Showing posts with label Polytheists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Polytheists. Show all posts
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Sophie Reicher
Hello and Happy Saturday!
I wish to thank E. Perren Hayes for his very interesting and informative interview last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Perren!
Today we have a new interview so please welcome Sophie Reicher. Sophie is a Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy her interview as well!
Here Is Sophie Reicher's Introduction:
I think my introduction is pretty quick and dirty: Sophie Reicher has been a polytheist and occultist for many years. She has published one book: "Spiritual Protection" and currently maintains a rather sporadic blog at http://sreicher.weebly.com. She is primarily a northern traditionalist, with a special dedication to the House of Mundilfari, but she does maintain alliances outside of the northern pantheon too, most especially the Egyptian Goddess Bast. As a writer, Sophie writes primarily about magic and the occult arts. Occasionally she also writes poetry, prayers, and articles on things of interest to modern Polytheists.
My blog is here: http://sreicher.weebly.com.
1) What religion do you practice?
I am a Northern Traditionalist, a Heathen. My spirituality centers around honoring the Norse Gods primarily, my ancestors, and the spirits of the land upon which I live.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I was raised nominally Catholic but I left the Church as a teen. I didn't have to do anything to convert to Heathenry. I just had to start the slow process of rooting myself in my ancestral practices and learning to view the world through the lens of that tradition. Part of that involved learning to properly honor the Gods, learning to connect with and properly honor my ancestors, and allowing my growing awareness as an animist to impact the way that I interacted with the world every moment of every day.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
I think that there are degrees of observance in Heathenry. That is pretty much the norm in every religion as they evolve and grow. There are certainly a lot of points of conflict between denominations in Heathenry. In fact, I would go so far as to say that whether or not a person seeks to engage in devotional practice and seeks to be deeply observant is one of those points. I think the biggest issue facing Heathenry today is whether or not personal devotion is a good thing and to which Gods and Goddesses one ought to be devoted. *shrugs* I try to stay out of that mess. I surround myself with people who believe, as I do, that devotion is a good thing and that doing devotion well requires attention, mindfulness and a healthy dose of humility, that the Gods are real and can in fact interact with us directly and that this ought to impact every aspect of our religious lives. I don't waste my time on people for whom that is an issue. Life is too short.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
I would say that I am very observant. I chose this because I believe this is what it means to live a whole, healthy, responsible, adult life. Being as engaged as I am with my spirituality and spiritual practices enhances every aspect of my life. It makes me a better person, a more aware and awake human being, and it enriches my existence.
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
There are a number of options for a Heathen after he or she dies. Some of us believe in reincarnation, some believe we reincarnate only within one's ancestral line, some believe that we will go to Helheim, the hall of the dead presided over by Hela, our Goddess of the dead, warriors who die in battle or those claimed by Odin may go to valhalla, others may go to the halls of specific Deities. There are options. The point is to live life honorably and well so that one may meet one's death and whatever comes after with head held high.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
umm...this isn't a question that I can really answer since my theology doesn't have the concept of salvation or paradise in the way that monotheistic religions like christianity do.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
This is a rather shallow question. It's not about me necessarily. It's about doing what is right and proper to maintain the bonds of connection and obligation that inform my awareness as an inheritor of my ancestral traditions: it's about honoring the Gods, serving them, honoring the dead and maintaining those relationships, and honoring the spirits of the land upon which I live. This is what it means to live an engaged, organic, awake life. It's occasionally inconvenient yes, but it is my duty and obligation to my ancestors and Gods. I suppose what makes any religion a 'good fit' is the response one gets from the Gods, Goddesses, and other Powers. I felt very much called to Heathenry and for me the impetus for that calling was a developing devotional relationship with certain Gods. That's what makes it fit for me.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Heathenry has eight holy days: two solstices, two equinoxes and cross quarter days marking the agricultural cycle of the year. I celebrate them all with my kindred, which is what we call our religious groups.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
that would depend on the person: if someone is a decent person then sure, why not? If they're an asshole, well, I wouldn't want to be around that person even if he or she was Heathen. I wouldn't refuse to be friends with a person because of their faith. I have friends of all different faiths and value them tremendously.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
Yes, and I have done so. Sometimes, it is joining another polytheist to honor a God or Goddess not of the Norse pantheon. I would do this if I felt a particular connection or more likely debt to that Deity. Sometimes it's a matter of having a friend who is having an important ritual celebration of some sort who invites me, in the name of friendship, to attend. I just make sure that I don't break any of my own ritual and religious taboos, and that I know if there are any taboos or requirements within my friend's faith by which I would be expected to abide.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I know many Polytheistic women (and some men) who cover themselves...some all the time, some just for religious observance. I find great merit in this practice when it is done as a method of devotion to a Deity, or for a particular spiritual reason, or to enhance one's focus during ritual. I have no issue whatsoever with a woman who chooses to wear the burka of her own free will as an expression of devotion to her god, or personal modesty. I have great issue with monotheistic religions in general and their misogyny in particular. No woman should be forced to wear or not wear the burka. Shariah law is just another excuse for lack of respect for female life. It's a sickness inherent in monotheism. It offends me.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
yes, of course they are. It's a non-issue within my religion. How do I feel about it? I don't care if my clergy person is male, female, third gendered, transgendered, or any other gendered so long as that person has a deep devotional relationship with the Gods and the training to be an effective clergy person.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
no. I would not be part of a religion that segregated.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
it affects every aspect of my life. It is the center point around which every aspect of my life revolves. It informs every decision I make. For the record, by the way, I am pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. How could I look my ancestors in the face if I were to spend my life preaching discrimination and hatred. They did not suffer and sacrifice to ensure that I had a chance at life so I could spend that life harassing other people for their *personal* choices. These things are not moral questions. They are matters of personal choice and as such none of my business.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
That would depend what religion my child wished to marry into. I would not want any of my children to marry monotheists.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
...we don't have a concept of hell or damnation. it's not part of our theology.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
For the most part, I don't respect very many of the Heathens who are considered 'leaders' in the community. I think most of them are fundamentalist in mindset and have very little idea of what it means to be polytheist. I don't believe the majority of them have any sense of devotion whatsoever, or connection to the holy. They are, in my opinion, still moving from a very monotheistic mindset that teaches there is one true way. That being said, I respect the work of those theologians and writers mainstream Heathens consider controversial: Galina Krasskova, Raven Kaldera, Elizabeth Vongvisith. I respect the work of other polytheistic theologians like Sannion, Dver...two Dionysians who are doing amazing work, P. Sufenus Virius Lupus, Thracian polytheist Andrew Carlson, or Queen Mother Imakhu, a Kemetic Elder. I respect the work of dual traditionalists Laura Patsouris, and Kenaz Filan. Mainstream Heathens....I don't waste my time.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
Once I was attacked on the street...I'm not sure I'd call it a hate crime, unless the fact I was a woman alone can fall under that category. Fortunately, in addition to being pro-choice and pro- gay marriage, I'm also pro-right to bear arms and I walk my talk. I frightened my would-be attacker away.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
no. Why would I be part of a religion that devalued me? (Something I'd like to ask every monotheist out there, especially the women).
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
no. It gives me many things, peace of mind is not one of them. I am always challenged to go deeper, examine further, work harder.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
yes, I do. I very strongly believe in reincarnation based on some of my own experiences and my understanding of the flow of fate and being that my religion calls 'wyrd' i.e. causality and consequence.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Rev. M. Allyson Szabo
Hello and Happy Saturday!
I wish to thank Barry Bell for his interesting and informative interview of last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Barry!
Today we have a new interview so please welcome Rev. M. Allyson Szabo. Allyson is a Hellenic Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy her interview as well!
Here Is Rev. M. Allyson Szabo's Introduction:
I am an Interfaith Minister, graduated this year from the two year
ministry program at The New Seminary in NYC. I have been a practicing
Hellenic polytheist for about 6 years now. Prior to that, I considered
myself "pagan" and before that, Wiccan for many years. I have been a
priestess for over 20 years now, and a lay minister for most of that. I
have taught classes to both the public and to private classes on
religion, meditation, tarot reading, divination in general, and many
other subjects. I perform weddings, funerals, and many other religious
services as an Interfaith Minister, and embrace the good in all faiths
while seeking to drum out fanaticism and extremism.
http://www.revallyson.com/ http://ambertemple.blogspot.com/
1) What religion do you practice?
I practice Hellenic polytheism. For those who may not be familiar with
the terms, this means that I worship and honor the ancient Greek gods
(the Hellenic part) and I believe that there are many gods both within
and without the specific religion I practice (the polytheism part). I do
NOT believe that "all gods are one" (that's called monism, and while
there's nothing wrong with it, it isn't my own belief), but I do believe
that the Divine Powers talk to one another in ways that are far beyond
our understanding.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If
you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you
practice prior to converting?
I would say that I am a convert, I suppose, although that isn't really
quite true. I have always believed in the feminine divine, and that
there is more than one Divine Power in the universe. Since I was a
little child, I have felt a strong pull to Hecate (a Greek or Thracian
goddess who watches over childbirth as well as magic and graveyards). I
did not realize that the deity I felt pulled to was Her, however, until
much later in my adulthood. I was 17 when I began practicing Wicca on my
own, and 18 when I began formal training as a Wiccan priestess. About
six years ago I realized that the majority of gods I worship and honor
happen to be Greek, stumbled upon the Hellenic online community, and the
rest (as they say) is history.
Prior to practicing any of these faiths, I was brought up in a (rabidly)
atheist home, where religion was treated as a disease that ate at the
mind and made one weak. My mother tended to do things like burn
religious books and punish me for attempting to learn about any
religion. It was... not a pleasant upbringing.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie.
Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining
differences between the degrees of observance?
There are different sects of Hellenism. There are some people who claim
to be practicing "pure" ancient Greek religion, but like with most
extremists of ANY religion, they leave out the parts they dislike
(ancient Greeks practiced a lot of animal sacrifice, for instance).
There are others who practice a very lax version of Hellenism that is
more akin to Wicca or generic pagan practices with a patina of Greek
pasted on. I would say that the defining differences are the time and
effort put into the practices in question, and the level of personal and
private education one has done.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie.
Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this
degree of observance?
I'm somewhere in the middle. I believe that in order to be Hellenic
polytheists, it's important to read the source material (Plato, the
Sages, Aristotle, etc.), and to understand the culture and religion of
ancient times. However, I don't think it's necessary to make animal
sacrifices or go around with my hair covered at all times. Hellenic
polytheism is a *reconstructionist* religion, meaning we are taking the
very good records of our ancestors and rebuilding them into a modern,
living faith. This means that the faith must fit into the world in which
we live, a word that shuns animal sacrifice most of the time, and that
has a decidedly bad view of women with their hair covered. This doesn't
mean that I don't engage in these practices, but more that I keep them
for sacred times rather than daily living.
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what
happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment?
(such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
Ancient Hellenes believed that the soul went into the Underworld, under
the rule of Haides and Persephone. The more offerings and attention made
or paid to a person who had died, the better their life would be in the
Underworld. A person who was not buried correctly or who had no family
to make offerings and sing praises, would become a shade, a mere shadow
wandering in the depths of the earth.
That said, my *personal* belief is that our time in the Underworld is
not infinite, but limited. I believe that we rest, learn, perhaps
comfort the souls of family or friends who are grieved, and then are
reborn.
I do not believe in Hell, per se, but I can see how some would come to
understand the Underworld as a place of fire and brimstone. Those who
lived evil lives must undergo purification before being allowed back
into the "spiritual gene pool" and fire is as good a metaphor as any.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they
do not, why?
I don't believe in Heaven anymore than I do in Hell, as a specific
place. Nothing is permanent in our world, not even death. Some people
have such a strong belief in punishment that they almost subject
themselves to it. Belief is a strong thing, and can influence what we
experience both in life and after death. Heaven, to me, would be working
through enough incarnations to merge with the souls of others and
perhaps be born on another plane entirely (think 'planet' or 'star
system' or something along those lines). I don't pretend to know, nor do
I think it makes any difference to what I do in THIS life.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
My religion is flexible, allowing for worship of many gods. It doesn't
dictate who I must give honors to, and as a result I am also a worshiper
of Jesus of Nazareth! My religion matches my long held beliefs about the
world and life and death, puts a strong emphasis on morality and ethics,
and holds up civic duties as a religious necessity.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I have a wide variety of holy days, and sometimes I celebrate them and
sometimes I don't. The most important holy day for me is the day on
which I celebrate Hecate's Deipnon, performed on the night of the dark
of the moon each month. At its most basic, it is an offering of a small
meal (usually a portion of my own dinner) offered at a crossroad (I have
always managed to find a small "path crossing" in a private area for my
practices), along with the sweepings of the house. Halloween has come to
be a large celebration for Hecate as well, although that is a thoroughly
modern practice.
I also celebrate the Equinoxes (times of balance of day and night) and
Solstices (longest day and night) in various ways, again mainly modern
constructions based on what we think the ancients might have done. I
take time each year to celebrate Anthesteria, which is complex in
practice but is basically a three day festival blessing the new wine for
the year. Rural Dionysia has people perform dramatic plays in honor of
Dionysos. Thalysia is a festival honoring Demeter and Persephone which
was held around August or September in ancient times but which I now
celebrate around Thanksgiving (the application is similar while the date
is slightly off).
There are literally thousands of holy days that can be celebrated by
those who honor the Hellenic gods and even in ancient times they were
not ALL celebrated. Most worship was informal and done in the home at
small family shrines, and large festivals were dictated by the
city-state in which you lived. I base many of my own holy days around
celebrations that are modern and have to do with the place in which I
live, mimicking the practices of my spiritual ancestors.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Most definitely! I have very close friends in many different faiths.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of
their holy days? Please explain why?
I do so whenever I can. I believe in all gods, and even though I do not
worship them all (an impossibility!), I can honor that other people do
so. When my friend Rabbi Rachel Barenblat invited me to her Rosh
Hashanah services, I was tickled (though unable to go due to moving,
unfortunately). I have attended Quaker services, Christian services of
many flavors, Jewish services, Wiccan, generic pagan, and interfaith
services as well. To me, to honor Divinity in all its forms is an act of
faith and love.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I have complex beliefs regarding the burka and Islamic laws. While I
*strongly* believe that people should be allowed to practice their
religions unhindered, up to and including the wearing of the burka, I do
not believe that anyone (religious or political leader, parent, teacher,
etc) should dictate what another should believe, wear, do, say, or pray.
