I have a friend who is involved with a group that is well known in Pagan circles. One thing that has come through loud and clear in our conversations is that along the way, many of their 3^rd degree recipients seem to fall apart – somewhat permanently. Now for the most part, this has nothing to do with me, except that everything I see is an object lesson. As I build both the priesthood of the Silver Branch tradition and the training that will support it, I view every group, method of training, tradition, and organization as an example – an opportunity to see, at least from the outside, what works and what doesn’t.

The Silver Branch tradition is not a tradition for the masses. It is a priesthood with a specific job. That job cannot be fulfilled if those working from the greatest depth and highest level of experience aren’t standing on a foundation of sound training and sound character.

One thing that stands out to me, not only among the group my friend is involved with, is that in the Pagan community, we often mistake chaos for power. It’s a commonly heard statement that “oh, I had my xx initiation and then everything went to hell.” This perception is held with pride. It is also viewed from a place of judgment, “just wait until he has his initiation, then he’ll get his.” I think in the wider community we’ve lost our way with this. True Initiation is powerful. Some initiations are meant to jar us into a place of re-evaluating and restructuring our lives. But, the training we’ve had and our commitment (Will) are also meant to be strong enough to allow us to use that experience and flourish rather than fall apart. Don’t get me wrong, big change usually comes with some level of feeling like we’re falling apart. But in a good initiation, its transitory, having to do with getting our bearings, becoming this new thing, and putting our lives into a state that serves us rather than wrecking our lives, jobs, relationships and leaving us permanently unstable or dysfunctional.

The measure of how much someone’s life falls apart is not the measure of the power of an initiation. If it were, then what’s the point? Why initiate? Why progress in your work? I would say instead that the growth that is a result of the initiation (and any temporary upheaval) is the measure of the power of the initiation, the strength of the training, the support of the community of initiates, and the commitment and Will of the initiate. That’s right. It comes back to us. Are we strong in our teaching? Are we strong in our practice? Can an upending of how we thought things worked teach us another level of truth about the Universe, ourselves, Will, and Magic?  Can it teach us about service in a way that has nothing to do with “should”? Can it, by our choice, change what we are in a positive way? Does it make the false “truths” we tell ourselves and the structures that no longer serve us unbearable while giving us the wherewithal to believe we can change them and to follow through? Does it root us in both our own power and the power of the work we do within the tradition? That is the measure of power in an initiation.