(from "A Religion Without Converts," pp. 21-24 Drawing Down the Moon by
Margot Adler)
The six primary reason that Pagans and Witches gave me in answer to the
questions "Why is this phenomenon occuring?" "Why are you involved?" Many
of their reasons are novel, and completely at odds with common assumptions.
1) Beauty, vision, imagination. A number of Neo-pagans told me that their
religious views were part of a general visionary quest that included
involvement with poetry, art, drama, music, science fiction, and fantasy.
At least four Witches in different parts of the country spoke of religion as
a human need for beauty.
2) Intellectual satisfaction. many told me that reading and collecting odd
books had been the prim influence in their religious decision. This came as
a surprise to me. In particular, most of the Midwesterners said flatly that
hte wide dissemination of strange and facinating books had been the main
factor in creating a Neo-pagan resurgence. And while class and profession
vary widely among Neo-pagans, almost all are avid readers. This does not
see mto depend on their educational level; it holds true for high-school
dropouts as well as PhDs.
3) Growth. A more predictable answer, this ambiguous word was given
frequently. Most Pagans see their lives not as straight roads to specific
goals but as processes --- evolution, change, or an increase in
understanding. Neo-pagans often see themselves as pursuing the quests of
the mystery traditions: initiations into the workings of life, death, and
rebirth.
4) Feminism. For many women, this was the main reason for involvement.
Large numbers of women have been seeking a spiritual framework outside the
patriarchal religious that have dominated the Western world for the last
several thousand years. many who wanted to find a spiritual side to their
feminism entered the Craft because of its emphasis on goddess worship.
Neo-pagan Witchcraft groups range from those with a mixture of female and
male deities to those that focus on the monotheistic worship of the Mother
Goddess. The latter, the feminist Witches, are among the newest and most
outspoken members of the Neo-pagan revival.
5) Environmental response. Many of those interviewed said that Neo-paganism
was a response to a planet in crisis. Almost all the Pagan traditions
emphasize reverence for nature. Many Witches consider the Craft a
repository of survival skills, both psychic and physical (like the things
one might be taught in an Outward Bound camp) Other Pagans told me that a
revival of animism was needed to counter the forces destroying the natural
world.
6) Freedom. Another unexpected answer. The Frosts, who run one of the
largest Witchcraft correspondence courses in the country, described the
Craft as "religion without the middleman" Many people said that they had
become Pagans because they could be themselves and act as they chose,
without what they felt were medieval notions of sin and guilt. Others
wanted to participate in rituals rather than observe them. The leard of the
Georgian tradition, a Craft tradition with a dozen covens in the United
States, told me that freedom waas his prime reason for making an independent
religious decision.
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