I have met women who choose to wear the burka, and while it isn't
anything I would do, I have talked to them long enough to understand why
it is important for them. However, I also know (in some cases from those
same women) that there are women out there forced into the wearing of
the burka, and it is not their choice. Nothing that is forced on you can
possibly (in my opinion) have religious significance other than
negatively.
Islamic laws are like Wiccan laws or Episcopalian laws. They touch on
the daily living rules that people choose to follow. The moment those
religious laws touch the laws of the land in which you live in, though,
the land's laws must take precedence. For instance, if a woman chooses
to follow Sharia law and chooses to wear a burka, that is her choice. If
she does not choose it and someone attempts to force her to do so, that
becomes a matter of abuse, and touches the law of the land (at least in
North America!) and Sharia law is superseded. If someone seeks succor
outside of their religion, claiming force, then it's no longer a
religious matter.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi,
iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
In ancient Greece, women did hold places of power, although it varied
greatly between the city-states. In modern Hellenic polytheism, women
are allowed and encouraged to hold offices, although there are not many
organizations that are formal enough to allow for vetted priests or
priestesses at this time. For me, it is very empowering, very fulfilling
to be able to stand not only as a minister on paper, but as a priestess
in power and joy.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you
feel?
There are times when worship is segregated, yes. There are some
festivals that are meant only for men or for women, and to me it seems
quite appropriate. The feasting and revelry is something people can do
together, after the rituals are done with. The majority of celebrations
are not segregated, though, and anyone is welcome to attend.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much
thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way
your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
In ancient times, religion was what you did, and philosophy was what you
believed. It wasn't really necessary to make decisions based on your
religion. This is very much how I see my Hellenism today. I had my
beliefs about abortion, gay marriage, polyamory, and other 'touchy'
subjects long before I came to Hellenic polytheism. That said, my
religion does affect my daily life quite thoroughly. I don't make
offerings every day, but I try to make some of my actions each day
become an offering to my gods. When I cook, I will take a small amount
and set it aside for my gods, for instance.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your
religion?
I rather expect my children will marry outside my personal religion,
simply because there are so few Hellenic polytheists out there! It
doesn't bother me in the least. What I care about is whether my children
are acting out of love and honor, and whether they believe the faith
which they adhere to. Anything done in love is a religious and spiritual
act, in my eyes.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to
hell?
Nope. I think I've explained that well enough above.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why?
ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you
agree with them or not?
There are some people who claim to be the voice of Hellenismos online,
and I strongly believe they are not. Regardless of religion, extremism
is a dangerous thing and dissuades people from logical thought and
truthful self-examination. Hellenism is no different, and we have our
fanatics and loud minority as well. I do NOT agree with them or their
definitions.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
I have been exorcised in a restaurant (many years ago when I was a
practicing Wiccan), although I don't really see it as a hate crime. I
have been stalked online for years (long enough that it's become
something of a running joke at this point). At no time have I truly been
the target of a hate crime, though.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Never. I gain such strength of character and soul from my beliefs and
practices!
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes it does. I could not have made it through the last few months (end
of a relationship, moving, graduating from seminary, etc.) without it.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I do, and I think I largely covered it in the question about death. As
to why I believe in reincarnation, I have memories of previous lives.
They're vague, not horribly useful, and no I wasn't Cleopatra or Marc
Anthony, but those memories are very poignant. Could they be inventions
of my imagination? Sure... but so could you. ;)
I wish to thank Barry Bell for his interesting and informative interview of last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Barry!
Today we have a new interview so please welcome Rev. M. Allyson Szabo. Allyson is a Hellenic Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy her interview as well!
Here Is Rev. M. Allyson Szabo's Introduction:
I am an Interfaith Minister, graduated this year from the two year
ministry program at The New Seminary in NYC. I have been a practicing
Hellenic polytheist for about 6 years now. Prior to that, I considered
myself "pagan" and before that, Wiccan for many years. I have been a
priestess for over 20 years now, and a lay minister for most of that. I
have taught classes to both the public and to private classes on
religion, meditation, tarot reading, divination in general, and many
other subjects. I perform weddings, funerals, and many other religious
services as an Interfaith Minister, and embrace the good in all faiths
while seeking to drum out fanaticism and extremism.
http://www.revallyson.com/ http://ambertemple.blogspot.com/
1) What religion do you practice?
I practice Hellenic polytheism. For those who may not be familiar with
the terms, this means that I worship and honor the ancient Greek gods
(the Hellenic part) and I believe that there are many gods both within
and without the specific religion I practice (the polytheism part). I do
NOT believe that "all gods are one" (that's called monism, and while
there's nothing wrong with it, it isn't my own belief), but I do believe
that the Divine Powers talk to one another in ways that are far beyond
our understanding.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If
you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you
practice prior to converting?
I would say that I am a convert, I suppose, although that isn't really
quite true. I have always believed in the feminine divine, and that
there is more than one Divine Power in the universe. Since I was a
little child, I have felt a strong pull to Hecate (a Greek or Thracian
goddess who watches over childbirth as well as magic and graveyards). I
did not realize that the deity I felt pulled to was Her, however, until
much later in my adulthood. I was 17 when I began practicing Wicca on my
own, and 18 when I began formal training as a Wiccan priestess. About
six years ago I realized that the majority of gods I worship and honor
happen to be Greek, stumbled upon the Hellenic online community, and the
rest (as they say) is history.
Prior to practicing any of these faiths, I was brought up in a (rabidly)
atheist home, where religion was treated as a disease that ate at the
mind and made one weak. My mother tended to do things like burn
religious books and punish me for attempting to learn about any
religion. It was... not a pleasant upbringing.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie.
Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining
differences between the degrees of observance?
There are different sects of Hellenism. There are some people who claim
to be practicing "pure" ancient Greek religion, but like with most
extremists of ANY religion, they leave out the parts they dislike
(ancient Greeks practiced a lot of animal sacrifice, for instance).
There are others who practice a very lax version of Hellenism that is
more akin to Wicca or generic pagan practices with a patina of Greek
pasted on. I would say that the defining differences are the time and
effort put into the practices in question, and the level of personal and
private education one has done.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie.
Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this
degree of observance?
I'm somewhere in the middle. I believe that in order to be Hellenic
polytheists, it's important to read the source material (Plato, the
Sages, Aristotle, etc.), and to understand the culture and religion of
ancient times. However, I don't think it's necessary to make animal
sacrifices or go around with my hair covered at all times. Hellenic
polytheism is a *reconstructionist* religion, meaning we are taking the
very good records of our ancestors and rebuilding them into a modern,
living faith. This means that the faith must fit into the world in which
we live, a word that shuns animal sacrifice most of the time, and that
has a decidedly bad view of women with their hair covered. This doesn't
mean that I don't engage in these practices, but more that I keep them
for sacred times rather than daily living.
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what
happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment?
(such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
Ancient Hellenes believed that the soul went into the Underworld, under
the rule of Haides and Persephone. The more offerings and attention made
or paid to a person who had died, the better their life would be in the
Underworld. A person who was not buried correctly or who had no family
to make offerings and sing praises, would become a shade, a mere shadow
wandering in the depths of the earth.
That said, my *personal* belief is that our time in the Underworld is
not infinite, but limited. I believe that we rest, learn, perhaps
comfort the souls of family or friends who are grieved, and then are
reborn.
I do not believe in Hell, per se, but I can see how some would come to
understand the Underworld as a place of fire and brimstone. Those who
lived evil lives must undergo purification before being allowed back
into the "spiritual gene pool" and fire is as good a metaphor as any.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they
do not, why?
I don't believe in Heaven anymore than I do in Hell, as a specific
place. Nothing is permanent in our world, not even death. Some people
have such a strong belief in punishment that they almost subject
themselves to it. Belief is a strong thing, and can influence what we
experience both in life and after death. Heaven, to me, would be working
through enough incarnations to merge with the souls of others and
perhaps be born on another plane entirely (think 'planet' or 'star
system' or something along those lines). I don't pretend to know, nor do
I think it makes any difference to what I do in THIS life.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
My religion is flexible, allowing for worship of many gods. It doesn't
dictate who I must give honors to, and as a result I am also a worshiper
of Jesus of Nazareth! My religion matches my long held beliefs about the
world and life and death, puts a strong emphasis on morality and ethics,
and holds up civic duties as a religious necessity.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I have a wide variety of holy days, and sometimes I celebrate them and
sometimes I don't. The most important holy day for me is the day on
which I celebrate Hecate's Deipnon, performed on the night of the dark
of the moon each month. At its most basic, it is an offering of a small
meal (usually a portion of my own dinner) offered at a crossroad (I have
always managed to find a small "path crossing" in a private area for my
practices), along with the sweepings of the house. Halloween has come to
be a large celebration for Hecate as well, although that is a thoroughly
modern practice.
I also celebrate the Equinoxes (times of balance of day and night) and
Solstices (longest day and night) in various ways, again mainly modern
constructions based on what we think the ancients might have done. I
take time each year to celebrate Anthesteria, which is complex in
practice but is basically a three day festival blessing the new wine for
the year. Rural Dionysia has people perform dramatic plays in honor of
Dionysos. Thalysia is a festival honoring Demeter and Persephone which
was held around August or September in ancient times but which I now
celebrate around Thanksgiving (the application is similar while the date
is slightly off).
There are literally thousands of holy days that can be celebrated by
those who honor the Hellenic gods and even in ancient times they were
not ALL celebrated. Most worship was informal and done in the home at
small family shrines, and large festivals were dictated by the
city-state in which you lived. I base many of my own holy days around
celebrations that are modern and have to do with the place in which I
live, mimicking the practices of my spiritual ancestors.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Most definitely! I have very close friends in many different faiths.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of
their holy days? Please explain why?
I do so whenever I can. I believe in all gods, and even though I do not
worship them all (an impossibility!), I can honor that other people do
so. When my friend Rabbi Rachel Barenblat invited me to her Rosh
Hashanah services, I was tickled (though unable to go due to moving,
unfortunately). I have attended Quaker services, Christian services of
many flavors, Jewish services, Wiccan, generic pagan, and interfaith
services as well. To me, to honor Divinity in all its forms is an act of
faith and love.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I have complex beliefs regarding the burka and Islamic laws. While I
*strongly* believe that people should be allowed to practice their
religions unhindered, up to and including the wearing of the burka, I do
not believe that anyone (religious or political leader, parent, teacher,
etc) should dictate what another should believe, wear, do, say, or pray.
I have met women who choose to wear the burka, and while it isn't
anything I would do, I have talked to them long enough to understand why
it is important for them. However, I also know (in some cases from those
same women) that there are women out there forced into the wearing of
the burka, and it is not their choice. Nothing that is forced on you can
possibly (in my opinion) have religious significance other than
negatively.
Islamic laws are like Wiccan laws or Episcopalian laws. They touch on
the daily living rules that people choose to follow. The moment those
religious laws touch the laws of the land in which you live in, though,
the land's laws must take precedence. For instance, if a woman chooses
to follow Sharia law and chooses to wear a burka, that is her choice. If
she does not choose it and someone attempts to force her to do so, that
becomes a matter of abuse, and touches the law of the land (at least in
North America!) and Sharia law is superseded. If someone seeks succor
outside of their religion, claiming force, then it's no longer a
religious matter.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi,
iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
In ancient Greece, women did hold places of power, although it varied
greatly between the city-states. In modern Hellenic polytheism, women
are allowed and encouraged to hold offices, although there are not many
organizations that are formal enough to allow for vetted priests or
priestesses at this time. For me, it is very empowering, very fulfilling
to be able to stand not only as a minister on paper, but as a priestess
in power and joy.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you
feel?
There are times when worship is segregated, yes. There are some
festivals that are meant only for men or for women, and to me it seems
quite appropriate. The feasting and revelry is something people can do
together, after the rituals are done with. The majority of celebrations
are not segregated, though, and anyone is welcome to attend.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much
thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way
your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
In ancient times, religion was what you did, and philosophy was what you
believed. It wasn't really necessary to make decisions based on your
religion. This is very much how I see my Hellenism today. I had my
beliefs about abortion, gay marriage, polyamory, and other 'touchy'
subjects long before I came to Hellenic polytheism. That said, my
religion does affect my daily life quite thoroughly. I don't make
offerings every day, but I try to make some of my actions each day
become an offering to my gods. When I cook, I will take a small amount
and set it aside for my gods, for instance.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your
religion?
I rather expect my children will marry outside my personal religion,
simply because there are so few Hellenic polytheists out there! It
doesn't bother me in the least. What I care about is whether my children
are acting out of love and honor, and whether they believe the faith
which they adhere to. Anything done in love is a religious and spiritual
act, in my eyes.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to
hell?
Nope. I think I've explained that well enough above.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why?
ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you
agree with them or not?
There are some people who claim to be the voice of Hellenismos online,
and I strongly believe they are not. Regardless of religion, extremism
is a dangerous thing and dissuades people from logical thought and
truthful self-examination. Hellenism is no different, and we have our
fanatics and loud minority as well. I do NOT agree with them or their
definitions.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
I have been exorcised in a restaurant (many years ago when I was a
practicing Wiccan), although I don't really see it as a hate crime. I
have been stalked online for years (long enough that it's become
something of a running joke at this point). At no time have I truly been
the target of a hate crime, though.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Never. I gain such strength of character and soul from my beliefs and
practices!
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes it does. I could not have made it through the last few months (end
of a relationship, moving, graduating from seminary, etc.) without it.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I do, and I think I largely covered it in the question about death. As
to why I believe in reincarnation, I have memories of previous lives.
They're vague, not horribly useful, and no I wasn't Cleopatra or Marc
Anthony, but those memories are very poignant. Could they be inventions
of my imagination? Sure... but so could you. ;)
Saturday, January 28, 2012
H. Jeremiah Lewis/ Sannion
Hello and Happy Saturday!
Thank you to Helio Pires for his interesting and enjoyable interview of last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Helio!
