XXX - Pornography from a Pagan Perspective

Auguste Rodin - The Eternal Idol (1889)

Pornography is a controversial topic even nowadays when sexuality is much less of a taboo than it was before. It seems that every religion/faith in the world has a defined opinion of it...so what is Paganism's stance on the subject?

It's worth noting that Paganism is not an institutional religion; it is a spiritual path. As such, it does not require that its practitioners have a uniformed opinion of something. In turn, not all Pagans have the same attitude towards pornography. I came across two interesting articles that prove this point. One is "Druid Thoughts: Pagans and Pornography" and the other "Sex, the Occult, and the Witches Who Do Porn". I was curious to see whether opinions differ so widely among Pagans in my country so I posted my question in a few Pagan Facebook groups I am in. And indeed, the answers did vary greatly.

The reason why I find this topic interesting for Paganism is because reverence for sex as well as sexuality and fertility are an integral part of Paganism. Pornography can be seen as a free expression of sexuality as well as an effective way to stimulate one's sexuality. Yet, the main question I want to deal with here is whether pornography fits into Pagan morals and worldviews.

But just to be clear, I make a distinction between pornography and porn actors. I will not deal with Paganism's stances on porn actors because, as with all people, they have a right to decide what they want to do with their bodies. Criticizing them would imply taking away their free will and the option of sexual expression. As long as they aren't harming anyone, I see no problem with their profession. There are many porn actors who enjoy what they do. Of course, there are also those who are forced into this profession. There are also many types of pornography which promote cruel behavior (e.g. rape, sadism, abuse of any kind etc.) - this is the ugly side of porn which I don't want to get into now.

Let us get back to more positive topics, though.

Paganism and Sex

One would expect Paganism, as a fertility-oriented spiritual path, to be very liberal and open to all types of sexual expression, including pornography. I have discussed the topic of sexuality in Paganism in previous posts such as "The Great Rite and Sexuality in Wicca", "Ritual Nudity" and "Homosexuality and Paganism". The general message in all of these posts is that sex and the naked human body are completely normal and are widely accepted in most Pagan paths. In fact, sex is usually seen as sacred in Paganism. But it is precisely this sacredness that implies that sex(uality) should be healthy, joyful and pleasurable. Then again, many people have different preferences (fetishes in this context?) and the very notion of what is pleasurable/joyful/healthy varies from culture to culture and from person to person. This is all very relative. But, as long as all the participants of a sexual act give their consent, I see nothing wrong with any fetish.* If they give their consent, then I assume that they enjoy what they are doing at least to some extent.

*Note: contemporary sexuality education and sexology believe that sexual intercourse with children is not acceptable on the basis that children cannot give their consent.

Still, there is a difference between private displays of sexuality/nudity (with oneself, with a partner, or even in a group such as the case may be in skyclad rituals) and public ones. I believe there is a time and place for sex and it seems that the law would agree with me since public sex is prohibited in most countries. There are many reasons for this, most of which are simply of a social nature i.e. they exist due to conventions. If society were different then its rules/laws would also be different - but it isn't. So there's not point in discussing this here. As things are now and have been for quite some time, sex is thought of as private and is therefore reserved for private settings. In fact, even the Great Rite is usually performed in private (all coven members leave the room while the High Priest and High Priestess do this part of the ritual).

But before I continue expressing my thoughts on the subject, let's see what my fellow Pagans thought about pornography's relationship with our faith.

What Modern Pagans Think about Pornography and Paganism

Most Pagans I asked about how pornography fits in with Pagan worldviews had positive opinions on the subject, although there were those that had different opinions. The exact question I asked them was: "Is watching and taking part in pornography contrary to Pagan principles?". So here are some answers I got (note: I promised to keep the comments anonymous out of respect and I translated them from Croatian myself, so please keep this in mind). 

"I think that it [pornography] is a normal cinematic display . . . We all do it [sex] and it's natural, it's just that it has become a taboo."

"In my opinion, pornography is a cause-and-effect product of Catholic inhibitions. Without inhibitions, it's just a sexual experience with variations."

"This opens up a much more interesting question - are 'alternative people" simultaneously liberal? Many followers of 'alternative" faiths are actually extremely conservative. Let us take Asatru as an example. From this stem several more questions: what society creates pornography; liberal or conservative? Historically speaking, pornography flourishes in conservative, sexually repressive societies, while erotica develops in liberal societies. Therefore, in a hypothetical Pagan-conservative society, a strong form of pornography would surely develop as an escape method from repression."

This same person said the following: "I'm not sure that pornography isn't harmful. But I believe that porno is an independent phenomenon. In my opinion it comes from sexual repression and a lack or erotica."

On this note, another person commented: "I also agree that it can be harmful, and very much so, but in a liberal society it somehow seems to lose its role...or it just seems that way."

"A person who is interested in pornography, who watches it or creates it and in doing so harms nobody, isn't doing anything wrong."

"Sex is natural per se, but if one goes to deep into it and gives into physical pleasures, one may stray from the meaning of their existence and the harmony of one's own spirit with everything that surrounds it, which is in some way the core of Paganism. Still, I think that Pagans are extremely neutral towards this topic, as are most people."

"In practice, it seems that there are a lot of disclaimers on the idea that Pornography satisfies the "harm none" principle. You simply can't know who the producer was, where the money came from, whether the actors are trafficking victims...a hundred questions. You also can't know in what circumstances pornography will be watched and what will be understood as the main message . . . It turns out that both those watching it and creating it should have some sort of kosher certificate."

"Pornography has existed since humans have been having sex; not out of repression but simply because of the way our brains are structured. Since very ancient prehistory we have been representing and creating sexual toys, images and so on . . . displays of sexual acts in all their promiscuity are normal . . . redtube ftw!"

"Christians didn't invent sexual repression. Roman Pagans forced their Vestal priestesses to remain virgins and if they broke their vows, they were cruelly tortured and killed."

"...everyone has their own choice of how to approach sex and how much attention to pay to the principles of the Pagan path they follow."

This same person said: "Sex is as sacred as you believe it to be, not just because a principle says so. On the other hand, you should enjoy natural things, but the amount of enjoyment is up to the individual . . . Sex is sacred in many religions, but as long as a person doesn't harm anyone, they can do what they want."

I thought the following comment was particularly interesting: "What's in question here is actually a different interpretation of the same thing. While Pagans respect the human body and sex, pornography reduces it to cheap commerce. Of course, nobody judges those who watch such content. Better that than through other peoples' windows."

"I also cannot connect sacred partnership, sex with the goal of continuing a lineage and creation, fertility or the transformation of energy with pornography in which the actors possibly see each other for the first time and get all worked up while others watch. Very very low frequency..."

"Pornography is harmful for those who consume it and gives a wrong depiction of sexuality, or rather what the reason for a sexual act should be."

And this one just made me laugh :D :"Pornography has to do with sexuality as much as Harry Potter has to do with magic."

The following comment refers to pornography in photography: "Generally all of these photographs turn out to be more or less crude depictions of female meat (kudos to the exceptions), but I don't blame the photographers for this as much as I blame people's attitudes towards this - the market wants what it wants . . . We can deceive ourselves and call things by another name, even art, talk about some sort of subjectivity and the individual's perception, but in this man's world, everything is supposed to be subordinated to men, including women as objects. As a female Pagan, I find this inconceivable. And actresses are usually victims of pimps, or perhaps, on the other extreme, women who want to make it big overnight by selling their bodies. Still unacceptable no matter what my faith is...what's in question are values; human values."

"It's not a matter of what sex looks like, or how the very image of pornography is created, but in stead of the social context, or rather the situation in which pornography is presented. This isn't about derogating (or not) the human body, primarily the female body, but about the fact that social positions, whose attraction is defined as a 'fetish', exist in pornographic scenes. But really, this is just a reflection of the power of a certain social position. So the image of sex isn't being distorted, but what is being distorted is the fact that a person's social position is more important than the person."

"I don't think it's possible to speak about exclusively one aspect of the media's imposition of ideals. I can criticize pornographic actors only in the spiritual/occult sense because I believe that someone who changes sexual partners often isn't capable of any sort of serious spiritual work. And I don't say these because of moral reasons, but because of the imbalance of energy which manifests itself in such cases. Of course, there are exceptions even here if the sexual act is carried out precisely for an occult work."

"I think that in all of these discussions about where pornography is good or bad, people forget about those that are actually in it, to which this profession is their 'daily bread' and which are marginalized because of the general stance of the population towards pornography. But in fact, they have the same needs as all of us; to be accepted and have a spiritual faith in which they feel accepted. In most religions they are actually rejected. I am interested in how such a person would be accepted in the Pagan community and if their profession would be looked down on as a lower, sinful, or less worthy profession."

As you can see, opinions really do vary widely, but this was to be expected. After all, not everyone has the same mindset or worldviews, especially when it comes to controversial subjects such as pornography.

