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Paganism, an Emerging World Religion

The Tangible, Intangible and the Internet

by Abby Willowroot

      We are in an important time historically, a time of great possiblity, including a total shift of reality. The technology bringing us together here is also shaping the Goddess and Pagan Communities. 

      Many of the ways humans think have been changed by exposure to technology. Those of us online are expanding our capacity for non-linear thought and perceptions.  Young people see the world in a more holistic way, and idea of Gaia is commonly understood. Religious thought is also changing, and Sacred Wisdom is emerging in many ways.

      Recently, I was in Bali, where the people live in a totally Pagan culture.  A culture similar to what many Pagans in the west aspire to create, so I know it is possible.  Two great strengths of Bali's Paganism are the creation of art and participation in daily rituals. We in the Pagan community share a vision of Earth Spirituality.  At this point in history, I believe we have great opportunities all around us to create a healthy, sustainable reality that embraces Neo-Pagan values and ethics.

      Today's Neo-Pagan & Heathen Paths are segments of a Major World Religion just now emerging.  Some contemporary Neo-Pagan traditions have strong ties to ancient Pagan faiths, others do not.  The origins of these different paths is not nearly as important as their future.  The decisions we make now as individuals and as a community will have a long lasting impact.  The ethics, rituals and traditions we set in place at this juncture are important.  As practicing Neo-Pagans, we are all the co-founders of the next major world religion.  Our beliefs, ethics and actions today, will have far reaching consequences for future generations.  The core beliefs shared by today's Neo-Pagans can be used to build a healthy, inclusive, faith that is a celebration of life, environmental sustainability, and humane ethics.

      Our diversity is our greatest strength, if, we have the courage to choose to view it that way and value and protect that diversity.  Mutual respect makes us strong, it makes us a sacred people, and a positive force, focused on balance.  It is possible to follow a religious tradition without viewing it as the only "True Path", and we must.  Acceptance of others' religious beliefs must be at the heart of the New Paganism or we are lost.  Without a deep and abiding respect for the religious beliefs of others, the emerging Pagan community will just become the latest contender in the battle for spiritual dominance and control, and the last thing the world needs is one more of those.

      Judeo, Islamic, Christian beliefs have divided the world with religions based on a jealous god.  The consequences of their fighting among themselves for dominance, has been the needless deaths and suffering of millions of people.  If we allow our emerging Pagan Traditions to become fundamentalist,  Neo-Paganism will be just as intolerant,  just as destructive, just as entrenched, as any other religious movement.  We as Pagans, cannot allow ourselves to fall into the trap of. "My Way is the RIGHT Way!"   Each and every Neo-Pagan is the co-author of this   emerging World Religion.  Our individual spirit, if it is open and acceptance of diversity, has great power for positive transformation.  We all have the opportunity to shape tomorrow's Pagan Beliefs by the tolerance we practice today. 

       The Internet offers us a chance to reach out and share views, beliefs, blessings and rituals. Websites focused on inclusion have united us as a community, as never before. Web based organizations have expanded our boundaries as a Neo-Pagan Spiritual Community.  From the eariy days of the Internet, the inclusive spirit of emerging this Paganism has been fostered by; AvatarSearch, The Witches' Voice, Goddess 2000 Project, Pagan Pride Day, The Wiccan Pagan Times, Circle Sanctuary, DrakNet & The Witches' Web and others, and they have all had a strong impact on us.  All of these groups have brought us together, both online and offline and promoted community and shared values.  They have shown us that we are many, and they have shown us who we are. More importantly, they have shown us who we can be, if we work together for the common good. Their magic is uniting the tangible and intangible and weaving it into the cloth of community.

       Social Networking has given the Neo-Pagan community a powerful new tool for community building. Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, among others, have put us in instant communication with each other, One of our greatest challenges is the way we choose to use these extraordinary tools. Will we use them to simply say Hi, and talk about our day, or promote our websites, workshops and products?  Or will we look beyond those mundane things and also learn to utilize this amazing new resource to reinforce the most positive and inclusive aspects of Neo-Pagan community and beliefs?  

