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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.pagan,talk.religion.misc,alt.religion.wicca,talk.religion.newage,talk.politics.theory From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (lorax) Subject: The Neopagan Network (LONG) Date: 14 Mar 1997 13:04:52 -0800 THE NEOPAGAN NETWORK -------------------- by Lorax of the Evul Wikkunz tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com ____________________________ One of the benefits Neopaganism has inherited, in having had an adversarial role with the Christian establishment, is the development of a healthy, effective social structure. It can most accurately be described as a 'network'. There are ten qualities we may isolate in order to assess the health of the Neopagan network. These qualities are: being segmented, layered, decentralized, polyvisual, facilitated, relational, amorphous, participatory, transpersonal, and ethical. ^1 The Neopagan community is SEGMENTED in that it is composed of self- sufficient individuals, interconnected through common workings. If we can value individuality and respect each part of the network while it contributes to the community, then neither parts nor whole are placed above one another. Being LAYERED, or composed of organizational levels, is sometimes mistaken for the quality of being "patriarchal" by sincere feminists. Yet this quality can be separated from hierarchy in that it need not be power-based. Being layered eases organization and functions as a tool which aids one's understanding of an individual's or group's 'degrees' of involvement. As implied above, some Neopagans manifest this layering through the masonic 'Degree System', which describes one's involvement within the social culture of the network. This may be correlated with awareness or 'attainment', but not necessarily so. The solitary may be no less adept than the fully-initiated witch, for example. Conversely, one who is 'fully-initiated' may be no more expert than a novice. The extent to which Neopagans maintain these layers, especially when distinct from the focus of political power, the easier will be the entrance of the newcomer. One can come to understand the nature of the social layers in whatever form and be directed toward those whose experience within the network is most extensive -- toward those people or groups most involved in the Art. What distinguishes Neopaganism from a hierarchy is that it is DECENTRALIZED. Cooperative parts work together to maintain the function of the entire network. There is no central authority which coorinates all Neopagan activities. Often referred to as a political weakness, decentralization is actually a political strength within a society dominated by hierarchic government. The 'democratic republic' is a more cooperative process than a totali- tarian dictatorship, so that, as Gaia's agents, we can become conspirators working for Her health. Decentralization allows an amoeba-like restructuring whenever elements of the societal framework dissolve or are removed (through death, attrition, conversion, etc.). As long as Neopaganism is decentralized then no organized assault can eliminate its spirit or its strength. There is more flexibility and durability in a decentralized social web. No piece is key to the cohesiveness, the health, of the whole. The health of the Neopagan community may be maintained by making sure that the web has no hub around which all else flows. Each person is the center of their circle. Recognizing the creativity in each person as well as that of the community will secure the integrity of Neopaganism. Another quality found in healthy networks is that of being POLIVISUAL or 'many-sighted'. Members of networks may have different perspectives about the Cosmos. An acceptance of many views can create a 'unity in diversity'. The ability to assimilate a variety of opinions while reaching common goals is a major advantage Neopagans seem to enjoy. This makes for a changing social milieu and a variable locus of authority. If we accept the idea that there is no One True Path and that all points of view are valid for those who may hold them, then dissension is bound to result. Yet if there is no standard against which this dissent is to be judged, then it must be absorbed into a social voice, emphasizing the variation in view based on position. This is precisely what can go on in healthy covens, for example, and the community as a whole, as long as there is no 'standard view' portrayed by authoritarian sources. Neopagans are bound together by certain shared values. No one viewpoint prescribing how to act on these values is accepted by all as 'correct'. The future of society itself will be determined by our effective cultivation and protection of many differing opinions within the collective expression. It has been said that Neopaganism is a religion of (sometimes WITHOUT) Priestesses and Priests. The value of this sentiment cannot be over- stated. Leadership has its place, but when it seeks to control, then the integrity of the social network is endangered. Cooperation and control are antithetical relations. Individualism and personal strength cannot be maintained within a bureaucratic pyramid-structure of dominance. Thus, FACILITATION, the participation and coordination of shared power, is imperative to Neopaganism. Leaders coordinate group activities rather than controlling the group will. Groups often need focus in order work efficiently, and Neopagans are no exception. Yet the health network includes these roles while it fosters the individual's ability to lead. If every member can lead magical or religious workings, then true cooperation can take place. Power and responsibility are distributed evenly over time. This dissolves any potential threat that charismatic leaders pose to the community. Their charisma translates to power only when those who follow them feel powerless and are unable to assume the leadership roles themselves. The leverage that traditional power-moguls have held over their subjects can be eliminated. Priests and Priestesses become facilitators, not static intermediaries between immanent deity and the worshipper. The emphasis on the value of RELATIONSHIP is