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Public Square
Art, Magic, and Pagan Theology
February 04, 2015 by Aaminah Shakur
Drawing on my Celtic ancestry, I connect deeply to the Goddess concept and the idea that spirituality must balance gender expressions. As a Two-Spirit, or genderqueer and non-binary, person I am intrigued by the ways that other pagan artists have challenged assumptions about the gender of deities and found ways to de-gender natural forces and elements. This comes through perhaps more in pagan arts than in other religions precisely because paganisms are often about getting back to root traditions and simultaneously challenging traditionally accepted concepts and limitations. Although the concept of balancing gods and goddesses and male and female energies is a basic element of much Celtic paganism, the upholding of a gender binary remains something to be challenged, and many queer pagans are doing that. Through art we have opportunities to present these concepts in ways that may touch others in our communities.
It is my contention that the acts of creation, the very methodologies used, and the display of art are central elements of paganisms. It has been rare for me to meet a pagan of any tradition who was not creative in some way or another, even if they did not consider themselves an artist. We surround ourselves with beauty, whether it be honoring the natural beauty around us that nature presents to us, or creating our own ways of expressing our souls' longings. Paganisms are the better for the beauty we seek to find and share.
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