        This is not about prosletizing or evangeizing, I am talking about building on the foundation of positive Neo-Pagan beliefs and looking for ways to be more inclusive, more tolerant, more environmentally conscious in our daily lives.  If we spend only 10% of our social networking time to actually address community building and working co-operatively with other Neo-Pagans to build and shape the ethics, values, culture, and future of our community, the results would be enormously positive.  

               Today's Internet is like yesterdays' town square, but with even more diversity and complexity.  As Neo-Pagans, we are in a unique position to understand and utilize the diversity of this global net. Our experiences in and outside of mainstream religions have given us many tools and insights.  The real question facing us as individual is, "Can we overcome our cultural prejudices and egos?"  Can we step beyond the old thinking of right vs wrong, my way vs your way, and into cooperation?  Are we willing to forge a new way of interacting with each other based on our best selves, not our basest impulses and prejudices.

       I believe the New Pagan Community can and will, but it will take conscious determination.  That means, accepting there are many paths of religious belief, and many rituals, all powerful, all different, all valid.  It means not being threatened or judgmental if a Pagan friend does things in a different way.  It means respecting the religious beliefs of all religions, and moving forward in a positive, ethical, non-judgmental way.  It sounds simple, but often in our eagerness to belong, we sacrifice respect for difference.

       You do not have to agree with, or share a beliefs of  a tradition to grant it your full respect. We only need to understand that each human has the right to worship in their own way. Accepting this simple fact makes the Neo-Pagan World Religion healthy, strong and charismatic.

        Margot Adler's pioneering 1979 book "Drawing Down the Moon" was indispensible in setting the stage for us to see ourselves as a diverse, vibrant and growing community.  Recent editions of the book have kept pace with our Neo-Pagan growing and changing identity. The impact of Margot Adler's research and this book are incalciulable.

         From 1974 to 1984 WomanSpirit Magazine spun a visual and ethical vision of Goddess culture, both ancient and contemporary.  Ruth and Jean Mountaingrove, a lesbian couple, founded and published the quarterly magazine.  Much of Neo-Paganism's concept of the Goddess has grown out of the pages of WomanSpirt and the visions of the women who contributed their artwork, photography, writing and philosophy.  Contributors to WomanSpirit magazine were both lesbian and straight women.  Prominent contributers to the vision spun by WomanSpirt were; Monica Sjoo, Prairie (Mari) Jackson, Tee Corinne, Ruth and Jean Mountaingrove, Noeli Guardino, Billy Potts, and many others.  Artists Monica Sjoo and Prairie Jackson's contributions were overwhelmingly important in creating this vision.  SageWoman magazine in formatted after WomanSpirit, and in some ways carries on the tradition of WomanSpirit magazine.  Perhaps the greatest contribution of WomanSpirit magazine was to bring together visions of the Goddess and form them into a cohesive whole, which has become the foundation of Neo-Pagan perceptions of the Goddess.

 

A Little Neo-Pagan History

      While a number of people like Gerald Gardner, Robert Graves, Doreen Valiente,  Z. Budapest, Ruth & Jean Mountaingrove, Monica Sjoo, Prairie Jackson, and others made invaluable contributions to the founding and emergence of Neo-Paganism, as did later writers like Marija Gimbutas, Merlin Stone, Starhawk, Barbara Walker, Hallie Inglehart Austin, and Others,  The focus here is on those who visioned a cross denominational, all inclusive, Neo-Pagan Community.

       The Church of All Words was founded by Tim Zell (Oberon Zell-Ravenheart) and Richard Lance Christie  in 1962.  One of the chief contributions of the Church of All Worlds (CAW) was the spirit of inclusion and acceptance of diversity that it embodied and  promoted.  Through the establishment of local groups, CAW significantly altered Neo-Pagans' perceptions of themselves and established a sense of the larger Neo-Pagan community for the first time, making co-operation between groups of Neo-pagans possible.  CAW filed for incorporation in 1967 and was formally chartered in 1968 and recieved  501 tax exemption status the IRS in 1970, and was the first Neo-Pagan church to become tax exempt. 