This week we have a new interview so please welcome H. Jeremiah Lewis/ Sannion. Jeremiah is a Classical Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy his interview as well!
Here Is H. Jeremiah Lewis/Sannion's Introduction:
H. Jeremiah Lewis, who goes by the religious name Sannion, is a Classical Polytheist and Dionysian who lives in the Pacific Northwest. He serves his gods as an oracular priest and is a prolific author, having just released his fifth book – Ecstatic: For Dionysos – through Nysa Press. You can learn more about him by visiting his blog and website at thehouseofvines.com.
1) What religion do you practice?
Religious identity as we tend to think of it is a fairly recent development. Before the Jews and Christians came on the scene there wasn’t really a sense of “religion” as something you belonged to, something composed of a set of beliefs and practices that marked off one group of people as distinct from another, which is why you won’t find a cognate for that term in Egyptian, Akkadian, Greek, Etruscan or any of the other languages of antiquity. Religion was merely a part of everyday life, comprising the customs and traditional notions handed down from the ancestors involving a community’s relations with its local gods and spirits. Each community – to say nothing of separate ethnic groups or nations – had its own unique way of being religious, but there were also broad commonalities such as polytheism, purification rites, sacrifice, divination and oracles, temples and priesthoods that seemed to be shared by the whole of humanity. Recognition of these commonalities allowed civilizations to peacefully coexist without religiously motivated warfare, persecution, heresy trials and the like, with many cultures borrowing ideas, imagery, ritual procedures and even their neighbors’ gods with great frequency. As such I tend to think of myself as a Classical Polytheist who incorporates elements from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans into his contemporary worship of the gods – though I am predominantly devoted to Dionysos, the god of wine, madness, liberation, fertility, the dramatic arts and many other things as well. Thus I shall endeavor to answer your questions from the perspective of a Dionysian, with the understanding that another Classical Polytheist who primarily honored a different deity (and even some other Dionysians) would likely have their own take on things. Also keep in mind that while I tend to emphasize the continuity among these ancient civilizations the majority of polytheist reconstructionists today view Kemeticism, Hellenismos and the Religio Romana as distinct and autonomous faiths.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
Like most polytheists today I began my spiritual life in a totally different religion before eventually finding my way to Dionysos and the other gods. My family moved around a lot in my youth so I was exposed to pretty much every form of Christianity imaginable, as we attended whatever church was close by (often the only church in the small, rural towns we tended to settle in.) Eventually I came to have serious misgivings about some of the core tenets of Christianity which led me to look elsewhere for divine truth. On top of that in late adolescence I had a series of encounters with a strange, earthy, sensual, masculine figure – dreams, visions and related phenomena – the memory of which haunted me through my early teen years. I chased his shadow through a variety of different religions and philosophical systems before coming to realize his true identity as Dionysos. Wishing to learn everything that I could about his nature, history and preferred forms of worship I began an extensive phase of research on all aspects of ancient Greek culture and religion. Eventually I discovered that I wasn’t alone in my love of antiquity and desire to see this religion revived when I encountered a thriving community of Hellenic Reconstructionists online. I spent the next few years active in this community, participating on the lists and forums, writing voluminously, organizing events and founding and leading a number of different groups. Then around 2004 I had a series of powerful encounters with the Kemetic deities which led to an interest in the fusion of cultures that took place in Hellenistic Egypt under the Ptolemies. Eventually I discovered some kindred souls and we formed a syncretic Greco-Egyptian religious group called Neos Alexandria. My time there was extremely pleasant and we had many ambitious plans, including the founding of a publishing line to bring about devotional books honoring the gods of Greece, Egypt and neighboring lands – which is still going strong several years on! However running such a large and active group took a lot out of me and my religious practice suffered as a consequence. So around 2009 I parted ways with Neos Alexandria to focus on my own solitary worship and writing and to put my energy into local activities to honor the gods, independent of the internet which I think has some serious problems and actually impedes the growth of minority religious groups. And that’s pretty much where I am at today.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox, conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
Although those types of division are plentiful in the world of contemporary polytheism – especially when it comes to the methodology of reconstructionism which has been the source of a great deal of contention – you don’t find much of that among worshipers of Dionysos. We tend to be pretty laid-back and libertarian, preferring to do our own thing when it comes to honoring the Wild One and letting others do likewise. In fact Dionysian worship seems especially suited to blurring the lines and bringing everyone together in a spirit of mirth and revelry. I’ve participated in (and led) rituals attended by more than a hundred and fifty people – people from every conceivable religious orientation and degree of strictness – and they were able to put aside their theological, philosophical and methodological differences in order to drink and dance and rave in ecstatic celebration of the great giver of life’s bounty. And frankly that’s the way it should be if you ask me – everything else is incidental.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
I’m just a devotee of Dionysos – I don’t really care about identity politics and labels. I have a great respect for the reconstructionist approach, as solid a grounding in the literature and ideas of the ancients as one could want, and I doubt even the staunchest traditionalist would find anything to complain about in how I conduct my rituals. But I don’t really identify myself as a recon because I feel that we should remain open to inspiration and innovation if we are going to have a living religion centered on our relationships with living deities. If the gods communicate that they would like to receive an offering unattested in the lore or show themselves to us in a novel form, I don’t think it’s proper to disregard that in order to preserve some sort of artificial “authenticity.”
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
One of the most fascinating – and vexing – things about the ancients is that they often entertained a variety of mutually contradictory accounts without attempting to reconcile or favor one above the others. So for instance the Greek view of death and the afterlife included everything from metempsychosis (reincarnation) to dissolution into nothingness to posthumous survival as an impotent shade of one’s former self in a gloomy underworld abode to a blessed existence of eternal joy and pleasure and communion with the divine for those who had undergone initiation into the mysteries to spiritual evolution into a higher category of being or even the notion that the dead remained with us, bringing luck and wealth or illness and trouble to their families, depending on how they were treated. Sometimes you find several of these expressed simultaneously by the same individual!
Which is generally my approach. For instance I tend to believe that most people end up as shades in the underworld, unable to act or recognize themselves unless fed with sacrificial blood. A few, however, retain a measure of vitality and so can interact with our world as ghosts or heroes. An even fewer number experience a better fate because of their close relationship with certain deities – Dionysos in particular. His ancient cults had a strong eschatological concern with the initiates gaining entrance into an eternal symposium with endless food and wine, dancing and love-making. This is what I look forward to when my time comes – to revel in the presence of my god and experience a mystical union with him closer and more intensely intimate than anything I’ve felt here on earth.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
No. Most people end up in Haides, which is sort of a shadowy realm comparable to the Catholic purgatory. It’s not a place of torment or punishment; it’s just kind of dreary and boring. But then again since that’s what most people’s lives are like here on earth I suspect they’ll hardly notice any difference when they arrive there.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Everything about it! It nourishes me spiritually, intellectually, aesthetically and in every other way that matters. It provides me with a firm conception of the world, how it works and my place in it. It brings me into direct contact with the divine powers who are the source of all good things in life so that my experience of existence can be enriched and it provides me with an eloquent vocabulary to express my profound gratitude to them. More, the rituals that I perform are beautiful, exciting and full of complex meaning. Every part of my life is suffused with religious sentiment and shaped by my devotional practices. I honestly can’t imagine finding this kind of fulfillment in any other religion – except, perhaps, some other type of polytheism. But since it’s Dionysos, Hermes, Spider, Aphrodite, the Ptolemies and a few others that I am closest to, any religion that is not built around their worship holds little to no appeal for me.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I have an extremely large calendar of festivals, important anniversaries, seasonal observances and set devotional days each month to honor my gods and spirits. Some of these are taken over directly from the ancients and kept in a manner that resembles what they did as closely as my modern circumstances permit. Others have an ancient festival as their starting point but were adapted to my local climate and environment or combined with other ritual and festival elements in such a way that it’s best to think of them as an altogether different and new festival. Others were invented by members of my extended religious community or by myself to celebrate a specific aspect of a deity or commemorate an event or experience that has deep personal significance. And the monthly devotional days are times that I set aside to focus on and commune with my various gods and spirits or to perform specific activities that help bring me into their particular sphere of activity. As such my calendar is highly idiosyncratic and in a state of constant evolution and thus few of the dates on it are observed by anyone else. If you’d like to learn more about how this calendar was developed and what my religious practice entails I recommend you follow my blog where I talk at length about such things.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Absolutely! Most of my friends, in fact, belong to other polytheistic traditions and I also count Buddhists, Christians, Jews and Agnostics among my acquaintances. The character traits that create a good person are not the prerogative of any one religion. I have learned a great deal and had my life enriched immensely through these relationships.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
Well, that depends. I won’t participate in an observance that I feel brings about ritual impurity or which requires the espousal of beliefs that are contrary to mine or which I find deeply offensive. I will not, as an example, deny the existence of my gods, seek atonement for sins I don’t believe in, permit others to pray for me or attempt to spiritually “heal” or “deliver” me – nor do I feel the need to participate in any kind of vague, watered down, ecumenical service. But on the other hand I’ve proudly stood by others as they offered sacrifice to their gods even though they weren’t my gods, I’ve marched in a Catholic procession through the streets at night, and been witness to many beautiful and touching displays of religious sentiment. I think that we can learn a lot about what makes good ritual by exposing ourselves to the practices of others, since it is fundamentally an art form whose essential components cut across cultural and ideological divides. And as a polytheist I affirm the reality of all divinities and believe they are worthy of our respect and worship, even if I tend to limit my cultic activity to only a handful of them. My gods are not jealous and have no problem with me honoring the rest of their compatriots.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I am totally opposed to the institution of Sharia Law because it is totally opposed to me in its condemnation of my gods, their worship and many of the things associated with them such as sex, alcohol, dance and music. In fact Islam represents everything that is antithetical to the Dionysian way of life. If a Moslem wishes to adhere to that system of law himself it is no concern of mine, but I’ll fight to the bloody end if he gets it in his head to try and coerce me into doing likewise.
Now the burka is a different matter entirely. As an advocate of absolute individual freedom – liberty, after all, comes from the Latin name of my god, Liber Pater – I believe that a Moslem woman has every right to dress in whatever way she finds most suitable. If she chooses to wear the burka as an expression of modesty, fidelity to her husband and respect for her god and her people’s traditions then she has my full blessing. I may find it ugly, repressive and extremely uncomfortable to wear but that’s why you’ll never find me wearing one! If she feels differently, why should I care? So, on those grounds I am totally opposed to the recent efforts in France and other European nations to ban the wearing of this garment, which I consider hypocritical, tyrannical and just plain idiotic since it plays into the Jihadis hands. However I’m well aware that in many parts of the world the wearing of the burka isn’t a choice the woman gets to make herself. Or rather she does get to choose – between covering herself from head to toe in heavy, hot fabric or face insults, ostracism, abuse, rape and sometimes even murder. I find that extremely reprehensible, surpassed only by the infantile excuses the men use to justify their barbaric and disgusting treatment of women. “They must dress this way to ensure men are not inflamed with lust.” Well, where’s your decency and self-control, you weak hypocrites!?! The truly temperate and pious man ought to be able to pass a naked woman in the street without a single carnal thought entering his mind and distracting him from loving communion with his god. “It’s against Allah’s wishes!” If Allah is the creator of all that is then certainly he is responsible for feminine beauty and sexual longing. Why should he have given women clitorises if he didn’t want them to be used? Why create things like flowers and rainbows and pretty faces if beauty wasn’t meant to be appreciated for its own sake? “But the wife belongs to her husband!” No human is a commodity to be bought and sold and owned outright. She is a human, not a precious vase or a camel! And so on and so forth.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
Women actually play a very important role in the worship of Dionysos – to the point where he is frequently described as the woman’s god. Not only did females feature prominently in his myths, serve him in a priestly capacity, were responsible for the promulgation of his cult – but the role of mainad was open only to females, the mad-women who were his nurses, lovers, hunting companions and ecstatic revelers who tore him to pieces and roused his spirit up from the earth with the flowers and fruit in due season. The mainades are essential to Dionysos and his worship.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
Yes and no. Dionysos’ worship involves an orgiastic blurring of lines. It is a mad throng reveling in the woods, comprised of all segments of the population – young and old, rich and poor, citizen and stranger, male and female. And yet, as I mentioned above, there are certain roles in his cult that can only be fulfilled by women just as there are other roles that belong to men alone. Likewise there is a distinction between the casual reveler and the initiate in his mysteries, one who has come for the feast and returns to their ordinary life afterwards and those who have given up everything to follow him and been torn apart and remade in the image of Dionysos. Although everyone may freely receive the blessings of the god, he gives different things to different people, depending on their need and their level of commitment.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
Religion is the primary focus of my life, to the point where scarcely any part of who I am, what I do or how I think about things remains untouched by it. I can’t take a stroll through a park without feeling the presence of the nymphai and other nature-spirits. I can’t watch a movie or listen to music without my mind being flooded by religious imagery and thoughts. When I hear about contemporary events I flash back to what I’ve read of history and how the ancients dealt with similar matters. I strive to have my every act reflect the greater glory of my gods and conduct myself with piety, righteousness, gentleness and consciousness of the delicate balance that preserves all life on this planet. On the other hand I believe that intelligence is a divinely given faculty and that we honor the gods most when we use our brains to the best of our ability. So while I consider the traditional teachings of Classical antiquity to be a sound guide through the confusing and dangerous labyrinth of life, I have no problem parting ways with them when I feel that our ancestors were in error or a situation requires a more nuanced approach. As an example, slavery was widely practiced in the ancient world, and though some intellectuals (especially among the Stoics) abhorred it they never got around to abolishing the institution entirely and probably couldn’t have with their level of technological advancement. (We moderns only succeeded in doing so after the industrial revolution was well underway.) I have no problem condemning slavery and saying that we’re much better off now without it. Ditto the misogyny and xenophobia that one all-too-frequently encounters in ancient writings.
