A few months ago an email circulated on the various Montreal pagan discussion lists advising that there was a "sexual predator operating under the guise of a High Priest in the Greater Montreal area". The email said that the individual usually targeted young women and his usual method of operation was to offer of teaching and initiation in the mysteries of Wicca. He then used his charismatic personality to convince the girl that the Great Rite in true (ritual sex symbolising the joining of the God and Goddess) is an obligatory part of Wiccan ritual and initiation, and that no one should be told about their meetings, what they did, the initiation, nor the Great Rite since Wicca is "secret" and they would be jealous. No specific details of the "predator" were given.

Apparently stories like this have been circulating among the pagan community for many, many years. When this email circulated in Montreal, there were people who dismissed it as another pagan urban legend. And indeed with so many warning hoaxes spamming our email inboxes on a regular basis, to some extent this is understandable. Others questioned the legitimacy of the warning: Surely any type of sexual misconduct is a matter for the police and not for email. Sadly, the situation in Montreal appears to be a legitimate one, and the decision to send out the email warning was not undertaken lightly. The situation was known many weeks before the email was distributed, and various mentors and elders in the Montreal community were involved in supporting the victimized young girls, as well as working with various authorities and counselors. Great care was taken when wording the warning to be as blunt as possible about the situation, without violating anybody’s privacy or other legal rights. Consequently, the situation could only generalised and could not name specific individuals or locations.

Sexual misconduct, whether in the pagan or other communities, is easily an underdiscussed and controversial topic, and Wicca and neo-paganism seem to be particularly vulnerable to this sort of abuse. Canadian law blurs the boundaries of what is consensual sexual behaviour and what is not, and generally does not take into consideration the persuasive nature of sexual predators, nor the various chemical methods a predator may used to lower the victim's willpower and inhibitions. Victims are generally afraid or embarrassed to come forward, and verbally repeating their stories is often psychologically stressful.

The best defence against any type of predation, sexual or otherwise, is a good offence: education and open discussion. This issue of WynterGreene aims to open discussion on the topic of sex, sexuality and predators in the pagan community Other proactive initiatives are also underway through various groups and individuals who hope to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding sex and neo-paganism thereby reducing the potential for abuse. And with that it mind...

Let's talk about sex baby!
~ Raven ~


Featured articles
Prédateur Païens ou l'Hyène dans L'Hysope, par Karen
Sex and Ethics in Traditional Wicca, by Adrienne
Concordia University Pagan Society, by Ila
Predator!, by Leif
Pagans are Humans Too!, by T. Scarlet Jory
The Initiation Thing, by Gina Ellis
Oedipe, par Atalante Pythie

For a reprint of this issue, please email info@wyntergreene.ca

January 20, 2004