Pagan Worship
Earlier in the week I found myself pondering the nature of pagan worship. I thought I would share my observations.
My first observation is that while the great pagan gods and goddesses are superlative in their might and majesty, they still exist within the world and share a common world with their worshipers. This, in turn, leads to the idea that pagan gods do not demand complete submission by their worshipers, because this would entail the worshipers to turn to them to control every facet of their lives. Since pagans, both ancient and modern, have never thought of the gods as omnipotent and omnipresent this would prove quite difficult for the gods, if not impossible. Instead, the gods ask of their followers, love, respect, and cooperation. All of these things are possible to give to more than one being at once.
Pagan religions rarely, if ever, see worship as the sole purpose of human existence. Instead, while affirming that a relationship with the gods and other spiritual beings results in a greater existence for the worshiper(s), they recognize that human life as its own value within the greater pattern of the cosmos.
In light of these observations, pagan worship can be summed up in one word. Reciprocity. In a world that is shared by gods and men, exchange is the default mode of worship.
Before continuing, let me explain how exchange is worship. The word worship comes to us from the Old English weord scipe, which means to give worth. Therefore, what you give to another being, be it another person, god, or spirit, is representative of the worth you give to your relationship with that being. Think about it for a second. Would you give your brother's old college roommate a gift of the same worth as the diamond necklace you give your spouse?
So, while the gods are greater than human beings, they are not infinitely greater, and therefore humans have an opportunity to bring something of their own to the relationship with the divine. This is a very pagan affirmation of the value of humanity in relationship to the world.
The principal of reciprocity is expressed the the Roman maxim "I give so that you may give". This does not imply a commercial exchange of deposit one sacrifice and receive your blessing tokens. Instead, the exchange of gifts belies one of the most fundamental ways of establishing and affirming relationships between individuals.
So what are the gifts of the gods that I get by establishing a relationship with them? As the gods exist in the world and govern it's natural forces, the gifts you receive are already present in your food and drink, fertility of the soil, the order that govern civilization, etc. We are already privy to these gifts whether the personal relationship has been established or not.
If I already receive these gifts then why is it necessary to give back? To this question I ask, when you are given a gift by another human, do you not desire to show them that you value them as they value you? Making offerings allows us to respond to the generosity of the gods . Pagan worship serve to reaffirm the relationship between the gods and man by participating the the web of reciprocity that celebrates their friendship.
In pagan thought, the gods are seen as givers of good things. Generosity, as seen in paragraph 8, is a divine attribute, but it is not limited to the gods. Therefore, when a human is generous, be it to the gods or to another human, they are imitating divinity.
This web of reciprocity overlaps itself on to many aspects of pagan religions. We have already seen how the circular pattern of exchange results in a dynamic and beneficial relationship with the gods. However, it can also be seen in ethics. The majority of pagan ethical ideas are proscriptive. That it, they are ideas of values one should try to express, such as found in the Nine Noble Virtues. These values, when expressed to others, be it the gods or humans, have a tendency to result in reciprocal treatment by that other individual.
The web of reciprocity also can manifest itself in what some term the web of fate. That it, these exchanges result in the interconnectedness of life, while the interconnectedness of life resulted in the need for these exchanges. This also can lead to the pagan view(s) of time, which are beyond the scope of this blog.
I really don't like conclusions. My thoughts are unfinished. Also, they will have to wait for another time.
My first observation is that while the great pagan gods and goddesses are superlative in their might and majesty, they still exist within the world and share a common world with their worshipers. This, in turn, leads to the idea that pagan gods do not demand complete submission by their worshipers, because this would entail the worshipers to turn to them to control every facet of their lives. Since pagans, both ancient and modern, have never thought of the gods as omnipotent and omnipresent this would prove quite difficult for the gods, if not impossible. Instead, the gods ask of their followers, love, respect, and cooperation. All of these things are possible to give to more than one being at once.
Pagan religions rarely, if ever, see worship as the sole purpose of human existence. Instead, while affirming that a relationship with the gods and other spiritual beings results in a greater existence for the worshiper(s), they recognize that human life as its own value within the greater pattern of the cosmos.
In light of these observations, pagan worship can be summed up in one word. Reciprocity. In a world that is shared by gods and men, exchange is the default mode of worship.
Before continuing, let me explain how exchange is worship. The word worship comes to us from the Old English weord scipe, which means to give worth. Therefore, what you give to another being, be it another person, god, or spirit, is representative of the worth you give to your relationship with that being. Think about it for a second. Would you give your brother's old college roommate a gift of the same worth as the diamond necklace you give your spouse?
So, while the gods are greater than human beings, they are not infinitely greater, and therefore humans have an opportunity to bring something of their own to the relationship with the divine. This is a very pagan affirmation of the value of humanity in relationship to the world.
The principal of reciprocity is expressed the the Roman maxim "I give so that you may give". This does not imply a commercial exchange of deposit one sacrifice and receive your blessing tokens. Instead, the exchange of gifts belies one of the most fundamental ways of establishing and affirming relationships between individuals.
So what are the gifts of the gods that I get by establishing a relationship with them? As the gods exist in the world and govern it's natural forces, the gifts you receive are already present in your food and drink, fertility of the soil, the order that govern civilization, etc. We are already privy to these gifts whether the personal relationship has been established or not.
If I already receive these gifts then why is it necessary to give back? To this question I ask, when you are given a gift by another human, do you not desire to show them that you value them as they value you? Making offerings allows us to respond to the generosity of the gods . Pagan worship serve to reaffirm the relationship between the gods and man by participating the the web of reciprocity that celebrates their friendship.
In pagan thought, the gods are seen as givers of good things. Generosity, as seen in paragraph 8, is a divine attribute, but it is not limited to the gods. Therefore, when a human is generous, be it to the gods or to another human, they are imitating divinity.
This web of reciprocity overlaps itself on to many aspects of pagan religions. We have already seen how the circular pattern of exchange results in a dynamic and beneficial relationship with the gods. However, it can also be seen in ethics. The majority of pagan ethical ideas are proscriptive. That it, they are ideas of values one should try to express, such as found in the Nine Noble Virtues. These values, when expressed to others, be it the gods or humans, have a tendency to result in reciprocal treatment by that other individual.
The web of reciprocity also can manifest itself in what some term the web of fate. That it, these exchanges result in the interconnectedness of life, while the interconnectedness of life resulted in the need for these exchanges. This also can lead to the pagan view(s) of time, which are beyond the scope of this blog.
I really don't like conclusions. My thoughts are unfinished. Also, they will have to wait for another time.