Naturalistic Paganism
“On Being A Nietzschean Pagan” by Ashley Yakeley
This essay was originally published at Immanence.org. The introduction to this essay has been redacted.
Here I take the ideas in Alain de Benoist’s On Being A Pagan and run with them, possibly to places he would not go, and possibly skipping over parts that make no sense to me. I identify four themes that characterise his view of paganism and how it differs from Christianity and Abrahamic religion in general: paganism attends to the immediate world (rather than a heaven); it is tied to geographic place and particular culture (rather than being universalist); it is broadly tolerant of other values (rather than insisting on a universal law-code); it calls us to great creation and achievement that surpasses the gods.
[A Pedagogy of Gaia] “After the Ritual” by Bart Everson
This is a follow-up piece to last month’s essay, “Preparing A Ritual”.
Before
Something always seems to die around Lammas. Last year it was our pet fish, Inky. The year before it was a raccoon under the house. This year it was my wife’s phone. As I whiled away a couple hours in the local Verizon shop, I couldn’t help reflecting on how we are turning into cyborgs; losing one’s phone is akin to losing a limb. Mainly, though, I was preoccupied with the black beans which a friend had given me from her father’s farm in Indiana. I’d soaked them overnight but hadn’t started cooking them yet. Would they be ready in time?
Eventually we got the new phone up and running, got back home, began cooking and gathering the necessary materials. When the hour arrived, we loaded up the car with several large boxes. I had to laugh at myself. How is it possible that a religious ceremony should require so much gear? The black beans were still not done, so we put the whole pot in the car and drove to the next neighborhood, just a mile away, to the house of our friend who graciously agreed to play host.
Arrival
We were almost on time, and a small crowd had already gathered. I encouraged people to chill in the air-conditioned apartment while I prepared the ritual space out back with a little help from my daughter. We’d decided the ritual would take place outdoors, even though Lammas in New Orleans can be suffocatingly hot and humid. For one thing, I wanted a bonfire; more importantly, it just makes intuitive sense that an Eco-Pagan ritual, which aims to foster a sense of reconnection with Earth, should take place outdoors. Read More
Call for Essays: Gaia philosophy and the Earth
Our theme at HP for the month of September is Gaia philosophy and the Earth. This month in 1965, James Lovelock, the author of the Gaia Hypothesis, started defining the idea of a self-regulating Earth while working on methods of detecting life on Mars. Lovelock did not publish the hypothesis until 1972, and the theory was not popularized until 1979. In the meantime, also in September (September 6) in 1970, one of the fathers of Neo-Paganism, Tim (Oberon) Zell had his a vision which inspired him to articulate vision of the earth as a single living organism. In honor of the vision of these two individuals, our theme for the month of September will be Gaia philosophy and the Earth. We’re also looking for articles about peak oil, climate change, environmental degradation and the coming collapse.
Send your submissions to humanisticpaganism [at] gmail [dot] com.
[Rotting Silver] “Waiting” by B. T. Newberg
O Stranger, I open my door and wait for your arrival.
With prayers, I open my door.
With music, I open my door.
With chanting, I open my door.
With meditations, I open my door.
With reading, I open my door.
With rites, I open my door.
With long contemplation, I open my door.
With laughter, I open my door.
With determination, I open my door.
With sorrow, I open my door.
But I can only open my door, Stranger. I cannot make you come. The hour grows dark, and I grow weary.
But even as I gaze out of my lonely door, you have crept in through the window.
Rotting Silver is a column devoted to this Earth in all its tarnished radiance: poetry, prose, and parables of ugliness alloyed with joy.
This piece was first published at The Witch’s Voice.
The Author
B. T. Newberg: Since the year 2000, B. T. has been practicing meditation and ritual from a naturalistic perspective. He currently volunteers as Education Director for the Spiritual Naturalist Society, where he is creating an online course in naturalistic spirituality. His writings can also be found at Patheos and Pagan Square, as well as right here at HP.
Professionally, he teaches English as a Second Language. After living in Minnesota, England, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, he currently resides in St Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and cat.
After founding HumanisticPaganism.com in 2011 and serving as managing editor till 2013, he now serves as advising editor, and feels blessed to be a part of this community.
“The Meaning of Life?” by Thomas Schenk
This essay was originally published at The Spiritualist Naturalist Society.
The old question What is the Meaning of Life? has become something of a joke — not because it has been answered, but because it seems incapable of being answered. Below I attempt to address the question, though perhaps I only add to the joke. Read More
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