Reblog from my channel, Druid Heart, at SageWoman, on Witches and Pagans
Gender roles can easily become too prominent within modern Paganism. In Wicca, the Great Rite is often enacted between High Priest and Priestess, symbolically or physically. Within Druidry, the focus is often on the product of the union, as opposed to the union itself. Where my spirituality differs is in the releasing of gender roles, and developing an exquisite and often ecstatic relationship with the rest of world. It is in that relationship, where soul touches soul, in the process of creating something wonderful which is first and foremost. It is not the union nor the product, but the constant act of creating and creativity, seen in the world around me that is at the heart of everything I do.
So much within nature is not defined by gender – scientifically or socially speaking. There isn’t always a male/female coupling in the natural world – there exists gender neutral or genderless beings, hermaphrodites and homosexuality throughout. Too much focus can be placed on a male/female union, or ritual, wherein we essentially become defined based upon what plumbing we are born with. For me, it is far too restrictive.
Some of my deities are gendered, some aren’t – I am inspired and learning from Brighde at the moment, but then there is also the deity of the heathland and forest where I live. This local deity has no gender – it simply is. It is everything, therefore how can it be gendered? The clouds – are they gendered? What of the sun and moon – so often gendered within Paganism (and of different genders, depending upon the tradition). Why do we feel the need to engender such entities?
To read the full article, click HERE
Down the Forest Path 
I totally agree with you – “I am happy to learn from the rain and the spray of the sea.” I wish more pagan writers were expressing these views. One thing which attracts me to the more druidic writers is that they seem the most likely to take this wider view.
When I first found the online pagan world I was surprised at how many writers were highly critical of the god of the monotheistic, religions of the book but still saw their own gods similarly, as figures with wholly human desires and emotions and with very stereotypical, late European male/female characters.
As far as the gender stereotyping goes, the majority of life forms (let alone non-living entities) are asexual and those that do have separate, single genders for life (again not all) don’t necessarily conform to the gender patterns seen in present day humans. It seems so limiting, to me, to reduce the powers of the natural world down to the petty behaviour of humans. I can understand the need to simplify in order to try to get some understanding, some point of contact, but I do wish more authors were more prepared to portray the “gods” as more than humans seen through a slightly distorting mirror.
I suppose that with regards to personal relationship with deity, it’s different, and equally meaningful, for everyone – I just can’t limit it in that regard anymore… x