*a *q *q L *╜ x *W +5 +U +k * +ò * Neo-Pagan Beliefs and Valuesby Alan Salmi Neo-Paganism is a minority faith in America that consists of several diverse groups with no central authority or even a central network for exchange of informa-tion. Groups vary from attempts at re-creation of pre-Christian religions, such as the Church of the Eternal Source (Egyptian) and Arn Driach Fein (Druid recreation) to traditions that claim lineage in an unbroken line of initiation to neolithic times (Gardnerian Witchcraft or Wicca). The lack of any central information exchange or authority makes understanding this group difficult, although some surveys, books and studies have been published to give a general concept of beliefs, traditions and values (Adler, l986 and Luhrmann, l989) While there is a large amount of variety in groups, certain values are familiar to all groups and many members can and do read the same material. In recent years, due to the increase in the number of, and attendance in, Pagan festivals, contact is being established between many divergent groups (Adler, p. 421-430). As a result, there are several central values and concepts that have come to be found as shared values, no matter what tradition the Neo-Pagan practitioner comes from. This paper will outline these major concepts to give a general idea of the parameters of belief.I. Divinity as immanent. The numinous spiritual reality is not only transcendent but exists in everyday reality. God is not something "way out there" but in this reality, which includes the individual themselves. As Faery priest Victor Anderson states "Honor the Goddess in yourself, celebrate your self, and you will see that Self is everywhere (quoted in Starhawk, p. 27). This creates a sense of spirituality in ordinary life, which differs fre-quently with monotheistic Judeo-Christian traditions which (aside from their mystical side which is often considered heretical) view God as something generally outside of the individual. This principle is implied or essential to several of the other generally accepted points that follow.II. Revelation through personal Gnosis and/or through Nature. Inspiration is not through scripture, as with Judeo-Christian traditions, but is up to the individual through their own efforts and contact with the natural world. This implies the priesthood of all believers, that special powers are not needed to contact the divine, although some may be more gifted in this than others. In fact, Buckland (l988 p. 8) states: "Why are Wiccans more content more warm and happy? Much of it has to do with their empathy with nature. Early people live hand-in-hand with nature through necessity. They were a part of nature and not separate from it.....It is not un-usual to see a Witch, walking through the woods, stop and hug a tree. It is not peculiar to see a Witch throw off her shoes and walk barefoot across a ploughed field. This is all part of keeping in touch with nature; of not losing our heritage." Nature is especially a reflection of divinity and to be looked to as an example of how to understand ones life. Principles such as ecology and balance come from obser-vation of nature and are generally recognized as either implicit or explicit beliefs of many Neo-Pagan groups. In fact, in April l974, the Council of American Witches stated ""We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness with an evolutional concept." (Buckland, p. 9).III. Circularity of Time This is closely connected to revelation through nature. The Judeo-Christian concept of time is linear, that is, God made a certain revelation, and he will bring about the end of the world at some later point (thus the study of such things is one major area of theology: eschatology). With the breakdown of this concept implicit in the reject-ing of Judeo-Christian faiths, Neo-Paganism has gone back to what Eliade (1959) calls the "myth of the eternal return" and sees time as circular. In fact, Eliade states in a dis-cussion of linear time in Western civilization "We must wait until our own century to see the beginnings of certain new reactions against this historical linearism and a certain revival of interest in the theory of cycles" (p. 146) The celebration of the seasonal cycles through equinox and solstice rituals, is almost universal in contemporary Paganism, seeks to re-establish the ancient feeling of a continual cycle that never ends. On a monthly basis, many groups celebrate new and full moon rituals to keep in touch with the lunar cycles. All the dying and rising god symbols and rituals are attempts to reintroduce this understanding of time. Starhawk (p. 47) states "Through open communication, we can become attuned to the cycles of nature, to the primal, ecstatic union that is the force of creation. Attunement requires sacrifice, the willingness to change, to let go of any point on the Wheel and move on. But sacrifice is not suffering, and life in all its aspects, light and dark, growing and decaying, is a great gift. In a world where the endlessly transforming, erotic dance of God and Goddess weaves radiant through all things, we who step to their rhythm are enraptured with the wonder and mystery of being."IV. Magic It is believed that there are certain spiritual techniques for changing con-sciousness and/or material coincidences to bring about your will: magic. While the definitions of magic are many, with variation as far as Regardie's (1979, p. 27) "Magic is a series of psychological techniques so devised as to enable us to probe more deeply into ourselves." to Crowley's (1929, p. XII) "Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will", some version of a belief in this change system exists in each Neo-Pagan group. What a Christian would call a technology of prayer is essentially spellcraft for a Neo-Pagan. Of course, this is broadly divided (with many grey areas) into High and Low magic (or Theurgical and Thaumaturgical workings). Most groups have ritual techniques for bringing about these ends. While the divine is present all the time, its a necessary spiritual practice to become more aware of that presence, thus magical techniques are used. They are also used to bring about material changes (healing, finding lost objects, cursing or money spells or what have you). All Neo-Pagan groups are characterized by these practices, some with more emphasis than others on particular practices. These practices and beliefs lead to a core of common values in the Neo-Pagan community. More properly, they are ways of organizing the view of the world of the believer and point to certain values from their metaphoric nature. (eg. A company who believes "business is war" will have very different behaviors and values than one that believes "business is a game"). The values that may be most commonly pointed to by the above are: 1. Respect for individual understanding/experience/gnosis/creativity /expression. 2. Respect for nature as part of the sacred. Thus interest and support for ecological movements, etc. 3. Interest in and participation in rituals and magicfor self improvement and helping others. 4. Lack of a strict moral code that allows for individuals to seek their own ethical standards. (Implied by the lack of strict moral structure to the above common beliefs). The above is a broad outline of basic beliefs and shared values in this new, yet ancient religion. Considerable diversity exists in the Neo-Pagan community and even the above general points may be debated by some members, however, these points rep-resent a good starting point for understanding this new and fascinating movement.BibliographyAdler, Margot 1986 Drawing Down the Moon Boston: Beacon.Buckland, Ray l988 Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft. Llewellyn: St. PaulCrowley, Aleister 1929 Magick in Theory and Practice London Eliade, Mircea l959 Cosmos and History: The Myth of the Eternal Return Harper and Row: New York and EvanstonLuhrmann, T.M. l989 Persuasions of the Witch's Craft Harvard University Press: CambridgeRegardie, Isreal l979 Foundations of Practical Magic Aquarian Press: Wellingborough, NorthamptonshireStarhawk l989 The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess Harper & Row: San FranciscoAlan Salmi2100 W. Montrose #3NChicago, IL 60618email: AlanSalmi@aol.comMouse cdevmous1ÇQ} Γ 9 ƒ;@ƒ;@ Hm S╜ MsWorksPref AWPFPSI2 th t ó ó\+úσz <▌ =b MultiFinder ZSYSMACS 8N █ ╞T ╚ ñ1Θ@ñ1Θ@ +É S d Ωr · ê "ìⁿ , - | ╨ * } ╤ & | ╓ ≈ ° J ƒ ⌡ I ¥ ≥ H I c ┤ c ╖ l ┬ : ; z ═
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