The majority of Pagan blogs that I’ve found teach the basics of magic and discuss what it’s like to be the only family to celebrate Samhain in the Southern Bible Belt. While I absolutely feel that these experiences are important to share, they aren’t really a part of my world, so I don’t follow any of these blogs too closely. Instead, what informs my reading are blogs that question religion and philosophy, search for a place for old magic in a modern world, and engage in other religio-spiritual defining thought- and physical-practices. One of these blogs is the Rogue Priest.
In my mailbox today I read a post where he discusses Why More People Aren’t Pagan, including why he gave the title up. He also includes reference to a post by John Halstead at Allergic Pagan about why he’s embarrassed by Pagans.
I wanted to address these topics because I feel it’s important in studying your religio-spirituality, be it Pagan or otherwise, you consider the larger picture.
Some people hate labels, and they have good reason. But labels serve a function in our society – they let us communicate quickly with each other complex concepts that would take ages to describe. But if the label that you’re using isn’t describing what you want it to, then you’d have good reason to find another, better label or to make one up that suited you.
I highly recommend you read the articles I posted above – they express very valid and not uncommon viewpoints in the Pagan community, at least, as I knew years ago. I confess – I haven’t been an active part of the Pagan community in a long time, outside of the internet. I could easily blame that on my location – I’m an hour away from any town with a Pagan community to interact with! But it’s also partially because I’m not a social person – I don’t crave the need to connect with other people in a social atmosphere the way most people do.
I also don’t quite fit in. Like the Rogue Priest (Drew Jacobs) and John Halstead have expressed, Pagans can be a little too “love and light” for my tastes. That is one reason I specify that I am a shaman – I travel roads both light and dark and count them both as equal. My Shadowself is as important as my Lightself and were I to neglect one, I would become incomplete as a human being. My Gods are amazing, awesome beings… who encourage natural cycles, balance, and self responsibility. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and that’s just the way it goes and there’s no amount of “love and light” that is going to stop that – but with a connection to the Gods, you may receive the guidance, strength, and resources needed to move through to the other side.
On the other hand, my primary background is in the metaphysical or new age community. I DO use a ‘ball of white light’ in my meditations. I’ve studied chakras and leylines and crystal healing. I’ve learned that there are many ways to manipulate the energy of our world and not every occasion calls for ritual – sometimes a good visualization will do just fine. John Halstead complains about this ‘ball of white light’ in his article and calls it “New Age drivel” and, I’m afraid, I do agree to some point. But for me it’s a complaint of purpose and function rather than the actual methodology – just what were the practitioners of the circle protecting themselves from? And since they were in ritual, wouldn’t an offering, sigil, or group chant be more effective? Isn’t that an excellent time to invite the God or Goddess to reach down Their mighty hands and hold the practitioners in Their palm?
If you read Pagan publications, you get an impression of a personal nature religion that is tough as steel, ready to fight, and where every action taken is a form of worship or dedication. That is what I think of when I think of Paganism. But according to Drew Jacob and John Halstead, Paganism is becoming more of what I used to condemn Wicca for being – “Yahweh in drag.” With this stark difference in literature, discussion, practice, and public face, one wonders where the disconnect comes in. Are the public Pagan rituals playing a political game, dressing up to be as harmless as possible? Catering to the lowest common denominator? Keeping things at a 101 level instead of more advanced, stronger, and more rigorous 601 level (likely because of not knowing who would be involved)? Why the disconnect?
Or am I part of the “Old Guard,” fading into old age and obscurity to be replaced by the new, young, and innovative? Is this a new Pagan world, one where my ways are eccentric curiosities? Or maybe ‘Pagan’ was never the correct label for me and I’ve been accidentally misleading people all along out of my own ignorance.
It’s an interesting topic, and one I would love to hear more discussion of.
If you call yourself Pagan, what does your Paganism look like? And if you’ve chosen another label, why have you made that choice?
Nathara
