Inula Austin Soul Growth

I was recently reading a Telegraph article headline about the rise in the number of people who give their chosen religion or spirituality as Paganism in the UK. This interested me, knowing some neo-pagans myself and having had a teenage daliance with solitary wicca, I wondered why we are seeing such a sea-change. 

Several things sprung to mind; firstly, as someone who studied anthropology & sociology at university (I know, I know…) my first thought was ‘I wonder how the question was worded that resulted in this answer?’ 

One of the most important parts creating surveys or studies is learning how to craft the question correctly. There is always a margin for error in human interpretation of answers, which can and often can and does create misleading data.

I also wondered about the more recent rise of Christianity becoming associated with Conservatism, Trump, anti-immigration policies etc (although not a new phenomenon it has certainly been highlighted more lately, possibly leading to an embarrassment at labelling oneself  unfashionably ‘Christian’?) may this have had an effect on the answers given? Even if you have a belief in God or the ‘Bigger Picture’ it might be a step too far for some to associate their beliefs with Churches and Christian or Catholic organisations that have done so much damage (abuse scandals anyone?).

So, is Paganism really on the rise? I’m not sure. There are many of us who feel a very innate sense of peace and communion with the natural world; we like to star gaze, take photos of the full moon, hug trees, and dip our feet into natural springs. Many more of us dream of a simpler life; less technology, less state oversight, more community, an idyllic Tolkein-esque, Shire-like existence of unspoiled countryside, rolling green hills, friendly neighbours and walks in the woods.

Dreaming of this type of life doesn’t necessarily mean that one is pagan. As humans, we rarely fit into neat little categories. When I looked into a thread of comments online attached to the article, I was saddened to see that the millennia old battle for dominance and the right to proclaim ‘We were here first’ was still raging. Mud was being slung in all directions with Christians shouting,’Repent you heathen sinners!’ and Pagans screaming ‘We can trace our beliefs back further than you, and if you hadn’t forced us all to convert, we would still all be pagans!’ Everyone was right, and no one was wrong.

Let’s face it, religion (organized or not) is a human construct. At its very kernel lies the fragile, human need to better understand who and what we are and why we are here. That organised religion became another system of control, mainly run by men to the exclusion (and often subjagation) of women is but one of its many failings. And I am not talking about Christianity alone here.

All religions are manufactured. First comes the need to know, followed at some stage by the ritual, ceremony, and dogma. The question of ‘Who was here first?’ seemed to be a hot-button topic on the comments thread that I read. Pagans sought legitimacy for their beliefs by telling others that their ancestors in ancient British and Celtic lands had practiced Paganism since time immemorial. Whilst Christians felt that their legitimacy came directly from God.

Now may be an appropriate time to draw a distinction between ‘Pagan’ and ‘Neo-Pagan’. The term ‘Pagan’ is an umbrella term for the practices of the ancient celtic peoples of the British Isles and parts of Germanic Europe. These include, Druids, Bards, and a plethora of, frankly, unknowable colloquial traditions. Nowadays, Neo-Paganism includes individuals who practice Wicca,White Magic, consider themselves Anwn, follow other cultural practices such as Viking lore, are Shamanic Practitioners, New Age.

You might say that it is a mixed bag.

The same may be said of Christianity (and all other major religions). Many different denominations exist. We may never know the original kernel of teaching that lies at the heart of any religion. What was once a pure, soul-led, and heart-felt search for closeness with something greater than self has been erased, rewritten, and lost until what remains must surely now be only a shadow of its former self.  

The usual inter-nicene struggles seemed to be ongoing in the article comments, with Christians and Pagans alike, splitting themselves into factions of those who ‘do things correctly’ and ‘the rest’. A couple of comments that caused me pause for thought were a Christian man who insisted that everyone needed to be ‘born again’ in Jesus in order to inherit eternal life, whilst all other Christian pathways were worthless, and a Pagan gentleman who remarked that those who consider themselves pagan because they watch TV shows such as Game of Thrones and Vikings and like to LARP (Live Action Role Play) at the weekends are known amongst real pagans as ‘Playgans’.

I was left feeling that spirituality was being forgotten.

Commentators were more concerned with being right than they were with being humble or, at least, understanding. In this vying for 1st place as ‘Most Authentic’, they were missing the point entirely. Surely, the whole point of having a philosophy, belief system, religious faith or ideology is that it makes one a better human being?

Or is it.

By attaching labels to our spirituality and pursuit of God, we seem to have divided humanity up into smaller and smaller groups. Whilst Pagans may say that their pantheon of god’s and goddesses brings them closer to the spirit of nature all around them, the Abrahamic religions have selected the Absolute as their go-to; the fact is that they are BOTH speaking of exactly the same thing. There is only one Universal Consciousness, Self, Absolute, and although you may wish to carve that up into a multitude of aspects, both feminine and masculine, It is still of the One Essence.

I sense that many who consider themselves pagan have been bitten by organised religion and shunned it as an act of self-preservation, rebellion, or both. 

Those who feel marginalized by wider society will often feel that they have no other choice than to create or enter into a sub-culture that will embrace them fully and be accepting of them. Abrahamic religions have preached love, charity, and understanding whilst simultaneously practicing misogyny, homophobia and division, so really only have themselves to blame.

We are all children seeking an understanding home and loving parent, so I can absolutely understand how those who feel that they are on the very fringes of society long to be part of a welcoming community, be it neo-pagan, Christian or whatever.

Neo Paganism, Feminism & Environmentalism.

