Musings on modern Paganism
A friend of mine recently highlighted this post by Dianne Sylvan. Though there are some important differences, it reminds me in some ways of a few criticisms presented when the hosts of Deo's Shadow and a few others "grew out" of Paganism. In essence, it seems that a common concern among these posts that modern Paganism is lacking maturity or depth in some way which leads people to reach out to other faiths -- or at least distance themselves from the more prevalent forms of public Paganism -- in order to continue maturing on their own spiritual path. Perhaps this isn't surprising, since although our faith draws on ancient roots, the modern practice is still very young by many standards.
In a way, this concern also parallels the observations expressed in our local community that many participants who were very active group participants in their 20s and 30s tend to withdraw in their 40s and beyond. Sure, much of this is probably due to changing roles in life, less free time, greater responsibility at home and at work, etc. At least, that has played a big part in this tendency for me. But I wonder how many have also lost patience with the "You're joking, right?" aspects of modern practice that Dianne points out, or are needing a deeper approach than they're finding in general Paganism.
One of the comments which came out of the discussion about Sylvan's post was this: At its best, pagan ritual is refreshingly creative and allows for a good deal of individual expression. In this way it is very unlike ritual in what are considered the US's mainstream religions.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Largely because of this topic, I made a point to notice the things at our local Mabon celebration last night which I liked, which drew me in, as well as those things which put me off. Granted, these are not "reasons to be Pagan" per se, they are simply things I find meaningful.
Just to name a few of the good things which stood out most for me:
But back to this business of maturity within typical expressions of Paganism... as expressed by the other bloggers referenced in the Wild Hunt link above, it is not only things that happen in ritual that are an issue. I think Brendan Myers is correct about a lack of, or even rejection of, philosophy among many Pagans. For modern Pagan faiths to come to maturity, I believe this will have to change. I've been delighted to learn about the rich philosophical tradition of the ancient Greeks, which has helped fill my need for a deeper Pagan thinking about the world and human nature... a need which was not being fulfilled within general modern Paganism. I have talked to others who have found their own philosophical longings satisfied in ancient writings from other traditions, such as the Norse Eddas or the Bhagavad Gita, but not many Pagans seem to seek out sources like this. I think it would serve our groups well to bring the ideas in these texts into the larger community for serious discussion.
In a way, this concern also parallels the observations expressed in our local community that many participants who were very active group participants in their 20s and 30s tend to withdraw in their 40s and beyond. Sure, much of this is probably due to changing roles in life, less free time, greater responsibility at home and at work, etc. At least, that has played a big part in this tendency for me. But I wonder how many have also lost patience with the "You're joking, right?" aspects of modern practice that Dianne points out, or are needing a deeper approach than they're finding in general Paganism.
One of the comments which came out of the discussion about Sylvan's post was this: At its best, pagan ritual is refreshingly creative and allows for a good deal of individual expression. In this way it is very unlike ritual in what are considered the US's mainstream religions.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Largely because of this topic, I made a point to notice the things at our local Mabon celebration last night which I liked, which drew me in, as well as those things which put me off. Granted, these are not "reasons to be Pagan" per se, they are simply things I find meaningful.
Just to name a few of the good things which stood out most for me:
- Inclusiveness, which goes hand in hand with what was said above. There were lots of different ideologies represented in the group and all were welcome. In this ritual, space was made for each person to honor their own deities aloud for the entire group to hear. (On the flip side, there were a few individuals who gasped when the names of a couple supposedly "darker" deities were named, including when I named Chaos. But my guess as to why these people gasped could be wrong.) However, this may be a double-edged sword, as radical inclusiveness allows for a lot of "You're joking, right?" things to take place.
- The drumming and dancing. When done well, or even just adequately, I can't think of any other practice which can simultaneously be so engaging, communal, sacred, fun, and at the same time still "make space" for individual work and expression within the whole. Descriptions of drum circles being "sacred containers" for deeply religious communal and personal activity seem really accurate.
- Sacramental religious expression. By this I am referring to the use of symbolic objects and actions which express Divine power in the world. Nearly all religions embrace some form of sacramentalism, but Paganism allows for and even encourages a very wide range of sacramental expression, which I find meaningful personally and fascinating from both socio-religious and artistic perspectives. Sacramentalism has its limits, though. It has been understandably criticized by iconoclastic faith traditions which argue in an apophatic way that sacramental expressions are inadequate or misleading when representing Divinity. However, although it may be imperfect, I see it as a rich expression of the sacred in action and form that I find meaningful beyond any approach I've experienced from the "Via Negativa"... with one important exception which occurred a decade ago.
But back to this business of maturity within typical expressions of Paganism... as expressed by the other bloggers referenced in the Wild Hunt link above, it is not only things that happen in ritual that are an issue. I think Brendan Myers is correct about a lack of, or even rejection of, philosophy among many Pagans. For modern Pagan faiths to come to maturity, I believe this will have to change. I've been delighted to learn about the rich philosophical tradition of the ancient Greeks, which has helped fill my need for a deeper Pagan thinking about the world and human nature... a need which was not being fulfilled within general modern Paganism. I have talked to others who have found their own philosophical longings satisfied in ancient writings from other traditions, such as the Norse Eddas or the Bhagavad Gita, but not many Pagans seem to seek out sources like this. I think it would serve our groups well to bring the ideas in these texts into the larger community for serious discussion.