PhD, PsyD. 20  I recommend it to all Pagan clergy.

 

Ministry of Presence

As I see it, the Goddess sends me to be with someone for a time.  It has been hard to learn that seemingly doing nothing may be exactly what needs to be done.  An ancient maxim of chaplaincy is that sometimes my job is to be the only calm person in the room.  Ministry of Presence is chaplain-speak for being that calm person, being there while chaos swirls around us.  Often the support that is needed from the chaplain is a listening ear, even when no one is speaking.  When a chaplain listens, however, it is with full attention to the speaker, with compassion and without judgment.  Active listening skills are an early and repeated part of training.   

Ministry of Presence and Holding Sacred Space21 are part of what a chaplain is doing while sitting quietly with a person in crisis, sometimes just being in the same room while the business of dealing with the crisis proceeds.  Their power comes from the projections of the person in crisis onto the chaplain as a placeholder and representative of all their spiritual and religious supports and, often, of the presence of the Divine itself as involved and active in resolving the difficulties.  Being present, being open to suffering, listening without judging, all help the person weather the crisis without losing contact of their spiritual supports and hope.   

 

Prayer

Prayer is a hot button word for many in our Pagan community, and there are some who will assert that we do not pray.  This often arises, I think, from the discomfort that propelled those speakers from their childhood religions into Paganism.  Chaplains are often asked to pray for the people they serve.  I have been advised – and I concur – to wait until asked.  

If an individual in care or the family asks for prayer, my practice is to converse first, if possible, to sound out what their expectations or needs are.  Between their words, whatever resources I have in my pockets, and the guidance of the Lady Who Sent Me There, I speak to the God they know – and draw them into adding their own words.  It is usually the Christians with whom I pray this way.  When  Muslims request prayer and I attempt to enter into conversation, my response has been to pray the way I always do – Allah is One.  Of course, I am careful with my language if I pray aloud.

 

End of Life  

Chaplains are often called to be present while someone transitions from this life to whatever awaits, and none of us is certain of what lies beyond the Veil.  My position is that it is our job to allow that transition to occur in as peaceful, untroubled, and love-filled sacred space as possible.  As Pagans, we understand that death is part of life, and we have spiritual insights that can help others find peace with the transition of a loved one.  

The Call of the Dark Mother course at Cherry Hill Seminary should be required of any aspiring Pagan chaplain.  I was blessed to be taking that course, taught by M. Macha Nightmare (Aline O’Brien), during the months immediately prior to my father's passing.  Since that time, I have been called to be present for more Crossings than I can remember, and each has taught new lessons.

Bedside vigils involve an extension of holding sacred space.  When I am called as chaplain to the bedside of someone at the end of this life, I am usually meeting the patient and family for the first time.  I first define the patient's room as sacred space –- in my mind, it is already sacred, but I speak appropriate words to the family and  carry myself in such a way that the sacred is clear to staff.  I remind the family that the patient can hear them.  I remind them that it is our role to fill the room with love and calm and peace as we walk beside their beloved on this part of their journey.   

I may ask about the patient's life, and I know our work is proceeding well when people start telling me joyful memories and praise for their beloved.  I hold sacred space and let the family do the talking.  I maintain the calm and model acceptance when the medical staff must enter and perform noisy or intrusive procedures, so that the family can hold onto their own serenity.

Sometimes, it falls to me to keep solitary vigil, which I do by holding sacred space either silently or with very quiet singing and appropriate prayers.  It seems that my presence and attitude alert unconcerned others that something to be respected is in process, more than just a sleeping patient.

 

Rituals of Other Faiths

I find it compassionate and helpful to have some familiarity with at least the customs and religious needs surrounding the actual dying process for as many faith traditions as I might encounter.  It is at least essential to know what not to do while supporting the dying person and family.   

Christian baptism, administered in an emergency for someone not expected to live, is a minimal rite which even non-Christian chaplains might be asked by the family of a dying child to perform.  In actuality, in such an emergency, anyone may perform the rite – and nurses do so often when a child is born who is in immediate danger of death.  But families are often reassured if it is a chaplain of any faith who baptizes the child.  Technically, baptism is only administered for the living, which is why time is of the essence and anyone may perform the rite under such extreme circumstances.  Christian authorities differ widely on the reasons for, timing of, and effects of the rite.  Legally and ethically, a chaplain should only perform the rite if requested by the next of kin and should not volunteer to perform it.  In compassion, if the family of a dying baby asks for the rite, it has a significant spiritual value to them and, for that reason, the request should be honored.

