Pagan, Shinto & Spiritual Book Reviews January 2017

 Mark Townsend, Diary Of A Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest

(Moon Books, 2013)

Last year I read and reviewed Mark Townsend’s The Gospel of Falling Down. While it’s not a bad book, I found it a little too focused on Christian teachings and the writing a little too disjointed for my tastes. I was therefore hesitant to read Townsend’s Diary of a Heretic: The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest. However, I am so glad I did.

In Diary Of A Heretic, we follow a year in the life of Townsend, who is a former Church of England clergymen. He is also a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, a practitioner of magic and esoteric spirituality, and performer of stage magic. In short, he is a fascinating person, but one who has been through some hard times due partly to his relationship with the Church. The Church approve neither of his criticism of the institution (particularly their attitudes to LGBT) nor his Pagan practises. Diary Of A Heretic documents Townsend’s trials and tribulations as he wrestles to reconcile his duties to the Church with his Pagan-influenced beliefs.

Like The Gospel of Falling Down, Diary Of A Heretic is billed as a book about “brokenness and failure.” But it doesn’t read like that at all. Honest and poignant, Diary Of A Heretic is filled with beauty. We share in Townsend’s wonder of the natural world, his fascination with the underlying spirituality of everyday life, his sincere love for God and Goddess, and his deep care for others. It’s also a genuinely interesting and enjoyable read, with some great insights into spirituality, encounters with other well-known figures in the UK’s Pagan community, and fun stories of Townsend’s life on the road as a stage magician. Far from being a downer, The Gospel of Falling Down is uplifting. It’s message is to have hope, even when all those around you hurl criticism.

Reading Diary Of A Heretic, I understood how Townsend has married the best of what Christianity and Paganism have to offer: Christianity’s emphasis on compassion and love with Paganism’s mysticism and exuberant veneration of Nature. Townsend’s Christo-Pagan path is a convincing and inspiring one, filled with the promise of a better way of doing things in which Christians and Pagans are not enemies but truly friends seeking the same goal.