While researching this topic, I found two very interesting articles which are, interestingly enough, contradictory to one another:
Druid Thoughts: Pagans and Pornography
Sex, the Occult, and the Witches Who Do Porn

Both articles had an impact on me and, since we're on the subject, it's time I expressed my thoughts on this subject. :)

My Thoughts on Paganism and Pornography

Of course, you don't have to share my opinions (nor do I expect you to) but I do feel the urge to express them. To be honest, my thoughts are much closer to those expressed in "Druid Thoughts". I would just quickly like to recap the 10 reasons why the author of this article finds pornography to be at odds with Paganism and add a few of my own thoughts:

1. Pornography "isn't about consent or personal taste" (and if you remember, I mentioned consent as an important factor for sex) because other needs, such as the need for financial security and psychological factors lead people to do what they otherwise wouldn't be willing to do. This brings into question the free will of those participating in pornography (though this doesn't mean that all or even the majority of porn actors do this, or feel this way, but there are those to which this statement applies).
2. Pornography creates a distorted picture of sex and the human body. To elaborate, the porn industry chooses those actors that are exemplary in any way (either due to their stature, the size of their sexual organs or special "capabilities"). This leads people to have unrealistic expectations of themselves and their sexual partners, it distances them from their own bodies (makes them feel ashamed, incapable, less worthy etc.) and, as the author points out, may even cause people to feel so dissatisfied with their bodies to want to change them using plastic surgery. As a Pagan, I find plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons unacceptable (plastic surgery for health reasons is a completely different story) because it just alienates people from their natural state, disrupts the person's mental stability and creates even further complexes. I think it would be much more productive if people could learn to accept their bodies the way they are  or, if they do want to change what they look like, try to "sculpt" their bodies as best they can using natural methods.
3. Pornography represents sex as "something sleazy, dirty and forbidden". Pagans understand sex and human sexuality to be sacred, completely natural and far from forbidden. It is both pleasurable and necessary for the survival of our kind. And if there is something more to it than physical attraction, then this is all the better and by no means sleazy or dirty but in stead very pure.
4. "Porn frequently depicts aggressive, disrespectful relationships between people". This kind of behavior goes against Pagan morals (you can understand them as the "harm none" rule, the ideal of love or in the context of aesthetics...either way, such contemptful behavior doesn't agree with any of these notions, but I recommend your read my post on pagan morals for more details).
5. "Pornography perpetrates unhealthy beliefs about women and the female body – that women exist to be used, that the female body is only good in so far as it gives pleasure, that women are sex objects. No Goddess worshiper could find this acceptable". I couldn't have said this better myself. Though I would also like to add that women aren't the only victims here but that men also can be presented in a very stereotypical and sometimes even unnatural way. It forces both men and women to believe that there is only one type of man/woman that is right and that any behavior/physical appearance that doesn't coincide with the one they see in porn is wrong.
6. "Porn devalues sex and commodifies it, which is wholly at odds with ideas of sacred sexuality held by Pagans". Pagans revere any form of fertility and thus also human sexuality. To debase it in such an extent is, at least in my opinion, very disrespectful to all humans.
7. "Watching porn gives gratification with neither a sense of responsibility nor relationship. This is at odds with the ethics of most Pagans. We are encouraged by porn to forget our responsibilities to the people we watch — to forget their humanity, and our own. This is not Pagan". This is a point I don't wholly agree upon. One cannot have a (meaningful) relationship with a pornographic movie/photo or any such object and we cannot be expected to sympathize with every person we meet, let alone see on TV, or in a picture. We watch documentaries which sometimes retell horrific stories, dramas that depict tragic real-life events and even reality shows that sometimes deal with difficult topics. In a world where we are bombed with imagery and stories of all kinds, we cannot be expected to feel for everyone and everything because this is simply too exhausting. Also, it is especially difficult to feel sympathy for people (porn actors) that seem to be enjoying themselves (and honestly, many porn actors do enjoy their jobs) and even more difficult to do so when these people are objectified (which is often the case in porn). In addition to all this, I don't see why any consumer of porn should have to take responsibility for porn itself. The average person has no part in making the pornographic content they pleasure themselves to. After all, we all enjoy many things and don't take responsibility in them. We drink coffee but don't think about the conditions in which the coffee beans were collected, we buy clothes that are possibly made by child factory workers in horrible places but we don't even flinch. These are just a few examples, but this isn't the main topic. I believe that Pagans should definitely be aware of their responsibilities (towards themselves and the people around them) and the repercussions of their actions. If the individual doesn't see how watching porn can have a negative effect on anyone around them or themselves, then why not go for it? The main idea is just to be conscious of your own actions.
8. "Porn isn’t that sexy. It is often functional, lacking emotional engagement and devoid of sensuality". I agree that porn isn't sexy, but then again, not everyone has the same taste. It does lack sensuality and erotica, but some people don't mind this. In short, I don't think anyone has the right to tell people to what level their sexual lives or interests should be emotional/sensual/erotic.
9. "Porn increases a fear of all things sexual in a significant number of people who do not like it. The more porn there is, the greater the risk that anything sexual (naked Pagans included) will be assumed to be much the same". I think this is true, but this is mainly due to the unrealistic depiction of sex in pornography. Any smart and sexually well-informed person will be aware of this and will ultimately dismiss pornography as a relevant sample of healthy sexual behavior, healthy human relationships or the human body (though, to be fair, not all pornography falls under this category).
10. "Porn distracts from the real thing. It’s no kind of substitute for the joy and magic that actual people can create with physical love". While I also agree with this, I believe that "alone time" is necessary sometimes. If someone prefers to use pornographic content while masturbating, for whichever reason, then they are free to do so. Plus, there isn't always the possibility of experiencing "physical love", as the author puts it. It isn't that hard to find a one night stand, but this generally doesn't create love. And even if one is willing to wait for physical love to happen, that may take a long time and in the meantime, sexual needs simply have to be met (this is just biologically programmed).

I don't want you to get the wrong picture so let me just say something very clearly: I don't think that Pagans aren't allowed to watch pornography or that one isn't a Pagan because they watch pornography. I just think that everyone, including Pagans, has to be aware of the effects of pornography and if you want to grow as a person (in a spiritual and/or emotional way), you have to be aware of your actions (and their repercussions), the positive and negative effects that things can have on you and, ultimately, you have to stick to your principles. If a person finds more positive sides to pornography and believes that it really does fit into their Pagan worldview in a certain way (and if they are able to incorporate it into their belief system using reasonable explanations), then I'm certainly not one to judge or negate that person's paganism.

The author of the above article says: "If you are doing something that in you to love, to feel connection and a sense of the sacred, you’re living your Paganism". Well what if someone sees watching porn or perhaps taking part in it as an act of empowerment and liberation, the expression of free love, a chance to connect on a more intimate level with someone or let the gods of fertility act through them? Well in that case, they too are "living their Paganism". It is precisely this second article (Sex, the Occult, and the Witches Who Do Porn) that explains the other side of this story. I truly recommend reading it because it includes interviews with Pagan porn actors who explain how they combine their professions and spiritualities. But I will let you read the article and develop your own thoughts on it.

All in all, I can't object to pornography on the basis that it depicts naked human bodies (because I believe the human body to be natural and beautiful) but I do object to it on other levels that I explained in this post. Although, I do simultaneously understand people who find pornography exciting, empowering, liberating and so on. But there are just too many factors that have to be taken into consideration when talking about whether pornography is "good" or "bad" (or rather whether it does/doesn't fit into the Pagan worldview). We could even divide this discussion into three topics: (1) watching pornography; (2) taking part in pornography; (3) the porn industry. If we try to define what fits into the Pagan worldview simply from the moral perspective of "harm none" and similar rules, then watching pornography and taking part in it generally aren't immoral (unless somebody is being hurt in the process in any way), whereas the porn industry is mostly understood to be exploitative and dehumanizing. But we can also try to analyze the issue from many other perspectives. But basically, I don't think we can give a singular answer to this issue because almost every Pagan will have a different opinion.

In the end, I can only urge you to be aware of your actions and decisions and think for yourselves. I decided to express my thoughts on the subject simply because I felt the need to do so, but also to lead you to contemplate on this topic (even if this contemplation leads you to leaving angry comments on this post...but at least your have your own principles and you stick to them so kudos for that!).

I hope I didn't raise too much dust by writing about this issue. But even if I did, I'm not too sorry about it. :p

So until next time. Yours,
Witch's Cat

Pagan Morals

This post was originally written for the 5th number of the online magazine "Puni Mjesec" (Full Moon). Since I publish all my texts on my blog, I decided to do the same with this one. In addition to this, I think that this article could be useful to every Pagan and in general those that want to be informed on the topic of Paganism and the cornerstones of this spiritual path. I can only hope that I am right about this and that my words will give you some new insight. 

The Difference between Morals and Ethics

Morals and ethics are exceptionally similar terms, to the extent that morals are actually a part of ethics. To elaborate, morals are the stance an individual, or a group takes towards the principles of good and evil; it refers to behavioral customs and ideals which are closely related to conscience. We often say that a person is moral, or virtuous and by this, we usually mean that they behave in accordance with his/her own (or perhaps a socially defined) codex of good behavior, that they are fair and that they have a highly developed sense of their role in society. Ethics, apart from it being a distinct philosophical discipline, refers to the behavior that is in accordance with morality rules. As we have established, morals don't have to be individual; they can also belong to a group. Different historical periods had their own morals (e.g. medieval morals), as do different cultures or professions (we can therefore talk about tribal morals, or medical morals). There are also religious morals which are specific for every religion/faith. So, for example, Christian, Islamic and Pagan morals may differ. Yet, there is one important difference between ethics and morals, which is that ethics are global and timeless; they do not have temporal, cultural or geographical boundaries. Ethics implies simply behaving in accordance with morals, regardless of which group or period they belong to. On the other hand, morals are conditioned by these factors. This is why the title of this post is "Pagan morals" in stead of "Pagan ethics".

