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Paganism In A Time Of Intolerance

Paganism In A Time Of Intolerance

Last updated on: February 5, 2025 at 3:00 am by John Beckett

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Paganism In A Time Of Intolerance 2025-02-02T16:13:42-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If the most critical things right now are to remember who you are and to keep your eyes on what you want, then my top priority is being the best Pagan, Druid, and Witch I can be.

It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by what’s going on in the political sphere. We have an obligation to stay engaged with the political process and to support the most vulnerable among us. Which, in case you have any doubts, are immigrants and trans and nonbinary people – at least for now. Martin Niemöller’s poem is long, and if you’re reading this blog the odds are good you’re somewhere on the contemporary version of it.

If all we do is worry and rant on Facebook, we will accomplish nothing. Build the kind of community that will be there for you when you need it, by being there for others when they need it. Look in on your vulnerable friends and do what you can to protect and support them.

But beyond that, remember who you are and keep your eyes on what you want. Do what you do best. Artists need to make good art. Musicians need to write good songs. Writers need to write good stories. Honestly, I was disappointed with both the quantity and the quality of the art produced by the resistance in 2017-2021. There was some, but I expected more. We need more this time.

I’m not an artist or a musician. I’m a Pagan, a Druid, and a Witch. I need to be writing about theology and practice, creating and leading rituals, and composing and working spells. MAGA, Project 2025, and Christian Nationalism are ultimately cultural problems, and the best way we can fight them long-term is to show the world a better way, by living it.

In this time of growing intolerance, the best thing some of us can do is to be as openly and loudly Pagan as we can be.

The worship of the many Gods

Some Pagans are pantheists. Some are non-theists. Some find the question of the Gods to be unimportant.

I’m a polytheist. I acknowledge the many Gods, who are real, distinct, individual persons. They are the mightiest of spirits. They are the personification of their functions and virtues, but they are more than functions and virtues – they are whole persons, with whom we can form and maintain relationships.

Some Pagans struggle with the term “worship” – mainly because of bad experiences with bad Christian theology. Good worship has nothing to do with debasing yourself. Rather, worship proclaims that the Gods are worthy of our time and attention. When we draw ourselves into relationship with them through prayer, meditation, offerings, and other spiritual practices, we absorb some of their virtue and we become a little more god-like ourselves. We gain some of the wisdom and perspective of beings who, if not immortal (though I think they are) have been around for millennia and will be around for millennia longer.

The Gods are not one. They are many, and they call many different people to worship, work with, and work for them in many different ways. We could not worship all the Gods even if we wanted to, but we don’t have to.

My life is better because Cernunnos, Danu, the Morrigan, and other deities are part of it. The worship of the many Gods is the foundation of my Paganism.

A reverence for Nature

Paganism agrees with science: humans were not placed on the Earth. We grew out of the Earth. When we say “the Earth is our Mother” we are speaking the truth.

Life on Earth evolved once – we are related to every other living thing on the planet. Not only do we share 98% of our DNA with chimps and bonobos, we share 50% with trees.

We came from the Earth and we are supported by the Earth. We are sustained by the sun and the wind and the rain. Life almost certainly exists on other planets, but none that we can reach. The Earth is our one and only home, now and likely forever.

We look up in the night sky and we understand that the light we are seeing has been travelling through space for thousands, and in some cases, millions of years. The universe is so old and so vast, we are so young and so small, and yet here we are, a part of it all, contemplating it all.

We look at the natural world and we are filled with wonder and awe, and so we have a reverence for Nature.

Magic: the science and art of creating change

I’m not a huge fan of Aleister Crowley, but his definition of magic is still the best I’ve found: “the science and art of creating change in conformity with will.” I have a theory that describes how magic works, but ultimately, we don’t know why it works.

What I do know is that I’ve seen it work so many times it’s easier to accept that it does work than to keep trying to rationalize it away.

Magic doesn’t make things happen – it improves the odds that things will happen. Magic can’t do the impossible – it can’t enable you to walk through walls. But it can make it much more likely that you will find a door in a wall you thought was solid… or to make a door where there was none before.

Magic – and its subset, witchcraft – are especially useful in times like these. The existence of magic reminds us that no matter how bad things get, we are never without hope, because we are never powerless. If all you have left is your mind, you still have agency, because you have magic. Throw in a decent plan and some good old-fashioned stubbornness and you can work wonders.

Just as some Pagans want nothing to do with the Gods, others want nothing to do with magic. So be it. But my Paganism is a magical religion.

Pleasure, joy, and celebration

One of the early drivers of the Pagan revival was the austerity of the Church, which – whether Catholic or Protestant – sought to suppress joy and pleasure. The Charge of the Goddess is an early 20th century work, but expresses the idea of living a joyous Pagan life when it says

Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in my presence, for mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and mine also is joy on earth.

And also

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.

The pleasures of food, drink, and sex are good, not sinful. Of course moderation is required, and so is consent. But today’s rightwing neo-puritans who argue against anything that isn’t cis straight married sex with no birth control are fighting against human nature, and against both our right and our need to enjoy the sensual pleasures of life.

While Pagans should be (and usually are) sex-positive and body-positive, we also celebrate the changing seasons, the festivals of our ancient ancestors, and pretty much anything that gives us a reason to gather together and enjoy being Pagan.

There’s a time and a place for the deep and serious sides of Paganism, and I find great meaning in them. But my Paganism is also a religion of pleasure, joy, and celebration.

Being the best Pagan, Druid, and Witch I can be

For those who currently hold the keys of power in this country, the idea of tolerance – much less acceptance – is unthinkable. They want complete and total dominance over politics, religion, and culture. We must oppose them on as many fronts as we can. We must remain politically engaged, but the best thing we can do is to simply focus on the best thing we can do – being who and what we are and who and what we want to be.

For me, that’s being the best Pagan, Druid, and Witch I can be.

I honor my Gods, and I do my best to embody their virtues and values.

I respect Nature, and I acknowledge my connection to everyone and everything in the world.

I work magic, to create change in conformity with my will and to sharpen my skills for future needs.

I enjoy the pleasures of life, and I refuse to allow anyone to tell me they’re sinful.

This is who I am and this is who I will be, no matter who is running the government.

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