So, if you want my take on these issues as a contemporary Dionysian, here they are: it is my adamant conviction that there ought to be plenty of abortion and gay marriage for those who want it and none for those who don’t.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
Well, that’s kind of an academic question for me. Between realizing that I’d make an atrocious parent and that the primary cause of nearly every major problem we’re facing today is overpopulation, I made sure to get a vasectomy a while back. But as long as this hypothetical child of mine – let’s call him Ptolemy Eleutherios Nietzsche Innamorato Sannion for argument’s sake: and yes, this is one of the many reasons why I will not be reproducing – was in a happy, loving and supportive relationship he’d have my blessing to marry whatever boy from whatever religious background he pleased to – excluding, of course, Scientologists ‘cause those folks are nuttier than baklava, and not in a fun way!
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
The ancients were not psychotic bullies who believed that you had to bribe or threaten people into loving the gods. The gods simply were and those who acknowledged them reaped the benefits of communion with the divine while those who didn’t deprived themselves of such blessings.
While the soul is judged after death in both Greek and Egyptian thought, with our good and evil deeds weighed in a balance, “belief” doesn’t really enter into the equation. There is punishment for our wickedness, but it is commensurate with our actions – not an excruciating torment from which there is no hope of escape. Once we have atoned for our wrongdoing we either go on to our posthumous abode – Haides for most, the Isles of the Blest for a few or Tartaros for an even smaller number – or else, according to the Orphics and Pythagoreans at least, we are born again on earth in order to improve our future lot. But you have to be exceptionally evil to end up in Tartaros – Sisyphos, Tantalos, or Lykourgos level evil. Or in terms most will understand: Hitler, Dahmer or Phelps.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
I consider non-practicing Dionysians to be those who don’t, well, practice the religion. Since there’s no set worship routine that’s a fairly subjective thing and I prefer not to concern myself overly much with what others do or don’t do. After all their relationship with Dionysos is necessarily going to differ from mine. They may only feel the need to pray and make offerings to him every couple of months and never have an element of ekstasis and enthousiasmos as part of their worship. Others still may feel that writing and talking about him is all the “worship” that’s necessary for them. I disagree, obviously, and feel that you get out of any relationship – divine or mortal – pretty much what you put into it, so I’m always trying to find ways to deepen my connection with him and honor him. But ultimately I think such matters are best left between the individual and their deity. If Dionysos wants more from a person he’s quite capable of asking for it!
To answer the second part of your question – yeah, there are plenty of folks in the Hellenic, Kemetic and Greco-Egyptian communities whose opinions and actions I disagree with and who I feel do not, under any circumstances, speak for me. Even so I do not contest their right to claim such an identity for themselves. There’s no litmus test to belong to these religions, no office of the holy inquisition going around policing people’s thought and making sure that they conduct their rites in the proper manner – and we can thank the blessed gods for that! While it’s annoying to see some megalomaniacal buffoon spouting off about “this is what True Hellenes do and believe” I don’t worry that outsiders are going to lump me in with them because it’s usually abundantly clear that we’ve got nothing in common. Most of them are ignorant of the primary sources our tradition is based on, just aping the arguments they’ve heard others make and too busy participating in endless online flame-wars to abother actually worshiping the gods and celebrating their festivals. Quality shines through in the end, so I consider such people of no account and instead concern myself with my own practice. When I stand before Dionysos after my Journey West he’s not going to ask me, “Why didn’t you wag your finger at more people Sannion? You didn’t argue nearly enough.” He’s going to say, “You were fearless and creative, you danced and drank, sang my praises and lived every moment that was given you to the fullest – well done my son!” At least he’s going to say that if I’ve done my job well.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
Nope. The worst I’ve had to endure is listening to some idiotic fan-boy of Christ go on about how I’m deluded, my gods are really devils and I’m destined for hell when I die. Thankfully we were given a pair of middle fingers especially for situations like that.
In all seriousness though I’ve never been subjected to any kind of discrimination based on my religious affiliation, though I know that there are plenty of Pagans and other polytheists out there who have. People that have lost their jobs and homes, had their beliefs brought up in divorce and child custody cases, suffered vandalism, threats and physical violence. Things have certainly improved a great deal since the days of Cyril, Theodosios, Justinian and their ilk – but we’ve got a long way to go yet before we live in a truly just, tolerant and pluralistic society. I sometimes forget how bad my co-religionists have it because I live in an ultra-liberal hippy mecca where you can parade through the streets in full ceremonial attire and ivy-crowns and no one’ll even bat an eyelash. Frequently you’re not even the weirdest person out on the street! Of course that begs the question why anyone with an “alternative lifestyle” would choose to live in the Bible belt or anywhere else you’ve got to keep up appearances and hide what you are and do – but hey, no one has ever accused us humans of being a rational species.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
This question confused me because I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would remain a part of a religion that they felt under or devalued them. And then I realized that you probably had to ask this because it’s the experience of a lot of people and that deeply saddened me. So, my message to the readers of your blog would be this: Listen up, folks! No religion holds a monopoly on truth or the sole means of connecting with the divine. Either find one better suited to your needs or hell, go off and create your own! The only thing you’ve got to lose is your shackles.
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Definitely not! My religion provides me with many things but peace of mind certainly isn’t one of them. It’s probably the biggest cause of stress and anxiety in my life – and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
You see, one of the core values of Classical Polytheism is αρετή, a Greek word meaning virtue, excellence, exceptionalness. Areté represents the ideal, the peak of perfection, our highest aspirations which as humans we are ultimately unable to attain. But that’s beside the point – we must strive with all we have, offer and become our best – and in so doing come as close to divinity as we are ever going to. For the ancients this was not just a deeply cherished social value but rather a fundamentally religious concept. Hence most festivals contained an agon or competition in the fields of athletics, music, dance, poetry or beauty. It was felt that the gods desired and deserved to see humanity at its best and that the struggle to attain that purified not only the individuals but the whole community. Further because of their perfection it was necessary to give to the gods the very best that we have: the most beautiful temples and statues, the choicest sacrificial animals, the costliest perfumes and incenses, the first-fruits of our labor and the sweat of our brow and mastery of our craft gained from long hours of discipline and practice. Anything less than our best is an affront to their greatness.
Therefore no matter how good I get I am always trying to improve on that and challenge myself in new and different ways. I refuse to sit on my laurels and congratulate myself on past accomplishments. Whether in my writing, my studies, my oracular and other spiritual work, the rituals I perform and any other part of my life that comes under their purvey I am constantly looking for ways to improve, things I neglected or got wrong, new directions I could take it in or techniques to try out. I do not compare myself to my contemporaries but rather to the giants and geniuses who came before. And I won’t be satisfied even once I’ve surpassed them, because there is always room for improvement. Always. So no, my religion does not offer peace of mind – but it holds out something infinitely preferable: greatness.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
Plenty of the ancients held to the doctrine of metempsychosis, especially the Orphics, Pythagoreans and later philosophical schools. It even seems to have been an element in the eschatological beliefs of certain Dionysian groups – though these tended to overlap a good deal with the Orphics and Pythagoreans, especially in Southern Italy where the idea was most prevalent. However, I remain agnostic on the matter. It strikes me as about as probable as any other theory of what happens to us after death and equally as unlikely. Ultimately though I don’t think it matters much what we think about it – either it happens or it doesn’t, and our beliefs aren’t likely to change things one bit. However our beliefs do affect the quality of life we have here and now, and that’s what truly matters. You’ve got to live this life as best you can and deal with the consequences of your choices and actions. Too many people who believe in reincarnation use it as an excuse for their poor circumstances and a way to abdicate personal responsibility. Or else they are obsessed with discovering the details of their former lives and create elaborate fantasies for themselves to make it easier to deal with the fact that they’re just some poor schmuck working a dead-end job. Even if all of that stuff is true it’s incidental to what’s happening now. This is the life you’re leading and you’ve got to make the most of what you’ve been given. If you don’t you’re the only one who will suffer the consequences – even if you come back again that’ll be a different “you” than the one that’s here now, no?
Thank you to Helio Pires for his interesting and enjoyable interview of last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Helio!
This week we have a new interview so please welcome H. Jeremiah Lewis/ Sannion. Jeremiah is a Classical Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy his interview as well!
Here Is H. Jeremiah Lewis/Sannion's Introduction:
H. Jeremiah Lewis, who goes by the religious name Sannion, is a Classical Polytheist and Dionysian who lives in the Pacific Northwest. He serves his gods as an oracular priest and is a prolific author, having just released his fifth book – Ecstatic: For Dionysos – through Nysa Press. You can learn more about him by visiting his blog and website at thehouseofvines.com.
1) What religion do you practice?
Religious identity as we tend to think of it is a fairly recent development. Before the Jews and Christians came on the scene there wasn’t really a sense of “religion” as something you belonged to, something composed of a set of beliefs and practices that marked off one group of people as distinct from another, which is why you won’t find a cognate for that term in Egyptian, Akkadian, Greek, Etruscan or any of the other languages of antiquity. Religion was merely a part of everyday life, comprising the customs and traditional notions handed down from the ancestors involving a community’s relations with its local gods and spirits. Each community – to say nothing of separate ethnic groups or nations – had its own unique way of being religious, but there were also broad commonalities such as polytheism, purification rites, sacrifice, divination and oracles, temples and priesthoods that seemed to be shared by the whole of humanity. Recognition of these commonalities allowed civilizations to peacefully coexist without religiously motivated warfare, persecution, heresy trials and the like, with many cultures borrowing ideas, imagery, ritual procedures and even their neighbors’ gods with great frequency. As such I tend to think of myself as a Classical Polytheist who incorporates elements from the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans into his contemporary worship of the gods – though I am predominantly devoted to Dionysos, the god of wine, madness, liberation, fertility, the dramatic arts and many other things as well. Thus I shall endeavor to answer your questions from the perspective of a Dionysian, with the understanding that another Classical Polytheist who primarily honored a different deity (and even some other Dionysians) would likely have their own take on things. Also keep in mind that while I tend to emphasize the continuity among these ancient civilizations the majority of polytheist reconstructionists today view Kemeticism, Hellenismos and the Religio Romana as distinct and autonomous faiths.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
Like most polytheists today I began my spiritual life in a totally different religion before eventually finding my way to Dionysos and the other gods. My family moved around a lot in my youth so I was exposed to pretty much every form of Christianity imaginable, as we attended whatever church was close by (often the only church in the small, rural towns we tended to settle in.) Eventually I came to have serious misgivings about some of the core tenets of Christianity which led me to look elsewhere for divine truth. On top of that in late adolescence I had a series of encounters with a strange, earthy, sensual, masculine figure – dreams, visions and related phenomena – the memory of which haunted me through my early teen years. I chased his shadow through a variety of different religions and philosophical systems before coming to realize his true identity as Dionysos. Wishing to learn everything that I could about his nature, history and preferred forms of worship I began an extensive phase of research on all aspects of ancient Greek culture and religion. Eventually I discovered that I wasn’t alone in my love of antiquity and desire to see this religion revived when I encountered a thriving community of Hellenic Reconstructionists online. I spent the next few years active in this community, participating on the lists and forums, writing voluminously, organizing events and founding and leading a number of different groups. Then around 2004 I had a series of powerful encounters with the Kemetic deities which led to an interest in the fusion of cultures that took place in Hellenistic Egypt under the Ptolemies. Eventually I discovered some kindred souls and we formed a syncretic Greco-Egyptian religious group called Neos Alexandria. My time there was extremely pleasant and we had many ambitious plans, including the founding of a publishing line to bring about devotional books honoring the gods of Greece, Egypt and neighboring lands – which is still going strong several years on! However running such a large and active group took a lot out of me and my religious practice suffered as a consequence. So around 2009 I parted ways with Neos Alexandria to focus on my own solitary worship and writing and to put my energy into local activities to honor the gods, independent of the internet which I think has some serious problems and actually impedes the growth of minority religious groups. And that’s pretty much where I am at today.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox, conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
Although those types of division are plentiful in the world of contemporary polytheism – especially when it comes to the methodology of reconstructionism which has been the source of a great deal of contention – you don’t find much of that among worshipers of Dionysos. We tend to be pretty laid-back and libertarian, preferring to do our own thing when it comes to honoring the Wild One and letting others do likewise. In fact Dionysian worship seems especially suited to blurring the lines and bringing everyone together in a spirit of mirth and revelry. I’ve participated in (and led) rituals attended by more than a hundred and fifty people – people from every conceivable religious orientation and degree of strictness – and they were able to put aside their theological, philosophical and methodological differences in order to drink and dance and rave in ecstatic celebration of the great giver of life’s bounty. And frankly that’s the way it should be if you ask me – everything else is incidental.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
I’m just a devotee of Dionysos – I don’t really care about identity politics and labels. I have a great respect for the reconstructionist approach, as solid a grounding in the literature and ideas of the ancients as one could want, and I doubt even the staunchest traditionalist would find anything to complain about in how I conduct my rituals. But I don’t really identify myself as a recon because I feel that we should remain open to inspiration and innovation if we are going to have a living religion centered on our relationships with living deities. If the gods communicate that they would like to receive an offering unattested in the lore or show themselves to us in a novel form, I don’t think it’s proper to disregard that in order to preserve some sort of artificial “authenticity.”
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
One of the most fascinating – and vexing – things about the ancients is that they often entertained a variety of mutually contradictory accounts without attempting to reconcile or favor one above the others. So for instance the Greek view of death and the afterlife included everything from metempsychosis (reincarnation) to dissolution into nothingness to posthumous survival as an impotent shade of one’s former self in a gloomy underworld abode to a blessed existence of eternal joy and pleasure and communion with the divine for those who had undergone initiation into the mysteries to spiritual evolution into a higher category of being or even the notion that the dead remained with us, bringing luck and wealth or illness and trouble to their families, depending on how they were treated. Sometimes you find several of these expressed simultaneously by the same individual!