 

Answering Questions

As a matter of personality, logic, and habit, when asked a question – even a rhetorical question – my first response is to answer it with language carefully chosen to be precise and truthful.  This is not always what is needed, and my directness is a hard habit to break.  CPE and work with people in crisis have provided many opportunities to practice a more appropriate response – or possibly to answer with a question reaching toward the unspoken.  For me this is an evolving skill.  The questions keep coming:

·           What is taking so long?

·           He's going to pull through, isn't he?

·           What happened?  Whose fault is it that ____?

·           Will I/he/she go to Heaven/Hell?

·           How will I get through tomorrow?

·           How will I live without him?

·           How should I tell the children their mother has just died?

·           Why does such a wonderful person have to die so young?

·           Why me?

·           Why?

 

Toward a Pagan Chaplaincy Tradition  

Bow down and worship where others kneel, for where so many have been paying the tribute of adoration, the kind Lord must manifest himself, for he is all mercy. 22  Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886)  

New as we are to establishing an active presence in chaplaincy as a whole, perhaps we could experiment with shaping the expectations others might have of us as chaplains from the Pagan community.  I offer my ideas in the interest of our developing best practices for chaplains who are also Pagan.

 

Attitude

It is important that I, the chaplain, be able to journey with the person I am supporting on their path, regardless of my own.  My spirituality and religion support me; my job as chaplain is to help another find the support they need in their own spiritual and religious resources.  Unless asked, I don't tell.  If I am asked, I try to tell without shocking or challenging.  Someone who is already dealing with suffering, trauma, or grief does not need further cause for a crisis of faith.

Of course, among my chaplain colleagues, it is important to be open and to be known, particularly when our relationships will continue beyond the moment.  Needless to say, we do not proselytize, either among those we serve or those with whom we serve.   

 

Forms of Address

As Pagan clergy we seem to be using the title Reverend with success.  Of course, when one is serving as a chaplain, the title Chaplain is appropriate.  It appears we are adopting this language combined with our legal names, as seems appropriate.  I was called Chaplain Harris at Saint Elizabeth’s.  As a result of my work with the Muslim community and the Imam in the forensic unit, as well as acknowledging my Quaker side, I added Khalila (friend in Arabic) to my Craft name (RedBird) when I was ordained by Sacred Well Congregation.

 

Professional Attire

When I began CPE at Saint Elizabeth’ss Hospital, I asked a respected member of the staff how she recommended I should dress for my new role on her old turf.  Her response: I should dress respectfully.  I did my best.  In my two years at Saint Elizabeth’s, I saw other chaplains fail to do so – either dressing so formally as to stress their elevated social standing above the individuals in care or dressing so casually that it could be interpreted as disdain for the job or even for the individuals they were serving.  My colleague’s simple advice bears remembering.

I also asked Patrick McCollum for advice on attire, recognizing that my teachers and colleagues for the most part could wear clerical collars to indicate their status as clergy to one and all.  What should Pagan clergy wear?  He suggested making a practice – as he did – of wearing something along the lines of a stole whenever we wished to be recognized in role.  A simple scarf hanging open from the neck would do – he mentioned the white silk scarves given guests by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as an example.  A stole as part of religious vestments or ritual attire is part of many traditions, and adopting the scarf practice would be an unobtrusive gender-neutral reminder of such a stole.  This seems simple enough for our mutual consideration.

 

What Next?

As I draw closer to completing my Master of Divinity degree with Cherry Hill Seminary, I find myself excited by the possibilities opening to me.  Meanwhile, I continue my work as a chaplain, endeavoring to be fully present with those I serve, and opening my heart in sacred space.  I serve the Goddess with my bare hands – open hands – Her Hands.

 

References

ACPE. “ACPE.” ACPE | Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. Inc., n.d. http://www.acpe.edu/.

APC. “Association of Professional Chaplains.” Associations of Professional Chaplains: Healing through Spiritual Care, n.d. http://professionalchaplains.org/.

APC. “BCCI Certification.” Board of Chaplaincy Certification, Inc., n.d. http://professionalchaplains.org/bcci/index.aspx?id=1262.

