Pagan Past, Pagan Present, are they conected?

Authenticity and coherence are two words that have been around my mind in the last couple of weeks. Interesting discussions have being held on the Caer Feddwyd forum, as well as in the OBOD one.

Neo Paganism is clearly a religious movement that emerges immerse in the post modern movements. One of the main characteristics of post modern thought is that it cuts out any frame of reference to work in a relativistic way. A lot of the New age religions are happy to work this way, using an eclectic mix-it-all, everything is valid as long as “it feels ok” frame of mind.

Even when the origins of neopaganism are way back the postmodern movement, modern neopaganism has not being immune to it, actually the opposite, has welcome it with open arms.

In the particular scenario of celtic paganism there has been a branch, that emerge in the 1980’s that saw that relativistic point of view as something not worth of following, this branch is known as Celtic Reconstructionism (CR). It was the antithesis, the opposite to the romantic druidry that incorporates celtic themes, Greco-roman, hermetic, masonic, general mystic and esoteric, and oriental concepts into its cauldron to get the result. CR, however quickly found that it doesn’t have a great amount of information from which reconstruct the old religion of the Celts, since the Celts were an illiterate civilization, so, apart of a few Classic accounts as the famous Comentarii de Bello Gallico by Gaius Iulius Caesar, and other texts, very little was known. So CR look into the Irish and Welsh medieval texts as the corpus of celtic lore. The scholars since the XIX century have had the theory that those texts were a very accurate source of how the old pagans view their gods and customs, with a little of “interference” of the Christian themes put in them by the medieval Monks. Now, the actual trend in scholarship go for a new look, saying that it is impossible to separate the pagan themes on the medieval texts, and that actually is hard to tell which ones are pagan or not.

Of course every social discipline has its trends, and most of the time we see that trends emerge as antithesis of the previous one, and it’s not until some time that a synthesis can be found, in the continuous spiral of knowledge. Social sciences are not exact, and they depend a lot in suppositions and interpretations, especially when they deal with the past. There is a current scholar trend that is trying too hard to find a Christian Biblical origin for everything in Irish lore, disregarding the pagan themes, opposite to the nativist view that disregard the Christian elements.

But this trend of the academia put CR in a big trouble, the authenticity they claimed is now doubted, some CRs put so much effort in distance themselves of the romantic druids that began to see the medieval Irish and Welsh texts as their “holy books”, and of course if a holy book is debunked, the building shakes.

This could be seen as a battle win by the romantics, that will say, I told you so, it makes no sense in looking hard into the past since it’s not accessible to us, so let’s just take what inspires us and feels ok. One example is how the book The Druids by Ronald Hutton has being taken by the druid community, Ronal Hutton even when it’s a respected scholar, he also has strong links with OBOD and even run a grove, so it’s clear in reading his text that there’s an agenda behind; in his book he portraits an interesting portrait of Druids as archetypes that had being used in different places and different times by people according to its own agendas. Which of course is true, the problems is that he goes further and say that nothing can be known of ancient celtic religion and it’s philosopher-magician class, and of course that is what some romantic obodies wanted to hear.

But, a synthetic point of view is emerging in the celtic pagan and druidry circles, of which I have to say, I’m happy to share opinions. One that see the truth not in the hard CR theories nor in the Romantic Relativistic ones, but somewhere in the middle.

Megli put in the Caer Feddwyd forum an excellent phrase that illustrates very much the point: The only sound basis for religious speculation is a mixture of feeling (experience, intuition, instinct) and judgement (logic, sense, rationality, a sense of coherence.)

I do think that the truth is a mixture, a synthetic view from the opposites. The medieval texts are clearly not pagan tales with Christian dust to be removed, they are product of a syncretic culture that emerge from Ireland after the conversion, and that even today can be witnessed to some extent in the peculiar Irish Catholicism that is practiced.

So, are the medieval texts really not worth of interest to the Celtic pagans? Of course not!, they are of interest, because they have pagan ideas and characters on them, maybe the sources from which the truths we hold arise may be muddy waters indeed but does not the lotus and lily grow best in the swamp? There are several themes that could reflect a pre-christian frame work, war, battle, kingship, young against old, light against darkness, nature of magic and the elements, otherworldly images, etc. that even when not accessible in a straight forward way, can be reached with some work.
The thing is that we can’t rely only on those text, we need to look at the archaeology findings, to the classic accounts, compare them, trying to see the whole picture, we have to view those texts as a whole, and try to find the truth on that tapestry of images. How? Well, that is where the experience, intuition and instinct came into the game, and if that is not enough, then using freely our inspiration to find our way, but always being honest on what is a modern invention and fiction and when it’s not.

Of course studying those texts, reading the available material is a slow process, and could be hard work, the cost a lot of time and, yes also money since books are usually not for free; but if we are not afraid of that the result is a very satisfactory growing of intellectual and spiritual knowledge that fulfils our paths.

Alone – Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then - in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life - was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

This story is not true in the sense that most people use the word. It emerges out of the mists of time, rooted deep in the heritage of Britain. It is a weave of mythologies, theologies, and histories. It is the story of two people, and a story of our peoples. It has no beginning and it has no ending.