Which is generally my approach. For instance I tend to believe that most people end up as shades in the underworld, unable to act or recognize themselves unless fed with sacrificial blood. A few, however, retain a measure of vitality and so can interact with our world as ghosts or heroes. An even fewer number experience a better fate because of their close relationship with certain deities – Dionysos in particular. His ancient cults had a strong eschatological concern with the initiates gaining entrance into an eternal symposium with endless food and wine, dancing and love-making. This is what I look forward to when my time comes – to revel in the presence of my god and experience a mystical union with him closer and more intensely intimate than anything I’ve felt here on earth.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
No. Most people end up in Haides, which is sort of a shadowy realm comparable to the Catholic purgatory. It’s not a place of torment or punishment; it’s just kind of dreary and boring. But then again since that’s what most people’s lives are like here on earth I suspect they’ll hardly notice any difference when they arrive there.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Everything about it! It nourishes me spiritually, intellectually, aesthetically and in every other way that matters. It provides me with a firm conception of the world, how it works and my place in it. It brings me into direct contact with the divine powers who are the source of all good things in life so that my experience of existence can be enriched and it provides me with an eloquent vocabulary to express my profound gratitude to them. More, the rituals that I perform are beautiful, exciting and full of complex meaning. Every part of my life is suffused with religious sentiment and shaped by my devotional practices. I honestly can’t imagine finding this kind of fulfillment in any other religion – except, perhaps, some other type of polytheism. But since it’s Dionysos, Hermes, Spider, Aphrodite, the Ptolemies and a few others that I am closest to, any religion that is not built around their worship holds little to no appeal for me.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I have an extremely large calendar of festivals, important anniversaries, seasonal observances and set devotional days each month to honor my gods and spirits. Some of these are taken over directly from the ancients and kept in a manner that resembles what they did as closely as my modern circumstances permit. Others have an ancient festival as their starting point but were adapted to my local climate and environment or combined with other ritual and festival elements in such a way that it’s best to think of them as an altogether different and new festival. Others were invented by members of my extended religious community or by myself to celebrate a specific aspect of a deity or commemorate an event or experience that has deep personal significance. And the monthly devotional days are times that I set aside to focus on and commune with my various gods and spirits or to perform specific activities that help bring me into their particular sphere of activity. As such my calendar is highly idiosyncratic and in a state of constant evolution and thus few of the dates on it are observed by anyone else. If you’d like to learn more about how this calendar was developed and what my religious practice entails I recommend you follow my blog where I talk at length about such things.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Absolutely! Most of my friends, in fact, belong to other polytheistic traditions and I also count Buddhists, Christians, Jews and Agnostics among my acquaintances. The character traits that create a good person are not the prerogative of any one religion. I have learned a great deal and had my life enriched immensely through these relationships.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
Well, that depends. I won’t participate in an observance that I feel brings about ritual impurity or which requires the espousal of beliefs that are contrary to mine or which I find deeply offensive. I will not, as an example, deny the existence of my gods, seek atonement for sins I don’t believe in, permit others to pray for me or attempt to spiritually “heal” or “deliver” me – nor do I feel the need to participate in any kind of vague, watered down, ecumenical service. But on the other hand I’ve proudly stood by others as they offered sacrifice to their gods even though they weren’t my gods, I’ve marched in a Catholic procession through the streets at night, and been witness to many beautiful and touching displays of religious sentiment. I think that we can learn a lot about what makes good ritual by exposing ourselves to the practices of others, since it is fundamentally an art form whose essential components cut across cultural and ideological divides. And as a polytheist I affirm the reality of all divinities and believe they are worthy of our respect and worship, even if I tend to limit my cultic activity to only a handful of them. My gods are not jealous and have no problem with me honoring the rest of their compatriots.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I am totally opposed to the institution of Sharia Law because it is totally opposed to me in its condemnation of my gods, their worship and many of the things associated with them such as sex, alcohol, dance and music. In fact Islam represents everything that is antithetical to the Dionysian way of life. If a Moslem wishes to adhere to that system of law himself it is no concern of mine, but I’ll fight to the bloody end if he gets it in his head to try and coerce me into doing likewise.
Now the burka is a different matter entirely. As an advocate of absolute individual freedom – liberty, after all, comes from the Latin name of my god, Liber Pater – I believe that a Moslem woman has every right to dress in whatever way she finds most suitable. If she chooses to wear the burka as an expression of modesty, fidelity to her husband and respect for her god and her people’s traditions then she has my full blessing. I may find it ugly, repressive and extremely uncomfortable to wear but that’s why you’ll never find me wearing one! If she feels differently, why should I care? So, on those grounds I am totally opposed to the recent efforts in France and other European nations to ban the wearing of this garment, which I consider hypocritical, tyrannical and just plain idiotic since it plays into the Jihadis hands. However I’m well aware that in many parts of the world the wearing of the burka isn’t a choice the woman gets to make herself. Or rather she does get to choose – between covering herself from head to toe in heavy, hot fabric or face insults, ostracism, abuse, rape and sometimes even murder. I find that extremely reprehensible, surpassed only by the infantile excuses the men use to justify their barbaric and disgusting treatment of women. “They must dress this way to ensure men are not inflamed with lust.” Well, where’s your decency and self-control, you weak hypocrites!?! The truly temperate and pious man ought to be able to pass a naked woman in the street without a single carnal thought entering his mind and distracting him from loving communion with his god. “It’s against Allah’s wishes!” If Allah is the creator of all that is then certainly he is responsible for feminine beauty and sexual longing. Why should he have given women clitorises if he didn’t want them to be used? Why create things like flowers and rainbows and pretty faces if beauty wasn’t meant to be appreciated for its own sake? “But the wife belongs to her husband!” No human is a commodity to be bought and sold and owned outright. She is a human, not a precious vase or a camel! And so on and so forth.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
Women actually play a very important role in the worship of Dionysos – to the point where he is frequently described as the woman’s god. Not only did females feature prominently in his myths, serve him in a priestly capacity, were responsible for the promulgation of his cult – but the role of mainad was open only to females, the mad-women who were his nurses, lovers, hunting companions and ecstatic revelers who tore him to pieces and roused his spirit up from the earth with the flowers and fruit in due season. The mainades are essential to Dionysos and his worship.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
Yes and no. Dionysos’ worship involves an orgiastic blurring of lines. It is a mad throng reveling in the woods, comprised of all segments of the population – young and old, rich and poor, citizen and stranger, male and female. And yet, as I mentioned above, there are certain roles in his cult that can only be fulfilled by women just as there are other roles that belong to men alone. Likewise there is a distinction between the casual reveler and the initiate in his mysteries, one who has come for the feast and returns to their ordinary life afterwards and those who have given up everything to follow him and been torn apart and remade in the image of Dionysos. Although everyone may freely receive the blessings of the god, he gives different things to different people, depending on their need and their level of commitment.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
Religion is the primary focus of my life, to the point where scarcely any part of who I am, what I do or how I think about things remains untouched by it. I can’t take a stroll through a park without feeling the presence of the nymphai and other nature-spirits. I can’t watch a movie or listen to music without my mind being flooded by religious imagery and thoughts. When I hear about contemporary events I flash back to what I’ve read of history and how the ancients dealt with similar matters. I strive to have my every act reflect the greater glory of my gods and conduct myself with piety, righteousness, gentleness and consciousness of the delicate balance that preserves all life on this planet. On the other hand I believe that intelligence is a divinely given faculty and that we honor the gods most when we use our brains to the best of our ability. So while I consider the traditional teachings of Classical antiquity to be a sound guide through the confusing and dangerous labyrinth of life, I have no problem parting ways with them when I feel that our ancestors were in error or a situation requires a more nuanced approach. As an example, slavery was widely practiced in the ancient world, and though some intellectuals (especially among the Stoics) abhorred it they never got around to abolishing the institution entirely and probably couldn’t have with their level of technological advancement. (We moderns only succeeded in doing so after the industrial revolution was well underway.) I have no problem condemning slavery and saying that we’re much better off now without it. Ditto the misogyny and xenophobia that one all-too-frequently encounters in ancient writings.
So, if you want my take on these issues as a contemporary Dionysian, here they are: it is my adamant conviction that there ought to be plenty of abortion and gay marriage for those who want it and none for those who don’t.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
Well, that’s kind of an academic question for me. Between realizing that I’d make an atrocious parent and that the primary cause of nearly every major problem we’re facing today is overpopulation, I made sure to get a vasectomy a while back. But as long as this hypothetical child of mine – let’s call him Ptolemy Eleutherios Nietzsche Innamorato Sannion for argument’s sake: and yes, this is one of the many reasons why I will not be reproducing – was in a happy, loving and supportive relationship he’d have my blessing to marry whatever boy from whatever religious background he pleased to – excluding, of course, Scientologists ‘cause those folks are nuttier than baklava, and not in a fun way!
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
The ancients were not psychotic bullies who believed that you had to bribe or threaten people into loving the gods. The gods simply were and those who acknowledged them reaped the benefits of communion with the divine while those who didn’t deprived themselves of such blessings.
While the soul is judged after death in both Greek and Egyptian thought, with our good and evil deeds weighed in a balance, “belief” doesn’t really enter into the equation. There is punishment for our wickedness, but it is commensurate with our actions – not an excruciating torment from which there is no hope of escape. Once we have atoned for our wrongdoing we either go on to our posthumous abode – Haides for most, the Isles of the Blest for a few or Tartaros for an even smaller number – or else, according to the Orphics and Pythagoreans at least, we are born again on earth in order to improve our future lot. But you have to be exceptionally evil to end up in Tartaros – Sisyphos, Tantalos, or Lykourgos level evil. Or in terms most will understand: Hitler, Dahmer or Phelps.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
I consider non-practicing Dionysians to be those who don’t, well, practice the religion. Since there’s no set worship routine that’s a fairly subjective thing and I prefer not to concern myself overly much with what others do or don’t do. After all their relationship with Dionysos is necessarily going to differ from mine. They may only feel the need to pray and make offerings to him every couple of months and never have an element of ekstasis and enthousiasmos as part of their worship. Others still may feel that writing and talking about him is all the “worship” that’s necessary for them. I disagree, obviously, and feel that you get out of any relationship – divine or mortal – pretty much what you put into it, so I’m always trying to find ways to deepen my connection with him and honor him. But ultimately I think such matters are best left between the individual and their deity. If Dionysos wants more from a person he’s quite capable of asking for it!
To answer the second part of your question – yeah, there are plenty of folks in the Hellenic, Kemetic and Greco-Egyptian communities whose opinions and actions I disagree with and who I feel do not, under any circumstances, speak for me. Even so I do not contest their right to claim such an identity for themselves. There’s no litmus test to belong to these religions, no office of the holy inquisition going around policing people’s thought and making sure that they conduct their rites in the proper manner – and we can thank the blessed gods for that! While it’s annoying to see some megalomaniacal buffoon spouting off about “this is what True Hellenes do and believe” I don’t worry that outsiders are going to lump me in with them because it’s usually abundantly clear that we’ve got nothing in common. Most of them are ignorant of the primary sources our tradition is based on, just aping the arguments they’ve heard others make and too busy participating in endless online flame-wars to abother actually worshiping the gods and celebrating their festivals. Quality shines through in the end, so I consider such people of no account and instead concern myself with my own practice. When I stand before Dionysos after my Journey West he’s not going to ask me, “Why didn’t you wag your finger at more people Sannion? You didn’t argue nearly enough.” He’s going to say, “You were fearless and creative, you danced and drank, sang my praises and lived every moment that was given you to the fullest – well done my son!” At least he’s going to say that if I’ve done my job well.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
Nope. The worst I’ve had to endure is listening to some idiotic fan-boy of Christ go on about how I’m deluded, my gods are really devils and I’m destined for hell when I die. Thankfully we were given a pair of middle fingers especially for situations like that.
In all seriousness though I’ve never been subjected to any kind of discrimination based on my religious affiliation, though I know that there are plenty of Pagans and other polytheists out there who have. People that have lost their jobs and homes, had their beliefs brought up in divorce and child custody cases, suffered vandalism, threats and physical violence. Things have certainly improved a great deal since the days of Cyril, Theodosios, Justinian and their ilk – but we’ve got a long way to go yet before we live in a truly just, tolerant and pluralistic society. I sometimes forget how bad my co-religionists have it because I live in an ultra-liberal hippy mecca where you can parade through the streets in full ceremonial attire and ivy-crowns and no one’ll even bat an eyelash. Frequently you’re not even the weirdest person out on the street! Of course that begs the question why anyone with an “alternative lifestyle” would choose to live in the Bible belt or anywhere else you’ve got to keep up appearances and hide what you are and do – but hey, no one has ever accused us humans of being a rational species.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
This question confused me because I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would remain a part of a religion that they felt under or devalued them. And then I realized that you probably had to ask this because it’s the experience of a lot of people and that deeply saddened me. So, my message to the readers of your blog would be this: Listen up, folks! No religion holds a monopoly on truth or the sole means of connecting with the divine. Either find one better suited to your needs or hell, go off and create your own! The only thing you’ve got to lose is your shackles.
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Definitely not! My religion provides me with many things but peace of mind certainly isn’t one of them. It’s probably the biggest cause of stress and anxiety in my life – and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
You see, one of the core values of Classical Polytheism is αρετή, a Greek word meaning virtue, excellence, exceptionalness. Areté represents the ideal, the peak of perfection, our highest aspirations which as humans we are ultimately unable to attain. But that’s beside the point – we must strive with all we have, offer and become our best – and in so doing come as close to divinity as we are ever going to. For the ancients this was not just a deeply cherished social value but rather a fundamentally religious concept. Hence most festivals contained an agon or competition in the fields of athletics, music, dance, poetry or beauty. It was felt that the gods desired and deserved to see humanity at its best and that the struggle to attain that purified not only the individuals but the whole community. Further because of their perfection it was necessary to give to the gods the very best that we have: the most beautiful temples and statues, the choicest sacrificial animals, the costliest perfumes and incenses, the first-fruits of our labor and the sweat of our brow and mastery of our craft gained from long hours of discipline and practice. Anything less than our best is an affront to their greatness.
