Naturalistic Paganism
Big changes at HP this equinox
Once again it’s the Autumn Equinox, which has always been a time of changes for me. This time round, it has to do with a change of leadership at HP.
I couldn’t be more proud of what HP has become. To date, more than fifty contributors have conspired to make this site what it is. In these few years since our inception in 2011, we Naturalistic Pagans have gone from a little-understood fringe phenomenon to a recognized presence in the Pagan community. Our unique perspective has been discussed by well-known authors such as Brendan Myers, debated widely in the blogosphere, and sought out by forums such as Pagan Square. We’re emerging onto the mainstream scene, and a generation of new talent is bursting forth.
That’s why I feel it’s time for HP take the next step:
John Halstead, managing editor of HP starting Oct. 6th
Time to let others take the lead.
I am proud to announce that as of October 6th of this year, John Halstead will be taking over as managing editor. As a frequent contributor to HP and the author of The Allergic Pagan and Dreaming the Myth Forward, John has proven a prolific voice. He is an insightful writer, and a rock-steady supporter of the community. I can’t wait to see the new energy he will bring to HP.
Meanwhile, I will be staying on as treasurer and advising editor. I’ll continue to contribute articles now and again, and take part in the discussions. You can also find me exploring ancient naturalism at Naturalistic Traditions, researching religion and evolution at BTNewberg.com, and developing an introductory course for spiritual naturalists with DT Strain at the Spiritual Naturalist Society. This change of leadership will give me breathing space to renew my energy, and will give HP a fresh new approach.
New staff structure
So, that makes our new staff structure look like this:
- Managing editor: John Halstead
- Social media coordinator: NaturalPantheist
- Treasurer and advising editor: B. T. Newberg
- Our next staff person: You?
So, that’s the big change here at HP. I hope your autumn is eventful and inspiring. I know mine will be!
Ancient philosophy meets Darwin: Can science offer a way of life?
In the age of Darwin, what do we still have to learn from philosophers like Socrates or the Buddha?
Ancient philosophers differed from those today in one crucial way:
For them, philosophy was a way of life.
Can science, too, be a way of life?
Philosophy as a way of life
All the ancient philosophers, from Socrates to the Buddha, investigated their world not just for the sake of learning, but in order to discover how to live a flourishing life.
For example, when Socrates asked his fellow Athenians about piety or virtue, it wasn’t just for love of conversation – he wanted to expose the confusion fouling up the unexamined life. When Hypatia of Alexandria explored mathematics and astronomy, it wasn’t just for the sake of learning – she wanted to know how she fit into the cosmos. And when Siddartha Gautama investigated the nature of desire and aversion, it was not out of pure interest in psychology – he wanted to know how to eradicate suffering. All their explorations led eventually back to one key question: How should we live?
Today, we know much more about nature than the ancient philosophers ever did.* Yet, we seem to know far less about how to live. Can ancient philosophy teach us how to find science spiritually-relevant again? Read More
Autumn Equinox
In the Northern Hemisphere, the equinox is celebrated as Mabon, also called Harvest Home. Astronomically, the event falls on the 22nd. The precise date and time can be found at archaeoastronomy.com.
Mike Nichols says of the day:
Mythically, this is the day of the year when the God of Light is defeated by his twin and alter ego, the God of Darkness. It is the time of the year when night conquers day.
The metaphor for the natural solar cycle is perfectly clear, and easily appreciable by naturalists. Likewise with the agricultural myth of John Barleycorn, personification of the ripened grain:
Often this corn spirit was believed to reside most especially in the last sheaf or shock harvested, which was dressed in fine clothes, or woven into a wicker-like man-shaped form. This effigy was then cut and carried from the field, and usually burned, amidst much rejoicing. (Nichols)
Jon Cleland Host describes how his family observes Mabon:
Fall harvest décor is appropriate, with dried cornstalks, squash, gourds, Indian corn, etc. The social aspect of our lives is highlighted by this harvest theme – a time when friends and family get together for the harvest. …
Dinner will of course have a harvest theme, including squash, homemade bread, cranberry sauce, etc. … One part of the ritual is often the pouring of a little wine at the base of the trees in our yard as thanks for the summer shade and the coming fall colors. (Naturalistic Paganism yahoo group)
Another great activity, courtesy of Jonathan Blake of the Naturalistic Paganism yahoo list, is measuring your latitude on the equinox using only the sun, a stick, and some basic calculations.
