The Earth is a Witch: Ecofeminism, Deep Ecology, and the Pagan Movement

Appendix I. Myth, Metaphor, and Reality: understanding the God/dess

"It is all real, it is all metaphor, there is always more."

Wicca, and Paganism in general, is multifaceted and diverse in its perception of divine reality, as has been touched on in the main text. Some Witches, especially those coming from a radical feminist (Dianic) tradition, view the Goddess as the sole deity- image, whether seen as myth, metaphor, or objective being; others are radically poly theist, attributing objective, personal identity to the various deities of the numerous pantheons. The mainstream position in the Craft, however-insofar as it is possible to make such a generalization-is for a balanced polarity between "female" (Goddess) and "male" (God) energies. Even here, however, there are a wide variety of models by which that divine reality is understood.

One of the most interesting of these, and one which would probably be embraced, at least in general terms, by a significant plurality of Witches and other Pagans is that put forward by Pagan Way in the 1970s. This was a celebratory/teaching ritual circle in New York which served as an "Outer Court" group in which those interested in learning more about the Craft could do so without investing the commitment of time and energy required by those seeking initiation into a coven. For some, it also served as a point of entry into a coven, but others seem to have attended Pagan Way rituals for years without getting deeper into the mysteries of the religion.

Pagan Way defines three "Levels" of "the Gods of the Craft" (Fitch, pp. 11-12). Level 1 is "absolute Godhead-the level of transcendence, gnosis," at which level the ultimate unity of the divine nature is stressed; this could be seen as the level of philosophical or metaphysical monotheism. Level 2 brings out the "harmonious and creative duality of the God and Goddess." It is at this stage, most characteristic of Wicca as it is perceived by outsiders, that "the Absolute" becomes subjectively discernible through reason, emotion, etc., rather than merely via intuitive enlightenment or gnosis; at this level Wicca may be seen as duotheistic. Level three is the archetypal level, that to which "belong the gods and goddesses which are worshipped by the worldly religions"; it is at this level that Wicca and Paganism generally may be viewed as polytheistic religions.

It is important to note that these levels are mutually complementary and inter woven, not mutually exclusive; all are "true" as models or methods of apprehending the divine reality, the question is merely of the approach one takes to the question. It is precisely this awareness, succinctly captured in the "it is all real, it is all metaphor, there is always more" assessment quoted at the beginning of this appendix, in which lies the greatest strength of Wicca and Paganism thealogically. The recognition that divine real ity, like mundane reality, is multifaceted and diverse, and may be apprehended through a variety of means, may be disorienting or disconcerting for those accustomed to a "one, true, and only way" model of religious "Truth." It is, however, intensely liberating for those seeking both ecological sanity and an end to patriarchal models of dominance. The tripartite "levels" model described above is, of course, only one way of conceptual izing this mytho-poetic, metaphorical, yet on some level "real" truth; the point is that this model points toward a way of looking at the world which has the potential to be vastly liberating. Such models allow us to, for example, venerate this good Earth not as a means to a "higher" end, but as its/herself an epiphany of the divine reality; to seriously engage the archetypal figures of the ancient pantheons in seeking out their lessons (both positive and negative) for today; to experience and internalize the ecstatic dance of union of the (metaphorically, not literally gendered) "female" and "male" energies of the Goddess and God; to stand in awe of That Which transcends all our normal, human ways of looking at reality. Such models allow us to choose any of these ways, or all of them, to aid us in our quest for ecopsychic harmony, to help us-first in our own lives, then in the wider world-to reweave the web which joins humankind, Nature, and God/dess.

From:
http://www.spiralnature.com/spirituality/paganism/earthwitch.html

Last modified:
20-07-01
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