The Basics of Pagan Morals

Pagan ethics stem from aesthetics. It's important to emphasize that, in this context, "aesthetics" doesn't imply the concept of beauty which is defined by social conventions. On the contrary, it doesn't even have to refer to secular beauty! Aesthetics refers to beauty in any form and in the broadest sense of the word. Aesthetics also includes any form of harmony (or as the ancient Greeks called it - cosmos). It is human to strive towards cosmos i.e. order in any shape and in any aspect of our lives. If everything in our lives was chaotic, then we would be unhappy because chaos by the very definition of the word denotes a sort of abyss, or chasm from which cosmos (order) should and will come forth. Therefore, chaos signifies ugliness and disharmony. Pagans believe that by behaving ethically, they contribute to creating order, beauty and harmony in general. Since anything that is beautiful and harmonious is also aesthetic, we ultimately create aesthetics by behaving ethically. It is precisely because of this that Pagan ethics stems from aesthetics. 

Furthermore, Pagan morals are based on love. In Paganism, and almost all global faiths/religions/spiritual paths, there is something called the "golden rule". It reads: "Do to other as you want them to do to you". This rule exists in Christianity, Judaism, Islam but it was also known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and many other cultures. It simply changed is form according to the culture and time, but it is essentially about the same things - love. It is expected that people, as social beings, behave nicely towards the society they live in as well as towards themselves. You are surely aware of the old saying: "You must first love yourself before you can love another". There is some truth in this. Anyway, love, or in the least respect towards others (and ourselves) is essential for individual and group development. The golden rule speaks precisely about this. If the whole world functioned on the basis of mutual respect (if love is not possible all the time), there wouldn't be as many problems.

The Pagan "Golden Rule"

Pagans have their own version of the golden rule which in its longest form reads: " 'An ye harm none, do what ye will". The short version, which also happens to be the most frequently used version reads: "Harm none". Although this "rule" originally wasn't generally Pagan, it gradually took its honorary place in the Pagan moral system (more information in the post "The Wiccan Rede"). It originally comes from Wicca - a Neopagan denomination which was formed in the 50s in England. Gerald Gardner, who is thought of as the father of Wicca, mentions it for the first time in his book Witchcraft Today: 

„They [witches] are inclined to the morality of the legendary Good King Pausol, “Do what you like so long as you harm no one ". But they believe a certain law to be important, “You must not use magic for anything which will cause harm to anyone, and if, to prevent a greater wrong being done, you must discommode someone, you must do it only in a way which will abate the harm." This involves every magical action being discussed first, to see that it can do no damage, and this induces a habit of mind to consider well the results of one's actions, especially upon others, This, you may say, is elementary Christianity. Of course it is; it is also elementary Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Judaism, to name only a few.“

Surely, Gardner was inspired by Aleister Crowley whose texts he researched in depth, whom he privately knew and with whom he also cooperated in the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.) into which he himself was initiated. In his Book of the Law, which is one of the basic literary works of this path, Crowley wrote the following: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will. There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt. (...) but in practice, only one act is lawful for each one of us at any given moment. Therefore Duty consists in determining to experience the right event from one moment of consciousness to another". Crowley writes the words "Law" and "Duty" (and in some versions also "Will") with capital letters. By doing so, he emphasizes that he isn't just thinking of any duty, will or law but rather of something personal and transcendental. Will is transcendental because it is correct/lawful (of course, for every person individually). The law is also true because it is true for every person individually (every person knows their own law which is true from their perspective). Duty is also individual and is conditioned by Will and the Law. Therefore, a person's own and true will is that which is intrinsic, which is true for him/her and towards which he/she has to strive. According to Crowley, if everyone were to follow their true Will, there would be no problems in the world because the universe is a cosmos in the complete sense of the word (everything has its place i.e. everything is in order so every person's Will also has its own orbit and nobody's Wills clash). Nevertheless, there is one condition to achieving individual Will - "love is the law, love under will". Gardner paraphrased this condition and turned it into: " 'an ye harm none". Essentially, Pagan morals claim that you can do whatever you want as long as love and/or respect are present because only while it is present can be ensure that no harm will be done. It is important to note that "do what thou wilt" doesn't only refer to actions, but to passive actions as well (or the lack of them). Also, the word "none" includes the doer of the action and not only the beings around him/her. So, both principles offer complete freedom ("do what ye will"), but they also condition it. This is how complete freedom is turned into relative freedom.

Relative Freedom - What Does It Imply?

When talking about relative freedom in the context of morals, the central topic is free will. Free will is that which enables every person do decide what they are going to do and what they aren't. Through this, a person takes on a certain amount of moral responsibility towards him/herself and their surroundings because their every action can and will have a reaction.

Within philosophy, there are two prominent, contrary systems which talk about free will. One of them is determinism according to which everything is predetermined. Therefore, a person's free will and human activity have no effect whatsoever. In this sense, free will doesn't even exist. A contrary belief system is indeterminism which speaks of the existence of absolute free will. That is to say, people can do anything they want because causal reactions do not exist. It's also worth mentioning predestination which is very similar to determinism, but according to predestination, God is the one that decides the fate of everybody and everything.

Pagans are somewhere in between these two extremes because they mainly believe that free will exists, but as a part of a determined world. This could be called the philosophy of compatibilism. Since Paganism doesn't have a strictly prescribed moral codex, opinions may vary, but no one opinion will go to extremes. But even Pagans believe in some sort of conditioning. This can be seen in the Pagan version of the golden rule which, although it confirms the existence of free will, also posts a condition for its existence (" 'an ye harm none"). Our actions, lives and fates generally can be conditioned by many factors; some of them will be external (the world around us, general life conditions in which we find ourselves, or the surroundings into which we are born), and others will be eternal (we can condition ourselves). In this sense, a condition is something that we cannot influence. But this is why all the things that we can influence are subjected to our free will. Nevertheless, we mustn't let ourselves get drunk with free will and in the process stop thinking about the repercussions of our actions. Remember that free will and moral responsibility are inevitably linked together.

Karma - As You Sow, So Shall You Reap

The principle of karma comes from Indian philosophy and primarily speaks of moral retribution. Simply put, every action has a consequence (the law of cause and effect), or rather every action has a reaction. A more common way to put it is: "As you sow, so shall you reap". If this saying is taken literally, it is easy to conclude that the land will not yield tomatoes unless a person first plants them.

Any individual's free will and thus their intentions, play a key role in karma. Namely, people have several choices in any given moment of their life - to do something or not do something. The intention (the final goal, meditating on the path that should be taken) and free will (the very act of choosing a path) define the further development of the situation/life. For example, person X has the intention to go to work that day and decides to do so of their own free will. This person chose one path (a different path would be not going to work, for example). By deciding to go to work, he/she opened many more doors and an myriad of repercussions of this decision. Maybe person X gets a raise at work that day but if he/she hadn't had gone to work, that wouldn't have happened.

One could say that karmic outcomes can be seen in the future (be it the near of distant future). According to Indian philosophy, they can even occur in another lifetime because the notion of karma originally implies the belief in reincarnation (rebirth). Pagans are divided on this topic because some believe that the repercussions of an action have to be visible in the lifetime during which the action was done, while others believe that they can be passed on from life to life (which agrees with Indian philosophy).

Still, Pagans almost always agree with Indian philosophy when it comes to one thing - that every cause (action) has to have a proportionate repercussion (reaction). This repercussion doesn't have to be of the same nature, but it has to correspond to the cause proportionally. This is how balance in the universe as well as the state of cosmos (order) are maintained.

Before this was brought into awareness, a large number of Pagans believed in the Threefold Law which originates from Wicca. According to this "law", the reactions to an action are three times as large as the action itself. For example, if a person does something good, he will receive something three times better. Equally, if they do something bad, they will receive something three times worse in return. Doreen Valiente, Gardner's student, High Priestess and friend (who some see as the mother of Wicca) claimed that too many people had understood Gardner's theory too literally and that too many misinterpretations appeared after this. It simply doesn't make sense that one type of karma applies for Wiccans/witches and another type for everyone else. This rule isn't logical in a secular respect either because, if we go back to the aforementioned example, why would a person's land yield three times as many tomatoes as that person planted?

Either way, karmic reactions are the fruit of conscious actions and choices. The key word here is "conscious" because what we do unconsciously we also don't do with intention. Also, we don't include the factor of free will or active choice-making in the mix. And we have established that intention and free will are essential for the existence of karma.

But what's the whole point of being conscious of the effects of karma? Karma is there to remind us that our every action (or perhaps non-action) has an influence on us and our surroundings. This is why we should be careful about what we do (or do not) do. In addition to this, it's always good to have in mind the golden rule which essentially speaks of basic human values and what our parents teach while we are little - love others (or at least respect them), do what you can for your surroundings, take care of your loved ones, be honest, help those that are weaker and so on. Through all this, an individual develops a sense of responsibility towards him/herself, towards others but also towards their surroundings (Mother Earth).

