Wednesday, October 14, 2009

notes: living as a pagan in the south

On Examiner.

First paragraph:
It's hard making generalizations about Paganism because of the total lack of centralization, and because so many of the traditions evolved independently-- the world didn't start out with one massive religion, no matter what the ones in power would like us to believe.


Second paragraph:
The massive amounts of publication in the Pagan religions section sort of makes it look like it's more of a solid, unified mass than it really is. I think this is because of a need to reach the solitary starters-- people who have been studying for years with a coven don't really need the books, and they aren't as likely to share all their Mysteries, either, so that means the ones that do share get all the press. Which is somewhat misleading.

A quick Google search pulls up a lot of sites for Pagans in Florida, but not much at all about being a pagan in the unique climate of Florida, which is nothing at all like England or Germany or Scandinavia or any of the other places where the main traditions seem to come from or where they draw their influences from. I really think that accommodations need to be made, especially if you come from somewhere else.


Third paragraph:
I'm generally inclined to gravitate toward the Middle Path between any two extremes, anyway; maybe you aren't, and that's great. Live what's good for you.


Fourth paragraph:
I'm not sure I really believe that any branch of paganism goes all the way back to the Paleolithic unbroken, but I do think that archaeology and paleontology have a lot to teach us about how people once lived and believed, and there's more than enough reason to back track, find your genealogical roots, and see what spiritual sustenance you can get from them. I think how we deal with the unknown and the stories we tell ourselves and each other are linked to how and where we evolved and lived for so many generations, and there's a racial memory that can trigger and pull us back to where our ancestors are. There's value in that.

There's nothing wrong with making it up as you go. One of the greatest perks of Paganism over most other religions is that it's customizable, and therefore you can say 'whatever, I do what I want' and have that be a valid argument. The divine gave us free will, right? Why not use it. Find your own way back.


Fifth paragraph:
I don't understand how a religion based on love and compassion and humility gets off being so condemning, but I'm glad that not all Christians are like that... it's a shame that more of the ones who aren't don't step up in defense of how it should be and in protest to how it's being done, though.


Photo:
I'm both highly amused and terribly scared of this shirt. But since I fall more in line with not really over-revering sacredness, I'm okay with the personalization of the pagan equivalent of Amen, and I like how that personalization ties it to the region. We're a regional species, identifying self with place, and that shouldn't be denied. Even if I have Editorial Issues with the word 'y'all'... ~;)

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