apaganadrift

[apaganadrift]

Life Motto #1

“They don’t think it be like it is, but it do.” - Oscar Gamble

[apaganadrift]

A New Year

Happy New Year, Internet. I hope that this year is filled with much more health, wealth, and joy than the previous one. And, hopefully, all those silver linings and blessings in disguise of the past year start manifesting soon.

[apaganadrift]

Being adrift

This post was inspired from a conversation I had the other day with a friend when they asked the rather simple question, “What are you doing for Yule?” My response to the question, similar to my response to that kind of question for any holiday, was to simply shrug and be confused. After thinking about it, I believe that my response is basically built off of my perception about the nature of social versus individual spiritual practice.

I came into the Pagan world many years ago after being invited by a friend to a springtime festival for a local Pagan circle. It was truly an uplifting and enlightening experience. Ever since then, I have been a part of the group and always enjoyed going to every ritual that I could. On the other hand, there have been many times where I could not attend any of the holiday rituals because I was not in town and, in those cases, the concept of  “doing something” for the ritual days never really crossed my mind. I mean, obviously I knew they were happening and thought about them, but I never “did” anything for them when I was on my own.

The idea of doing something by myself for a ritual or a holiday has always felt odd and strange. When I think about it, I often think, “Well, what am I supposed to do? What would I do?” Ultimately, I think that is simply due to the fact that I came into my spiritual practice in a group setting, as part of a community. When I think of rituals and holidays, I immediately think of the circle getting together, a group putting together the ritual for the festival, hanging out and spending time with people. To me, the concept of “ritual” and “holiday” are intricately tied into the idea of social interaction. If I’m by myself on Yule or something, then...I’m just by myself on Yule. I might do a little something to honor the day like putting out a little offering for a god and lighting some incense and such like that. But, that’s it really.

However, I realize that’s also quite different compared to many people in the Neopagan and Wiccan world. Many people out there (as can easily been seen throughout Tumblr, for instance) come into the Neopagan or Wiccan practice on their own. Finding stuff on the internet, or a book in a bookstore, leads many people on their path of spirituality in which they are just on their own, doing their own thing. There is, of course, the internet community, as social as that can be, though it is rather different in its operation from an in-person community.

I don’t really know what the purpose of this post is other than me just thinking out loud on the subject. Hah. I don’t really have a point to make. It’s just something that has also been particularly on my mind because of the fact that the group I’m a part of has been inactive for many months, not just because of COVID, but for other reasons as well. Starting this blog has been part of my attempt at working out my own individual spiritual outlet an practice. We’ll see how it goes.

[apaganadrift]

“Thoughts on a Still Night” - Li Bai

Before my bed, the moon is shining bright, I think that it is frost upon the ground. I raise my head and look at the bright moon, I lower my head and think of home. 

source: http://www.chinese-poems.com/lb4.html

[apaganadrift]

Impromptu Book Review

So, I just got done reading Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America. It’s a book that’s been on my list forever, but just hadn’t gotten around to reading it until now. It is an absolute treasure of anthropological, sociological, and historical work.

Originally published in 1979, then re-editioned in 1986, 1996, and 2006, Drawing Down the Moon is a personal and social account of the history and life of Neopagan and Wiccan communities in the United States. Through extensive scholarly work, Adler puts together a very detailed history of the growth and shifts in Neopagan and Wiccan/Witchcraft practices in the US, as well as Britain. With extensive fieldwork and individual interviews, Adler really brings out the oral history and lived experiences of Wiccans and Pagans from the early years of the movements in the US. The 1986 and 2006 editions are updated with new information, reflections, and interviews. The book is broken into 13 chapters with an epilogue.

