"Paganism" is terrible branding
Feb. 11th, 2022 10:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
causticusWhen it comes to the naming and branding of any new group, project, or endeavor, I subscribe to the concept of "Occult Memetics." This concept is basically a recognition of the magical power of language. The term itself is something the Youtuber Tarl Warwick (Styxhexenhammer666) came up with, and he even published a book by that name further explaining the concept.
On how I'm working with that concept right now, it has much to do with the recent turn I've taken in terms of my own polytheistic religious orientation (which I'll explain in another post). I had a recent conversation with a few friends of a similar orientation on how words like "paganism" and "heathen" are loaded with so much historical-ideological baggage that they tend to elicit certain emotional responses in ordinary people who hear these words uttered and it immediately taints the way the rest of the conversation proceeds. Because of that, in my view, organizations/groups that proudly brandish those labels tend to attract more than their fair share of misfits and malcontents; certainly more of these types than sensible people of moderate temperament who are looking for a spiritual option that isn't a dogmatic organized religion that's bogged down with a 1500 year old ideology.
Some alternative brands a few of us have been proposing are as follows:
-Natural Faith
-The Natural Way
-The Ancestral Way
-The Way of Spirit
-Ancestral Faith
-Natural Faith: Northern Tradition (Germanic/Heathen)
-Natural Faith: Southern (or Classical) Tradition (Greco-Roman)
All of these fit well within the fold of the broader effort to revive and revitalize polytheism and animism as religions people can take on and incorporate into their everyday lives. And by refraining from using "polytheism" as the main label, "Natural Faith" allows for the inclusion of various metaphysical positions like Pantheism, Panentheism, ect.
Ultimately, if these "Natural Faiths" of ours are to (re)grow and stick around for the long haul, they must appeal to enough "normies," that is, people who are not excessively eccentric and misfit types; in other words, people who are busy with the things we associate with ordinary life like raising families, working at a trade or other discipline, running businesses, ect. In times past, these traditions survived and thrived in family lineages. This is how the real "paganism" of yore existed.
The way it stands today is that "Paganism" (especially Neopaganism) is little more than a lifestyle diversion for city-dwelling ex-Christians who feel a great sense of alienation from their faith-of-upbringing. The astral and egregoric content associated with words like "Pagan" and "Heathen" are quite off-putting for anyone who hasn't delved into that particular "fandom" subculture.
In a follow-up post I'll go into more detail about the gradual disappearance of the tribe and clan in any official capacity, and the various ways these associations have cropped up again (and disappeared) over time. And of course, I'll go into how these associations are a must if any of us are to revive and revitalize the Ancestral Way.
On how I'm working with that concept right now, it has much to do with the recent turn I've taken in terms of my own polytheistic religious orientation (which I'll explain in another post). I had a recent conversation with a few friends of a similar orientation on how words like "paganism" and "heathen" are loaded with so much historical-ideological baggage that they tend to elicit certain emotional responses in ordinary people who hear these words uttered and it immediately taints the way the rest of the conversation proceeds. Because of that, in my view, organizations/groups that proudly brandish those labels tend to attract more than their fair share of misfits and malcontents; certainly more of these types than sensible people of moderate temperament who are looking for a spiritual option that isn't a dogmatic organized religion that's bogged down with a 1500 year old ideology.
Some alternative brands a few of us have been proposing are as follows:
-Natural Faith
-The Natural Way
-The Ancestral Way
-The Way of Spirit
-Ancestral Faith
-Natural Faith: Northern Tradition (Germanic/Heathen)
-Natural Faith: Southern (or Classical) Tradition (Greco-Roman)
All of these fit well within the fold of the broader effort to revive and revitalize polytheism and animism as religions people can take on and incorporate into their everyday lives. And by refraining from using "polytheism" as the main label, "Natural Faith" allows for the inclusion of various metaphysical positions like Pantheism, Panentheism, ect.
Ultimately, if these "Natural Faiths" of ours are to (re)grow and stick around for the long haul, they must appeal to enough "normies," that is, people who are not excessively eccentric and misfit types; in other words, people who are busy with the things we associate with ordinary life like raising families, working at a trade or other discipline, running businesses, ect. In times past, these traditions survived and thrived in family lineages. This is how the real "paganism" of yore existed.
The way it stands today is that "Paganism" (especially Neopaganism) is little more than a lifestyle diversion for city-dwelling ex-Christians who feel a great sense of alienation from their faith-of-upbringing. The astral and egregoric content associated with words like "Pagan" and "Heathen" are quite off-putting for anyone who hasn't delved into that particular "fandom" subculture.