We could summarize this in the following few sentences:

"Pagan ethics can be compared to a tree which has several big branches. (...) Everything starts with love. Love is the tree out of which the first branch grows: our respect and adoration of the cosmos (order, unity, harmony) from which stem beauty and an affinity towards aesthetics. The second branch is absolute freedom which sends the message that everyone should do what their will tells them to do. The third branch is relative freedom, that is conscious restriction of our own freedom with the freedom of others. This is the principle of nonviolence (harm none). The fourth branch is the branch of compassion, that is the feeling of obligation to help someone who is in distress. The fifth is the branch of avoiding false sentiments and giving up on the people that don't deserve either help or compassion. By doing this, you are actually protecting yourself, which is your most sacred duty. This is how Pagan ethics is entirely rounded and complete." (translation, Iolar, p. 223)

SOURCES:

1. FARRAR, JANET. FARRAR, STEWART. A Witches' Bible: The Complete Witches' Handbook. London: Robert Hale Ltd. 1984.
2. IOLAR. Paganizam u teoriji i praksi: doktrina paganizma (knjiga 1). Zagreb: Despot Infinitus d.o.o. 2013.*
3. VALIENTE, DOREEN. Witchcraft for Tomorrow. London: Robert Hale Ltd. 1978.

*Iolar's books were only published in Croatian and there is no translation of them (yet), but the group title of the three volumes is "Paganism in Theory and Practice". The full title of volume 1 is "Paganism in Theory and Practice: the Doctrine of Paganism".

Intro to Neopaganism

This post was originally written as an article for the magazine Puni Mjesec (Full Moon). Although the magazine probably won't be of much use to you since it is in Croatian, I hope this post will! I believe it could be valuable to anyone who just came across the notions of Paganism and Neopaganism. This is why I decided to share the article with you on my blog (as well as translate it).

Spirituality or Religion?

When people first hear about Neopaganism, they often ask themselves where Pagans celebrate their festivals, who leads the rituals, whether or not there are any rules, a certain hierarchy, or sacred texts which define this and so on. It would be very simple to answer all of these questions if Neopaganism were a religion, but it isn't. Many Pagans will say that it is a spiritual path, or perhaps a way of life. In any case, Neopaganism cannot be called a religion because of several reasons.

Namely, organized religions have strictly defined ceremonial rules, specified places of worship, spiritual leaders (and thus a hierarchy) as well as sacred texts. Neopaganism is much more flexible. Individuals and groups can celebrate in both opened and closed spaces and usually don't have a single "right" place where they meet (i.e. a single place of worship). Some basic ceremonial frameworks do exist, but they can be adapted to the needs of each individual/group. Depending on the denomination, Neopagans can choose one, or more people which will lead the rituals. But what usually happens is that different people lead different kinds of rituals. In addition to this, Pagans often write their own rituals and do not have a sole sacred text, or strictly defined sacred texts. There is only one rule that all Neopagans know and respect in one form or another. In its shortest form, it goes like this: "Harm none".

What is Neopaganism Based on?

Essentially, Neopaganism is a spiritual path which puts emphasis on the celebration of nature and fertility. Pagans understand these notions completely, that is to say, they celebrate nature in the full sense of the word (both its "good" and "bad" sides) and also acknowledge all aspects of fertility (the fertility of humans, animals, the earth, the human mind etc.). Fertility and creation, which can be understood as meaning the same thing, are embodied in the central figures of Neopaganism.

The God and the Goddess

These two figures, though one could understand them as archetypes, embody fertility, creation and all aspects of humanity and nature. They are the male and female poles/genders (but not necessarily sexes) which stand at the very core of creation. They have several faces, as does any human being or any force of nature. They were anthropomorphized in order to facilitate communication for people, but they can also be understood as nature itself.

Pagans usually mention two aspects of the God: the Horned God and the Green Man. The Horned God is at his best during the winter months and represents male sexuality, strength, hunting, the wild and animals (which is why he is almost always depicted with antlers). The Green Man is the Horned God's summer counterpart. He is no less manly or strong, but he is slightly more gentle because he represents the beauty of the summer months and all of nature's foliage. These two aspects are also known under two other names: the Holly Kind (an equivalent of the Horned God) and the Oak King (an equivalent of the Green Man). Holly, in this context, symbolizes evergreen trees and the winter months in general, whereas oak symbolizes deciduous trees and, by contrast, all the verdure that predominates during spring and summer. But regardless of his aspect, the God symbolizes the male polarity and the power of the Sun without which life on Earth would not exist.

The horned figure from the Gunderstrup cauldron 

(it is often taken to be a symbol of the Horned God), 

cca. 200BCE-300CE

Emily Balivet - 

The Oak King, 2010.

The Goddess has three visible faces, which is why she is often called the Triple Goddess. Nevertheless, some also acknowledge her hidden face. She is the Maiden, Mother and Crone, in which she symbolizes all of the phases of womanhood, but also has the face of the Dark Goddess. All of the above mentioned aspects correspond to the phases of the Moon (Maiden - waxing moon/first quarter; Mother - full Moon; Crone - waning Moon/the last quarter, the Dark Goddess - new Moon). This is because the Goddess herself symbolizes the female polarity and the Moon which has its own strong effects on mankind.

As Neopaganism doesn't prescribe exact rules when it comes to worship, or even understanding deities, some people understand the God and Goddess as two figures, as described in the previous paragraphs, but a large number of Pagans perceive them differently. Some Pagans will believe that the God and Goddess represent two separate poles of nature, some will see them as two sides of the same coin (i.e. nature/creation). Some will adopt the polytheistic system of belief and acknowledge several gods/goddesses (sometimes even from different pantheons) as the faces of the God/Goddess, or perhaps as completely separate aspects of nature. All in all, the divine power is seen by practically all Pagans as the embodiment of nature and the act of creation.

The Wheel of the Year

Pagans perceive the year as a wheel that is constantly turning; it therefore represents rebirth and eternal cycles. This wheel has eight spokes which represent the eight Pagans festivals, that is Sabbats which can be divided into solar and fire/land festivals. The two solstices and two equinoxes fall under the category of solar festivals (Yule, Ostara, Litha and Mabon), and the fire/land festivals (can be found about midway between each of the solar festivals. They generally celebrate some agrarian aspect (such as sowing or reaping), which is how they got their name. Pagans have special names for each of these celebrations, as well as a determined and widely-accepted date:

SABBAT	PRONUNCIATION	DATE
Yule	/jul/	21/22.12.
Imbolc	/imbolk/	2.2.
Ostara	/ostara/	20.3.
Beltane	/beltein/	1.5.
Litha	/liθa/	20./21.6.
Lughnasadh/Lammas	/lunasa/, /lamas/	31.7./1.8.
Mabon	/meibon/	22./23.9.
Samhain	/sowen/	31.10.

Yule (a.k.a. the winter solstice) represents the beginning of the Pagan year and also the beginning of winter when the Sun starts regaining its strength and days slowly begin to get longer (this is why Pagans celebrate the rebirth of the Sun on this day). Imbolc is the first fire festival of the year and marks the midway point between winter and spring, which is why Pagans celebrate fire on this day (and through it the strength of the Sun) which brings warmth and melts snow. Ostara (a.k.a. the spring equinox) marks the first day of spring and the return of fertility. Beltane is a fire festival that marks the peak of spring as well as fertility. Litha, the summer solstice, marks the beginning of summer, symbolizes the full strength of the Sun but also the oncoming slow decline of the Sun's strength. Lughnasadh is the first of three harvest festivals to come; it marks the first harvest during which we celebrate the earth's abundance and gifts. It therefore falls under the category of fire/land Sabbats. Mabon (a.k.a. the autumn equinox) is the second of the three harvest festivals. It is the time of the second harvest which is also the time of the slow decline of the Sun's power, the nearing of the end of the year and, with it, a time of rest with all the fruits of one's labor. Samhain is the final Sabbat int he Pagan Wheel of the Year, which is why it symbolizes the end of the year, the symbolic death and soon-to-come rebirth and ending of one cycle (which is why many Pagans celebrate their New Year on this day).

The Sabbats essentially represent natural cycles and activities and the general state of nature (that of humans, animals and plants i.e. the land). This is why they perfectly fit into the Pagan worldview which places nature and fertility in the foreground.

The Wheel of the Year with pictorial and textual descriptions and associations
Symbols: flame=fire/land festivals; wheat=harvest festival; moon symbols=the appropriate
aspect of the Goddess which is celebrated at this time
Notes: the name of each Sabbat is colored in a corresponding color, the wheel is divided
into four parts (the four seasons), the red and green semicircles signify the
old Pagans divison of the year (the green semicircle=summer months/summer; the green
semicircle=winter months/winter), the dashed line marks another old Pagan division of
the year in which Samhain marked the beginning of winter, and Beltane the
beginning of summer.

And those are the basics of Paganism! :) I hope that they proved useful to you. Don't hesitate to look around on my blog because you will come across posts that cover each of these topics separately. For example, in the "Sabbats" section of the blog, you can read about each of the Sabbats in detail. In the Witch's Glossary, you can find many terms from this post as well as many more that you may come across in this context. What's best is that they are all explained in one short paragraph (each). Feel free to explore my other posts if this topic interests you. Happy reading!