The Apple and the Thorn is a story, who explore two iconic characters of mythical England. Vivian, the Lady of the Lake and Joseph of Arimathea. It’s a story where two faiths, two worlds coming together, full of passion and love, of inner thoughts and inner experiences, shared by its authors.

It tells the story from two different points of view, the voice of Vivian is Emma, the voice of Eosaidh (Joseph) is Walter, or you can say that it’s the other way around, they are the voice of the characters; that is something that gives an added value to the reading experience. It appeals to both Christians and Pagans alike, and there’s a beautiful love story inside, not only between the main characters, but a love to the traditions, the nature and the land.

It appeals me the most the part told by Walter on the Eosaidh character, since is a character who grow and learn a lot during the book, he learn to love the land and its spirits, to honour them, in parallel to his love for Vivian, who in contrast, didn’t develop or learn very much during the tale, it lacks of the humility and openness of the one who wants to learn, and is portrait as a person who believes has all the answers and the right path, she just don’t get another way that is no hers; however her character also gives a lot of meaningful experiences about the pagan spirituality that enriches the tale.

In general is a good reading, very easy to go through, once you started it’s difficult to put it down, and at the end gives to the reader a feeling of hope and tolerance, as well as invite to have a reflexion on these both faiths, their weakness and strengths, as with the weakness and strengths of the readers’ own path.

Native American Lore

Some thoughts share by native americans that are worth to think about

Mario Benedetti

One of the most extraordinary poets of our modern world has pass away. And even when he is now on the stellar journey, his work will remain for years.

He may not be very well know on the english speaking world. And even when translate a poem is so much complicated and never give the true feeling of the original work, some of you may appreciate his poetry this way:



Much more serious

All the parcels of my life has something yours
And that is in true nothing extraordinary
You know it as objectively as I do
However there is something that I would like to clarify to you
When I say all the parcels,
I don’t refer just to this that we have now,
This of waiting for you and Aleluya find you,
and damn it loosing you,
and find you again,
and I wish that was all.
I’m not meaning that out of the blue you say to me, I’m going to cry
And I, with a discreet lump in my throat, come on, cry.
And that an invisible cute rain protect us
And may be because of that the sun rises.
I neither refer only that day after day,
Our little and decisive complicities stock grow
Or that I can believe that I can transform my defeats into victories,
Or you give me the tender gift of your most recent desperation.

No.
This is much more serious.
When I say all the parcels of my live
I mean that in addition to this sweat cataclysm,
You are also rewriting my childhood,
That age in which one says adult and solemn things
And the solemn adults celebrate it,
Instead you know that that is not worth of it.

I mean you are remaking my teenager years,
That time on which I was an old man full of jealousy,
And you, instead, know how to extract that moor
My joyful germen and to water it just by looking.

I want to say that you are shaking my youth
That pitcher of clay that nobody took in their hands,
That shadow that nobody get together to their own shadow,
And you, instead know how to shake it
Until the dry leaves fall down,
And only the frame of my truth without heroic deeds stand.

I want to say that you are holding my mature days
That mixture of atonishment and experience,
That weird confine of anguish and snow,
This candle that ilumínates death,
This precipice of poor life.

As you can see this is more serious,
much mor serious,
Because with these or other words,
I want to say that you are not only
The dearest girl you are,
But also the esplendid or cautious women
That I loved or I love.

Because thanks to you I found
(and you could say it was about time, and will be right)
That love is a cute and generous bay
That lights up and darkens down
According with how life comes,
A bay where ships come and go,
Come with birds and omens,
And go with mermaids and dark clouds.
A cute and generous bya,
Where ships come and go
But you,
Please,
Don’t go


Don´t Save Yourself

Don't Save yourself,
Don´t be immobile
On the edge of the road,
Don't freeze the joy,
Don't love with reluctance,
Don't save yourself now
or ever,
Don't save yourself,
Don't fill with calm,
Don't reserve of the world
Just a calm place,
Don't let fall your lids
Heavy as trials,
Don´t speak without lips,
Don't fall asleep without sleepiness,
Don't think of you without blood,
Don't judge yourself without time.

But if in spite of everything
You cannot avoid it
And you freeze the joy,
And you love with reluctance,
And you save yourself now,
And you full with calm,
And you reserve of the world
Just a calm place,
And you let fall your lids
Heavy as trials,
And you speak without lips,
And you fall asleep without sleepiness,
And you think yourself without blood,
And you judge yourself without time,
And you are immobile
On the edge of the road,
And you save yourself,
Then
Don't stay with me.


Tactic And Strategy

My tactic is
Looking at you,
Learning how you are,
Loving you as you are,
My tactic is
Talking to you
And listening to you
To build with words
An indestructible bridge
My tactic is
Remaining in your memories
I don't know how
Nor with which pretext
But remaining with you.
My tactic is
Being frank,
And knowing that you are frank,
And not selling each other
Simulations
So that between us
There is no curtain
Nor abyss.
My strategy is,
However,
Deeper and
Easier,
My strategy is
That one of these days
I don't know how
Nor with which pretext
You finally
Need me.