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<\/a>Last Sunday\u2019s post Druidry Is Not My Religion<\/a> generated far more interest than I expected, some in the comments and much more on social media. Some of the comments flat-out missed the point. I didn\u2019t say Druidry isn\u2019t a religion. Clearly, it is for some people, and it can be a very good, very helpful religion. I did say OBOD isn\u2019t a religion. Some people treat OBOD as their religion \u2013 that\u2019s their business.<\/p>\nI said Druidry isn\u2019t my<\/em> religion, even though I am a Druid. The same is true of Paganism, polytheism, and Unitarian Universalism \u2013 they\u2019re all religious paths and identities, but none of them are my religion. Then I listed the things that are my religion: my relationships with the Gods, with other living beings, and with Nature itself. My values and virtues and the processes that refine them. The practices that support it all.<\/p>\n The fact that this seems complicated and even counterintuitive is due to our mainstream society\u2019s Protestant-influenced expectations for religion. We have the idea that religion is a set of exclusive claims that are either true or false. So when we\u2019re shopping in the marketplace of religions \u2013 something all of us do when we leave or consider leaving the religion of our parents \u2013 we\u2019re looking for something we can sign on to wholeheartedly. We\u2019re looking for someone to convince us they have all the answers, or at least all the important ones.<\/p>\n In practice, though, few of us sign on to the whole package of any religion. We\u2019re attracted by one or two aspects \u2013 frequently something as religiously irrelevant as a charismatic preacher or an active children\u2019s program (1) \u2013 and we ignore the parts we don\u2019t like. Thus you have Catholics who love the sacraments but ignore the church\u2019s teachings on birth control\u2026 just like you have Catholics who love the sacraments but ignore the church\u2019s teachings on war, the death penalty, and the poor.<\/p>\n If you believe one and only one of the world\u2019s many religions has exclusive possession of The Truth, then your only option is to find that religion and adopt its beliefs and practices 100%, whether you agree with them or not. Even if you don\u2019t believe one religion is \u201cright\u201d you\u2019re generally better off exploring one religion deeply rather than picking and choosing from the spiritual buffet<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not so simple for those of us following new and reconstructed religions. We don\u2019t have thousands of years of unbroken tradition like Buddhists or Jews. Jason Mankey says Wicca Is Not Missing Anything<\/a> and I\u2019ll take him at his word, but my own Nature and Celtic-oriented polytheism is missing plenty. The conversion of Europe to Christianity created a thousand year gap in the worship of the Gods of those lands and cultures. We have some stories (that were written down by Christians), the findings of history and archaeology, and a few odd practices that survived as \u201cculture.\u201d But we do not have complete, robust religions.<\/p>\n We have to build the rest ourselves.<\/p>\n The good news is that we don\u2019t have to build it by ourselves. The same Gods and spirits who inspired our ancestors will inspire us, if we\u2019ll only listen. The world\u2019s remaining polytheist and animist religions have much to teach us, if we\u2019ll approach them respectfully and with reciprocity. And we have the help of other Pagans and polytheists who are doing the same things.<\/p>\n This makes my religion (and perhaps yours too) an on-going exploration. I know the Gods who have called to me: Cernunnos, Danu, Morrigan, Brighid, and others. I know my experiences of Them and I know the lore surrounding Them (such as it is), but I hardly know the \u201cbest\u201d way to honor Them in worship and in service. How often should I pray? How long should I meditate? What should I offer to Them, and how frequently should I make offerings? What is the role of ecstatic communion, and how can I best facilitate it in myself and in others? What this-world actions best support Their values and virtues?<\/p>\n The only way to answer these questions is to do something, see how it goes, and see what results come from it. Talk with others doing similar things and see what works for them \u2013 this is why I spent so much time in the Coru suite at Pantheacon, and why I strongly support gatherings like Many Gods West<\/a>. There is no substitute for live conversation with your co-religionists, particularly in a setting that promotes religious discourse. We practice, we review, we talk with others, then we start the whole cycle over again. We\u2019re building (or re-building, if you prefer) a religious tradition, step by step.<\/p>\n Along the way, general boundaries provide useful guidelines. I\u2019m a polytheist: an approach that presumes there are no Gods outside our heads is not helpful. I\u2019m a Unitarian Universalist: an approach that claims some people are damned because of their religious beliefs is not helpful. I\u2019m a Druid: an approach that ignores Nature is not helpful. I need not explore every religion or religious technology in my efforts to rebuild the Way of the Gods, which is a good thing considering I\u2019m one person with one not-indefinite lifespan.<\/p>\n I\u2019d love to have my own \u201cchurch\u201d \u2013 a fully developed religious tradition and structure that I could sign onto wholeheartedly. I\u2019m committed to laying the foundations for such a tradition, even though I doubt it will be complete in my lifetime, or in the lifetime of anyone alive today. Until then, I\u2019m free to gather in many circles. I can attend UU Sunday services and OBOD retreats and CUUPS circles\u2026 and occasionally, gather with my fellow polytheists to honor and commune with the many Gods.<\/p>\n We\u2019re making progress. We know some of the lore of our ancestors. We know how to begin a devotional practice<\/a>. We know how to set up a temple<\/a>. We know how to make sacrifices<\/a>. We know how to embody the virtues of the Gods, and to live according to Their values. Most of the foundation is laid. Our job is to complete the remaining foundational pieces<\/a>, and to begin raising the walls and framing the roof.<\/p>\n What will this new\/old religion be called? Druidry? Devotional Polytheism? The Way of the Gods? Ultimately, what it\u2019s called is far less important than how well it\u2019s developed and how devoutly it\u2019s practiced.<\/p>\n
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