Pagan Portals Spirituality Without Structure

The power of Finding Your Own Path

John Hunt Publishing Ltd.

Contents

CHAPTER 1

Why Paganism Mostly isn't a Religion

Plenty of people who are not Pagans seem to think it is a single,coherent religion with all the usual trappings: books, temples,founders, leaders, structures, rules and order. This can causesome confusion. Even within Paganism, people seem to thinkDruids are all organised and like the Church, which is a longway wide of the mark. There are times when Pagans (and for thatmatter, Druids) find it easier to go along with this. For one thing,not everyone has the time or inclination for a proper explanation.

The most obvious point to make is that Paganism is not 'areligion' but a passably useful way of lumping together alikeminded minority. There are benefits to be derived fromspeaking with one voice, or being recognised as a group. Thereare many traditions within Paganism – Witches, Druids,Heathens, Shamans, Hellenics, Dianics, Kemeticists, ReligioRomano, to name a few of the more obvious ones. There are agreat many eclectics and own-path folk as well. Taken asindividual groups, none of the sub-groups within Paganism arebig enough to speak productively to government and the like.The grouping under a shared 'Pagan' banner has served us politicallyand in handling the media, but is better understood as apressure group than as any kind of organised religion.

Even the above breakdown into major subgroups ismisleading. There are plenty of people who identify across thoselines, and who also connect with other religions. There are significantnumbers of Christian Pagans and Pagan Buddhists, alongwith pretty much any other cross pollination you can think of. Tofurther complicate things, subgroups can be divided up into setsthat can be significantly different from each other. Druids can beanimists, polytheists and non-theists. Alternatively you mightlook at revivalists, reconstructionists and neo-Druids. You coulddivide along the lines of Irish Druidry, Welsh, French and non-European,or further divide by country. Each has its own view ofDruids, and many Druids are not in Orders. Some orders aremore demanding of conformity than others. Druidry is not asingle, coherent religion any more than Christianity is, once youget beneath the surface. However, in our case, the divisions arefrequently arbitrary and tend to depend on your reasons forwanting to clump people into groups in the first place.

We could divide up any of the Pagan subgroups in this way,breaking Paganism down into ever smaller religions. Startdealing with individual Pagans and you'll find exceedinglyindividual definitions of path: Welsh Druid, Kitchen Witch,Celtic Shaman, Witchidruid, Polytheistic Bardic Druid, Brythonicreconstructionist. There are probably more kinds of Paganismthan there are living Pagans to embody it all. There is a lot ofcommonality between these many labels and ways of practising,just as there is between the many subsets of other religions. Whenyou compare Mormons, Catholics, Methodists and Jehovah'sWitnesses, as a small subset of Christian diversity, it's clear thatyou can squeeze a lot of variety under one religious heading.However, in most defined religions, there's also a defined focusof worship and some core features in common, and we do nothave those. Here are some of the key things we might be expectedto hold in common were Paganism to be a single religion.

1. A core text that we hold sacred. (Also absent in Shinto,although we do have ancient Pagan texts for some paths.)

2. A named founder like Jesus, Abraham or Mohammed.(Shinto has no named founder and the modern witcheshave Gerald Gardner and Alex Saunders, arguably.Polytheistic religions tend to put less emphasis onfounders than monotheism does.)

3. A set of core rules. (Many paths have their own ethicalguidelines, but those do not deliver hard and fast 'thoushalts' that conform to other people's expectation of whatethics should look like.)

4. A single agreed opinion about the nature of deity, life afterdeath or the meaning of life. (There can be more coherencewithin subgroups, but even here ideas can vary a lot. Wemay be unique in this.)

5. Some kind of earthly leader of the faithful. (There is noleader of Pagans, nor do any of the major subgroups havea 'Pope' equivalent. Jainism and Shinto have no leadershipin this style either.)

6. Financial structures and property. (Any financial arrangementsare at a very local level, which is also true of Jainismand Shinto.)

7. Converts. (This tends to be a monotheistic issue. Mosttraditional religions that relate to culture and heritagehave no interest in cultures, so Judaism, Jainism andShinto do not recruit either.)

8. Physical structures to worship in. (Ancient Pagans hadtemples, but for the greater part we do not own our spacesand do it outside. Plenty of other groups have managedwith less formal meeting spaces at times in their historytoo.)

This list covers the external trappings and actions that can easilybe seen by those considering a religion from the outside. Thuswhile many may assume Paganism is a lot like everything else,on closer investigation there are plenty who will decide that itisn't a 'proper' religion at all because it lacks these obviousfeatures. The 'not a proper religion' argument is popular withthose who wish to denigrate and disempower. However, giventhat there are two internationally recognised religions – Jainismand Shinto – that also lack a lot of the external trappings, thisseems at best a poor excuse for prejudice. There is a lot more tospiritual coherence than structure. Our wider culture's tendencyto emphasise superficial structure can make us oblivious to thefar more important issues of what a religious group actually doesin the world.