The first three chapters (Part I) are focused on a general overview of “paganism.” This includes what the term means, how it’s been used overtime, how people come to the religion, how the communities exist, and general worldviews of the greater Neopagan community. Chapters 4-8 (Part II) are focused specifically on Wicca/Witchcraft. It includes an examination of the history of modern Wicca, a look at Wicca and Witches in the modern age, a chapter solely focused on an interview, a discussion of the concepts of magic and ritual, and an analysis of the relationship between Wicca and feminism. Chapters 9-12 (Part III) are focused on other Neopagan groups. Adler covers a wide gamut of other Neopagan groups from Greek to Nordic to Egyptian and many other groups. There is also a chapter on men’s spirituality in Neopaganism. The final chapter (Part IV) is a rather long chapter that really examines the current trends of growth and concern in the greater Neopagan community. It includes issues like changes in Neopagan festivals, the internet, and the future sustainability of Neopagan communities.

Ever since its first printing, Drawing Down the Moon has been the go-to book for the history of Wicca and Neopaganism in America and for good reason. Part of what makes the book so great is that it’s not just an academic text full of citations and the names of long dead people. So much of the book is built off of interviews with many in the community and Adler’s own personal experiences. It makes the book feel like it has a certain life to it. It’s not just the history of Wicca and Neopaganism in America, it’s the chronicle of the community and the culture. Adler also very expertly weaves in many issues involved with the Wiccan and Neopagan community. She discusses feminism, politics, race, class, LGBTQ+ issues (she uses the older form GLBT), religion and modernity, how people handle their religion and faith in their everyday lives, etc. What we learn is that many people in the Wiccan and Neopagan community have many different opinions when it comes to these kinds of things.

Reading through it really made me reflect on a lot of these issues, largely because they’re things that I’ve thought about many times before. Adler does a great job of introducing the issue, giving some explanations about it, bringing in the perspectives of people she’s done interviews with, and posing questions for further thought. It is a fantastic book, but there were certain things that she brought up that I really wanted more of. For example, the chapter about men’s spirituality is specifically focused on the “Radical Faeries” and the spiritual groups of gay men. It’s a very interesting and crucial piece of Neopagan history and culture, for sure, but I’d really like to see more examination of hetero men’s spirituality, particularly in the contemporary context of rethinking masculinity and trying to work through issues of toxic masculinity in America. I’d also like to see a bit more about the revival of non-European, traditional religious practices. One of the issues she discusses at the end of the book is the role of the internet in regards to the growth of the community and growth of practices. There’s definitely a ton more to say about that. These, I feel, are things that left me wanting more from her book, but I think that’s mostly because of the time period when she wrote it. Doing a new edition in 2021, 15 years after the last one, would no doubt bring in a lot more information as those topics I’ve previously mentioned have grown a lot since 2006.

Overall, it’s a fantastic, fantastic book. In many ways, it is the history of Wicca and Neopaganism in the US, not just a history book about Wicca and Neopaganism in the US. It should be required reading for anyone and everyone in the Wiccan and Neopagan community.

[apaganadrift]

Yule

It’s that time again. Yule. Arguably the most popular holiday on the pagan calendar after Samhain. Although, this year definitely doesn’t feel as festive for obvious reasons.

I always find it interesting how this time of year typically brings out the most joyous and festive parts of people. In many cultures, particularly those of the Western world, the time period of late November into late December is marked by the gathering of families, the decoration of homes and businesses, festive music, and special foods. Obviously, in our contemporary age in America, a lot of this is due to the little-over-a-month-long holiday season connecting Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s. But, even looking back into the past, there were many festivals and holidays around this time of year in which people were engaging in similar activity. Yule in Anglo-Saxon/Germanic/Nordic regions, Saturnalia and Brumalia in Rome and Greece, Koliada in the Slavic regions, Yalda in Iran.

Maybe it’s because the Fall/Winter holidays are all focused on harvests and gathering. I mean, Yule is not like Lammas, Mabon, or Samhain, it lies totally outside the harvest period of the standard agricultural calendar. But, it is the final harvest of the temporal year. The winter solstice marks the end of the seasonal cycle, and the world will soon begin to renew as the calendar moves towards the spring. Additionally, since the harvest has been reaped for the year, it is an opportunity to share the abundance of the year with others.

Gift-giving is a central aspect of Yule and many winter time festivals. No doubt, as just mentioned, part of this is due to the examination of the abundance of the harvest year and the desire (or necessity) to share that abundance with others. Of course, we are also sharing it with the gods. In the Nordic tradition, gift-giving is a prominent aspect of social interaction. Gifts show respect and admiration for others, and they also reaffirm social bonds and obligations. And, obviously, we are familiar with the concept of gift-giving around the Western world because of the prominence of Christmas.

