It's finally raining and it's perfect - a nice gentle soaking rain. If it had come down much harder, it would have been useless since the ground is so hard and dry. It would have just run off the surface.

I've been thinking about something since yesterday morning when I watched this show on KET (the Kentucky version of PBS) about the monks of Our Lady of the Desert. Perhaps it's a holdover from all those past lives I've (supposedly) had in the ranks of various religious orders - egyptian; druidic, carmelite nun...

Anyway, I've been wondering why there are no pagans doing this? It's not like it's not been done before - the Vestial virgins; the Oracle at Delphi, the women of Avalon, the druidic seers...Why aren't there any Pagan 'nuns' and 'monks'? Doesn't anyone contemplate anything anymore?

I have felt for a long time that while it is important to have visibility and people willing to stand up for the cause, it wasn't meant for everyone to do so. Not everyone is suited for priesthood. Not everyone is suited for the warrior or political aspects either, which means going out and putting themselves at risk for what they believe in. What about those who feel the need to serve the Goddess quietly? What about those who feel the need to withdraw from the world and live a contemplative life?

Perhaps this is the thing that I feel has been missing from the Pagan religions. Nearly everyone is so fixed and focused on getting out there and being seen and being political that it feels like the religion and faith are being lost. It may as well be one of the mainstream religions that has lost all contact with the soul of the matter.