Naturalistic Paganism
“A Brief History of Neo-Paganism” by John Halstead
This essay was originally published in multiple parts at Neo-Paganism.com.
A Modern Tradition with Ancient Roots
Neo-Paganism has its roots in the 19th century Romantic movement in England and Germany which saw ancient paganism as an ideological and aesthetic counter to the influence of Western modernity and industrialism. Read More
[Pagan in Place] “Home Base Practice” by Anna Walther
Pagan in Place is a column devoted to place-bound paganism. My goals are active engagement with my environment via meditation, walking outside, ritual, journaling, storytelling, and acts of social and environmental justice. Being pagan in place is about getting out of the house, putting foot to ground, and doing my holy work directly, at the closest creek, at my neighborhood park, at the community garden, and in my own backyard.
The elements, plants, animals, and seasonal patterns that inspire my practice manifest in specific places; therefore I must be grounded in a specific place in order to interact with them. To become rooted in place, Starhawk suggests choosing a “home base” or “secret spot” from which to observe the change of seasons (56-58). She suggests the backyard or a neighborhood park, but any place that is accessible on a daily basis will do. A home base for practice need not be wilderness; cities, with their unique structures, communities of organisms, and seasonal changes, are nature, too. The key part of a home base practice is simply showing up over and over again with a sense of curiosity and wonder. How do air and water flow through the environment? What communities of organisms grow together? What changes over time, and how? What patterns can be perceived? See the “Where You At?” quiz in Chas Clifton’s essay “Nature Religion for Real” for bioregional knowledge questions that could be applied to a home base, too. Read More
[Starstuff, Contemplating] “Hearing our Ancestors” by Jon Cleland Host
At times, our Ancestors can seem closer or farther away, though they are always within us – in our trillions of copies of our DNA. Though Samhain is half a year away, here is one of many times that I heard my distant Ancestors.
Around Beltane, 2006, I went on a business trip to Copenhagen and made sure to book a few extra free days to explore. Because all of us with European descent have some Viking ancestry1, I was hoping to find sites that were important to my Ancestors and had vague ideas of marking Beltane with a short ritual as well. After asking about Neolithic sites, I was directed to the National Museum, and eventually an archeologist recommended the local museum in Vaerlose. Between her broken English and my broken German, the kind woman there understood that I was interested in Neolithic sites, and gave me a map, pointing out the little circles. Wow – they were all around! Read More
[Rotting Silver] “Karma” by B. T. Newberg
There is only one stream of karma: cause and effect.
There is only one stream of karma: that of the entire ecosystem.
There is no individual karma, all is inextricably bound together.
There is no individual karma, all return to the earth equally at death.
The good receive their just reward: rejoining nature, freed of ego.
The bad receive their just punishment: annihilated into nature, freed of ego.
Rejoining the original influence, the good are physically recycled for the nutriment of all.
Expunged of ill influence, the bad are physically recycled for the nutriment of all.
Those who wish worse for the bad misperceive their place in the ecosystem.
Those who wish better for the good misperceive their place in the ecosystem.
They think individually, but they are not individuals.
They think individually, but they are the one earth.
There is only one stream of karma: cause and effect.
There is only one stream of karma: that of the entire ecosystem.
Rotting Silver is a column devoted to this Earth in all its tarnished radiance: poetry, prose, and parables of ugliness alloyed with joy.
Parts of this piece were 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.
“Seeing the Trees for the Dryads: Non-Theistic Nature Worship” by John Halstead
You weary Nations,
perhaps I am some new being you’ve never encountered before.
Yet there is nothing about me you can’t recognize.
I live in the place where you perceive nothing.
Look again!
— Geoff Bartley, “The Language of Stones”
Some Pagans find non-theistic forms of Paganism strange. They may wonder what the point of non-theistic Paganism is in the absence of a belief in deities who are aware of and responsive to us. One polytheist friend of mine, Lupus, has argued that traditional forms of religious worship must be “irrelevant” to more scientifically-informed forms of Paganism. He explains that, for religious worship to make sense, one must believe in an animating spirit in Nature or “something else beyond what is strictly physical and what can be proven by science”. Read More
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