USArmy. “AR165-1.” US AR165.1 5-5. Distinctive faith group leaders, n.d. http://mpnfortcampbell-ivil.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/AR165.

Ballou, Robert, ed. “The Works of Sri Ramakrishna.” In The Portable World Bible. New York: Penguin Books, 1976.

Everly, G. S. (2002). “Pastoral Crisis Intervention”: Toward a Definition.  In Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June. www.icisf.org.  

Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., 2002. www.icisf.org.

Everly, Jr., G.S. & Lating, J. M.  (in press).  A clinical guide to the treatment of the human stress response.  New York: Kluwer.  Cited in Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June 2002.  http://www.icisf.org/    

ICISF. “International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.” International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, n.d. http://www.icisf.org/.

Inova Health System. “Visitor Information.” Inova Health System - Inova Fairfax Hospital, n.d. http://www.inova.org/patient-and-visitor-information/facilities/inova-fairfax-hospital/index.jsp.

Joseph, Judith C. A Chaplain’s Companion. Judith C. Joseph, 2006. http://www.jcjoseph.com/pages/companion.html.

NCTSN. “Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma.” The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, n.d. http://learn.nctsn.org/.

Pitzl-Waters, Jason. “The Wild Hunt » Patrick McCollum’s Case Hits the Mainstream.” Blog. The Wild Hunt, February 18, 2010. http://wildhunt.org/blog/2010/02/patrick-mccollums-case-hits-the-mainstream.html.

Starhawk. The spiral dance: a rebirth of the ancient religion of the Great Goddess. 20th ed. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row, 1999.

SWC. “Elen sila lumenn.” Sacred Well Congregation, n.d. http://sacredwell.org/  . 

1             http://wildhunt.org/blog/2010/02/patrick-mccollums-case-hits-the-mainstream.html 

2             http://www.inova.org/patient-and-visitor-information/facilities/inova-fairfax-hospital/index.jsp 

3             http://professionalchaplains.org/uploadedFiles/BCCI/4%20BCC%20PC%20AC%20Standards.pdf 

4             http://professionalchaplains.org/uploadedFiles/BCCI/BCC%20PC%20AC%20competencies.pdf 

5             http://professionalchaplains.org/uploadedFiles/BCCI/4%20BCC%20PC%20AC%20Standards.pdf

6             http://professionalchaplains.org/uploadedFiles/BCCI/4%20BCC%20PC%20AC%20Standards.pdf  

7             http://www.acpe.edu/NewPDF/2010%20Manuals/2010%20Standards.pdf  [ACPE Mission Statement]

8             http://www.acpe.edu/   

9             http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dsm/cil/emergency.htm 

10            http://www.icisf.org/   

11            http://sacredwell.org/   

12            http://www.chapnet.army.mil/Documents/r165_1.pdf 

13            http://sacredwell.org/groups.html#MOC   

14            http://sacredwell.org/history_organization.html   

15            Everly, G. S. (2002). “Pastoral Crisis Intervention”: Toward a Definition.  In Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June. www.icisf.org  .

16            Amended by PCI instructor Edgar Hatcher from text given in Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June 2002.  Page 53.  http://www.icisf.org/   

17            Everly, Jr., G.S. & Lating, J. M.  (in press).  A clinical guide to the treatment of the human stress response.  New York: Kluwer.  Cited in Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June 2002.  http://www.icisf.org/   

18            Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June 2002.  Page 53.  http://www.icisf.org/   

19            Everly, Jr., George S., Rob Dewey, Glenn Calkins, Thomas Webb, George Grimm, and Ed Stauffer. 2002. Pastoral Crisis Intervention Course Workbook. Ellicott City, MD: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Inc., June 2002. Page 55. http://www.icisf.org/    

20            NCTSN Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma. Learning Center for Child and Adolescent Trauma. http://learn.nctsn.org/  .

21            I remain present in the room and disengage from the linear flow of action; at the same time, I open myself fully to the Divine Presence and to the others in the room in an attitude of calm and reverence.  I maintain my connections with the stability of ground,  much as a lightning rod between storms, always ready to provide or accept energy through my constant connection with the Universe.  

22            Ballou, Robert, ed. 1976. The Works of Sri Ramakrishna. In The Portable World Bible. New York: Penguin Books. Page 80.