Naturalistic Paganism
I’ve been interviewed!
People are taking note of what we’re doing here!
DT Strain, author of The Humanist Contemplative, interviews your devoted editor about Humanistic Paganism.
DT Strain has been a mover-and-shaker in the world of Spiritual Humanism. Now, he’s planning an extraordinary new project called the Spiritual Naturalist Society. It promises to become a powerful new force sympathetic to Humanistic Paganism. We’ll keep you posted on its emergence in the months to come.
Check out the interview today:
Exploring Humanism and Paganism with B. T. Newberg, by DT Strain
– B. T. Newberg
What are your top three most-valued elements of Humanistic Paganism?
Thing on Thursday #2
Evolution happens. This site began with a statement of principles called the Fourfold Path, but Humanistic Paganism has evolved quite a bit since then. Now it’s high time to revisit the basics.
The goal here is not to decree what individuals should believe or do. Far from it! The idea is to find out what values we hold in common.
Think about what you, personally, value most about the Humanistic Pagan path. Nevermind what’s already been put forward, this is about your vision. What do you value most?
If you feel more than three are absolutely essential, please say so in the comments, perhaps ranking your choices in order if you like. Furthermore, are there elements missing here? Are some inappropriate? Why or why not?
No doubt there will be a lot of “yes, but…” and “only if…” responses, so feel free to elaborate.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
About Thing on Thursday
This post is part of a series of councils on matters vital to the future. The name represents both the generic term for, you know, a thingie, as well as the Old Norse term for a council of elders: a Thing.
Each week until the Winter Solstice, Thing on Thursday will explore a new controversy. Participation is open to all – the more minds that come together, the better. Those who have been vocal in the comments are as welcome as those quiet-but-devoted readers who have yet to venture a word. We value all constructive opinions.
There are only a few rules:
- be constructive – this is a council, so treat it as such
- be respectful – no rants or flames
Comments will be taken into consideration as we determine the new direction of Humanistic Paganism. This will also greatly shape the vision that unfolds in our upcoming ebook Our Ancient Future: Visions of Humanistic Paganism.
So please make your voice heard in the comments!
Science vs. religion: Mythology is poetry, not prose, by Heather Wiech
Wisdom is the marriage of science and religion.
image enhanced from Education by Louis Comfort Tiffany
How do you keep myth from becoming dogma? Heather Wiech suggests it takes both science and religion. – B. T. Newberg
Joseph Campbell said that religion is supposed to give meaning to the science of the time. What has happened, though, is that religions of the text have placed all the emphasis on literal truth over the metaphorical value of the mythology. This has led religious people to fight against modern science to absurdity. Hence, we are currently looking back at religion as something archaic and foolish.
The poetry of myth
In tribal cultures, mythology is alive. It changes with the tribe. As knowledge/geography/needs change, the mythology changes to reflect these. In the modern era, mythology has stagnated. The mythology that was meant to meet the needs of nomadic peoples of the Fertile Crescent no longer speaks to people in the age of technology.
Myth, according to Campbell, should provide guidance through the cycles of life and help to face uncertainty and adversity within a sort of “wisdom of the ages.” It also shows us a hero (Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, Hercules, Superman, Neo, et cetera) who is a mirror of the hero in our own story: ourselves.
Myth speaks of our psychology. Gods are not external beings but rather symbols of pieces of our human psychology. What would a god need with jealousy, avarice, hubris? If it’s truly a higher being, nothing. It’s far more likely that it is a mirror of our folly in a symbolic language.
Mythology is poetry, not prose.
The meaning of ritual
Ritual is the physical acting out of a myth to attain a new level of consciousness or state of being. Today’s rituals, according to Campbell, are all watered-down compared to the mystery rituals of Demeter or the tribal manhood rituals. We’ve lost the meaning and purpose of ritual. People sitting in pews and drifting off to sleep while the priest drones on about scripture is not a ritual.
In tribal societies, manhood is something earned, not just grown into. A boy is ripped from the arms of his mother and thrown out into the wilderness to kill a beast alone. Once he has faced his trial, he is often marked with the experience on his body (tattoos, piercings, scarification, etc). Then he returns to the tribe as a man with all the rights and responsibilities associated.
What’s the equivalent today? A boy getting laid for the first time?
It’s no wonder adolescence continues far into adulthood.
No dogma
Myth and ritual are vital to human nature, and it is important to know what the two are and how they function for us, so as not to get stuck. We need to be very careful in how we implement them. It needs to remain a philosophical process if it is not to become dogma.
I think black-and-white “religion vs. science” is a false dichotomy. We need not throw out the baby with the bathwater. There is wisdom on both sides, and we don’t concede we are wrong by making use of what is good and valid. Science and mythology should work together rather than oppose each other, for wisdom is the marriage of the two.
The author
Heather Wiech
Heather Wiech is an international relations scholar, philosopher, human rights activist, blogger, tutor, culinary artist, photographer, techie nerd, mythology enthusiast, and spiritual naturalist. http://heatherwiech.com
Upcoming work
This Sunday
Appearing October 2nd on Humanistic Paganism.
Thing on Thursday
Join us for the next council on matters vital to our future. This week, we’ll re-evaluate the basics by asking:
What are the core elements of a Humanistic Pagan path?
The conversation continues this Thursday, October 6th, on Humanistic Paganism.
Next Sunday
Is there a place for divination and omenry in a naturalistic spirituality? B. T. Newberg shares a story of a strange sighting on the morning of his wedding day.
Symbols in the sky, by B. T. Newberg
Appearing Sunday, October 8th, on Humanistic Paganism.
Recent Work
Bicycle meditation, by Thomas Schenk
The archetypes are gods: Re-godding the archetypes, by John H. Halstead
Ten years after 9/11: World politics is an existential condition, by B. T. Newberg
What kind of community shall we be?
Thing on Thursday #1
Today we begin the conversation with a big idea: What kind of community is Humanistic Paganism?
- Are we a spiritual orientation, a kind of viewpoint shared by individuals of various religious traditions, aiming to keep naturalistic interpretations alive?
- Or are we a new tradition in the bud, looking forward to developing our own unique rituals, meditations, calendars, and so forth?
What kind of a community do we want to be?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
About Thing on Thursday
Althing in Session, by W.G. Collingwood
This post is the first in a series of councils on matters vital to the future. The name represents both the generic term for, you know, a thingie, as well as the Old Norse term for a council of elders: a Thing.
Each week until the Winter Solstice, Thing on Thursday will explore a new controversy. Participation is open to all – the more minds that come together, the better. Those who have been vocal in the comments are as welcome as those quiet-but-devoted readers who have yet to venture a word. We value all constructive opinions.
There are only a few rules:
- be constructive – this is a council, so treat it as such
- be respectful – no rants or flames
Comments will be taken into consideration as we determine the new direction of Humanistic Paganism. This will also greatly shape the vision that unfolds in our upcoming ebook Our Ancient Future: Visions of Humanistic Paganism.
So please make your voice heard in the comments!
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