Naturalistic Paganism
PostPaganry, Part 2: Reason and Spirituality, by Glen Gordon
Postpaganry draws on spiritual naturalism by applying reason to spiritual and religious1 matters. This includes science, but also the application of my own reason in interpreting my subjective spiritual experiences.
From the beginning of my Pagan spiritual awakening 15 years ago, I was — and continue to be — driven by a desire for connection with nature and with my own heritage. During my studies of, and training within, British Traditional Wicca and modern Druidry, a dissonance emerged for me. This dissonance was caused by trying to reconcile what I was learning from independent study about the history of Wicca and Druidry, on the one hand, and feeling that they were not being represented accurately, on the other. Neither Wicca nor Druidry were meeting my spiritual needs. Celebrating the Neopagan wheel, which was designed with British seasons in mind, felt incongruent with living in the high desert of the U.S. Southwest. Reason lead me to believe that an earth-based religion would be one that was in sync with the seasons where I actually lived. In addition, the projections of human qualities onto nature in the form of anthropomorphic, engendered gods — which gods had originated in a culture impacted by different ecological conditions than where I was currently living — felt forced.
“Faith for the Naturalistic Pagan: Trusting in the Return of Warmth” by Crafter Yearly
As a Naturalistic Pagan and as a trained philosopher, I tend to find the whole concept of faith generally off-putting. As a naturalist, the association of the term with various theistic worldviews does not appeal to me. I do not like the term when used as a proxy for belief in goddesses and gods. It appeals to me even less when associated with belief in the Christian god, one of seven Christian virtues.
As someone with philosophical training, the concept of faith is likewise problematic. Faith is the counterpoint to reason. To have faith is to believe something to be true that you do not have good evidence for. In this way, faith is the opposite of reason. It is the willful presupposition of a preferred belief or outcome, regardless of the absence of logically defensible reasons. For these reasons, I often adopt a rather dismissive view of the concept.
For Discussion: “Evolution at Odds” by Bart Everson
We are constantly forgetting trivial experiences. What did lunch taste like last Tuesday? Strangely enough, we can also forget important experiences. We can, in fact, forget the most experiences of all. We can and do lose touch with the most profound truths of existence.
How is this possible? Why does it happen? It seems tragic. It may be adaptive. This is pure speculation on my part, but it seems conceivable that our evolutionary survival is at odds with our spiritual development. Evolutionary fitness need not be congruent with spiritual fitness. That is, the strategies encoded in our genes through natural selection may promote behavior that increases the likelihood of those genes being passed on, but that’s no guarantee of happiness or enlightenment. If we are prone to forget profound truths, perhaps it’s because keeping mindful of such truths has little evolutionary value. However, it may have great value for individuals and communities. Passing on genes ain’t everything.
What do you think? Is individual spirituality adaptive or maladaptive for the human species? What makes you think that? And what does that mean for our individual spiritualities? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
The Author
In addition to writing the A Pedagogy of Gaia column here at HumanisticPaganism, Bart Everson is a writer, a photographer, a baker of bread, a husband and a father. An award-winning videographer, he is co-creator of ROX, the first TV show on the internet. As a media artist and an advocate for faculty development in higher education, he is interested in current and emerging trends in social media, blogging, podcasting, et cetera, as well as contemplative pedagogy and integrative learning. He is a founding member of the Green Party of Louisiana, past president of Friends of Lafitte Corridor, sometime contributor to Rising Tide, and a participant in New Orleans Lamplight Circle. See Bart Everson’s other posts.
“Mother of Mysteries” from the Darwin Song Project
The Darwin Song Project is a compilation album, released in 2009, featuring folk artists from the UK and North America, who were tasked with the creation of new songs that had a resonance and relevance to Charles Darwin. The album is available on YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon. Editor’s note: I want to thank Jodi, who I met at Pantheacon, for turning me on to this awesome project. “Mother of Mysteries” Lyrics Oh I wish I believed if only for you In a Sweet Ever After beyond the blue In an Eternal Father who after the fall Cast us all out of the garden Now I’ve found an Eden I can believe in Leavened with nothing but time There is grandeur in this view of life Where one becomes many through struggle and strife But the mother of mysteries is another man’s call Why is there something instead of nothing at all Why is there something instead of nothing at all If the devil’s own chaplain is leading the prayer From a book that’s been written with sorrow and care Then his hand is indifferent but it isn’t unkind There’s no evil design in his sermon For I hear a chorus of those gone before us Scored upon pages of stone (Chorus) Oh what an utter desert is a life without love Would that you blessings alone were enough To banish my doubt in the veil of your tears Oh my dear how the fabric has fallen For I’ve found an Eden I can believe in Free from the master’s design (Chorus)
Call for Essays: March’s theme at HP is Cosmos!
Albert Einsten was born this month, on March 14, 1879.
The day is also celebrated as “Pi Day” (i.e., the date 3/14 = the numerical constant 3.14…) This year is the Pi Day of the century … 3/14/15 = 3.1514.
Also this month, on March 15, is Hypatia Day, on which some humanists and Pagans honor the female philosopher, astronomer and mathematician who was martyred in the 5th c. CE. In honor of Einstein and Hypatia (and pi) our theme for the month of March will be the Cosmos.
How have the disciplines of astronomy and mathematics impacted your religiosity? What role do stars and prime numbers play in your spirituality?
Send us your essays! Email to humanisticpaganism [at] gmail [dot] com.
Buy Godless Paganism (paperback)
Buy Godless Paganism (ebook)
Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 