Therefore no matter how good I get I am always trying to improve on that and challenge myself in new and different ways. I refuse to sit on my laurels and congratulate myself on past accomplishments. Whether in my writing, my studies, my oracular and other spiritual work, the rituals I perform and any other part of my life that comes under their purvey I am constantly looking for ways to improve, things I neglected or got wrong, new directions I could take it in or techniques to try out. I do not compare myself to my contemporaries but rather to the giants and geniuses who came before. And I won’t be satisfied even once I’ve surpassed them, because there is always room for improvement. Always. So no, my religion does not offer peace of mind – but it holds out something infinitely preferable: greatness.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
Plenty of the ancients held to the doctrine of metempsychosis, especially the Orphics, Pythagoreans and later philosophical schools. It even seems to have been an element in the eschatological beliefs of certain Dionysian groups – though these tended to overlap a good deal with the Orphics and Pythagoreans, especially in Southern Italy where the idea was most prevalent. However, I remain agnostic on the matter. It strikes me as about as probable as any other theory of what happens to us after death and equally as unlikely. Ultimately though I don’t think it matters much what we think about it – either it happens or it doesn’t, and our beliefs aren’t likely to change things one bit. However our beliefs do affect the quality of life we have here and now, and that’s what truly matters. You’ve got to live this life as best you can and deal with the consequences of your choices and actions. Too many people who believe in reincarnation use it as an excuse for their poor circumstances and a way to abdicate personal responsibility. Or else they are obsessed with discovering the details of their former lives and create elaborate fantasies for themselves to make it easier to deal with the fact that they’re just some poor schmuck working a dead-end job. Even if all of that stuff is true it’s incidental to what’s happening now. This is the life you’re leading and you’ve got to make the most of what you’ve been given. If you don’t you’re the only one who will suffer the consequences – even if you come back again that’ll be a different “you” than the one that’s here now, no?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Helio Pires
Hello and Happy Saturday!
In a quick label-rich introduction of myself, I'm an academic in
training in Medieval History and a Roman polytheist, born and raised
in Portugal and currently living in Lisbon. I'm also an
environmentalist, a gay rights activist, the occasional guide for lost
tourists and curious friends, an amateur potter every now and then, a
big fan of humour on just about anything (including religion), a dog
person, and a literal tree-hugger and kisser (it's ways of saluting
the local wights).
1) What religion do you practice?
Roman polytheism, AKA Religio Romana.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion?
If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you
practice prior to converting?
A convert, but with no ceremony to mark that step. I simply started
worshipping ancient Roman deities and it grew from there. Before I
was already a polytheist, but a Norse one.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,
conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences
between the degrees of observance?
There's something of the sort in terms of degrees of reconstructionism
in modern-day Roman polytheism: a stricter one that calls for the
(re)creation of ancient Roman political and social structures, a
conservative trend that takes orthopraxy to the extreme of wishing a
return to the exact ritual practices of the past, and a more liberal
group that does a lot of concessions to the modern world, seeking to
adapt ancient Roman religious ways to today's context. And, of course,
there are a lot of grey areas in-between these three categories.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie.
Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this
degree of observance?
I'm a liberal in that I have no desire to reconstruct political and
social structures of 2000 years ago nor do I think that ritual
practices should be immune to the modern world. To put it simply, I think
that ritualistic traditions must conform to the social morality.
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what
happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment?
(such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
There's no dogma on that and I personally believe there are several
options when it comes to the afterlife: the underworld, becoming a
local wight, joining different gods, reincarnation, etc. There may be
places of punishment and there may be rewards, but it may normally be a
neutral thing.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If
they do not, why?
If by paradise you mean joining one's ancestors and/or chosen gods in
a sort of blissful existence, then I believe people generally do.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Its diversity of gods and paths, its cultural connection (since I'm
native to a Latin culture), its openness towards other gods and
religions, the freedom it grants with regards to one's choices, and
its respects towards personal identity traits.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
That's a long list.... On a monthly basis, I celebrate the 1st, 5th or
7th, and 13th or 15th day (Calends, Nones, and Ides), plus an offering
to Freyr and other Vanir every month. But then there are also yearly
festivals like New Year's, Parentalia in February, Quinquatria in
March, Mercuralia in May, a sacrifice to Juno on June 1st, Neptunalia
in June, and Saturnalia in December. I don't celebrate every ancient
Roman holiday, but only those that were dedicated to gods Whom are
part of my personal pantheon and also add dates that are meaningful to
me (like the anniversary of the fulfilment of a vow to a god).
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Religion is not a criterion for friendship. At least not to me.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of
their holy days? Please explain why?
Yes, because I'm not an exclusivist and I recognize sacredness and
divinity in others' rituals and gods.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
To be honest, I find the burka disgusting because it is removes women
from role in public life by denying them a basic element: a publicly
know face! As for Shariah, I'm a big fan of a secular State, so I
don't think religious law should rule civil life.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister,
rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
Traditionally, yes, but to what extent is a matter that will get
different answers depending on whom you're asking. Personally, I see
no problem with women taking on a priestly role in almost every cult.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
I'm mostly solitary, so I don't usually have a collective place of
worship. But, traditionally, some cults had exclusively male rituals
(like Hercules', if my mind serves me right) and some exclusively
female (like Bona Dea's).
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much
thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any
way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
It's present in my daily life, it affects it by means of ritual,
sacred etiquette (if you will) towards urban and natural elements
(trees, rocks, crossroads, etc.), by means of the Gods' inspiration,
or by asking Them directly for advise (usually through some form of
divination). Then again, I also like to keep a critical eye, so Their
input is taken with a grain of salt.
As for topics like gay marriage or abortion, it s my conviction that
moral is essentially social, so I tend to discuss those topics beyond
the religious context, even if I may get some input from it.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside
your religion?
My only concern would be the degree of freedom the child would have.
Is the other person’s religion respectful towards his/her choices?
His/her sexual orientation and that of family members? These are the
questions that matter to me and not the simple fact that it’s another
religion.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
Hell as in a place of punishment... no! And I'll say it again: no!
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and
why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do
you agree with them or not?
I'm aware that different people have different degrees of ritual
practice, but that's usually a personal matter that I don't get
involved in. As for people who speak for Roman polytheism, even if not
a sacred leader of any sort, there's Piscinus, who blogs at «Religio
et Pietas»
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
No.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Definitely not!
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes! Some gods are particularly good at that.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I like to keep the option on the table. For one, because I believe
there are various possibilities with regards to the afterlife
(underworld, godly realm, turning into a local wight, etc.) and,
secondly, because I do not claim to know the absolute truth of things,
so I don't rule out reincarnation.
First up I wish to thank Manuel Araujo for his really interesting interview last week. It was wonderful to learn more of your faith. Thanks for sharing Manuel!
Today we have a new interview so please welcome Helio Pires. Helio is a Roman Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy his interview as well!
Here Is Helio Pires's Introduction:
In a quick label-rich introduction of myself, I'm an academic in
training in Medieval History and a Roman polytheist, born and raised
in Portugal and currently living in Lisbon. I'm also an
environmentalist, a gay rights activist, the occasional guide for lost
tourists and curious friends, an amateur potter every now and then, a
big fan of humour on just about anything (including religion), a dog
person, and a literal tree-hugger and kisser (it's ways of saluting
the local wights).
1) What religion do you practice?
Roman polytheism, AKA Religio Romana.
2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion?
If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you
practice prior to converting?
A convert, but with no ceremony to mark that step. I simply started
worshipping ancient Roman deities and it grew from there. Before I
was already a polytheist, but a Norse one.
3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,
conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences
between the degrees of observance?
There's something of the sort in terms of degrees of reconstructionism
in modern-day Roman polytheism: a stricter one that calls for the
(re)creation of ancient Roman political and social structures, a
conservative trend that takes orthopraxy to the extreme of wishing a
return to the exact ritual practices of the past, and a more liberal
group that does a lot of concessions to the modern world, seeking to
adapt ancient Roman religious ways to today's context. And, of course,
there are a lot of grey areas in-between these three categories.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie.
Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this
degree of observance?
I'm a liberal in that I have no desire to reconstruct political and
social structures of 2000 years ago nor do I think that ritual
practices should be immune to the modern world. To put it simply, I think
that ritualistic traditions must conform to the social morality.
5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what
happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment?
(such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
There's no dogma on that and I personally believe there are several
options when it comes to the afterlife: the underworld, becoming a
local wight, joining different gods, reincarnation, etc. There may be
places of punishment and there may be rewards, but it may normally be a
neutral thing.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If
they do not, why?
If by paradise you mean joining one's ancestors and/or chosen gods in
a sort of blissful existence, then I believe people generally do.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Its diversity of gods and paths, its cultural connection (since I'm
native to a Latin culture), its openness towards other gods and
religions, the freedom it grants with regards to one's choices, and
its respects towards personal identity traits.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
That's a long list.... On a monthly basis, I celebrate the 1st, 5th or
7th, and 13th or 15th day (Calends, Nones, and Ides), plus an offering
to Freyr and other Vanir every month. But then there are also yearly
festivals like New Year's, Parentalia in February, Quinquatria in
March, Mercuralia in May, a sacrifice to Juno on June 1st, Neptunalia
in June, and Saturnalia in December. I don't celebrate every ancient
Roman holiday, but only those that were dedicated to gods Whom are
part of my personal pantheon and also add dates that are meaningful to
me (like the anniversary of the fulfilment of a vow to a god).
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Religion is not a criterion for friendship. At least not to me.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of
their holy days? Please explain why?
Yes, because I'm not an exclusivist and I recognize sacredness and
divinity in others' rituals and gods.
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
To be honest, I find the burka disgusting because it is removes women
from role in public life by denying them a basic element: a publicly
know face! As for Shariah, I'm a big fan of a secular State, so I
don't think religious law should rule civil life.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister,
rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
Traditionally, yes, but to what extent is a matter that will get
different answers depending on whom you're asking. Personally, I see
no problem with women taking on a priestly role in almost every cult.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
I'm mostly solitary, so I don't usually have a collective place of
worship. But, traditionally, some cults had exclusively male rituals
(like Hercules', if my mind serves me right) and some exclusively
female (like Bona Dea's).
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much
thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any
way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
It's present in my daily life, it affects it by means of ritual,
sacred etiquette (if you will) towards urban and natural elements
(trees, rocks, crossroads, etc.), by means of the Gods' inspiration,
or by asking Them directly for advise (usually through some form of
divination). Then again, I also like to keep a critical eye, so Their
input is taken with a grain of salt.
As for topics like gay marriage or abortion, it s my conviction that
moral is essentially social, so I tend to discuss those topics beyond
the religious context, even if I may get some input from it.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside
your religion?
My only concern would be the degree of freedom the child would have.
Is the other person’s religion respectful towards his/her choices?
His/her sexual orientation and that of family members? These are the
questions that matter to me and not the simple fact that it’s another
religion.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
Hell as in a place of punishment... no! And I'll say it again: no!
17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and
why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do
you agree with them or not?
I'm aware that different people have different degrees of ritual
practice, but that's usually a personal matter that I don't get
involved in. As for people who speak for Roman polytheism, even if not
a sacred leader of any sort, there's Piscinus, who blogs at «Religio
et Pietas»
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
No.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
Definitely not!
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes! Some gods are particularly good at that.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I like to keep the option on the table. For one, because I believe
there are various possibilities with regards to the afterlife
(underworld, godly realm, turning into a local wight, etc.) and,
secondly, because I do not claim to know the absolute truth of things,
so I don't rule out reincarnation.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Manuel Araujo
Hello and Happy Saturday!
I wish to thank Heather Cardin for her very interesting and informative interview last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Heather!
Today we have a new interview so please welcome Manuel Araujo. Manuel is a Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy his interview as well!
Here Is Manuel Araujo's Introduction:
Hello! My name is Manuel Araújo, I’m 20 and I’m from Portugal. I am studying to become a Law Technician (something the Portuguese government came up with) at university and I’m almost finishing my first year.
My major hobbies are gardening, writing, reading, drawing (nothing too fancy), going out with my best friends and playing with my cat.
I am quite distanced from my family, with absolutely no regrets, and I plan to live alone once I finish my degree and gather enough money to be able to sustain myself. Before someone wonders, my family has no knowledge of my Polytheistic/Pagan "tendencies". I would like to eventually return to my parents’ home, once they’ve departed, to establish a Nemeton (a sacred grove), which I have already started planting in the large field that’s behind the house.
I occasionally take some time, at least three times every month, now that I have exams every week, to write on my blog – http://www.clareiraoculta.blogspot.com/ - that has detailed my religious and personal progress, for the year and a half.
1) What religion do you practice?
I am a Gaulish Reconstructionist, a subgroup within Celtic Reconstructionism (CR for short) denomination. To put it plainly, I attempt, to the best of my abilities, to reconstruct the religion and culture of the Gaulish tribes. I do this according to archaeological evidence, written records, comparative religious studies (between the Indo-European cultures) and some Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis (UPS). I am also trying to learn how to speak (and write) Gaulish.
I worship a total of 30 Gods and Goddesses - some carefully selected according to my "tribal preferences" and others due to natural affinity - honour various Spirits as well as my blood and cultural Ancestors.
2)Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I am a convert. It’s a long story, so I’ll try to put it short. I grew up in a Catholic family and I kind of believed in the Christian God and all of that, though it never made much sense to me that one deity alone could create and manage everything. I wondered why people didn’t worship many Gods and Goddess like the Egyptians and the Hellenes...
Eventually, at the age of 9, I became an atheist and remained so until I was 13 (2004) which was when I discovered Wicca. Curiously enough, Wicca filled a void in my life that I did not even noticed before I found it. But I was cautious enough to learn as much as I could before actually getting serious about it. I converted, or better yet, celebrated an Initiation ceremony, in 2008, when I was 17.
I did not predict that I would ever leave Wicca, but the more I tried to uncover about the ancient religions, the more my view of the cosmos began to change – I was going down the road to hard polytheism. At first I didn’t take such changes seriously, but at a certain point I knew that my views did no longer go according to the Wiccan traditions.
After some inner searching I realised that the Celtic culture (in a pan-Celtic context) was the one that I felt most drawn to, and so I began researching about the various Celtic peoples. But in the end, the Gaulish culture was the one I favoured the most, and here I am, almost a year after my "conversion"; I use quotes because there really isn’t a need to convert, all you need to do is to believe and be loyal.
3) Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
As far as I know, there can be practising CRs and non-practising CRs. The first ones are those that actually conduct ceremonies in honour of the Gods, Spirits and Ancestors alone or with a group. The latter ones are those that only do research, whilst believing in the divine form a Celtic point of view. Be warned that I am only guessing, because I have never actually met a non-practising CR.