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat

International Workers' Day, Walpurgis Night and Beltane Have Nothing to Do with Satanism!

Slavic Rodnovers in Russia raising an idol
(i.e. a "kumir") for George's Day (Jurjevo)

May Day (May 1) has always been celebrated in Paganism as the day of fertility and the culmination of spring. All of my loved ones know that I celebrate this date under the name of Beltane. And so I received a link on Facebook from a local newspaper (or rather a national one) which was written by a Zrinka K. and is entitled (in translation) "THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT INTERNATIONAL WORKERS' DAY: Do not be deceived, on this day everyone bows down to Lucifer by celebrating Walpurgis Night, the most demonic holiday of the year" (you can read the full article here, but it is in Croatian). I have tried to find similar articles in English but didn't manage to, so I hope you will take my word for what is said in the articles I will mention in this post. Anyway, the title isn't the least bit practical because of its length, but it will catch a lot of looks. I couldn't resist reading the article and by the time I came to the end, I was beside myself with anger. I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry. Of course, I knew that my friends had sent me the link as a joke, but I was also aware that many people would take it seriously.

I have to admit that I was very sad to find out that I was right. Only two days after reading the article, I was talking to a few colleagues of mine and we came upon the topic of International Workers' Day. They are all Catholic (I know this because we are also friends). One of them said that May Day and Walpurgis Night are Satanistic celebrations. It was clear that she really meant what she was saying so I interrupted her to explain where Walpurgis Night even got its name, although I didn't go into too many details.

Inspired by the aforementioned discussion, I decided to write this post in the hopes that everyone that read this and similar articles will stop blindly believing everything they read in them and so that those that have not heard the other side of the story yet will finally get a chance to hear it. 

I found similar articles to the one by Zrinka K. all over the Internet simply by Google searching the key words, so you can feel free to search for yourself. In any case, all of the articles I came across (most of them in Croatian, admittedly) say the same things:

1. That International Workers' Day is a cover-up for the Pagan and/or Satanistic holidays of Beltane and/or Walpurgis Night
2. That Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, is directly connected to these celebrations
3. That the Illuminati (and I will directly translate what Zrinka K. said in her article) "organized the protest in Chicago and the conflict between the workers and the police on May 1, 1886" (this is a typical conspiracy theory if you ask me, and the author could have at least written the correct date of this protest which was on May 4).

The inconsistency of these authors throughout their articles particularly bothered me because they say that Beltane is a Pagan celebration, and then they call it Satanistic. They also claim that Beltane and Walpurgis Night are the same thing and later on differentiate them. Thus, I would like to explain that neither Beltane nor Walpurgis Night are Satanistic celebrations and that they aren't even the same holiday.

This specific new website additionally disappointed me because they obviously allow copy-pasting entire paragraphs of text from one article to another. I remember that I read a similar article last year, but I simply decided to ignore it at the time. The article I am referring to was written by Mladen Prenc in 2013 and is entitled (in translation) "International Workers' Day: Did you know that it is the birthday of the Illuminati and also a Satanistic celebration?" (original link here). It is evident that Ms Zrinka took the easiest route and simply copied a few whole paragraphs from this article and used them in her own text. This is extremely unprofessional behavior which is reason alone why this article should not be taken seriously. I am obviously not well-informed about how the media functions because, in the academic world, plagiarism is harshly punished.

I also find it disturbing when these sorts of "professional" websites neglect to check their spelling. It is expected that any respectable website will check grammar and spelling of all articles before publishing them, but this site obviously does not wish to be taken seriously and does not care for itself as I found large amounts of mistakes in both articles. In the Croatian version, even Walpurgis Night is misspelled (throughout the articles and even in the titles!). 

The History and Meaning of Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis Night was named after Saint Walburga (or Walpurga), a nun from Wimbourne in England who lived in the 8th century. She devoted her life to missionary work in Germany where she established a monastery and was well-known for her good deeds. Given her background, the original name of this holiday is in German - Walpurgisnacht. As is expected of a saint, she was pure, enlightened and mild-mannered. According to the Roman Catholic calendar, May 1 is dedicated to her because she was canonized on this date. Walpurgis Night is simply the eve of this day (i.e. the night of April 30 to May 1). But in 1955, Pope Pius XII dedicated this day to Saint Joseph the Worker thus supporting all workmen and creating a counterpoise for a communist holiday which was celebrated on the same date (as he was strongly opposed to communism). 

The main question that has to be asked now is how Saint Walpurga was connected to witches, Pagan celebrations and even Satanistic practices? This connection fascinates me so I will try to explain it.

Medieval Misapprehensions

As is the case with most delusions regarding witches, this one too has roots in the Middle Ages and the witch persecutions.

During the numerous tortures that happened during this period in time, Inquisitors were able to get the "truth" out of the many poor souls they tortured. These "truths" were actually the prejudices and speculations the Church had of heretic celebrations (keep in mind that anyone who wasn't a Christian back them was a heretic). Those being tortured were forced to confirm all of these beliefs and confess to all sorts of ridiculous claims simply because they endured horrible pain throughout the whole "questioning" process. The tortures included breaking bones, cutting meat all kinds of torture devices that caused inhumane pain and psychological traumas that no normal person could endure. Simply put, the Inquisitors got the affirmation they needed by putting people in situations they could not get out of alive; they just had to confess to everything they were told. They were "let go" only after they confessed to everything, but this just meant that the torture was put to an end. They were still sentenced to death either by hanging or by burning at the stake.

Countless testimonies exist for these tortures and not to mention the numerous technical drawings for torture devices, the descriptions of the trials and tortures themselves and so on. Surely, the most famous work related to these topics is the Malleus Maleficarum which you can read about in this post. Of course, these testimonies cannot be taken as certifications of verity because they were gained through torture, that is by force. People will admit to anything when they are in such pain. In addition to this, the theories that the Church represented were absurd, at least from our perspective. Theories such as those that witches ride brooms, have intercourse with the Devil himself, eat newborn children etc. were widely accepted. Today, they are only proof of the misunderstanding of older beliefs and practices that were heretic in the eyes of the Church.

In this witch craze, many prejudices and misconceptions were formed...enough to fill an entire book. But I would like to mention only one at the moment; the preconception regarding sabbats. In the Middle Ages, witches' sabbats were synonyms for orgies, Satan worship and many other unconventional things to say the least, some of which can truly be called disgusting. The first time the term sabbat (or sabbath) was found in an inquisition document was in 1335 in Toulouse (France). Despite this, the word itself goes back to the Hebrew word shabbat which means "to rest" (or rather "to cease form work") and which refers to the Jewish day of rest (Saturday). This term was accepted as the name for any heretic celebration or holiday since, back then, Jews were also seen as heretics in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church. It wasn't until the 15th century that the phrase was more widely accepted and used only in the context of witches as well as all of the stereotypes and misconceptions that go with it.

It was believed that these witches' sabbats were held in hidden places - in forest openings, mountains or caves and only during the night. In time, maps were dotted with "notorious" locations of witches' celebrations and among them was Brocken (a.k.a. Blocksberg) in the Harz mountain in Germany. Some sort of synchronicity occurred because the German tradition of celebrating Walpurgisnacht was connected to the belief that Brocken is a traditional place for witch gatherings. The basis for this synchronicity was a certain date and a document from 1591.

German folk tales (I cannot emphasize folk tales enough) say that Brocken is a very mysterious place where witches (Hexen) used to gather from very ancient times. These stories were fused with popular celebrations of spring which were also held at the beginning of May. The most famous of these vernal celebrations is May Day which was celebrated throughout the world, and thus also in Germany.

It is worth noting that the witch hunts didn't get to Germany until the 16th century, which is quite late in comparison to the rest of Europe. But this delay was more than compensated for with the sheer brutality of the tortures that were conducted and by the number of accused that were burnt at the stake. One notable author on the subject of German witchcraft (and a strict opponent of the same), Johann Georg Godelmann, wrote an important work in 1951 entitled De Magis, Veneficis Et Lamiis, Recte Cognoscendis & Puniendis in which he said the following:

"It is widely believed that all German witches are carried, on the night of the first of May, in the shortest time imaginable, to the mountain called Blocksberg and Heinberg, in the Brusteri region, having first anointed themselves . . . . They spend the whole night in feasting and jollity, dancing with their lovers."

If nothing else, Godelmann affirmed and possible even prompted the beliefs about Brocken. They just continued to develop until they reached their famous culmination in Goethe's Doctor Faustus. In his article, Prenc mentions that Goethe describes "Satanistic" gatherings on Brocken, but we have to take into consideration the intention with which this work was written. The main point of this play is Christian; any soul can return to God because God will forgive all of our sins, but it cannot expect salvation if it completely gives in to Satan (which is what Faustus does in the end). The demon Mephistopheles leads Faustus throughout the play and shows him the many manifestations of Satan on Earth and urges him to do all sorts of immoral things. These scenes were intended to frighten the reader and thus turn him/her away from Satan and back on the right path to God. This tragedy has a nice moral message, but it still accepts certain stereotypes and misconceptions in order to prove the verity of its main point.

