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"Paganism" is terrible branding
Feb. 11th, 2022 10:51 amWhen 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.