But, those things would make the winter holiday season seem more somber than joyous. Perhaps the most critical aspect of the winter season is that there’s a lot of down time. With the agricultural work completed, and the world too icy and chill yet to start the new planting, there’s a lot of time to think and reflect. This is probably the most critical gift. We might connect that to the All-Father Odin, and think on his two associates, the ravens Huginn (”thought”) and Muninn (”memory”). Or, we might connect it to Saturn and Kronus as masters of time and the innate power that free time has over the human mind. Either way, there’s a lot of time for reflection in the winter; reflecting over the past year, about relationships, about family, about death (which we often associate winter with), about ourselves, about loss.

In thinking about all these things, we come to the realization (conscious or not) of the frailty of life. So much of our existence balances on the edge of a knife. We wrap ourselves in all these superficial trappings of life, but, deep down, we know it’s all a charade. The things that make up our society and our lives are largely the ignorant strivings of people desperately seeking to exert some sort of control and dominance in a universe where we know we are but dust on the wind.

So, during this time of year, the depths of reflection and the depths of the cold bring us beyond our shallow veils of life. We remember what is truly important: laughing, singing, dancing, eating, friends, family, supporting society. We sing festive songs in a mythopoetic retelling of ideals which are important, we decorate our homes in an attempt to create a sacred space, we engage in acts of charity to support those less fortunate in society, and we exchange gifts with others as a sign of love and respect.

The magic of the season is that our reflections get us to remember, even if it is just for a month or so, that there is more beyond ourselves and beyond the mundane, profane existence in which we exist, and that, through connecting with those around us and reaching back in time to touch on something pure in our minds, we are once again able to feel the presence of the divine in and around us.

Happy Yule, everybody.

[apaganadrift]

Thoughts From Quarantine

I suppose quarantine life is really the main catalyst for me starting this whole blogging thing. Being at home practically 24/7 for months on end definitely gives one a lot of time to think and overthink (not that I really had much trouble with that before). But, ya know, this intensive solitude has really got me thinking about how how I engage with my spirituality and what I want out of life in that regard. It’s been a long road for me on this path and, I’ve always felt the pull or touch or whatever you want to call it of something more. I’ve always been fascinated by religion and spirituality. However, I’m also just a naturally critical and questioning individual. I’m always analyzing religious/spiritual practice and theory. Often, I wonder, if that means that I just have some sort of natural roadblock to fully enveloping myself in a spiritual mindset. I know there are definitely those in the pagan/wiccan/new age community that are very resistant to critically analyzing anything in the practice.

As I thought about it more, though, I came to realize this critical analysis approach to spirituality is partly just how I connect to spirituality. When we look at ancient religions and myths, the search for wisdom and knowledge is always a critical aspect of the religion and spirituality. There are so many deities that are associated specifically with wisdom and the search for knowledge: Odin/Woden in Nordic/Germanic culture, Athena/Minerva in Greek and Roman cultures, Dagda in Gaelic culture, Ganesha in Hindu culture, etc. There are many mythological figures who are seekers, users, and teachers of wisdom and knowledge (for better or worse): Coyote in Native American culture, Anansi in West African and Caribbean culture, the Eight Drunken Immortals in Chinese culture, etc.

So, when I think about Odin’s sacrifice to obtain the runes or Lu Dongbin’s ascension to immortality through experiential enlightenment, it makes me realize the my overthinking, overstudying ways are just one piece of a long running spiritual tradition. And, that makes me feel a lot better.

[apaganadrift]

Intros

Well, here we go. I’ve decided to start this blog as a way to process my thoughts and ideas about Neo-paganism, pagan spirituality, and religion/spirituality in 21st Century America. It’s nothing fancy. Most of my posts will just be my own thoughts and rantings, but I may post things that are more scholarly in nature and will cite references when appropriate and necessary. If you happen to stumble across this blog, hopefully the ideas found herein may help you out as well.