The conclusion of this part of the post is as follows: Brocken is not a gathering place for Satanists nor is Walpurgis Night a Satanistic celebration. Satanism and Walpurgis Night have nothing to do with one another because Walpurgis Night is essentially a Christian holiday. The celebrations that occur on Brocken are very modern and are the product of the aforementioned legends and beliefs. Such modern celebrations are only marked by people dressing up as witches, devils and similar things while any deeper religious meaning is found lacking. Still, this does not mean that gatherings on Brocken did not occur because this soon became an almost traditional place for vernal celebrations. If people sometimes went there to celebrate the coming of spring, this does not mean that they worshiped Satan. This also does not imply that they were Pagans, or followers of any faith at that. Maybe they were just non-religious people who went there with their families to have a nice picnic and enjoy nature. Not firm estimate can be made of how many gatherings have been held on Brocken. In fact ,this cannot be said for any place on Earth. One thing that can be claimed is that not all of these gatherings were either witch meetings or Satanistic ones. Such generalizations would be insubstantial.

You have probably notices that I differentiate the terms "Pagan" and "Satanistic". The authors of the above mentioned articles do not and I strongly object to this. In addition to this, they connect Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, to Walpurgis Night. But since many people do not know the background and the proper meanings of these terms, I feel obliged to elaborate.

Why Walpurgis Night and Beltane Are Not Satanistic Celebrations

As I have already emphasized, Walpurgis Night is dedicated to Saint Walpurga. I take my hat off to anyone that manages to connect this Christian saint with Satanism which didn't even exist (at least not in the form that we know it to have today) until 1966 when Anton LaVey established his Church of Satan.

Also, Walpurgis Night and Beltane are not the same celebration, as you might have concluded up to now, although they are celebrated at almost the same time. Beltane is marked on May 1, while Walpurgis Night occurs on the night of April 30 to May 1. In addition to this, Beltane is a Pagan celebration and Walpurgis Night is originally a Christian holiday which was later distorted.

What I am left with now is the task of explaining why Beltane is not connected to Paganism. This is a very old discussion which we one always stumbles onto because of misconceptions. Namely, Beltane is a Pagan holiday which celebrates nature, the spring, the fertility of the earth and also fertility in general (for more information, please read this post). But it seems as though Mladen Prenc has his own opinions on the subject which he clearly states in his article. He says the following (translated from Croatian):

"On this occasion [for Beltane], fires were lit and games and dances were held at the base of a pole around which colorful ribbons were tied. This pole represented the male reproductive organ. In these ritualistic games, there is mention of ancient demonic gods such as Vaal, the Green Man, Pan, Green George etc.

When they had fallen in a trance overtaken by demons, they held orgies until sunrise. As an extension of Beltane, Pagans also continued to celebrate Walpurgis Night . . . Walpurgis Night is one of the most important Satanistic holidays and often implies ritual human sacrifices to Lucifer!"

In Croatian: "Tom prilikom [za Beltane] su palili vatre, igrali i plesali oko stupa oko kojeg su vezivali trake raznih boja, a koji je simbolizirao muški spolni organ. U tim ritualnim igrama spominjali su i drevna demonska božanstva Vaala, Zelenog čovjeka, Pana, Zelenog Juraja itd…

Kada bi pali u trans obuzeti demonima, orgijali su do zore. U produžetku Beltana pogani su nastavljali slaviti Valpurgijsku noć. (...) Valpurgijska noć je jedan od najvažnijih sotonističkih praznika i redovno podrazumijeva ritual prinošenja ljudskih žrtava Luciferu!"

He correctly noticed that Beltane traditions do include lighting a fire (also known as a balefire), dancing and making the Maypole (which really is a phallic symbol and thus fertility which is the focus of this holiday), but the second part of the quote is completely negligible. First of all, the phrase "demonic gods" is pure nonsense. All mythologies of the world differentiate demons and gods and the fact that some of these gods are Pagan by nature (i.e. they have ancient roots and were celebrated in the context of fertility worship) does not make them evil, "demonic" or Satanistic. Even the first deity that Prenc mentions is misnamed. The god "Vaal" is actually the Celtic god of light, fire, warmth and the Sun whose real name is Baal. The Green Man is more of an archetype than a god as he has many other names around the world. The Green Man is the very embodiment of nature in spring which truly is green as green can be, in bloom and lit by the Sun's warm rays. This is why the Green Man is depicted as a man with a green beard, or wearing a mask of foliage and flowers. Pan is surely the most famous of the gods on the list. He is the Greek god of the wild, nature, hunting etc. He was depicted with goat's legs and horns precisely because of his connection to the wild but also to shepherds and their flocks. Just because he had horns, he was equated with Satan with whom he doesn't have any connection whatsoever; neither in their iconography, characteristics or mythology. Green George is another name for the Slavic god Jarilo; the god of fertility, spring and vegetation. He is celebrated on Jurjevo (April 23...rather close to both Walpurgis Night and Beltane, don't you think?).

No proof of demon possession or the existence of orgies is stated in either article. Beltane celebrations were your usual festivity. People would eat, drink a few glasses of wine, dance and have fun. As with every party, there is definitely a chance of someone going home with someone else, but this does not mean that any orgies were held. And if these people were possessed by demons then every person on any birthday party, wedding feast or concert should be exorcised.

The most drastic claim in the whole text is surely that human sacrifices are offered to Lucifer on Walpurgis Night. I would kindly ask Mr. Prenc to show me proof of this. Personally, I have not taken part in a Walpurgis Night celebration, but I have taken part in Beltane celebrations. Speaking from experience, I can firmly say that no human sacrifices are performed as I didn't witness any nor was I the sacrifice.

But just so that I don't come off as nonobjective, I have to mention that the anthropologist James Frazer talks about this subject in his work entitled The Golden Bough. He leaves the possibility of human sacrifices open but clearly states that if they ever were performed, that this was in pre-Christian times in Scotland. Nevertheless, this practice is obsolete and brutal. Reminiscences of such sacrifices have been preserved in other, metaphorical versions of the sacrificial rite. So in Scotland, there is a tradition that includes the "person being sacrificed" jumping over/through the balefire three times. The other participants then act as if the person is deceased, but things soon return back to normal. In other cultures, a symbolic sacrifice is offered to the fire - small pieces of paper with things written on them, woven figurines (often human in form) made from various dried herbs and so on.

Undoubtedly, all sacrifices that are performed at Beltane are not given to Lucifer or Satan. They are not blood sacrifices; they are metaphorical sacrifices (like I said - papers, dried herbs, some plant seeds in the earth as a gift/sacrifice to nature etc.) and nobody is harmed in the process. They were/are performed as a token of gratitude to the spring for returning once again but also to feed the Beltane fire. The Beltane fire needed to be kept lit as it symbolized the growing strength of the Sun during this time of year.

Still, I would like to make a few more distinctions between Paganism and Satanism just to elaborate more on the topic.

Paganism is an umbrella term that covers all the faiths and spiritual paths of the past which are based on celebrating the fertility of the land and the cycles of nature. The very etymology of the word "Pagan" gives indications to the roots of this spirituality which can be found in the countryside and in rural areas where the people were primarily concerned with agriculture. In this sense, the religions of ancient Greece, Rome and many other ancient civilizations can be called Pagan. Neo-Pagan faiths also exist. They are simply the reconstruction or perhaps adaptation of these old customs and the general mentality of celebrating the earth and nature.

Paganism existed long before Satanism. In addition to this, Satanism is a by-product of the Church, or rather a reaction of the many dissatisfied individuals with the austerity of the Roman Catholic Church. To elaborate, the Church forbade many things during the Middle Ages, including sexual intercourse, or more precisely, sexual satisfaction. It believed that sex was to be performed only for procreation. Taking satisfaction in it was strictly forbidden. In order for this idea to be enforced, the Church introduced prohibitions for sexual intercourse. And so it came to be that sex was forbidden on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 40 days before Christmas and Easter, three days before confessions or receiving any sacrament (and it was mandatory to do both on a regular basis), during pregnancy, 40 days after giving birth and so on. In short, medieval people were allowed to have sex only two months in the year. This resulted with general discontent and people starting turning to God's rival - Satan. This is why I say that Satanism is a by-product of the Church and Christianity.

Also, Satan is a Christian concept which Pagans do not believe in. Another idea that is alien to Pagans is the notion of ultimate evil and ultimate good such as Satan and God in Christianity. In this spiritual path, it s very widely accepted that everyone and everything has good and bad aspects and that the ratio of these aspects can vary. Nature itself is neither completely good nor completely bad, the same can be said of people. Even Pagan gods aren't seen as manifestations of pure good or pure evil because they are very anthropomorphic. This results in them also having good and bad characteristics.

Although, this turning of medieval people to Satan isn't Satanism in the real sense of the word, or at least not in the modern sense. Back then, Satanism was not organized and it was more often than not simply an expression of resistance rather than actual Satan worship.

When one says "Satanism" today, they are usually referring to the officially organized Satanism which arose when Anton LaVey established the First Church of Satan. This happened on April 30 (that is Walpurgis Night) in 1966 in San Francisco. Zrinka K. and Mladen Prenc notice this correctly, but they say it as a strong claim and not as a concrete, profound conclusion. They basically manipulate the reader into coming to the conclusion that Walpurgis Night is Satanistic simply by stating a fact or two in such a context, yet they do not give any proof to confirm this conclusion.