       In 1968  Zelll and  CAW first published Green Egg, a publication which had a profound effect on shaping the ethics and environmental views of  the fledgling Neo_Pagan community.  In 1970, Oberon formulated and published the thealogy of deep ecology which has become known as "The Gaea Thesis".  Another of Zell's contribution was the creation of sacred Goddess statues which provided Neo-Pagans with a connetion to both their Pagan past and the Neo-Pagan future. 

       The Circle Sanctuary was founded in 1974 by Selena Fox and Jim Alan. In 1977: Circle publishes Neo-Paganism's first publicly distributed songbook "Circle Magic Songs", providing an essential link uniting all Neo-Pagans.  In 1979: Circle publishes Paganism's first networking sourcebook. "the Circle Guide to Wicca and Pagan Resources", by Selena Fox,  In  1980: Circle receives federal recognition as a church from the US government and in 1984: Circle helps update the US Army Chaplains Handbook.

       Circle Sanctuary's Neo-Pagan Gatherings have done much to build cohesive rituals and a true sense of community, even among those who have never attended. Circle founded the Lady Liberty League and was one of the first voices speaking for the importance of Interfaith work among religions. Circle Sanctuary serves as a powerful touchstone for all Neo-Pagans, and an example of what is possible.

      The Covenant of the Goddess founded in 1975 as a Wiccan organization.to increase cooperation among Witches and to secure for Witches and covens the legal protection enjoyed by members of other religions.   COG has participated in many Neo-Pagan efforts that promote inclusion and diversity.  With its gnerally  inclusive spirit, COG has served as an inspirations for the entire Neo-Pagan community, and provided a solid structure for many Wiccans.   

       The Witches Voice, www.witchvox.com  was founded by Wren Walker and Fritz Jung  in 1997.  Thw Witches Voice has served as a reliable source for news of interest to the Pagan, Wiccan and Earth Spirituality communities.  News and information since it's founding. As a community center, they offer many resources and networking information that has served to bring the Neo-Pagan community together.  The Witches Voice accepts no advertising and shas very sucessful maintained a neutral position and has earned a reputation as a an unbiased source of news and information.  The Witches Voice won a "People's Choice Webby Award for Spirituality" in 2002.    Witchvox serves as an impartial clearing house for information on local Pagan groups, circles, and organizatrions. 

       Pagan Pride Day, founded by Cacylyne Brightswords ( Cacylyne Dewr) in 1997 and held its first events in Sept. 1998 with 18 events taking place in the U.S. and Canada. Dagonet Dewr joined Cacylyne in her vision,  From the beginning Cacylyne's vision has been inclusive of all Pagans and non-Pagans who may wish to attend. Collecting food donations for local food banks and responsible action and networking by the Neo-Pagan community are cornerstones.

       Pagan Pride Day has beome a powerful force for building awareness and networking within the Neo-Pagan community.  Pagan Pride is a movement among the  Neo-Pagan community to provide a positive public image of Neopagans and Neopaganism. With Pagan Pride day events held in all parts of the United States and in many other countries, it has helped Neo-Pagans to understand the breadth and scope of our diverse community. Pagan Pride Day has also served as a model for Neo-Pagan charitable giving through their food drives held at local PPD events.

       The Goddess 2000 Project founded by Abby Willowroot in 1998 was created to  promote the creation of Neo-Pagan Sacred Art by all community members and anyone who honored the Earth.  The Project attracted well over 25,000 participants in over 56 countries within two years, with all of them creating sacred  Pagan imagery.  In the process, community has been built, the Neo-Pagan visual language expanded, and lasting friendships and alliances  have been made.   

       The Goddess 2000 Project empowered Pagans to co-create and take ownership of their own culture. The power people feel when they create sacred art is beyond words, they are culture builders. Goddess 2000 Project is  a facilitator, free, open to all, and non-judgemental, that is its strength. It is because of this focusing on our similarities and NOT our differences that we have flourished. Though the Goddess 2000 Project officially ended in 2002, its impact has continued. The creation of sacred art and individual artistic empowerment continues in the community, and many positive things have grown out of the Goddess 2000 Project. 

