Nine Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Became Pagan

1. It’s not like in the books.

Like a lot of other Pagans, I read a lot of books about Pagans before I ever actually met another Pagan in the flesh.  My first sources for my image of the contemporary Pagan came from Ronald Hutton’s Triumph of the Moon (1999), Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon (1979, 1986, 1996, 2006), and Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance (1979, 1989, 1999).  The first was academic, the second journalistic, and the third rhapsodic.  As a result, my pre-formed image of Pagans was somewhat idealized.   (I once heard Margot Adler admit in an interview that the Paganism she and Starthawk described in their respective books as more of an ideal than a reality.)  I have since learned that the best way to learn about a religion is not by reading a book about it, but by going and seeing the real thing.

2. Most Paganism is not an earth-centered religion.

Paganism can only be called an earth-centered religion if “earth” is put in quotes. In Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca And Paganism in America (2006), Chas Clifton, distinguishes what he calls “Cosmic Nature” from the “Gaian Nature.”  The former is a symbolic “nature”, the value of which lies in the esoteric truths it holds for humanity, whereas the latter is an “embodied” nature, which has its own intrinsic value, apart from its usefulness to humans.  Most Pagans’ conception of nature is located more on the Cosmic end of this spectrum, with only a tenuous connection to Gaian Nature. In other words, “nature” for many Pagans is more of a social construct than a direct experience, a romanticized or idealized “nature” which serves as little more than a backdrop to esoteric rituals.

(For more on this, see “The Greening of Paganism” — Part 1 and Part 2.)

3. Most Paganism is ego-centered.

Eco-Paganism is focused on connection or relationship with the natural world.  In contrast, ego-Paganism is focused on individual freedom and self-expression.  Ego-centered Pagans may be tangentially concerned with ecology or polytheism or magic, but in practice, they are concerned only with expression of their unique individuality and defending their freedom to do so against all authoritarian threats, real or imagined.

Whether earth-centered or deity-centered, non-egocentric forms of Paganism have one thing in common: they all recognize something greater themselves.  Whether that “something” is the expansive earth (or nature or the web of life) or a numinous deity or deities or a transcendent “Self”, all these forms of Paganism honor something which is greater than the individual.  In contrast, the ego-Pagan may protest ecological devastation, or worship the gods, or talk about a higher Self, but all these concerns bow to the holy personhood of the individual ego-centered Pagan.

(For more on this, see “Ego-Paganism and the Tyranny of Structurelessness”.)

4. Most Pagans care more about cosplay than politics.

For every Pagan engaged in political action, there is a mob of cosplayers who just want to be free to wear fun costumes.  They call themselves “Pagan”, not because Paganism challenges them or because they believe Paganism can change the world.  They are Pagan because Paganism lets them “do their own thing.”  Paganism, for them, is little more than a fashion statement.  And though they believe they are being counter-cultural, in fact, their rebellion for rebellion’s sake just helps perpetuate the status quo.

(For more on this, see “Pagans, Stop Being So Silly!”)

5. Most Pagans are anti-organization.

Most Pagans have an unhealthy aversion to any form of organization.  There are those in the Pagan movement–both young and old–who don’t want to see Paganism became anything more than a cult of the individual. Paganism’s focus on individual expression can be healing, especially when coming from an authoritarian religion, but it is not a healthy place to remain, neither for individuals nor for communities.

This aversion to organization isolates us.  It’s no coincidence that solitary Pagans are now the norm.  But spirituality practiced in isolation is a recipe for a shallow spirituality.  We need to engage the world, for our sake, because the world challenges us.  I also believe we Pagans have a responsibility to the world to share the wisdom that Paganism has taught us.  But our lack of organization makes this difficult.  Our power to effect positive change in the world–our magic–is inversely proportional to our insularity.

For more on this, see “5 Ways Paganism Needs to Grow Up”.

6. Most Pagans are anti-critical.

Because my introduction to Paganism came mostly by way of a academics and journalists, I expected most Pagans to be critical-minded.  That turned out to be wrong.  Not only are most Pagans not critical-minded, they are anti-critical.  “You can’t judge me!” should be the Second Law of Paganism, right after “You can’t tell me what to do!”  Much of contemporary Paganism has become an intellectual ghetto, where Pagans insulate themselves from criticism.  Sometimes even questions about someone’s beliefs are perceived as a personal attack.  As a result, Pagans are more very prone to self-deception and groupthink.

For more on this, see “5 Ways Paganism Needs to Grow Up”.

7. Most Pagans can’t put together a decent ritual.

For every good ritual I’ve attended, there have been countless (because I’ve tried to forget them) rituals which were just painful to be a part of.  Tell me if this sounds familiar: A circle is cast and the quarters are called, but the space just does not feel sacred.  There is no attempt to connect with the immediate natural environment.  People wander in late to the ritual and participants engage in distracting chitchat and casual joking. The central ritual act is burning a piece of paper with a wish on it.  During the ritual, people are bumping into each other or are waiting in a line to do something.  And at the end, you receive some piece of disposable ritual swag.  Come on people!  Creative ritual is supposed to be our thing!  We’re supposed to be good at this!

(For more about this, see “10 Signs You’re Half-Assing Your Pagan Ritual”.)

8. Some forms of Paganism perpetuate the mistakes of Abrahamic religions.

Everything I read about Paganism in the beginning led me to believe that belief in literal gods was not part of contemporary Paganism.  But belief has become a big deal in Paganism in recent years.  Along with an emphasis on belief, has come dogmatism, intolerance, and an anti-critical mindset.  It disturbing how attitudes in certain parts of the Pagan community have replicated those of evangelical Christians.

Due largely to the influence of Protestant Christianity, the notion of personal communion with the gods is central to the modern conception of religion.  But this was not the case for pagans in the ancient world, for whom religion was primarily about communal performance.  Viewed from this perspective, the cultivation of personal relationships with gods by contemporary polytheistic Pagans is anachronistic.

(For more on this, see “The Forgotten History of Atheist Paganism” and “American Gods: the Growth of Devotional Polytheism”.)

9. Paganism will never be a significant social movement.

For years, I have held out the hope that Paganism would rise to its potential of being a significant transforming social force, helping to shift consciousness and re-enchant the world.  I no longer have that faith.

I’m still a small-p Pagan (and probably would be even if I stop using that term), but I am done waiting around for Paganism to grow up.

(For more on this, see “Why I Am Still a Pagan: The Problem and the Promise”, “Why Contemporary Paganism Deserves to Die”, and “Escaping the Otherworld: The Reenchantment of Paganism”.