So, my friend, Heather, finally gave me a name for what I practice. This weird thing that I have been calling "Eclectic Solitary Paganism" for years, because I had no other name for it.
Americana Animism
I love it. It describes it precisely.
When I first got into Paganism, I was drawn to the Celtic stuff. My family is Welsh...Like immigrated in 1967 Welsh. I spent about three years in my childhood in Wales, but I never got to be Welsh. I was always far too American.
The more I learned about Paganism, the more it seemed to speak to me. I got very deep into Paganism, at one point running a small coven. I worked as a professional psychic, medical intuitive and medium for many years (still do, in fact)
BUT...I began to become very uncomfortable with certain aspects of Neo-Paganism.
For instance, the very words: Shaman, Druid, Witch, Wicca, Strega etc. They have particular meanings that I (as a native speaker and lover of the English language) couldn't help but notice were being trifled with.
Then, the assertion that "enlightened people" should not suffer misfortune. I have been disabled for a big chunk of my adult life, and I don't enjoy being told that if I were a better witch, I would be well. Yes, people told me this, in those words.
By the time I had my children, I turned my mind to other things. I was still very into being a Pagan, but I just figured I was more the kitchen witch type, who didn't care for or have time for anything elaborate.
I took some fascinating classes in Paganism whenever I could. Some were very scholarly, some were quite woo, but I was still searching.
I always knew I was an Animist, but I also knew I had a solid pantheon of gods, figures, thoughtforms, nice ideas, whatever you want to call it. It was such a hodgepodge, though. I don't mean to misappropriate other people's culture, nor do I want people to think I mockingly making up my own gods.
Talking with Heather this morning, she called it Americana Animism.
Yes, that's it. The spirits of the land as they interact with us, the people who live on this land in the Here and Now.
So, to get this discussion started, here is my (incomplete) pantheon of Gods, in no particular order.
The Wild Huntsman, God of the Roads.
Thomas Jefferson, Ancestor Spirit of the United States.
Abraham Lincoln, Ancestor Spirit of the United States.
The Old Woman, Goddess of Birth, Healing and Death, sometimes known as Kali, Santisima Muerte (especially as worshipped by drug dealers), Fibrowoman or Crippled Woman.
The God of Fire in all its forms--Electric. Fossil Fuel. Nuclear. In the end, it is all from the sun, so perhaps Apollo?
St Florian, Saint of Firefighters
Justice/Liberty: Sometimes she seems so interchangeable, I can't tell whether She is two aspects of the same Goddess, or perhaps They are twin Goddesses?
The Blessed Virgin: Goddess of my mother's house.
Jesus in his guise as "The Least of My Brothers"
Cloacina, Goddess of the Sewers and Keeper of Health.
There are more, but this is enough to get us started. I'll speak to the Spirits of Place in a future post
Who are the Gods of your Pantheon?
finally! Finally!
ReplyDeleteHi Paganaidd. We share some similar experiences with American paganism via "celtic" traditions. I find your pantheon intriguing. I like to look at gods as being creative and evolutionary processes that we can engage with in trans-personal relationships. I can see how your pantheon captures much of the "American processes" particularly in Jefferson and Lincoln as ancestral spirits (I include Thomas Paine). I find one of the most interesting of American Gods is superman. I have not been much for superheroes or comic books since i was 13 but Superman continues to captivate me. What i find most interesting is how superman has evolved as symbol of "truth, justice, and the American way." in what has changed about his story and what remains the same. Though, i find it a bit naive, i think that naivety is part of the American spirit or processes. You have given something to think about. I look forward to reading more in the future, and will be adding you to my own blogroll.
ReplyDeleteGlen, I'm a Batman girl myself :-). Can't have Superman without Batman.
ReplyDeleteThis is an idea that has been fermenting for a while and it finally seems to have reached some kind of critical mass and is emerging into the light, as all good ideas seem to do, occuring to many different people at the same time.
Welcome!
I've only recently gotten into batman. Like, I said. Never been much for comic books / graphic novels (Whatever you want to call them) but my brother got into batman. And i started looking into it more, and where superman reflects the naive American ideal we want to project i think batman reflects the darker gritty reality of the psychology of that naivete.
ReplyDelete