      True cultures, authentic cultures, birth images, music, ideas, ethics, and traditions that are all their own.  No culture or social movement can be sustained merely by books or products produced for profit.  While these things are important, they do not define a culture, they simply define a consumer group.  Strong Archetypes essential, and they are the result of the blending of many voices and perceptions. We, as Neo-Pagans, are a "tribal people", and as such, all members of our tribe must help to build our sacred identity, our visual and auditory language.  Art, music, dance, earthworks, ritual, stories, and a shared ethic, are all essential to our identity as a sacred people. 

       The Goddess 2000 Project's prime focus was to support this crucial aspect of Neo-Paganism's emergence as a World Religion. Promoting the creation of Sacred Goddess and God imagery by all Neo-Pagans is the goal.  Sacred Art is essential. to any spiritual tradition.  A strong "visual language" builds Pagan unity and identity across language and geographical barriers, just as music does.  If we are to build our visual language  authentically, free of the "marketplace mentality", we must all create art.  Since images help us define ourselves, it's essential that we not rely only on commercially made images.  Having created Goddess Imagery for well over 40 years, I am well aware of the power of an image's ability to influence, shape and expand people's perceptions.  But, if the only Pagan images we see are those that are created for sale or are historical, we will never fully develop, or claim our culture and emerging spiritual traditions.

                          The Neo-Pagan community has been blessed with dedicated, visionary individuals who have worked tirelessly to move us in a direction that celebrates and reinforces the best traits of humanity. Their inclusive,  diversity honoring,  ecologically respectful, visions have provided us with a strong and stable foundation to build upon.  If we, as a community have the courage to work through our petty concerns and embrace their vision, we will truly be able to create a better future for ourselves, our children and the world.         

       At this point in time, and in the future, it is very important that the Neo-Pagan Community defines itself by its similarities. Focusing on differences, anger over past grievances, and acting as a minority will only cripple us. We ARE a World Religion, it is time we recognize ourselves as one, and focus on shared values. Regardless of Path, the challenges we face as a community all come down to one simple thing, Is our vision and committment equal to our dreams?

       Do we have the courage to "Think outside the box" and forge a truly new way of  living in harmony with Nature and each other? From what I have seen in the community, I believe we do.  I want to close with the Goddess 2000 Project Mission Statement as an example of co-operative planning and action.  Community does not grow by accident, it grows by the committment of its members to creating something better, something inclusive, something sustainable.

 

Goddess 2000 Project Mission Statement

The Goddess 2000 Project is a healing Community Event that seeks to include all branches of the Earth Spirit, Goddess, Pagan, Dianic, Wiccan, Asatru, Yoruba, Heathen, Indigenous Spiritualities, and other Earth honoring folks.

Whatever our own individual Paths, we have come together here to Celebrate the return of the Goddess, focusing on our shared beliefs, not our differences.

People of note whose contributions to the Neo-Pagan community should be recognized by all of us include; Isaac Bonowitz,  Morning Glory Zell,  Scott Cunningham, Raven Grimasse, Stewart Farrar, Janet Farrar, Patricia Monaghan, Laurie Cabot, Rianne Eisler, Elizabeth Gould Davis, Carol Christ, Glen Turner, Ann Kent Rush, Marion Weinstein, Prairie Jackson, M. Macha Nightmare, Gwydion.

This is an exciting time in history, a time when we have the power to make giant steps toward a more empathetic, more compassionate society, and Neo-Paganism's growth moves us in that direction. As long as we guard against the pitfalls of simply becoming a consumer grouip, or just another dogmatic "I'm right, You're wrong" religion. If we of the Neo-pagan Community can remember to honor the spiritual traditions of others, and walk our own paths with dignity and compassion, we will be a powerful force for good, in the World.

 

   

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