It is possible to discard the idea of religions as buildings andsacred books, and to consider them in terms of how they functionand what they do. This both sheds an interesting light on moreestablished religion and gives room for Paganism and other lessstructured faiths, in the process. Much of the time in this book I'mtrying to step back and ask what religion does, and what spiritualitydoes, and what the differences mean.

When we consider the activities of Pagans, we can bring to thetable the undertaking of ritual, rites of passage, prayer andcelebration. These are clear manifestations of spirituality and,arguably, of religion. Paganism has community and serviceaspects like many religions, there are teaching aspects, and thereis an informal priesthood. We have a great deal that is spiritual innature, and far less of the physical baggage that has attacheditself to most standard religions in the past two thousand years orso. It would be tempting to argue that what we do is in fact olderand more authentic. It is certainly more real.

Critics on the outside of Paganism will often suggest that alack of the usual trappings mean a lack of depth. The flip side ofthis is that those same trappings can make it easy to go throughthe motions without doing anything remotely spiritual, upliftingor meaningful. The person who has no standard forms to fallback on, is obliged to invent and discover as they go and has nochoice but to live their path. Such an approach demandsrelevance to the world we live in, requires responsibility andnecessitates independent thinking.

There are groups within Paganism that choose or have falleninto fixed practice, come up with settled ritual and magicalmethods, adopted fixed prayers or otherwise landed in a groove.Anyone wanting and finding one of these more structuredmanifestations can of course treat it exactly like a regularreligion. If you want an authority to turn to, a source of directionand the like, there are groups that can give you this. You can findcodes, laws and required reading lists, clothing regulations andall of that structure. However, this is a complex and nuancedbusiness, its precise functioning having everything to do withthe people involved.

Individuals who want rules and a guru will find them,whether they were offered or not. In Monty Python's 'The Life ofBrian', Brian loses a sandal whilst fleeing from a crowd. Theytake this as a sign that they are also to remove the left sandal.That's a subset of religious people in a nutshell. If you want thatfrom Paganism, you can find or fabricate it. Outside of comedyfilms, this is a dull and unrewarding way to go. That which isunderstood is always so much more powerful than that which ismerely accepted.

It is possible to enter fairly structured spaces and not be ruledby them. With its three levels of training, ritual designs andgraded attire, The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids wouldseem at a first glance to be a bastion of structure. Those who gothere seeking structures seem to find what they need. I'm achaotic creature by nature, and went simply to learn. I foundmost of the formal bits were optional, there's no requirement toregurgitate any of it, and that I could learn and use what I foundto develop my own practice with the support of my tutors. Ifound what I wanted to find, and I think we often do.

There's a lot of difference between an enabling structure, andpower for the sake of it. People who want authority turn up in allreligions and are easy to spot because they go around tellingpeople what to think and how to feel. Authority needs to enforceitself. Sadly there are often desperately fragile egos in the mix,craving the reassurance that comes when no one argues withyou. There are others who seek fame, power, status and wealthand simply see religion as a means to those ends. All too often,formal religions are not the enabling structures we might wantthem to be, but are instead corrupted by individual andcorporate desires for power.

As human beings we seem to find strong leadership enticing.We like it when someone else takes the risks, makes the decision,solves the problems and tells us what to do. Religions can be verygood at matching those who wish to graze quietly with thosewho wish to be shepherds. It is also worth remembering that youcan just as easily match those who do not want to make mucheffort with the kind of shepherd who runs a very lucrativeabattoir.

It is important to know yourself. Are you looking for comfort,a sense of security, some rules to follow, a nice plan for theafterlife and a routine? If so, then stay with regular religions andstructures. If, on the other hand, you want spiritual experiencesand to find your own answers, are not afraid to take risks, facesetbacks and ask a lot of questions, then doing as you are told isnever going to satisfy you.

This book is all about breaking out and doing it for yourself.I'll admit I have an agenda here. I think there is much to betroubled by in people who want power over other people, andover other aspects of the natural world. I believe the desire forpower is driven by fear and that it is inherently destructive. I alsobelieve that we do best when we seek harmony, tolerance andcollaboration, and when we respect each other as equals. As soonas you try to control another person, you diminish them, andyourself.

The structure of religion is so often about control. There aretoo many issues around who has the right to make whom dowhat. The right to punish, to exile, own and to devalue can all betied up in religious thinking too, and these are destructive influencesacross the globe. I'm much more interested in the power tocontrol the self, and the self-discipline that is all about whathappens inside an individual.

