Naturalistic Paganism

In Part 1, I reviewed the conceptions of the natural world found among our archaic ancestors.  In Part 2, I addressed our modern image of nature. In Part 3, I will conclude by arguing that we need a new way of thinking about nature as a “sacred living system.”

The New Worldview

As we have seen, throughout most of human history our conception of nature was based upon the image of the sacred living cosmos, which largely supported sustainable cultural practices. We know that aspects of this conception do not fit the facts of the world and should not be re-instated.   While I am certainly not anti-religious and deeply respect the religious views of other people, I find no evidence of supernatural beings that would warrant building a whole scientifically-grounded cosmology around one. Read More

In Part 1, I reviewed the conceptions of the natural world found among our archaic ancestors.  In this part, I will address our modern image of nature. In Part 3, I conclude by arguing that we need a new way of thinking about nature as a “sacred living system.”

The De-Sacralization of Nature

Skipping to the beginnings of our modern era, western science and rationality exerted a powerful influence upon our image of nature. The notion that the cosmos is sacred waned and nature becames profane. The soul of the world — anima mundi — largely disappeared from the modern worldview. While Newtonian science and materialism provided powerful insights into the workings of the natural world, this new conception of nature facilitated the destruction of our planet by turning it into a mere resource for humans to use. Read More

The relationship between humans and our natural world is enshrined and encapsulated in interpretive schemes and manners of conceptualization. Our conceptions of nature act as resources which guide our everyday practices and give us a sense of possibility. Given our current ecological crisis, enflamed as it is by global climate change and numerous other issues, we must critically scrutinize our current conceptualization of our natural world, figure out if it is contributing to our problems and consider potential alternatives that might be able to guide us to a more sustainable way of living. I first review the conceptions of the natural world found among our archaic ancestors, Part 1.  In Part 2, I address our modern image of nature. In Part 3, I conclude by arguing that we need a new way of thinking about nature as a “sacred living system.”

“The Wisdom of the Earth”

Close examination of the conceptions of the natural world found among archaic foraging societies across the globe reveals a set of cultural framings that I call the “Wisdom of the Earth.” These people, who lived very close to their natural worlds, deeply understood the interconnectedness of the universe. They had intimate relationships with their natural surroundings, sustainable cultural practices and earth-centered spiritualities grounded in rich ceremonies and rituals. Read More