Pagan Planet: Being, Believing & Belonging in the 21 Century
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Pagan Planet: Being, Believing & Belonging in the 21 Century
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781782797838 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Collective Ink |
| Publication date: | 01/29/2016 |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Pagan Planet
Being, Believing & Belonging in the 21st Century
By Nimue Brown
John Hunt Publishing Ltd.
Copyright © 2015 Nimue BrownAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78279-783-8
CHAPTER 1
PaganAid and the Road to Social Justice
By Ian Chandler, Founder of PaganAid
The first seed that led to my setting up PaganAid was sown more than 20 years ago when I visited an agricultural training centre in Zimbabwe. On the way, I had driven with some Oxfam colleagues down a long road where the contrast between the two sides could not have been more extreme. On the right, behind the high wire fence, rainbows sparkled as the array of sprinklers pumped countless gallons of water through the hot African sun, drenching the vast fields of vivid green maize as they reached for the sky. On the other side of the road, the unfenced fields stretched flat and grey as the millet and sorghum plants cried out with thirst while all around the earth turned to desert. Same soil, same climate, but two different worlds. But what both sides of the road had in common was that neither were sustainable – they both destroyed the local environment and made people poorer. The big industrial farm depended on sucking up all the available water from the surrounding region and mixed it with tanker loads of fertilisers, insecticides and herbicides. On the other side, poor farmers tending their small plots were unable to afford irrigation, but were still being encouraged to adopt 'modern' European farming practices and plant high-yield (but high-risk) seeds that relied on plentiful water and chemical fertilisers, which they bought with borrowed money. Rarely were they able to grow and sell enough crops to get themselves out of debt and improve their farms and lives.
The training centre was radically different. Crops were growing confidently in the shade of trees, mulched with natural compost to keep the moisture in the ground and improve the soil, planted alongside flowers that repelled pests. There were no sprinklers and no chemicals either. Instead of fighting it, farmers were learning to live in harmony with nature. In Europe, we would call this permaculture. In Africa, it was simply described as rediscovering traditional farming techniques appropriate for arid lands.
I was deeply committed to fighting poverty and promoting human rights, but I also wanted to protect and preserve the environment. These two goals often seemed to be in conflict. Mainstream thinking on poverty reduction was founded on a model of economic growth, increased production and increased consumption. This project demonstrated that another way is possible, recognising that as poverty and environmental destruction are two sides of the same coin, to solve one, we need to solve both. The project did not have all the answers – poverty is much more than hunger and low incomes – but it was a window onto a different form of development.
Since then, I have been fortunate enough to see many other projects that link the relief of extreme poverty with promoting human rights and protecting the environment.
In Vietnam, I have visited schools that had set up their own tree nurseries to teach their pupils about forestry and environmental protection. They also helped fund teachers' salaries by selling young trees to the local community. I have seen mangrove forests planted on the water's edge that hold back the sea when the typhoons rage, protecting the people and their crops from devastating flash floods.
In Brazil, I have met the widows of tribal leaders who were killed while defending their communal lands from forestry and mining companies, and who still continue the fight to preserve their people's lifestyle and dignity. I have met families who for years had been living under plastic sheeting on the streets of São Paulo before grouping together to invade and occupy massive abandoned haciendas (commercial farms and plantations) owned by rich landowners, risking the bullets of the hired gunman who tried to drive them off. Working together, they built timber homes and schools, divided up the fields, planted hedges and trees, and grew their food in a sustainable manner.
In the 30 years that I have been working to combat poverty and help poor and marginalised communities to claim their voice, huge strides have been made. The number of people living in extreme poverty has more than halved. However, the injustices in today's world are still rampant. As Mahatma Ghandi rightly said: 'The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.' The industrialised world's addiction to growth at all costs, its craving to rip out and consume all the precious gifts of Mother Nature, is destroying the world we live in. The air and water are being poisoned. The land is being stripped of its trees and natural vegetation, the earth raped for its minerals. Countless species are being murdered to extinction, never to return. And many of the human children of Mother Earth and Father Sky are being driven deeper into poverty and suffering.
If someone has more than they need, and someone else does not have enough to feed their children, then where is the justice? And, as it is the rich who set the rules, is it any wonder that there is conflict? When just 85 billionaires have more wealth than the poorest half of the world's population combined, their ability to influence governments and capture the political process can go unchallenged. The radical Brazilian educator Paulo Freire wrote: 'Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.' I believe that to be a true Pagan, to live our lives with love and integrity, we cannot be neutral in the face of extreme poverty and environmental destruction; we have to stand up for what we believe in.
It is claimed that the ancient Druids were peacemakers, and we often call for peace in our rituals. But what does it mean to be a peacemaker? Peace is not passivity – peace is active. Peace does not mean the absence of warfare – peace means harmony. And peace can only come where there is justice. If there is no justice, then discontent festers, harmony breaks down and conflict erupts. In order to be peacemakers, the Druid priests of old were the judges, solving grievances and helping communities to understand their interdependence with each other and with nature. They were the advisors to the chiefs, encouraging them to respect the gods and spirits of the place, and rule in the long-term interests of the whole community, not just for their own immediate self-interest.
