Listening to the Gods | Spiritwork | Forums

One of the central tenets of neopagan religion, and one I generally do believe in, is that it is possible to have a direct personal relationship with the gods. That you do not need a priestly caste to intervene and act as intermediaries, you can communicate with the gods yourself. But are all opinions created equal, when it comes to what the gods are telling us?

In neopaganism today, we have groups working with Lilith who tell us that they require women-born-women spaces for their rituals. At the same time, we have priestesses of Lilith telling us that Lilith is a patron of the outcast, including the transgendered, and would never approve of transgendered women being excluded from a ritual in her honor. Both groups claim to have relationships with Lilith. Which are we to believe?

In neopaganism today, we have groups telling us that only those of european ancestry can truly worship the old Norse deities. These groups are often described as practicing “folkish” heathenry. At the same time, we have non-white Asatru who seem happy with their chosen spiritual path and claim to have a personal relationship with their deities. Which are we to believe?

In neopaganism today, we have groups telling us that Wiccans have to “suck it up” and realize that “harm none includes diet” – ie, they must be vegan. At the same time, we have Wiccan groups who are quite happy to have chili at a potluck after a ritual. Both groups claim equal access to and support by the gods. Which are we to believe?

And last, but certainly not least, we have groups telling us that the gods no longer require animal sacrifice. And, at the same time, we have groups telling us that the gods do request animal sacrifice from them. Which are we to believe?

Personally, I’m of the opinion that one should apply a bit of critical thinking to see if a claimed communication with a deity is genuine. I’d examine the personal biases of the individuals on both sides of the issue. I’d also examine the historical data, using the same rules of UPG as Celtic Reconstruction does:

1. No UPG should contradict known facts about the associated culture, and no practices based only on UPG should stand as more than modern inventions.
2. If a belief or practice based on UPG does not contradict known facts, but cannot be verified within the same body of knowledge, it remains a modern invention.
3. If an instance of UPG fits rule 2 and also fills a gap in known tradition, it is probably worth pursuing further, through experimentation and research, to see if it can become SPG or CG.
4. If an instance of UPG that meets the second law is arrived at by people who have had no real contact with each other, it remains modern but is Shared (SPG). This means the group just may be getting somewhere interesting.
5. If an instance of UPG becomes SPG, and said SPG is then incorporated into the practices of those outside of the groups who first experienced it, it becomes a modern tradition.
6. There is no way for UPG to become ancient lore unless it becomes generally accepted and then is kept mostly intact for at least 1,000 years.[/list]

So, if I was going to rule on each of these issues, here’s what I’d find:
1. Lilith is probably offended by the exclusion of transgendered women from rituals in her honor. The group advocating exclusion has a very clear bias, and there is widespread SPG regarding Lilith and the transgendered and/or homosexual which does not appear to contradict known lore about her. In fact, it maps very closely to one of Lilith’s classical descriptions of having no milk in her breasts and being unable to bear children.
2. The Norse gods probably welcome worshippers of all races. Those advocating for racial purity in northern heathenry very clearly have biases against those of other races, and it’s not a coincidence that they are named after a german ethnic nationalist movement. And looking at the lore, the Gods themselves seem to have had no problem with mixing blood: look how many of them took giants as their wives. Look at Loki, a giant adopted as Odin’s blood-brother and numbered among the Aesir. Look at the Vanir who became part of the Aesir after their long and bloody war, one of whom was immediately named Priest of the Sacrifices for the Aesir. There just doesn’t seem to be any support for a concept of racial purity to be found in the Eddas.
3. Wiccans can eat meat. This one’s really a no-brainer; the Horned God of Wicca is specifically referred to as a Hunter by Gerald Gardner. Interpreting “An It Harm None, Do What You Will” as prohibiting the eating of meat is really somewhat revisionist, and along the same lines as reinterpreting “Thou Shalt Not Kill” in the Judeo-Christian tradition to include the slaughter of animals when in context it did not.
4. I think we’ve already covered my views on this one here.