I thought it might also be of interest to note some other observations of mine at this point. Obviously, we have touched upon the male dominated world religions, where, if women are even mentioned, they have largely been relegated to a fleeting whisper or a walk-on part. Feminism, whilst originally absolutely essential in arguing for a woman’s right to equality of opportunity, has largely failed in its post-modern DEI incarnation. When women seek to dominate, then we have become as men, instead of equal partners in this world. Whatever the reasons for the increase in the ‘Smash the Patriarchy’ attitude may be, the relatively modern take on emotionally castrating men, treating them all as perpetrators of some as-of-yet uncommitted  crime and labeling their masculinity as ‘toxic’ has done nothing but lead young women into believing that they have to suceed at everything, work harder and need to ‘have it all’. It has done nothing but encourage women to emulate all of the male characteristics that they are taught to believe are the failings of men. The constant media and educational pushing of such ideas plays into the idea that as a woman, your life is a struggle to gain ultimate dominance over the masculine. That is no more needed, nor ideal than the inverse, total masculine domination. The universe is composed of both Divine feminine and Divine masculine energy, and as such, we should all be focused on striking an exquisite balance between both; the Divine Union, the original Holy Communion of Bride and Bridegroom; not fighting over who comes out on top!

Of the female pagans that I know personally, their belief system offers them the aspect of goddess, to counter what they largely see or have experienced firsthand, as a male dominated (and in some cases male abusive) world. Paganism provides them with the perfect opposite of their tired normality. In their belief system, women are revered, held in high esteem, worshipped, and that empowers female pagans in a way that Christianity et al, simply cannot.

(I do not have the statistics to prove it, but I’d bet that the rise in the numbers of those calling themselves pagan is congruent with the rise in feminism.)

Then there is ecological and environmental concern, the rise of which is a cultural phenomena in itself. Whether climate change is the feared apocolyptic event on the horizon or not, we can all at least agree that the green agenda is HUGE in modern life. (Just scroll through your social media feed and count the number of adverts for items that are ‘good for the environment’, ‘greener’, etc).

Paganism has an affinity for the land, the sky, the seasons, and thus, one can perceive a correlation between a rise in the popularity of this nature-loving ideology that tracks a rise in concern for our environment. Any belief system that acknowledges the spirits of trees, weather, wells, and woodlands would surely have an innate appeal to anyone concerned with ecology or protecting the environment. Then there is the addition of Magic (or ‘Magick’ if preferred). Spell craft, manifestation, protection, binding, unbinding, candle magick…the pagans that I know recognise sabbats, spell craft, and different forms of Magick. However, they all differ on the details, preferences appearing to be personal to the practitioner. I view the working of spells, etc, to be a reclamation of personal power. Anyone who has ever felt powerless to help themselves or change their circumstances will naturally feel empowered with belief in intention, incantation, and spell craft.

Is a Pagan a Pagan if they don’t practice ritual observance? Is a Christian a Christian if they don’t attend church?

Returning to my original train of thought, I got to wondering how many of the survey respondents were practicing pagans as opposed to those individuals who simply felt less aligned with organised religion, but more aligned with the land, the seasons and the moon.

Is ‘Pagan’ a sense of identity for some, more than a set spiritual beliefs? Must you observe sabbats or be part of a community to be truly pagan or is it simply the same as calling yourself a ‘christian’ even if you have never entered a church? Are you ‘christian’or ‘pagan’ based more on feeling and less on initiation, community, or ceremony? I don’t have the answers to these questions, but they do pose some interesting lines of inquiry.

I find belief, spirituality, and religion to be dynamic. Even organized religion, so desperate to cling tightly to its origins, lineage, and provenance, has rarely remained unchanged. Things are added, things subtracted, all is movement, all is Life being expressed. That which we try so desperately to categorize and label is also ever-changing. Nothing stays the same. I am certain that the same question asked in 50 years’ time will once again glean very different answers again. That is the beauty of being human.

In conclusion

After reading the articles’ comments, I was left with a tinge of sadness, not for the supposed demise of Christianity or triumphant upward tangent of Neo-Paganism. Both beliefs have their merits and their demerits (as with all things).

My disappointment was the inability of those commentators to cognise the overwhelming irony of the discussion.

On the one hand, those Christians who felt that their way is entirely correct, with their feverish need to accept literally everything their priest or Pope said, with their obedience unquestioning felt naive. Their knee-jerk accusations that anything other than Jesus is Satan, demonic and evil, childish.

Then the irony of the neo-pagans, who literally boasted about shunning all organised religion – whilst adopting yet another. Their cries of ‘But I chose this’ when challenged was infantile.

But the most striking comment of all, the one that made me fear that we are much further away from being awakened to our own divinity than ever, was from a Pagan lady who, without any sense irony that I could detect, stated ‘I became a pagan because I looked all over for God and couldn’t find him, but nature is right there, something I can see and touch.’

That broke my heart for many reasons, not least because God is imminent (within everything, manifest and unmanifest), and God is transcendent (beyond all things manifest and unmanifest). Whether you are in a city or sat on a beach, there YOU are. That essence, that thing that you feel is missing, that divine consciousness you are trying so hard to reach, to unearth, is always there because YOU ARE THAT and can be nothing else.

It is where religion has and continues to fail. Pagan, christian et al are all so alike in that they are all facing in the wrong direction. The most inextricable connection with the power of the Infinite which exists, rests within you. If you are searching outside of yourself, then I’m afraid, my friend, you will never find the Pearl of Infinite Price. When our very human self cries out for remembrance of our cosmic nature, we have a tendency to look for That with our physical senses. We look to gods, goddesses, churches, henges, or saviors to legitimise our very existence and help carry us through our earthly lives.

And whilst I can not blame anyone for doing so, there is no one to worship. No ritual that is needed. No sacrament  nor ceremony that will ultimately give you the safety that you  crave.

It is only through your recognition, understanding, and surrender to this divine dream that we call ‘life’ that you will remember who and what you have been all along.

Divine, eternal, Child of Infinite Source.