My Druidry is rooted in a commitment to social and environmental justice. I believe in honouring our ancestors, being inspired by their example, but also learning from their mistakes. I believe that all of Mother Earth's creations have an inherent value and beauty, equally deserving of our love and respect. Humanity as a species has been responsible for destruction on a massive scale, but individuals are not equally to blame or worthy of punishment. My love extends beyond the rivers and the mountains, and the flora and fauna of the natural world, to include those struggling to survive, fighting to feed their children and longing to live with dignity and security.
I also believe that to be a Druid is to be committed to service – service to the natural world and service to our human world. As the planet shrinks through faster transport and communications, that human world extends beyond our own immediate communities to all of our brothers and sisters across the globe. It is this belief in service that has driven me to work in international development for more than three decades, and ultimately led me to set up a charity for Pagans to act in solidarity with the world's poor and support sustainable development.
It had a long gestation.
As a committed Pagan working in development for both secular and faith-based charities (such as Christian Aid and CAFOD), I often bemoaned the lack of a truly Pagan charity committed to ending poverty and protecting the environment. Every time I asked: 'Why doesn't someone set one up for Pagans?' I knew in my heart that the question was aimed at me, but Iresisted the call for years.
Indeed, there were plenty of good reasons not to do it. Setting up a new aid charity would be a lot of unpaid hard work. There are worthwhile secular charities around that Pagans can donate to if they don't want to support a Christian, Muslim or Jewish one. Coming out as a Pagan in the charity sector might damage the income I earn as a freelance consultant.
I was also worried about whether anybody in the Pagan community would be interested. As I talked to more people, however, I realised that the majority of Pagans are deeply committed to social and environmental justice – locally and globally. Many are engaged in political debate and campaigning. Many more volunteer their time or give regularly to various charities. They recognise that we live on one planet and that our future is tied up inextricably with the fate of everyone else. If their boat sinks, so does ours. But more than this, they want to move beyond self-interest and be connected to others as part of something larger. They want a charity that they can identify with as Pagans and call their own, a trusted means by which they can support people to defend their rights and work their way out of extreme poverty, living with dignity and in harmony with nature, protecting the environment that we all share.
I also wanted the Pagan community to have an opportunity to talk openly about our values and our radical vision for the future, rather than just our beliefs and ritual practices, which tends to be the majority of the (mostly negative) media coverage and public discourse on Paganism. If we had our own aid charity, this could be seen as a sign that Paganism had matured, that we don't need to be defensive, but can hold our heads up with pride in what we are achieving across the globe.
Ultimately, I could no longer resist the call and started to take practical steps to set up PaganAid. I talked to many leading figures in the Pagan community who offered their enthusiastic support. Greywolf (Chief of the British Druid Order) and Mike Stygal (President of the Pagan Federation) agreed to join our small board of trustees. We wrote a constitution that set out our objectives to support sustainable development through funding appropriate projects in poor countries. We would promote an alternative model of development that was not based on economic growth and acquiring more material goods, but was about happiness and dignity – having enough to meet basic needs, but also living in peace and harmony with nature. As we got established, we would also campaign to encourage those with more than enough to live simply so that others could simply live and Mother Earth could breathe more easily.
We then submitted an application to the Charity Commission of England and Wales to be registered as a charity. How would the Charity Commission react to our proposal? Would they accept our goals as charitable? How would our Paganism affect our application? Would we get official recognition? Finally, we received our answer: yes, our application had been approved and we were an officially registered charity! There was no turning back now, and the real work began of setting up bank accounts and websites, writing publicity materials and planning our launch.
PaganAid may only be a small charity at the moment, but mighty oaks grow from little acorns. If Pagans around the world plant seeds of hope by supporting PaganAid, then together those seeds will grow a forest of fairness, where people live with dignity and in harmony with nature.
I have been working to fight poverty, promote human rights and protect the environment for more than 30 years. In that time, I have heard people's stories that have made me cry, I have seen destruction that has brought me to my knees with despair. But I have also met people whose dedication against all odds fills me with awe. I have seen achievements that make me want to sing and dance in the street. Now is not the time for us to give up on the future – it is time for us to decide what future we want, and to make that future happen.
To find out more about PaganAid or to make a donation, please visit www.paganaid.org
CHAPTER 2Castle Hill, Penwortham: An Alternative Story
By Lorna Smithers
Castle Hill in Penwortham is a magical place, in spite of the damage. Obscured by the bypass, partly built on by a housing estate, its holy wells dried up and covered over and its priory destroyed, St Mary's Church, its leaning gravestones and the motte are the only recognised features that remain.
However, spend a little time walking its old paths and woodlands, seeing beyond the Christian nomenclature and usurped seat of Norman rule, and another world opens. A world within and without the hollow hill; a world of wild fairies shut out and ignored, ghosts of water spirits who sang at the wells, a dragon power lost beneath.
Castle Hill's religious and military significance is well documented by historians. The effects of the predominance of Christianity, industrialisation and development on the spirits of place have not been explored. This is an alternative story, passed on by its spirits, by decree of the fay king.
