Disclaimer: My beliefs are my own. I don't make fun of your beliefs, and I request that you refrain from making fun of mine. That said, take everything I say with a healthy dose of skepticism, because I do the same. (Hey, I could be crazy, and I'd never know...)
I am a Pagan. I am a panentheist. Panentheism, as defined by our beloved Wikipedia is "a belief system which posits that God exists and interpenetrates every part of nature, and timelessly extends beyond as well." Basically, "God" (that is a poor choice of words, and I will get to it in a moment) is in everything and everyone. It is a belief that "God" didn't necessarily create the universe, but that a force exists behind the universe (and as part of the universe). I don't always believe this, but generally, I do.
Now, I need to point out, that I do not actually believe in "God" in the conventional sense. I think that there is 'something' in the universe 'somewhere' that can be called Divine, and I think the proof for it is in the fact that we can find something of beauty in every living and non-living thing, no matter how ugly, deformed, or grotesque the person or item in question is. I think that ability to find beauty is part of the Divine, and as such, it exists in everybody and everything, because everybody and everything is beautiful in some way. That's what makes me a panentheist.
I don't worship the Divine. I respect its reason for being, but that's it. I don't have a God. What I do worship, is the Earth. For convenience's sake, I refer to her as a Goddess, because in my head, it makes sense to me. When I liken the Earth to a human being, or something more identifiable to the masses than a giant ball of magma chambers and tectonic processes, I picture her as a pregnant woman, almost full term, generally dressed in a simple, partially transparent white dress.
I also picture the statue created by Oberon Zell, called "Millennial Gaia".
Women with giant, pregnant bellies seem to signify everything that is right in the world, to me. And the imagery makes sense. The idea of a Primal Goddess, or an Earth Mother has been around for thousands of centuries. I guess, in a round-about way, I technically worship Gaia, the primal Greek goddess who represents the Earth. It wasn't just the Greeks that came up with the idea of a the Earth being a fertile, female woman, though. Countless other civilizations have all had the same figure. Gaia just happens to be one of the more easily recognized figures. The imagery for her is endless, but essentially, she is one of the two images I posted above.
In addition to being a Pagan, I am also a geologist, and thus, a scientist. I do not believe in creation. I will admit to being uncertain how the universe formed, but I know without a doubt how the Earth was formed, and there was nothing Divine behind it. Charles Darwin had the right of things in 1859 when he stumbled upon evolution. Did you know we share 98% of our genetic makeup with a primate, and 50% of it with a banana?
Science, ultimately, is the way to go. In ancient times, religion was created to explain the unexplainable. Countless times have scientists been persecuted for trying to discover what's going on in the world, and having it go against religious scripture (but then again, so have other religions). Now, science has taken much of the mystery out of our world. We know where the tides come from. We know now that lightning is a complex interaction of charged particles during a storm, and not the wrath of the Gods. We know that when it rains, it's due to a buildup of precipitation in clouds, and not angel's tears, or any other such nonsense. Why then, am I even spiritual/religious/what-have-you at all?
Because science cannot explain everything. We will try, I can guarantee you, but we will never find out the meaning of life (no, it's not 42), we will never find out how exactly the universe formed, and I doubt we'll figure out how to travel faster than the speed of light.
Just as Paganism isn't solely about worshipping gods, it's not all about casting spells or doing hexes, either. Nor is it about being a little fluffy-pansy ass-good witch. We are people, too. We have our ups and downs.
Some Pagans do spells. Some do not. In the end, spell casting is just another way of praying, but with all the bells and whistles of ritual-work attached. ...and just like praying, it only works if you believe in it. Unicorns are real to me, because I believe. Unicorns to the next person are just myth, fairy tales from childhood, and nothing more. Spells and praying work the same way, although, some would disagree with me. Praying is a way to speak to your gods, but if you don't believe in the gods, then what good is praying?
Paganism, to me is about the raw power of the Earth, and being in awe of it. Paganism is knowing that the "Earth is our mother, and she gives and she takes" - natural processes put us into this world, and natural processes will take us out again. The ability to call yourself "Pagan" isn't predetermined in a guidebook, bible, or any type of religious scripture. I've met plenty of people who could easily pass for Pagan, if going by the following list:
- earth based spirituality (respect for the earth, but not always necessarily earth-worship)
- spell casting, and/or some other kind of ritual work
- generally try to follow a path similar to pre-Christian times
- generally polythetic
Am I all of the above? No. So then why can I call myself Pagan, at all? Because it comes from the heart, and in my heart of hearts, I am a Pagan, no matter how little or how much I believe, I'm always going to be Pagan. I don't need the gods to be Pagan, I don't need to cast spells, and I don't need to wave fancy wands and walk deosil three times in a circle, invoking the great flying spaghetti monster, or any of that nonsense.
In addition to being a Pagan, I am also a geologist, and thus, a scientist. I do not believe in creation. I will admit to being uncertain how the universe formed, but I know without a doubt how the Earth was formed, and there was nothing Divine behind it. Charles Darwin had the right of things in 1859 when he stumbled upon evolution. Did you know we share 98% of our genetic makeup with a primate, and 50% of it with a banana?
Science, ultimately, is the way to go. In ancient times, religion was created to explain the unexplainable. Countless times have scientists been persecuted for trying to discover what's going on in the world, and having it go against religious scripture (but then again, so have other religions). Now, science has taken much of the mystery out of our world. We know where the tides come from. We know now that lightning is a complex interaction of charged particles during a storm, and not the wrath of the Gods. We know that when it rains, it's due to a buildup of precipitation in clouds, and not angel's tears, or any other such nonsense. Why then, am I even spiritual/religious/what-have-you at all?
Because science cannot explain everything. We will try, I can guarantee you, but we will never find out the meaning of life (no, it's not 42), we will never find out how exactly the universe formed, and I doubt we'll figure out how to travel faster than the speed of light.
Just as Paganism isn't solely about worshipping gods, it's not all about casting spells or doing hexes, either. Nor is it about being a little fluffy-pansy ass-good witch. We are people, too. We have our ups and downs.
Some Pagans do spells. Some do not. In the end, spell casting is just another way of praying, but with all the bells and whistles of ritual-work attached. ...and just like praying, it only works if you believe in it. Unicorns are real to me, because I believe. Unicorns to the next person are just myth, fairy tales from childhood, and nothing more. Spells and praying work the same way, although, some would disagree with me. Praying is a way to speak to your gods, but if you don't believe in the gods, then what good is praying?
Paganism, to me is about the raw power of the Earth, and being in awe of it. Paganism is knowing that the "Earth is our mother, and she gives and she takes" - natural processes put us into this world, and natural processes will take us out again. The ability to call yourself "Pagan" isn't predetermined in a guidebook, bible, or any type of religious scripture. I've met plenty of people who could easily pass for Pagan, if going by the following list:
- earth based spirituality (respect for the earth, but not always necessarily earth-worship)
- spell casting, and/or some other kind of ritual work
- generally try to follow a path similar to pre-Christian times
- generally polythetic
Am I all of the above? No. So then why can I call myself Pagan, at all? Because it comes from the heart, and in my heart of hearts, I am a Pagan, no matter how little or how much I believe, I'm always going to be Pagan. I don't need the gods to be Pagan, I don't need to cast spells, and I don't need to wave fancy wands and walk deosil three times in a circle, invoking the great flying spaghetti monster, or any of that nonsense.
Great post, and loving 'The List' too!
ReplyDeleteI love the explanation Katee, the way you process thought and the resulting prose.
ReplyDelete