essential to the successful network. The relationships among members and groups are dynamic and contribute toward the network's longevity, strengthening and vitalizing. Strong relationships do no mean that participants are invulnerable. On the contrary, truly meaningful relationships only come about through openness and vulnerability in a spirit of trust and love. ^2 As Wiccans are fond of saying, 'in perfect love and perfect trust', is a guiding principle that works in social as well as magical circles. It serves to promote the type of relationships that can transform the lives of those who create them. While endeavoring to reach common goals, our acceptance of failure is paramount, even required, for the health of Neopaganism. The strength of relationships within the community serves as a 'safety net' for social and magical experimentation. Such experimentation can lead to self- transformation and what is called the 'Great Work'. Challenging one another and exploring our boundaries in an atmosphere of trust can lead to inspired growth and surprising discovery. Cooperative strength lays the foundation for these developments. Networks that encourage a variety of meaningful relations will not only endure, but create a lasting environment of health. It is characteristic of Neopaganism that, as a group, it is an AMORPHOUS entity. Without strict boundaries demarcating 'us' from 'them', Neopaganism shifts in form, held together by its relations. This is also the sign of a healthy network, which shifts and reforms according to the needs of the participants. Cohesiveness is not enforced through strict codes or identification. It arises from within participants as a result of their shared values, visions and goals. The lasting identity of any organization within a community results from agreement on particular goals and/or ideas. When such agreement is no longer needed because 1) the community at large assimilates those goals which gave it form, or because 2) members change their ideals, then the identity will no longer be necessary and the form will vanish. This is exemplified in community Sabbats or festivals, where one group's members may organize a rite of seasonal celebration. Once this working is completed, then those who joined in creating that project with the group may move on to other pursuits, retaining newfound connections. The changing roles within Neopagan rite allow us to be leaders and participants at different times. They allow us to be students and teachers too, listening to expression as students, then translating our experience into expression in order to instruct. There needn't be strict divisions between our roles. Teachers can be students and students can be teachers simultaneously, in an open exchange. As this exchange erodes the associations of specific people with particular roles, then we may begin to appreciate the value of PARTICIPATION in the Neopagan experience, especially amongst a people-full of Popes. While some favor certain roles, the quality of role-flexibility, of full participation regardless of the role assumed, is an important one to networks. Just as a democratic style of government benefits from full participation, so the Neopagan community benefits by its members' ability both to accept the participation of others, and to participate to the extent of their interest. The continued value of both individual and society is integral to the health of a network. The One and the Many imply different perspectives which may be balanced within each of us through our words and deeds. We are each connected to the whole, and there are advantages in moving beyond the personal, into the TRANSPERSONAL vision of both our community and our place within it. To affirm ourselves and our society is a step toward powerful transformation. With all its personality-clashes, power-struggles and back-biting, the Neopagan community can be an exuberant, challenging and mysterious culture, just as capable of becoming our chrysalis as our wrestling ring. When we can accept the dissent and the unity in a decentralized collective, then we can begin to realize the true meaning of polarity. That opposites are united aspects of a whole is as true for societies as it is for metaphysical symbols. Through diversity and difference, shared values shape and give meaning to Neopaganism. Even if the shared value is in simply loving and venerating Mother Nature/Earth in Her various forms, this is surely expansive enough to provide a context for acting as a network. Once we recognize the value of the individual, their emotions, and the ETHICS which arise in response to these emotions, can be seen as valid expressions of natural will. To integrate them within a social harmony is the function of the healthy network. Neopagans can do well in this regard, taking many varied expressions of ethic and giving each its appropriate forum based on interest rather than influence, on depth rather than popularity. The future of Neopaganism is directly linked to its network-form. The network has been called "a twentieth-century version of the ancient tribe or kinship," and "a tool for the next step in human evolution." ^3 It can be both local and global, individually intimate and socially progressive. No controlling attitude over our mother is necessary, just as possession by any single part of the body is unnecessary. The brain, as an important organ, cooperates, coordinating within the bodily network to allow the entirety to function smoothly. Cooperating with the rest of Gaia through our networks can inspire harmonious and transformative experience. _____________________________ NOTES: 1 - These qualities were inspired by and adapted from _The Networking Book_, by Lipnack and Stamps, 1986, especially pages 137-154; a large portion of this essay was written in reflection of this work. 2 - _The Aquarian Conspiracy_, by Marilyn Ferguson, 1980; pp. 394-5. 3 - Ibid, p. 213. ______________________________ EOF -- see http://www.hollyfeld.org/~tyagi/nagasiva.html and call: 408/2-666-SLUG!!! ---- (emailed replies may be posted) ---- CC public replies to author ---- * * * Asphalta Cementia Metallica Polymera Coyote La Cucaracha Humana * * *
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