Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

PANTHEON

Home
Pagan
Petty, Carnal, Pagan Desires

Petty, Carnal, Pagan Desires

Last updated on: January 15, 2012 at 11:19 am by Star Foster

Petty, Carnal, Pagan Desires 2012-01-15T11:19:44-04:00 Star Foster

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.

Awhile back I talked about the Pagan concept of salvation being temporal rather than eternal. I’ve been thinking about what that means.

If we start with the premise that Paganism begins with the idea that there is nothing wrong with you, that you are not lost, disconnected, in eternal danger, in need of transcendence or incomplete, then eternal salvation doesn’t factor in. Most religions, and possibly a few Pagan religions, base their entire teachings on some concept of eternal salvation. This might be the cause of the greatest disconnect in interfaith work with Pagans. While religions who have a concept of eternal salvation have a great deal in common, religions that only deal with temporal salvation are working within a completely different mindset and theological framework from Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. This isn’t helped by the fact that eternal salvation in religious circles is valued as higher than temporal salvation. The spiritual is considered higher or better than the material.

But for most Pagans, the material is holy. Our bodies are not dirty, but sacred. The earth is not a place of trial and tribulation, but our beautiful home and mother to our species. There is nothing “base” about our material needs and desires.

Flicker CC Scarlet O.

I know there is a concern about not treating the Gods as if they are vending machines, and we all know the groan-worthy Pagan tomes on love and money spells. Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows I’m dead set on reciprocity in our relationships with the Gods. But the truth is humans are animals. We have bodies and minds. Those bodies and minds have needs. We need food, shelter, warmth, and water. We need love, friendship, stories, sex and laughter. Sex is no less a real and holy need than meditation. Being able to put food on the table is not less spiritually important than being able to commune with the Gods.

I think it was in The Spiral Dance where Starhawk said she went to a Pagan event where people were asking for blessings. She asked for something for her friend, and a woman insisted she ask for something for herself too. That’s an important thing to remember, that our physical and temporal needs are holy, important and of interest to the Gods. There are reasons the Gods are known for providing temporal assistance to humankind. Aphrodite isn’t the Goddess of love because she’s completely uninterested in our love lives. Asclepius isn’t a God of healing because he doesn’t care about our health. Athena isn’t a Goddess of wisdom because she could care less whether we can afford an education.

I often find small “catch-phrases” in music that have deep meaning for me. One of the phrases I have been contemplating is from Bone Poets Orchestra’s song Family:

Takes a lotta courage to stand up and get what you need.

I think that’s a powerful phrase. It takes a lot of courage to admit you need help with something. To admit you need something “base” and material, even carnal. It can be hard to remember these things are holy when the overculture says they are not.

This morning I’m thinking about the things I need. The things that are material, that are the desires of my body, and that are the basic needs of my human nature. I’m thinking about the things I don’t like to admit I need because they seem “base” or less than spiritual. But I’m also thinking that the virtues of honesty, honor and courage don’t just apply to my spiritual life or my highest aims. They apply to my sex life, my financial well-being and my need for physical security.

So maybe when confronted with needs or desires we think are unworthy of us, we should examine them closely. Maybe we should remember the material is as sacred as the spiritual, and that it “takes a lotta courage to stand up and get what you need.”

Temporal salvation isn’t a lesser form of salvation. Rather it’s practical, immediate and useful. Rather than some pie-in-the-sky afterlife, temporal salvation is what keeps the human species alive. It’s what keeps us evolving, creating and reaching for the stars.

Previous Post

January 14, 2012

Girl Scouts and Transgender Girls

Next Post

January 16, 2012 Living In My Own Mind: A Pagan With Asperger's

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category alexandrian asatru astrology ATW Audio books btw ceremonial magick chaos classics community conversion cosmology dianic discordian druid dvd eclectic equinox ethics family feri festivals film Fully Inclusive Events gardnerian gender issues glbt heathen hellenismos history humor initiation interfaith magick meditation Military movies music mysticism myth networking news Open Thread Pagan Pagan 101 Paganism passings polytheism Polytheistic Religion polytheology praxis Reading List religio romana review ritual sabbats santeria service solstice symbols tools values wicca witchcraft

Select a Month July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who spoke to the burning bush?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joseph Aaron Moses Miriam