Paganism cannot be the same thing as Satanism because it is not centered around Satan (who is a Christian concept anyway) and it was not "established" even remotely at the same time (although Paganism was never formally established because it is not an institution such as LaVey's church; it is a spiritual path, a phenomenon, a way of life and a series of ancient beliefs). The fact that the word "Paganism" has been pejorized over time and came to be connected to heretics or ungodly practices is a very relative thing. Pagan practices are heretical only in the eyes of the Christian Church anyway. Then again, any other religion of the world is deemed as heretical from their standpoint. The word "Pagan" can be taken as a synonym for the word "non-Christian", but this does not imply Satan worship.

Non-Christian faiths and religions include Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Sikhism, but also Neopaganism and many others. Should all these faiths be equated with Satanism just because they are not Christina?

Therefore, Walpurgis Night and Beltane are not the same holiday. Paganism and Satanism are not the same faiths; in fact, they have nothing to do with one another.

May Day as International Workers' Day

International Workers' Day is essentially a commemoration of the revolt that occurred on May 4, 1886 on Haymarket Square in Chicago (NOT May 1 as both of the articles claim). Workers demanded eight-hour workdays, but the police reacted with gunfire. The affair, of course, caused many deaths and suffering, but it also inspired other protests which managed to achieve their goals in the end.

May 1 was set as the date for the International Workers' Day celebration in Paris, 1889 on the first congress of the communist Second International. This congress actually invited all workers to demonstrate in 1890 on the anniversary of the Haymarket Affair. It wasn't until 1904 that the International Socialist Conference invited all Social Democratic Party organizations and trade unions to cease work on May 1 in order to legally establish the eight-hour workday. They were obviously successful and May 1 was pronounced a national holiday in most countries of Europe and on other continents.

The authors of both of the articles claim that the "Illuminati . . . using their great influence in America, organized the workers' demonstration and their confrontation with the police in Chicago, on May 1 1886" (as I have mentioned, this did not happen on May 1, but on May 4 of the same year). This is just another conspiracy theory. Of course, I cannot forbid anyone to believe in it, but I have to emphasize that the authors to not give any proof of this theory.

Mladen Prenc says the following (freely translated from Croatian):

"The roots of this theory can be found in the life of Adam Weishaupt, a Roman Catholic priest, Jesuit and professor of Canon law at the University of Ingolstadt, who was born on May 1, 1748..."

Adam Weishaupt is known to be the founder of the Illuminati. First of all, he was not born on May 1, but he did found this organization on May 1, 1776. In addition to this, he WAS NOT a Roman Catholic priest, although he was educated and raised in a Jesuit school. I believe that the authors got this information from sources in a foreign language that they did not understand all that well and simply misunderstood what was said. All in all, they are propagating disinformation or are intentionally making things up in an attempt to prove their theories.

Prenc also says that Weishaupt "strayed from the ecclesiastical path and started engaging with witchcraft and Satanism". He did not stray from the ecclesiastical path because he was not a priest and he was not occupied with either witchcraft or Satanism. Weishaupt really was a firm opponent of the Roman Catholic Church mainly because he though to be intolerant and bigoted. This caused conflicts him and Church members, but this does not imply that he practiced witchcraft or was a Satanist. In addition to this, the authors' claims that the Illuminati are a Satanistic organization is absurd.

The Illuminati were opposed to the Roman Catholic Church, but they did not worship Satan. They were not a religious group but rather a socially-political one. Their main goal was to enlighten people (hence their name; Illuminati = the enlightened) in the sense that they wished to show them that they can and should think for themselves. They were opposed to the Church because they believed it abused its power and controlled people. In addition to this, they were also against the government's abuse of its power and, among other things, they advocated equality of all people and equality of the sexes.

This theory about the Illuminati is similar to the numerous conspiracy theories which exist in connection to them and I have to admit that I did not find any proof of it whatsoever. But I believe that my task is not to find proof. This is the task of the proponents of this theory such as Zrinka K. and Mladen Prenc.


I suggest all of the readers of these and similar articles to completely disregard them because their authors just spread misinformation and use (or rather contort) those correct facts that they have to their own advantage. And just to be clear, there aren't that many correct facts in these articles. Thus, the authors do not provide the reader with a full picture and lead them to make the wrong conclusions simply by manipulating words. I sincerely hope that I have given sufficient information in this post to back my opinions as well as enough arguments to explain why I am so opposed to these articles. In case you feel that I have not given enough arguments/proof, feel free to contact me via the contact form or by leaving a comment on this post.

Until next time. Yours,
Witch's Cat

Paganism, Dual Faith and the Christianization of the Croats

A couple of days ago, fate decided that I should come across an article by Deniver Vukelić entitled "The Problem of Dual Faith as the Croatian Cultural Identity Factor". I really can't remember why it was precisely this article that caught my attention, but I am glad it did because the topic of the essay intrigued me so much that I just had to write something on it as well.

The central theme is obviously dual faith and I was surprised to find out how many meanings and implications this notion can have. I didn't expect dual faith to play a large role in Croatian history but I was once more surprised. This is why I am first going to bore you with a bit of history.

The Christianization of the Croats

Our story begins a long time ago in my home town - Split. I say "long ago" because we could say it has its origins even before emperor Diocletian who was a famous persecutor of Christians. But, I would like to begin with the 7th century because this is when the Christianization of the Croats is thought to have begun. Up to this century, Croats are believed to have basically been Pagans. What changed the course of events was the downfall of Salona which was the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia (the remains of which are in a small town called Solin right next to Split). It is usually said that Salona feel in 614, but it would be much more accurate to say that it slowly decayed (which can be proven by archaeological evidence).

I'm not sure if you're familiar with the fact that in this century (more precisely from 640-642) the papal throne was occupied by a Dalmatian - Pope John IV. He obviously cared very much about his people and wanted them to be baptized so he sent John of Ravenna (in Croatian: Ivan Ravenjanin) who was soon to become the first Dalmatian archbishop and the protagonist of our story.

A map of Salona from 1571 (Salona is
at the top, and the cluster of buildings
in the bottom left corner is Split
inside of Diocletian's palace).

At the very beginning of my college education, I learnt about John of Ravenna and how he was the one who turned all the Pagan temples in Split into churches. Keep in mind that I pass by these buildings every day...I still can't believe that the same forces I worship today used to be worshiped in them a long time ago. So, John of Ravenna turned the mausoleum of emperor Diocletian (who ordered the building of Diocletian's palace, a Roman emperor from the end of the 3rd century and who introduced the tetrarchic system of rule and who was also opposed to Christianity and a persecutor of Christians) into a cathedral. Imagine the irony of his final resting place not being turned into a church (!) but into a cathedral no less! Just across from his mausoleum, there were three temples dedicated to three different deities: Cybele, Venus and Jupiter. Venus' temple was destroyed, what is left of Cybele's temple is just the base (and is not situated in the basement of a building right next to the mausoleum and is not open for the public). Jupiter's temple has since been turned into St. John's church.

The entrance to Jupiter's
temple (now St. John's
church), Split

Therefore, by systematically cleansing Pagan areas and turning them into Christian sanctuaries, John of Ravenna began the process of Christianization. The first to convert were the leaders and other important political figures of the age (keep in mind that being Christian was a question of prestige back then and by converting, you got a ticket into the world of political, religious and economic tycoons such as the Pope and the rules of other countries). Some common people converted out of pure formality in order to facilitate certain jobs (e.g. trade), while those to which these factors meant nothing stayed loyal to the old religion (by the way, the term "Old Religion" is also used to refer to Wicca and I would say it is applicable to Paganism in general). So the peasants (lat. pagani = people of the land/farmers, look it up under "Paganism" in the glossary) converted much later than those who lived in cities. There is a logical explanation for this so let me please translate what Deniver Vukelić says in his article:

"...the Christian idea of the Kingdom of Heaven didn't mean much on an every-day basis to the Slavic and thus the Croatian peasant whose primary concerns were livestock and agriculture. The former rituals 'guaranteed' much more important things for a man's life: survival in this world, germination, growth, health, rain, sunshine and other necessities of the rural way of life which coexisted with the earth. To the peasants, their 'Pagan' beliefs i.e. their old natural rituals and traditions and Christian beliefs were complementary and not competitive regimes."

The relief on the
baptistery in Jupiter's
temple, Split (11th cent.)

Even though Christianization started in the 7th century, it was actively implemented throughout the 8th century (when the Croatian leaders converted) and in the 9th century. Christianity didn't spread everywhere equally as fast because of geographical reasons and because of the resistance of the common people in certain areas. For example, the region of Pagania got its name because the people of that region refused to accept Christianity all the way up to the end of the 10th century.

This leads us to the next subtitle but before I go on, I would just like to emphasize one more fact and that is that not all traces of Paganism were erased from the temples in Split (for example, obvious architectural forms of classic temples visible on the mausoleum and Jupiter's temple and also certain symbols which were later added such as the relief depicting a pentagram in Jupiter's temple which is actually a pre-Romanesque baptistery).

Dual Faith as a Result of Gradual Christianization

In this context, we are talking about dual faith as accepting two faiths which is only one possible interpretation of this notion.