There also is a distinction according to where the entities you worship are from. Hence, you can be a Gaulish Reconstructionist, like yours truly, a Brythonic Reconstructionist, Gaelic, Celtiberian, Lusitanian and Gallaecian (probably Manx as well, but I’ve never heard of one).
I’m not sure, but I think Gaulish and Brythonic Reconstructionists would be willing to divide themselves, during rites, according to the ancient sacerdotal functions of druid (druits), ovate (vátis) and bard (bardos).
Aside from these three things, there are no literal degrees, like in Freemasonry, Wicca, etc.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
Well, according to my previous answer, there are no degrees, but I am a practising, solitary CR. Do I fit in the old traditional priest roles? I try to do the same things, but I wouldn’t dare to call myself a druits, vátis or bardos. I have nowhere near as much knowledge as they would have had.
5) What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
Though there is little evidence of what the Gauls believed in terms of afterlife, most people think that their concept was similar to the Brythonic (and later Welsh) one.
To better explain the Other World, I should explain the cosmos from a Gaulish point of view. I believe that there are three realms, all connected by a massive and cosmic world tree (an oak).
The upper one, called Albios, is where the celestial deities –Taranos (thunder and storm), Granos (Sun), Arduina (moon), Sirona (stars and night), Vintios (wind) and Brigindona (dawn, amongst other things) - live. It is situated atop the skies and mountains.
The middle one, called Bitus, is where we all live, along with all other living beings, as well as the Spirits, some Gods and other less pleasant beings.
Finally, the lower realm, known as Antumnos, is the land where the dead travel to feast and rest for as long as they stay there. Though it is beneath the earth and the deepest waters, it is a splendid place, where it is always summer – a land of endless prosperity and youth.
As to what happens when a person dies, I think that there must be a deity that is responsible for picking up the souls of those whom have died and to lead them to Antumnos, which can be entered through caves and rivers.
There is no place of punishment in the Gaulish conception of the cosmos, nor in the other Celtic cultures. That might be because the tribes’ ruling classes were responsible for punishing those whom acted against the law and as such, all required punishments would be suffered whilst being alive.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
Yes, I believe everyone makes it to the Other World, but since I believe in the existence of many Gods and not just the ones I worship, where other people end up is up to them to determine.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
I’m very inquisitive and I love history, so I think it makes sense for me to follow a path like this. Above all, of course, I love the Celtic culture, especially the Gaulish one. I’m also very fond of the concept of tribal union, though I will probably never experience it from a CR point of view. The closest I can get is when I’m with my best friends, who I love as if they were my brothers and sisters.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I have so many holy days I won’t even bother to describe them all for the sake of maintaining your interest. The most important ones are equivalent the famous four pan-Celtic quarter-days: Trinoxtion Samoní (April/May), Lugonascetis (July/August), Sébronoxtion (October/November) and Ambiuolcia (January/February).
Apart from these, I celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes and, in a way, the phases of the Moon, which indicate when certain celebrations must be held. As such, there is a considerable number of holy days in a single month.
In fact, the Gaulish calendar is regulated primarily by the Moon and the stars and secondarily by the sun, since it’s lunisolar; and the 24-hour period is considered to begin when night falls.
The ways of celebrating vary considerably, but the primary method of worship is sacrificing (no killing of animals involved) and leaving offerings to the entities honoured in that particular time period – some holy days are actually many days long.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
It depends. Their faith won’t instantly make them my friends or my enemies – unless they are prejudiced enough to think that I’m evil, or something -, their personalities and deeds will.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explainwhy?
It would depend on what they would be celebrating. If it were something like Easter or Christmas, I certainly would not join them because of the great cultural gap... and it would be far too awkward for me. I have, however, attended a funeral mass in honour of one of my "sisters’" grandfather. She knew that I wouldn’t be praying to the Abrahamic God and Jesus, but to my own Gods, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was that I was there for her.
So would I attend another polytheistic/pagan holy day celebration? Almost certainly, but it would depend on the sense of comfort in the presence of another culture and other Gods. I would, for example, most likely attend a Wiccan rite and a Norse blót...
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I don’t know much about the Shariah, but I think I can comment on the burka subject. Honestly, I think it’s a cultural matter that ought not to be challenged by those whom are not part of the Islamic culture.
I’m not saying that it should be obligatory, I’m saying that if change is needed, then it is those who are part of the said culture that ought to do something if they have the need to.
I think the same of the swastika. Some countries wish to prohibit the use of this symbol because the Nazis used it, but dozens of cultures used it long before, often as symbol of a deity. Just because some think that something needs to change doesn’t mean it really has to.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
There is no evidence of the existence of female druidos (druids), vátés (ovates) and bardí (bards) – there isn’t even a feminine form for these words -, but there are some records of figures akin to the Norse volur, though with less shamanic traits.
However, I think that CR groups usually have no problem in accepting a woman as a priestess. I know no other Gaulish Reconstructionist but if I belonged to a modern toutá I would definitely accept a woman as a fellow priestess/celebrant.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
I’m a solitary, so it obviously doesn’t.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
In a way it does, because the Gods are everywhere – from the water I drink, to the words I utter every day. Being so, I try to be as respectful and thankful as I can for each gift that they grant me. They don’t affect my decisions per se, but they do help if they want to.
About abortion, gay marriage, and other "difficult" matters, my faith has absolutely no influence in me when it comes to that. I fully support freedom of choice and the right to be happy.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion? I don’t even consider that as an option since I’m not interested in having children or a wife. But pretending I do, I would gladly accept my son or daughter’s decision – I’m all for freedom.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
I don’t believe in such a thing as hell, so that’s up to them to know if they go there or not, in case they believe in it or not.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing Gaulish Reconstructionist in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
Probably someone that does not perform sacrifices, leave offerings, pray... I don’t know and I’ve never bothered to wonder, in fact. I’ve never met another Gaulish Reconstructionist and probably never will.
There is no central authority, but those who choose to expose themselves and their beliefs to the world are kind of speaking for my religion, but, more precisely, for their own practises. Hence this kind of exposure should be done carefully in order not to create misconceptions.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
In a religious way, no, I have not. The closest I’ve been to being a victim of a religious "hate crime" is having some religious items thrown, by my mother, to the rubbish bin (which I later got hold of again). She doesn’t know I’m not Christian, but she’s not fond of candles and incense and quickly associates them with the Occult. I have, however, been bullied in the past, though not for religious reasons – very few people know about my faith.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
It certainly does not. Though it doesn’t give me any extra value as a person, I think that it has helped me grow up mentally/emotionally, as I established bonds with some of the Gods and became more immersed in the Gaulish culture.
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
It gives me some peace of mind, but not in a absolute way. My Gods are not omni-everything so they can’t control every aspect of my life, and I seriously doubt they would want to. As such, other mortals such as myself don’t allow me to have much peace of mind. But in terms of fear of death and all of that, I’m fine.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I believe it because it makes sense to me and because it’s a common belief amongst the Celtic peoples. As I’ve said, I believe that when someone dies (a modern Celt, at least), they are taken to the Other World and they stay there for unknown period of time – unknown, at least to me – feasting in the company of their Ancestors and resident Gods. When the time comes, we are born again. I’m not exactly sure how that may work, but I think that our souls are taken to a new body.
Something I personally believe – and that I’m not too happy with – is that we reincarnate in the same family. Being so, I may reincarnate as the grandchild of a cousin, for example. (if I die first, of course). I like to think that I’ll eventually meet my current "siblings" again in my next incarnation, since they’re my "emotional kin", but that’s not up to me to know
I wish to thank Heather Cardin for her very interesting and informative interview last week. Thanks so much for sharing with us Heather!
Today we have a new interview so please welcome Manuel Araujo. Manuel is a Polytheist and I know you'll enjoy his interview as well!
Here Is Manuel Araujo's Introduction:
Hello! My name is Manuel Araújo, I’m 20 and I’m from Portugal. I am studying to become a Law Technician (something the Portuguese government came up with) at university and I’m almost finishing my first year.
My major hobbies are gardening, writing, reading, drawing (nothing too fancy), going out with my best friends and playing with my cat.
I am quite distanced from my family, with absolutely no regrets, and I plan to live alone once I finish my degree and gather enough money to be able to sustain myself. Before someone wonders, my family has no knowledge of my Polytheistic/Pagan "tendencies". I would like to eventually return to my parents’ home, once they’ve departed, to establish a Nemeton (a sacred grove), which I have already started planting in the large field that’s behind the house.
I occasionally take some time, at least three times every month, now that I have exams every week, to write on my blog – http://www.clareiraoculta.blogspot.com/ - that has detailed my religious and personal progress, for the year and a half.
1) What religion do you practice?
I am a Gaulish Reconstructionist, a subgroup within Celtic Reconstructionism (CR for short) denomination. To put it plainly, I attempt, to the best of my abilities, to reconstruct the religion and culture of the Gaulish tribes. I do this according to archaeological evidence, written records, comparative religious studies (between the Indo-European cultures) and some Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis (UPS). I am also trying to learn how to speak (and write) Gaulish.
I worship a total of 30 Gods and Goddesses - some carefully selected according to my "tribal preferences" and others due to natural affinity - honour various Spirits as well as my blood and cultural Ancestors.
2)Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I am a convert. It’s a long story, so I’ll try to put it short. I grew up in a Catholic family and I kind of believed in the Christian God and all of that, though it never made much sense to me that one deity alone could create and manage everything. I wondered why people didn’t worship many Gods and Goddess like the Egyptians and the Hellenes...
Eventually, at the age of 9, I became an atheist and remained so until I was 13 (2004) which was when I discovered Wicca. Curiously enough, Wicca filled a void in my life that I did not even noticed before I found it. But I was cautious enough to learn as much as I could before actually getting serious about it. I converted, or better yet, celebrated an Initiation ceremony, in 2008, when I was 17.
I did not predict that I would ever leave Wicca, but the more I tried to uncover about the ancient religions, the more my view of the cosmos began to change – I was going down the road to hard polytheism. At first I didn’t take such changes seriously, but at a certain point I knew that my views did no longer go according to the Wiccan traditions.
After some inner searching I realised that the Celtic culture (in a pan-Celtic context) was the one that I felt most drawn to, and so I began researching about the various Celtic peoples. But in the end, the Gaulish culture was the one I favoured the most, and here I am, almost a year after my "conversion"; I use quotes because there really isn’t a need to convert, all you need to do is to believe and be loyal.
3) Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
As far as I know, there can be practising CRs and non-practising CRs. The first ones are those that actually conduct ceremonies in honour of the Gods, Spirits and Ancestors alone or with a group. The latter ones are those that only do research, whilst believing in the divine form a Celtic point of view. Be warned that I am only guessing, because I have never actually met a non-practising CR.
There also is a distinction according to where the entities you worship are from. Hence, you can be a Gaulish Reconstructionist, like yours truly, a Brythonic Reconstructionist, Gaelic, Celtiberian, Lusitanian and Gallaecian (probably Manx as well, but I’ve never heard of one).
I’m not sure, but I think Gaulish and Brythonic Reconstructionists would be willing to divide themselves, during rites, according to the ancient sacerdotal functions of druid (druits), ovate (vátis) and bard (bardos).
Aside from these three things, there are no literal degrees, like in Freemasonry, Wicca, etc.
4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
Well, according to my previous answer, there are no degrees, but I am a practising, solitary CR. Do I fit in the old traditional priest roles? I try to do the same things, but I wouldn’t dare to call myself a druits, vátis or bardos. I have nowhere near as much knowledge as they would have had.
5) What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
Though there is little evidence of what the Gauls believed in terms of afterlife, most people think that their concept was similar to the Brythonic (and later Welsh) one.
To better explain the Other World, I should explain the cosmos from a Gaulish point of view. I believe that there are three realms, all connected by a massive and cosmic world tree (an oak).
The upper one, called Albios, is where the celestial deities –Taranos (thunder and storm), Granos (Sun), Arduina (moon), Sirona (stars and night), Vintios (wind) and Brigindona (dawn, amongst other things) - live. It is situated atop the skies and mountains.
The middle one, called Bitus, is where we all live, along with all other living beings, as well as the Spirits, some Gods and other less pleasant beings.
Finally, the lower realm, known as Antumnos, is the land where the dead travel to feast and rest for as long as they stay there. Though it is beneath the earth and the deepest waters, it is a splendid place, where it is always summer – a land of endless prosperity and youth.
As to what happens when a person dies, I think that there must be a deity that is responsible for picking up the souls of those whom have died and to lead them to Antumnos, which can be entered through caves and rivers.
There is no place of punishment in the Gaulish conception of the cosmos, nor in the other Celtic cultures. That might be because the tribes’ ruling classes were responsible for punishing those whom acted against the law and as such, all required punishments would be suffered whilst being alive.
6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
Yes, I believe everyone makes it to the Other World, but since I believe in the existence of many Gods and not just the ones I worship, where other people end up is up to them to determine.
7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
I’m very inquisitive and I love history, so I think it makes sense for me to follow a path like this. Above all, of course, I love the Celtic culture, especially the Gaulish one. I’m also very fond of the concept of tribal union, though I will probably never experience it from a CR point of view. The closest I can get is when I’m with my best friends, who I love as if they were my brothers and sisters.
8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
I have so many holy days I won’t even bother to describe them all for the sake of maintaining your interest. The most important ones are equivalent the famous four pan-Celtic quarter-days: Trinoxtion Samoní (April/May), Lugonascetis (July/August), Sébronoxtion (October/November) and Ambiuolcia (January/February).
Apart from these, I celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes and, in a way, the phases of the Moon, which indicate when certain celebrations must be held. As such, there is a considerable number of holy days in a single month.
In fact, the Gaulish calendar is regulated primarily by the Moon and the stars and secondarily by the sun, since it’s lunisolar; and the 24-hour period is considered to begin when night falls.
The ways of celebrating vary considerably, but the primary method of worship is sacrificing (no killing of animals involved) and leaving offerings to the entities honoured in that particular time period – some holy days are actually many days long.
9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
It depends. Their faith won’t instantly make them my friends or my enemies – unless they are prejudiced enough to think that I’m evil, or something -, their personalities and deeds will.
10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explainwhy?
