Join the Open Minded Path
Joining the movement is as easy as desiring to do so, though a dedication ceremony to formalize your choice is highly recommended.
Add the denomination "Open Minded" before your title (e.g. "Open Minded High Priestess" or "Open Minded Pastor") and religion name (e.g. "Open Minded Wiccan" or "Open Minded Christian"), and others will know you are a part of the movement.
There is also an online community where those who walk the Path can interact, a Crossroads where the spiritual paths of all religions meet. We look forward to meeting you!
Become Certified
The Open Minded Path offers to certify anyone seeking formal acknowledgement of their spiritual progress, even for remote members. Certification here involves an assessment of both personal spiritual practice, one's knowledge and mastery over one's own religion, and open mindedness, one's awareness of various religions as well as one's knowledge of the fundamental similarities between all religions. Becoming certified allows members to connect with like-minded others who are similarly advanced in a more intimate space on the Crossroads, list their shops or services on the Marketplace (and receive discounts on others' services too), and start certified Open Minded Organizations that are supported and promoted by the Open Minded Path.
Join As A Dedicant
There are no requirements to dedicate to the Open Minded Path. Anyone may do so privately or publicly before any Open Minded Organization. The Coven of the Open Mind frequently leads open full moon rituals on the Crossroads during which they are happy to hear any public dedications. Once you have done a dedication, whether alone or before an Organization, please mention that on the Crossroads server so that you can receive recognition (via a role, which grants access to a channel just for dedicants and lineage members).
for the Open Minded Path
No certification is required for dedicants. Just let the Leaders in the community know of your accomplishment to get the role and gain access to dedicant-specific community.
Join As An Acolyte
Acolytes (or what many call "first degrees") are those who are "masters of themselves". They are sure their path is the right one, and they firmly believe that they will only walk that path for rest of their lives. They know their true, personal name, the one which they are called by their spiritual kin and which perfectly encapsulates their true self. Acolytes generally have the following skills in their spiritual toolkit, at least for use in their own matters, regardless of their spiritual journey:
- Divination skills which help the conscious self become aware of the deeper aspects of the self. This can be an occult art, something that witches would normally do like Tarot, tea scrying, or Runes, or it can be a more scientific art, like astrology, or even something that has nothing to do with the occult world at all: dream interpretation.
- Meditation experience, including the ability to tap into the deeper recesses of one's mind, calm oneself at will, and commune with one's surroundings.
- Communication of one's own beliefs, not just what they are, but why. The "why" is how one knows the beliefs are for life. It isn't enough to just belief in something because someone said to do it. It must also make sense and feel right.
for the Open Minded Path
Join the Crossroads for a time and ensure the Elders know you. Then work on the Acolyte Assessment and send it in to openmindedpath@gmail.com when complete. Please put your name and the word "acolyte" somewhere in the subject.
Become a Leader
To become a leader in the Open Minded Path lineage, one must demonstrate an ability to educate others, to movitate and inspire, and to produce content which helps others to grow along their own spiritual paths. One must show a mastery of history (the evolution of culture), metaphysics (the evolution of science), and linguistics (the evolution of language). The purpose is to ensure that an Open Minded Leader is capable of verifying the historicity of a claim, determining the validity of a scientific claim, especially those used to justify irrational beliefs, and understanding an entirely different way of viewing the world (since language is a direct translation of sub-conscious thought). Skills a Leader should have:
- Divination skills as a handy tool when advice to another doesn't immediately become apparent.
- Meditation skills which enable strong self awareness, especially of the ego, and the ability to set the ego aside to help another. Also the ability to lead others into meditative states.
- Communication of one's beliefs and practices so well that many others learn at a time. Teaching skills.
- Professional skills, and the knowledge of how to keep one's cool, assume positive intent, and speak diplomatically.
- The desire and drive to lead others in ritual, prayer, or sermon, especially for special events like weddings, funerals, and baby blessings.
for the Open Minded Path
Join the Crossroads for a time and ensure the Elders and the community know you. Remember that you aren't proving yourself worthy, but rather seeking to help others as best as you can. If it turns out that your efforts are in fact helpful, then you will naturally begin to fill the role of Leader. At that time, send in the Leader Assessment to the email openmindedpath@gmail.com. Please put your name and the word "leader" in the subject line.
Eldering
Eldering is a term which many use in many ways, but which fundamentally means to grow more wise with age and the assistance of mentors. At this point in one's spiritual journey, the people one primarily finds oneself around are students become peers. Now, the students begin to teach as well, and the Leader begins to learn and be enriched by the teachings of their students. Meanwhile, their skills shift towards writing, producing content for massive audiences, and contemplating the larger problems of the world. They may find they disconnect from beginners, for no other reason than that age and reason brings perspective, something hard to communicate to the young and unexperienced. There are some lessons which only time may teach. Elders should largely:
- Not rely on others to see themselves happy and successful in the future.
- Have the ability to change themselves fundamentally as soon as a better way of being is identified.
- Be renowned amongst their network of students and students-become-peers (the Leaders who hive from them)
- Feel confident in their life decisions, living without regret and close to or at a state of enlightenment, however it is defined (able to live in tune with themselves and their surroundings).
- Truly open minded and able to see the merits of any lifestyle. Able to help anyone from any path.
for the Open Minded Path
Certification here is not something you can apply for, and you cannot enter the lineage as an Elder (so if you believe you are ready, still join as a Leader). It is something which is recognized by the other Elders of the community. Seek to help others, be your best self, and love the whole Open Minded community, and you will find yourself eventually attaining this stage of membership. The Elder Assessment is an interview before the Elder Council directly, when they believe you are ready.