The trouble with having no structure or system – as is so oftenthe case for independent modern Pagans – is ascertaining whatyou might replace that with. Figuring everything out fromscratch is rewarding, and a profound journey in its own right,but you may have to start by working out what to work out in thefirst place and this can lead to a great deal of wheel re-invention.It is possible to learn a lot from the history and diversity ofreligion – Pagan and non-Pagan alike. We can learn withoutsubscribing to any one system, drawing inspiration withoutabdicating personal power. I'm not suggesting a 'pick and mix'attitude to spirituality, but a process of stepping back to examinewhat religion is and does. We can learn from the areas of overlapand commonality. We can learn from the places of difference andconflict. I've gathered together much of what I've learned fromreading about different religions and listening to a great manypeople. This is not the whole story. It's not even the tip of one.The drive for spirituality in humans and the history of religionare two vast topics that it would probably take lifetimes tounderstand. However, the attempt is always worth it and I hopethis provides a useful jumping off point.

CHAPTER 2

The Limitations of Standard Religion

The UK census of 2011 showed a significant drop since 2001 – 13%– of people identifying as Christians. There are around30,000 atheists, 30,000 agnostics, and the number of peopleclaiming 'no religion' is on the rise, as are the various forms ofPaganism. The move away from traditional religion in thiscountry is growing, and while Christians remain the majority,culturally we can no longer assume Christianity as a naturaldefault. How many people within Christianity are part of areligious system and how many are more independent, isanother question, but not all who claim to be Christian arefollowing a system dictated to them by others anymore. Formalreligion in this country no longer has the political force behind itto make it mandatory. Any religion that depends on legal force tomaintain its membership, is not essentially about anythingspiritual. Where religion moves away from force and power, itbecomes more meaningful. If spirituality is a matter of soul, itcannot, by any reasonable understanding of what those wordsmean, be forced upon a person. This is as relevant an issue whenconsidering the Taliban, as it is in the controlling desires of rightwing Christian America.

When religious leaders express prejudice against women – whostill aren't allowed to be bishops, and still have no status inother religions too, that's half the population potentiallyalienated. Gay and lesbian people continue to be denigrated bymainstream religion, and it is little wonder if they seek elsewherefor meaningful spiritual engagement. Human and compassionatebehaviour does not exclude on these terms, but the traditionalsystems of religion are often laden with intolerance.

The books and rules of structured religions come from timesso distant from our own as to be alien. What made sense indistant lands, thousands of years ago, has no ready applicationto modern life. Much of it makes no sense. The process of tryingto wrap old thinking around new problems causes all kinds ofdifficulties, and tends to result in a loss of relevance. Either youleave the old behind, in which case you have lost the system, oryou reinterpret what you do have and rely on modern humanrethinks of what was supposedly divine thinking, or the inspirationof a great leader. Whichever way you go, something vitalis bound to be lost. Who has a neighbour with an ass, much lessreason to covet it? But, 'Do not envy your neighbour's car,' justdoesn't carry the same ring of age and significance.

While for some, the structures supply comfort, stability and asense of meaning, increasing numbers of people struggle withissues of relevance. Science has reduced our need for supernaturalexplanations. The power, wealth and inevitablecorruption that feature in all huge organisations seem wholly atodds with any notion of spirituality. As that becomes ever morevisible through the media, it becomes less tolerated. The way inwhich the Catholic Church protected paedophile priests is aprime example of the kind of behaviour which compromisesstructured religion in many people's eyes. The business-likenature of Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists smells more likecapitalism than enlightenment. The same could be said of manymonstrously expensive New Age interventions.

A glance at history shows us much to be uneasy about, withpolitical power casting a baleful influence over religious practice.Holy wars, religiously endorsed tyrants, suicide bombers andmartyrs show an alarmingly inhuman face to religious bodies.While there are many religious individuals who deserve everyrespect, there's frequently something unhealthy about religiousstructures. Perhaps it is simply that structures themselves breedhierarchies and tend to accumulate money. This makes religionattractive to people who seek power and money. Religion is oftenjust another excuse to do as you will. It delivers an ideologicalstructure that can carry the people in your power into war,oppression, death and madness. Here I think Shinto is animportant example. A land-based, soulful spirituality, Shinto wasutilised for politics during the Second World War, leading toKamikaze pilots. The Kami in Shinto, are benevolent spirits ofharmony and peace, Kamikaze is a horrible subversion to serve abrutal agenda. No wonder that for many people, the only answeris to retreat from all such systems. A church of one has littlescope for corruption, but it is lonely.
(Continues...)Excerpted from Pagan Portals Spirituality Without Structure by Nimue Brown. Copyright © 2013 Nimue Brown. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
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