It would depend on what they would be celebrating. If it were something like Easter or Christmas, I certainly would not join them because of the great cultural gap... and it would be far too awkward for me. I have, however, attended a funeral mass in honour of one of my "sisters’" grandfather. She knew that I wouldn’t be praying to the Abrahamic God and Jesus, but to my own Gods, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was that I was there for her.
So would I attend another polytheistic/pagan holy day celebration? Almost certainly, but it would depend on the sense of comfort in the presence of another culture and other Gods. I would, for example, most likely attend a Wiccan rite and a Norse blót...
11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I don’t know much about the Shariah, but I think I can comment on the burka subject. Honestly, I think it’s a cultural matter that ought not to be challenged by those whom are not part of the Islamic culture.
I’m not saying that it should be obligatory, I’m saying that if change is needed, then it is those who are part of the said culture that ought to do something if they have the need to.
I think the same of the swastika. Some countries wish to prohibit the use of this symbol because the Nazis used it, but dozens of cultures used it long before, often as symbol of a deity. Just because some think that something needs to change doesn’t mean it really has to.
12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
There is no evidence of the existence of female druidos (druids), vátés (ovates) and bardí (bards) – there isn’t even a feminine form for these words -, but there are some records of figures akin to the Norse volur, though with less shamanic traits.
However, I think that CR groups usually have no problem in accepting a woman as a priestess. I know no other Gaulish Reconstructionist but if I belonged to a modern toutá I would definitely accept a woman as a fellow priestess/celebrant.
13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
I’m a solitary, so it obviously doesn’t.
14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
In a way it does, because the Gods are everywhere – from the water I drink, to the words I utter every day. Being so, I try to be as respectful and thankful as I can for each gift that they grant me. They don’t affect my decisions per se, but they do help if they want to.
About abortion, gay marriage, and other "difficult" matters, my faith has absolutely no influence in me when it comes to that. I fully support freedom of choice and the right to be happy.
15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion? I don’t even consider that as an option since I’m not interested in having children or a wife. But pretending I do, I would gladly accept my son or daughter’s decision – I’m all for freedom.
16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
I don’t believe in such a thing as hell, so that’s up to them to know if they go there or not, in case they believe in it or not.
17) Who do you think is not a practicing Gaulish Reconstructionist in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
Probably someone that does not perform sacrifices, leave offerings, pray... I don’t know and I’ve never bothered to wonder, in fact. I’ve never met another Gaulish Reconstructionist and probably never will.
There is no central authority, but those who choose to expose themselves and their beliefs to the world are kind of speaking for my religion, but, more precisely, for their own practises. Hence this kind of exposure should be done carefully in order not to create misconceptions.
18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
In a religious way, no, I have not. The closest I’ve been to being a victim of a religious "hate crime" is having some religious items thrown, by my mother, to the rubbish bin (which I later got hold of again). She doesn’t know I’m not Christian, but she’s not fond of candles and incense and quickly associates them with the Occult. I have, however, been bullied in the past, though not for religious reasons – very few people know about my faith.
19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
It certainly does not. Though it doesn’t give me any extra value as a person, I think that it has helped me grow up mentally/emotionally, as I established bonds with some of the Gods and became more immersed in the Gaulish culture.
20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
It gives me some peace of mind, but not in a absolute way. My Gods are not omni-everything so they can’t control every aspect of my life, and I seriously doubt they would want to. As such, other mortals such as myself don’t allow me to have much peace of mind. But in terms of fear of death and all of that, I’m fine.
21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I believe it because it makes sense to me and because it’s a common belief amongst the Celtic peoples. As I’ve said, I believe that when someone dies (a modern Celt, at least), they are taken to the Other World and they stay there for unknown period of time – unknown, at least to me – feasting in the company of their Ancestors and resident Gods. When the time comes, we are born again. I’m not exactly sure how that may work, but I think that our souls are taken to a new body.
Something I personally believe – and that I’m not too happy with – is that we reincarnate in the same family. Being so, I may reincarnate as the grandchild of a cousin, for example. (if I die first, of course). I like to think that I’ll eventually meet my current "siblings" again in my next incarnation, since they’re my "emotional kin", but that’s not up to me to know
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Cora
Hey Everyone,
A very sad day in our household yesterday, our much loved dog Daisy passed away yesterday morning, she will be incredibly missed.
We do have another great post, so I'll be posting today but probably won't be posting much over the next couple weeks, as we try and deal with our loss.
I also want to thank Deb Dove for a great read, and for sharing her unique perspective with us.
This week, I'd like you to welcome Cora.
Cora is a Polytheist and I know you'll find her post very interesting and enjoyable. I know I did.
Here Is Cora's Introduction:
My name is Cora. I am married to a great guy and we have two of the best boys we could ever have asked for. I am graduating this May with my BA in Anthropology/Archaeology with a focus on Classical Studies. When I am not with the family or have my nose in books I can be found behind my camera capturing "the perfect shot".
http://tpoaic.blogspot.com/
1) What religion do you practice?
Simply put, I am a Polytheist. This means that I worship, honour, and believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses (in my case, mainly the Olympians). However, it's never that simple. Along with being Polytheist I have a healthy dose of Secular Humanism (go Science!) with a good deal of Stoic Philosophy to sweeten the pot. I am not Wiccan nor do I practice Witchcraft so I don't really see myself as "Neo" Pagan.
2) Did you convert or were you born into this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I "converted" when I was 19 when I found out that there are other people who pray to the Olympic Gods. I began learning about the Gods when I was 8 and by the time I was 12 I was a Polytheist (Christo-Pagan actually) but didn't fully understand it.
In order to "convert" all that really needs to be done is to believe. Later on, I did join a Coven (back when I was Wiccan) and went through the Initiations; but I feel the real conversion happens quietly between the person and their Gods.
Prior to being a Polytheist I was Christian: I was baptized Presbyterian and later confirmed Anglican. I attended Southern Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, and LDS (Mormon) Churches and also attended Synagogue.
3) Would you consider yourself a moderate, conservative or other.
Moderate.
4) In your opinion, what makes you moderate/conservative/other?
I try very hard to go "middle of the road" in most things as I feel that going to the extreme either way clouds a person's thoughts and puts blinders on them.
5) In your opinion, what makes someone conservative? What makes someone moderate?
I think conservatives are those that follow strictly to rules laid out before them. A moderate is one that may follow the rules, but not strictly.
6) What's your heaven/paradise like?
I envision Hawaii myself. But really, any place where I am with my family forever is enough for me. I have no idea what's on the Other Side, but I know it's worth the wait.
7) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
This is pretty sticky. Question is: does everyone deserve to be there and the answer is NO. At least, not right away. There are people that die who are stained with sin and must somehow be "cleaned" before moving on. The very best way I've had it explained to me is like this: Our souls are pure white light and every time we "sin" there's a black smudge on the white. When we die the black smudges must be cleaned off so we are pure white lights again before we can "move on". Some people's black smudges come off quickly while others need more scrubbing (and maybe a healthy dose of bleach).
Eventually we all make it to Heaven/Paradise...it just takes some longer than others.
8) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
I have complete free-will and do not have to bow down to human interpretations of my faith.
9) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Within the Religio Romana (what I follow loosely) there's so many "holy days" that I cannot keep up, so I just stick with the Solstices and Equinoxes. Unlike my Wiccan counterparts, I don't practice magick or do spell work so my observances of the Seasons is more low key: going outside, playing with the kids, taking pictures, sending up a prayer of thanksgiving.
10) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Of course. I have friends of many faiths.
11) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
I have in the past and would still if I was invited. Celebrating with others is a wonderful way of appreciating the beauty of humanity.
12) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I am the first to admit that I am envious of the Muslim women's Jilbab...they look so comfy! As for burkas: if it's HER decision then I support it 100%. As for Shariah Law: I don't know too much about it, but the little bit I do know I think moderation is in order. I am frightened of a Law that puts a value on humans...all humans , regards of sex or faith, are equal.
13) What are your thoughts on women not being allowed to become priests?
It's ridiculous to think that women are somehow "inferior" to men and that we are not capable of holding a holy position or that a God sees women as less.
14) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
Being Polytheist, I don't have a place of worship, so no...there's no segregation. Oh, but it would be wonderful to see a Temple alongside Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues!
15) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
It affects my daily life in the way that I try to live a good, pious, moral life that honours my Deities and would make Them proud, but I don't obsess over every decision. As for my stance on issues, my religion allows me the freedom to make up my own mind without the interference of human interpretation.
16) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
All I ask is that my boys take with them the morals and ethics they were raised in. As long as they don't adopt extreme beliefs I think I would be fine with it.
17) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
That would be a lot of people in hell! Seriously though, faith isn't the golden ticket: what kind of person you are is.
18) Who do you think is not a practising ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
I don't know of anyone in the public that claims to speak for my religion. There's plenty of people speaking for Wiccans, but not any who claim to be simply Polytheists.
19) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
A few death threats along the lines of "If God tells me to kill you, I will". Lucky for me, they never got the message.
20) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
No, not in the slightest.
21) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes. I'm at peace with the fact that we will never have all the answers and to just enjoy Life; all will get sorted out in the end.
22) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
Perhaps not everyone reincarnates, but I think some do.
A very sad day in our household yesterday, our much loved dog Daisy passed away yesterday morning, she will be incredibly missed.
We do have another great post, so I'll be posting today but probably won't be posting much over the next couple weeks, as we try and deal with our loss.
I also want to thank Deb Dove for a great read, and for sharing her unique perspective with us.
This week, I'd like you to welcome Cora.
Cora is a Polytheist and I know you'll find her post very interesting and enjoyable. I know I did.
Here Is Cora's Introduction:
My name is Cora. I am married to a great guy and we have two of the best boys we could ever have asked for. I am graduating this May with my BA in Anthropology/Archaeology with a focus on Classical Studies. When I am not with the family or have my nose in books I can be found behind my camera capturing "the perfect shot".
http://tpoaic.blogspot.com/
1) What religion do you practice?
Simply put, I am a Polytheist. This means that I worship, honour, and believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses (in my case, mainly the Olympians). However, it's never that simple. Along with being Polytheist I have a healthy dose of Secular Humanism (go Science!) with a good deal of Stoic Philosophy to sweeten the pot. I am not Wiccan nor do I practice Witchcraft so I don't really see myself as "Neo" Pagan.
2) Did you convert or were you born into this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I "converted" when I was 19 when I found out that there are other people who pray to the Olympic Gods. I began learning about the Gods when I was 8 and by the time I was 12 I was a Polytheist (Christo-Pagan actually) but didn't fully understand it.
In order to "convert" all that really needs to be done is to believe. Later on, I did join a Coven (back when I was Wiccan) and went through the Initiations; but I feel the real conversion happens quietly between the person and their Gods.
Prior to being a Polytheist I was Christian: I was baptized Presbyterian and later confirmed Anglican. I attended Southern Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, and LDS (Mormon) Churches and also attended Synagogue.
3) Would you consider yourself a moderate, conservative or other.
Moderate.
4) In your opinion, what makes you moderate/conservative/other?
I try very hard to go "middle of the road" in most things as I feel that going to the extreme either way clouds a person's thoughts and puts blinders on them.
5) In your opinion, what makes someone conservative? What makes someone moderate?
I think conservatives are those that follow strictly to rules laid out before them. A moderate is one that may follow the rules, but not strictly.
6) What's your heaven/paradise like?
I envision Hawaii myself. But really, any place where I am with my family forever is enough for me. I have no idea what's on the Other Side, but I know it's worth the wait.
7) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
This is pretty sticky. Question is: does everyone deserve to be there and the answer is NO. At least, not right away. There are people that die who are stained with sin and must somehow be "cleaned" before moving on. The very best way I've had it explained to me is like this: Our souls are pure white light and every time we "sin" there's a black smudge on the white. When we die the black smudges must be cleaned off so we are pure white lights again before we can "move on". Some people's black smudges come off quickly while others need more scrubbing (and maybe a healthy dose of bleach).
Eventually we all make it to Heaven/Paradise...it just takes some longer than others.
8) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
I have complete free-will and do not have to bow down to human interpretations of my faith.
9) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Within the Religio Romana (what I follow loosely) there's so many "holy days" that I cannot keep up, so I just stick with the Solstices and Equinoxes. Unlike my Wiccan counterparts, I don't practice magick or do spell work so my observances of the Seasons is more low key: going outside, playing with the kids, taking pictures, sending up a prayer of thanksgiving.
10) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Of course. I have friends of many faiths.
11) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
I have in the past and would still if I was invited. Celebrating with others is a wonderful way of appreciating the beauty of humanity.
12) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I am the first to admit that I am envious of the Muslim women's Jilbab...they look so comfy! As for burkas: if it's HER decision then I support it 100%. As for Shariah Law: I don't know too much about it, but the little bit I do know I think moderation is in order. I am frightened of a Law that puts a value on humans...all humans , regards of sex or faith, are equal.
13) What are your thoughts on women not being allowed to become priests?
It's ridiculous to think that women are somehow "inferior" to men and that we are not capable of holding a holy position or that a God sees women as less.
14) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
Being Polytheist, I don't have a place of worship, so no...there's no segregation. Oh, but it would be wonderful to see a Temple alongside Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues!
15) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
It affects my daily life in the way that I try to live a good, pious, moral life that honours my Deities and would make Them proud, but I don't obsess over every decision. As for my stance on issues, my religion allows me the freedom to make up my own mind without the interference of human interpretation.
16) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
All I ask is that my boys take with them the morals and ethics they were raised in. As long as they don't adopt extreme beliefs I think I would be fine with it.
17) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
That would be a lot of people in hell! Seriously though, faith isn't the golden ticket: what kind of person you are is.
18) Who do you think is not a practising ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
I don't know of anyone in the public that claims to speak for my religion. There's plenty of people speaking for Wiccans, but not any who claim to be simply Polytheists.
19) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
A few death threats along the lines of "If God tells me to kill you, I will". Lucky for me, they never got the message.
20) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
No, not in the slightest.
21) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes. I'm at peace with the fact that we will never have all the answers and to just enjoy Life; all will get sorted out in the end.
22) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
Perhaps not everyone reincarnates, but I think some do.
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