In a follow-up post I'll go into more detail about the gradual disappearance of the tribe and clan in any official capacity, and the various ways these associations have cropped up again (and disappeared) over time. And of course, I'll go into how these associations are a must if any of us are to revive and revitalize the Ancestral Way.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-11 06:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-11 10:21 pm (UTC)I wouldn't at all be surprised if there was something approaching a "silent majority" of outwardly-appearing normal people who do indeed have an interest in these ancestral traditions, yet feel alienating or put-off by those who are most vocal (mostly on the internet) about their interests in this.
Modern Druidry I think largely avoids this baggage because it doesn't call itself paganism, or neopaganism, or what not, even though there is quite a bit of overlap in the membership base of neo-Druid organizations. Revival Druidry in particular seems to do a good job warding off anything that reeks of dogma or ideological possession.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-12 04:34 am (UTC)I think a big part of what has worked for "Druidry" is that "Druid" was never really used as a pejorative the way "pagan" and "heathen" both originated. When the Romans met Druids, they were just some foreign priesthood, and by the time Christianity came around, they were long gone. So, when it got revived as a term, it didn't have much baggage, but it had the advantage of being a) short, and b) highly specific.
The chief challenges I see with your proposed terms (such as "Ancestral Way" or "Ancestral Faith") is that they are not as brief and not as unambiguous. For very many folks, "Ancestral Faith" would mean Christianity, because it's what their ancestors for any distance they can readily trace back followed. "Ancestral Way" might mean anything from a way of religious belief to a diet that rejects processed foods. "Pagan" and "heathen" both at least address these particular concerns well, at the cost of trying to re-appropriate some pejorative terms. Naming stuff is hard!
In the spirit of not offering criticisms without offering solutions, I might put forward these suggestions, without any particular attachment:
1. The Old Way/Faith
2. The Elder Way/Faith
3. The Way of Godhi
4. The Troth (this has some baggage these days, due to specific organizations that have used it)
5. Holy Way
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-12 03:28 pm (UTC)I looked at the website of an organization that calls itself "The Troth"...what a sad state of affairs its in, totally woke, full of progressives and marxists, and is obsessed with race just as much as a typical far-right folkish group. Sad, because I think this was the group Edred Thorrson (Stephen Flowers) co-founded, and it seems liked it was originally started for a very noble and pragmatic purpose. IIRC he was ousted from his own group not long after it was founded. Letting too many leftists into your ranks will do that. So yes, potentially quite a bit of baggage with that name.
I wonder if for now it might make more sense to go with a provisional name, and maybe one that's casual and has a bit of a humorous ring to it. Something like "Sane Heathenry" or something similar. "Heathenry for Normies" is kind of hilarious (IMO) but might be a tad bit goofy. If I had to choose between Paganism and Heathenry I'd definitely go with the latter. Really though, I think any group which uses JMG's basic code of conduct (no profanity, no sales pitches) for discussions is bound to thrive, regardless of what its called.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-12 06:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-12 07:29 pm (UTC)Yeah I like those names too. In my next post I'll be trying out some permutation of those names and see how they sound in casual language.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-13 02:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-13 10:29 pm (UTC)In the meantime, any casual name will be appropriate for the DW community. We might not have enough Heathens to make a lively group, so maybe something for polytheists in general?
I was thinking something like "sane polytheism" or even just "polytheism." I think it would be could to have a place where MM/Esosophia polytheists had a place to congregate and exchange tips on venerating the gods and incorporating magical knowledge and practices into that. And it could be a launching point to attract anyone else who is like-minded.
What do you think?
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-14 06:18 am (UTC)Having a place with sane, mannered folks to talk about this kind of stuff has been wonderful, and it might be nice to have a space that is specifically polytheistically religious (rather than magical/occultist, as in MM), so that might very well be a useful thing to have around.
The only concern that comes to mind is the trade-off between "a broad topic is useful to more people" and "a narrow topic is more exciting and useful to the fewer folks it interests". You're certainly right that you need a critical mass to have something viable, and polytheism is already pretty niche, so maybe "broader" is the way to go, and if enough folks show up interested mainly in the Germanic flavor of polytheism, we can set up a sub-group or the like.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-02-14 07:45 pm (UTC)Without further adieu:
https://sanepolytheism.dreamwidth.org/
BTW, I think we can use post tags to clearly delineate content by specific tradition and other topics.