The Alternative Story of Castle Hill
At the heart of the hill lay a water dragon. She awoke at the end of the Ice Age when the land began to thaw. From her giving womb burst myriad springs, carving gullies where mosses and ferns sprang.
At the hill's foot a thirsty auroch was the first creature to drink from the purest, most powerful spring, which flowed into a natural pool. The rest of the herd followed, then red deer, wild horses and the first hunter gatherers who built their nearby lake village beside the river of shining water.
These early people venerated the spring. Listening to its everpouring stream, behind it many heard the song of the dragon's daughter. It was rumoured she could be seen by moonlight. She first appeared as a pale woman, but look again and you would see her scales and glimmering tail. To this strange spirit the people attributed the spring's healing powers.
A line of Brythonic women presided over the spring, serving its spirit, meting its cures until their last representative was slaughtered by the Romans. This tradition remained in the memory of the local people. Therefore when the missionaries arrived they moved quickly in rededicating the spring to St Mary. A stone basin was built and a stone cross erected over the new well, inscribed with the Magnificat.
Over the years it became a site of pilgrimage. Strangers travelled from across the country to marvel at its picturesque glade at the hill's foot, overlooked by a canopy of beech, surrounded by ivy and primroses. Although forbidden, the healing rituals continued, evidenced by multicoloured floating ribbons. People immersed themselves in its waters, took their horses in with them. It was finally decided these activities must stop and the well was capped.
Throughout this time the dragon's daughter was ignored, yet she still gave, even though her spring was forced irreverently into a trickling metal pipe. Then something catastrophic happened.
The river was moved southward to make way for the docklands. The sandstone beneath the hill sealing the aquifer was breached. Down below the water dragon experienced an inexplicable pain. Writhing, gasping within the chasm, her womb imploded. Her features shrunk and fell inward, becoming sheer water sucked away through the shattered bedrock. The being of her daughters unravelled with her, shrieking backward into disappearance.
St Mary's well ran dry. Local people were deprived of their cleanest source of water. Prevalent whispers spoke of the bad omen, yet the fault of the developers was not revealed. There was nothing to worry about; piped water would be coming soon, for a hefty fee. The well was buried, out of sight and out of mind.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Pagan Planet by Nimue Brown. Copyright © 2015 Nimue Brown. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Foreword – Mike Stygal, President of the Pagan Federation,Introduction – Nimue Brown,
PaganAid and the Road to Social Justice – Ian Chandler, Founder of PaganAid,
Castle Hill, Penwortham: An Alternative Story – Lorna Smithers,
The Impact of Paganism – Fiona Tinker,
Squirrels on 'Shrooms: Divination in the Deep Woods – Hearth Moon Rising,
The Wild Sistas – Edwina Hodkinson,
Living Presence in a Field of Living Presence: Practicing Contemplative Druidry – James Nichol,
Living Ancestors: Honouring the Not Yet Dead – Jo Ashbeth Coffey,
Passing on My Paganism: Being Pagan in a Multifaith Home – John Halstead,
Walking the Modern Minoan Path – Laura Perry,
Magic and Science – Brendan Howlin,
Modern Pagan Life – Rachel Patterson,
Ancient Roots, Modern Faith – Morgan Daimler,
Passionate Paganism – Robin Herne,
The Path of the Hearth Fire – Sheena Cundy,
Authentic Shamanism – Yvonne Ryves,
Living as a Heathen in 21st Century Britain – Pete Jennings,
Memoirs of Sacred Purpose – Hilde Liesens,
Druid Living – Adele Sutcliffe,
Educating Hampshire – One Woman's Attempts to 'Normalise' Paganism – Arietta Bryant,
Druidry in Action – Mark Rosher,
Working with Tolkien – Calantirniel,
Health/Illness – Crystal Rainfeather,
Re-Analysing the Wheel of the Year – Frances Billinghurst,
Eclectic Paganism – Cat Gina Cole,
Lifestyle/Work/Relationships – Irisanya,
Unresting Castles: Trees in Everyday Modern Paganism – James Middleditch,
Living Paganism – Jay Cassels,
Work – Jenny Uzzell,
Druidry, Glastonbury, UK – John Awen,
New Year 2010 – Lady Laeynarrie Auvresti,
Lifestyle – Lyn Thurman,
Respect – Mabh Savage,
My Personal Pagan Beliefs – Marie Strang,
The Teachings of Children – Romany Rivers,
Mother Goddess – Rosie Weaver,
Political Pagan – Talis Kimberley-Fairbourn,
I Can't Wait – Rufus Brock Maychild,
What is that Hellenic Witch up to Now? – Samantha Leaver,
Being a Pagan – Scott Irvine,
A Slow Journey Home – Oakwood Leaf,
Turtle Story: Between the Land, the Sea and the Sky – Simon Wakefield,
Finding Time for Paganism – Sindy Leah Coumes Fitz,
Democracy in a Traditional Witchcraft Coven – Breaca Aranwen of Albion,
Pagan Parenting: Apples, Ancestors and Zombies – Thea Prothero,
Community Philosophy – Robert L Scott,
Living a Life of Contradictions – JR,
Turning Earthwards – Nimue Brown,