It is obvious from the previous paragraphs that the Croats weren't converted in a day but that this was a long process during which overlappings, fusions and vanishings of certain beliefs occurred (a formal name for this would be syncretism). Even though Christianity had already arrived among the masses and many people had been baptized, this didn't mean that they had all suddenly changed their views on life because this takes a longer period of time. These people were only Christian on paper, but they hadn't yet fully converted mentally. Some even still practiced the old traditions which really were traditions in their own right; they were alive in every sense. As Vukelić says, the Church and the people "met halfway". The two systems of belief which make up dual faith in this case are Christianity and Slavic Paganism. If you are able to read Vukelić's article, you will find out a lot about the same situation in Russia and, as it seems, in Poland, Serbia and basically among all Slavs. Vukelić covers this topic very nicely and summarizes it in the following few sentences:

"The Christianization of the Croats was a one-off action which was performed by a priest using holy water which was poured onto a person or which a person was immerged into (various principal baptisteries exist from the earliest national dynastic period). This act signified the conversion from 'Paganism' to Christianity, from a pre-Christian life of the person to a Christian one. But one thing which is even more important than the ritual itself in the eye of Christianity is the actual transformation of a person who 'converts' and lives a different life according to Christian principles until the end of his life. This is why we differentiate these two things; baptizing as a one-off act and Christianization as a process of appropriation. Because a baptized person isn't necessarily converted."

The Domination of Christianity 

During and shortly after Christianization, two faiths were equally valid. This whole story wouldn't be nearly as interesting if one of the two faiths hadn't felt the need to be the dominant one and that was Christianity. 

In the beginning, Pagan temples were cleansed, adopted and adapted in order to be fit for Christian mass. This was a way of making the new faith more approachable to the Pagan masses. These were still the same buildings, the same sculptures and even the same/similar dates and traditions surrounding holidays just with a different background story. All of this existed to ease the devotee's acclimatization. The first thing that comes to mind is Yule i.e. the winter solstice and a Pagan festival which is celebrated between December 21 and 23. On this festival, we celebrate the rebirth of the Sun and thus the God (as the Sun is a symbol of the God) and also the return of spring and fertility. The Christian variation is Christmas which is held only two days later (December 25) and which also celebrated the birth of a divine figure - Jesus Christ. Even the Christmas tree originates from the Yule log (although this happened much later; in the Victorian period which you can read about here). The tree itself is a symbol of fertility which is once again connected to the aforementioned meaning of Yule.

To sum up this chapter, I was delighted by the thoughts of one person who was interviewed in Vukelić's article. He said this: "Well, probably the belief in two...accepting two religions as the truth. I'm not sure what dual faith is...probably something you use just to save your ass...haha so you basically publically believe in something everyone around you believes in, but inside, your believe what you feel." This really brought a smile on my face. :)

The Concept of Dual Faith

We have finally come to the main topic of this post and that is discussing dual faith in a Pagan context. I have already said something about one interpretation of this concept, that is dual faith in the sense that one accepts two faiths. Since this notion has remained linguistically undefined (i.e. its meaning has yet to be precisely define), it has several meanings which I would like to summarize. So, dual faith can refer to:

1. the simultaneous acceptance of two faiths
2. dualism in the sense of one's belief in two supreme deities (can be a side effect of the previous meaning)
3. ditheism (the belief in two equally powerful divine forces which are completely opposed to one another e.g. good/evil or light/dark, which connotes rivalry, competition and the opposition of the two forces)
4. bitheism / duotheism (the belief in two equally powerful divine forces but which work in harmony e.g. the God and the Goddess in Wicca)

It is worth noting that both ditheism and bitheism/duotheism fall under the category of dualism and that many forms of dualism exist. But since I don't want to bore you with the many subgroups, you can read more on dualism here. 

Dual Faith and Wicca

I have been asked questions about the possibility of the coexistence of Wicca and Christianity several times so far. So is it possible for a person to be Christian and Wiccan at the same time? Wicca doesn't forbid dual faith in this sense just as long as good intentions are at the base of things and while nobody and nothing is harmed. This is why you will often find people who combine Wicca and other spiritual paths in order to create their very own system of beliefs which makes complete sense to them and which they truly enjoy. These sorts of adaptation would be referred to as eclectic in Wicca (Greek eklektikos = to choose the best, if refers to the "borrowing" and combining of beliefs form various traditions/faiths in order to tailor one's own belief system which is adapted to the individual's needs). Of course, I can't talk about all the possible combinations of faiths because that would take up too much time, but I would definitely recommend you research what the other tradition/spiritual path/religions says about this topic and to which extent it accepts dual faith as an option.

However, when we talk about dual faith in Wicca, we usually don't think of its previous interpretation but mainly on the concept of bitheism (also called duotheism) and in some cases even ditheism. I would like to elaborate on this.

Bitheism in Wicca

Bitheism is a type of dualism which accepts the existence of two deities/divine forces which are not in opposition to one another. On the contrary, they work in harmony and have defined forms. Even though they usually take the male-female form, a situation can occur in which one deity is actually a collection of forces (e.g. all the forces of good) and the other deity a collection of the opposed forced (in this case, all the forces of evil) as is the case with Zoroastrianism. 

Duotheism, which I already mentioned in a previous post on Wiccan beliefs, is most commonly used as a synonym for bitheism because the focus is still on the two deities/divine forces. But there is a slight difference; in the case of duotheism, the two forces are almost always male and female while bitheism doesn't have to imply this male-female relationship. Also, these two deities (the male and the female) are usually equally as powerful. 

The most important thing to remember here is that bitheism doesn't necessarily imply the male and female forms of the two main deities while duotheism does. But don't worry, these two terms are used synonymously because the differences really are minor.

According to this, Wiccan could fall under both categories, although duotheism would be a slightly more acceptable term. The aspect of Wicca which best depicts this is the relationship of the Horned God and the Mother Goddess who, apart from their fitting into this male-female form, really do work harmoniously with one another and are equally powerful. Their perfect  harmony is usually shown through their sexual act such s the one in this figurine of the Great Rite (a part of the Wiccan rituals which symbolizes the sexual unity of the Goddess and the God. More on it here). 

Ditheism in Wicca

A depiction of the Horned
God

Ditheism is the belief in the existence of two divine forces which are usually independent (i.e. they work separately). This notion implies that the two deities are opposed to one another and that they are conflicted and in rivalry. The most common form of ditheism is that in which one deity is good and the other evil, although it can also be a light/dark relationship (note: good and evil don't mean the same as light and dark!) or perhaps winter/summer.

A depiction of the Green Man

There is an aspect of Wicca which fits wonderfully into this definition too and that is the relationship of the four aspects of the God in two myths. The first myth states that the God has two "faces", that is that he takes on the form of the Green Man during spring and summer and the form of the Horned God during winter and autumn. These two faces are contrastive because they symbolize two completely opposite aspects of the year and of nature; one symbolizes greenery and plants while the other symbolizes animals etc.

Depictions of the Oak King (left) and
the Holly King (right)

The second myth connected to the God is the battle of the Oak King and the Holly King. Once again, this is a symbolic battle between winter and summer (the year used to be divided into just summer and winter; summer covering what we now call spring and summer and winter covering what we now see as autumn and winter). On the two solstices, these two deities battle for supremacy and also the Goddess' hand. But the winner is already known. On the summer solstice (June 21-23, known as Litha/Midsummer in Wicca), the Holly King defeats the Oak King which symbolizes the fading power of the Sun and the oncoming cold months (recall the symbolism of holly, winter and Christmas). On the winter solstice (December 21-23, knows as Yule in Wicca), the opposite happens so the Oak King defeats the Holly King in battle. This symbolizes the return of the warm period of the year when the Sun (and thus the Oak King) is stronger and the days grow longer. 

The myth of the two aspects of the God
is often reinterpreted as a part of
rituals in which two men (who
play the roles of these aspects) really
battle (of course, all of this is
theatrical).

Nevertheless, this ditheism isn't complete because even though these four aspects of the God contrast each other, they also complete each other and bring about balance. The Horned God brings the cold and a time for the earth to regenerate itself with the autumn rains, while the Green Man brings warmth and pleasure but also a time of tireless work, drying of the land and so on. All of the aspects are necessary for there to be balance. We have to ask ourselves whether this relationship really is ditheistic if we are dealing with two halves which complete each other and which are necessary for one another.

I believe that it is these dilemmas which give Wicca as well as other Pagan paths their charm because they leave room for individuals to think about certain things independently, without dogmas and lets them find the most logical explanation for themselves.

The intention of this post was to cover the topic of dual faith in a historical and recent context while referring to Deniver Vukelić's article which really was a great inspiration to me as well as a source of new discoveries. You don't have to agree with either of our opinions and if you don't, by all means, leave a comment explaining why. I would love to hear what you have to say. :D

I also wanted to emphasize that syncretism really is a natural occurrence which shouldn't offend anyone. Cultures mix, languages affect one another, so why wouldn't it be the same with religions? Abstract notions such as religion or spirituality don't have fixed boundaries and I believe that the world would be a much nicer place if people understood this. "Ours" and "yours" don't exist. In nature, on this planet, the only thing that exists is "collective". 

I hope that you enjoyed the post! :)
Yours,

Witch's Cat