Glenys Livingstone of Pagaian, celebrates this as a time of abundance and thanksgiving, but also of loss. She associates it with the myth of Persephone’s descent into the underworld, ritually enacting a moment of “letting go”:
”(name), I give you the wheat – the Mystery – the knowledge of life and death. I let you go as Child – Daughter/Mabon65), most loved of Mine … you descend to Wisdom, to Sovereignty66. You will return as Mother67, co-Creator with me. You are the Seed in the Fruit, becoming the Fruit in the Seed. Inner Wisdom guides your path.”
Response: “It is so. I am Daughter (Child/Mabon/Young One), becoming Mother – Seed becoming Fruit. I am deepening into/descend to, Wisdom, into Sovereignty. The Mother knowledge grows within me. (vary and add words as desired to express self)
Those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Eostar at this time.
International Day of Peace
Finally, September 21st is the International Day of Peace. Initiated by the United Nations in 1982 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, it declares the UN’s devotion to worldwide peace and encourages humanity to work toward peaceful goals. The Culture of Peace Initiative says:
We encourage you to attend local events (find them here), put on an event of your own, take a moment of peace at noon, and check in on the global broadcast to view the worldwide activities. You can watch the global broadcast on this website by clicking here.The International Day of Peace, a.k.a. “Peace Day” provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.
To inaugurate the day, the “Peace Bell” is rung at UN Headquarters (in New York City). The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents apart from Africa. It was given as a gift by the United Nations Association of Japan, and is referred to as “a reminder of the human cost of war.” The inscription on its side reads: “Long live absolute world peace.”
Individuals can also wear White Peace Doves to commemorate the International Day of Peace, which are badges in the shape of a dove produced by a non-profit in Canada. (Wikipedia)
The HPedia: UPG
Your help is needed! Please critique this entry from the HPedia: An encyclopedia of key concepts in Naturalistic Paganism. Please leave your constructive criticism in the comments below.
UPG is a term often heard in Contemporary Paganism, especially in Reconstructionist circles, which stands for Unverified Personal Gnosis.
Wikipedia explains:
Unverified personal gnosis (often abbreviated UPG) is the phenomenological concept that an individual’s spiritual insights (or gnosis) may be valid for them without being generalizable to the experience of others. It is primarily a neologism used in polytheistic reconstructionism, to differentiate it from ancient sources of spiritual practices.
Origin
The term appears to have originally appeared in print in Kaatryn MacMorgan‘s book Wicca 333: Advanced Topics in Wiccan Belief, published in March 2003, but seems to have originated in Germano-Scandinavian Reconstructionist groups in the 1970s or 1980s. The same phenomenon has also been referred to as “personal revelation”, or “unverifiable personal gnosis” (in a somewhat derogatory sense).
Importance
As attempts at recreating or restarting ancient religions continue, the difficulty in telling the difference between historically attested sources and modern, personal interpretations grows. All myths and legends started at some point in the human past with one person or group’s experience; thus it would be inappropriate to dismiss out-of-hand a new experience. UPG grew out of the need for a shorthand in differentiating the two.
Usage
Ideally the term is used to label one’s own experience as a new and untested hypothesis, although further verification from the spiritual interactions of others may lead to a certain degree of verifiability. At other times, the term is used in either a value-neutral or disparaging sense, about someone else’s experience.
UPG is sometimes also said to stand for Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis.
Related terms
-
SPG (Shared Personal Gnosis) – indicating a mystical vision shared by a number of unrelated people, preferably, one arrived at independently of one another.
-
CG (Confirmed Gnosis) – indicating that substantiating evidence for an incidence of UPG or SPG has later been found in the lore. This is also sometimes referred to as CPG (Confirmed Personal Gnosis).
This term has been useful in navigating a course toward historical accuracy in the Pagan community, by separating historical attestation from personal revelation. From a naturalistic perspective, one may well wonder if a similar feat can be accomplished in navigating a course toward scientific accuracy, by separating evidential support from personal conviction.
Check out other entries in our HPedia.
Buy Godless Paganism (paperback)
Buy Godless Paganism (ebook)
Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 