Questions for Pagans Pt. 2

Nature-Affirming Pagan

Are you a Pagan because you are drawn or feel a connection with nature?

I often joke that I'm a very bad Pagan because I'm not outdoorsy. I enjoy nature as long as it's domesticated -- campgrounds, parks, beaches, etc. I have a respect for nature that borders on fear. In the wild I would be just as tasty to a lion as an antelope (and much easier to catch). I have been stranded in a boat in the ocean, surrounded by sharks, in the middle of the night and felt very small and insignificant under that dark vast sky. Hurricanes have ripped through my city. I have none of those delusions of grandeur that humans often have about our place in the natural order of things. No, I didn't come to Paganism because of any romantic reverence for nature.

Paganism has, however, increased my sense of connection in the world and has made me more ecologically aware. I think it's the natural byproduct of engaging in a religious practice that looks to nature for answers, but also the result of growing environmental concerns in America.

Do city dwelling Pagans find it difficult to practice in the City?

It's not difficult, but it's different.

Last year I spent a weekend with Pagan friends at their farm. Glenwood Farm is an intentional community and a pretty amazing place. It lies in a valley surrounded by forested mountains and two streams run through it. If that weren't enough, my friends have erected a circle of stones. Glenwood is a sustainable farm where the family works very hard and which provides a very real and tangible way to live close to the land. They grow fruits and vegetables and raise animals that provide food, wool, and skins and bones for ritual tools and crafts.

At the time I was visiting, October, they were starting to prepare for the coming winter, which is very harsh in western Massachusetts. They were pulling everything out from the gardens, getting ready to slaughter animals, etc. For them, nature is not some distant ideal and the Sabbats are not just symbolic or an internal process.

Being a city mouse, I may be more like an urban Roman than a tribal Iron Age pagan. My temple can't always be outdoors and I'm less connected to the food on my table. In South Florida, the seasonal shifts are not so dramatic as they do in more northerly places, but I am learning to become more attuned to them.

Questions for Pagans Pt. 1
Questions for Pagans Pt. 2
Questions for Pagans Pt. 3
Questions for Pagans Pt. 4
Questions for Pagans Pt. 5
Questions for Pagans Pt. 6