There is this misconception in some areas of the Pagan world, that certain practices are ancient and traditional, and thus shouldn't be mucked about with. The problem is that many of these so called historical practices really aren't. They are practices that were put forth in the revival of modern witchcraft, and are inventions of the 20th century. Sure, many are rooted or based on earlier practices, but the idea that there is some kind of unbroken line of practice, from medieval times (or earlier) is just a fantasy.
It's a romantic ideal, that we are following directly in the footsteps of our ancestors, and for many people this brings a sense of connection and belonging that is highly valued. The problem is that it creates this false sense of tradition, and often becomes a point of disagreement when anyone wants to change things up or practice in a slightly different way.
I feel like the biggest issue is that there is a disproportionate amount of importance put on practices being authentic. And I think a lot of it stems from trying to portray a sense of legitimacy. Many of the other mainstream religions have practices that originate hundreds or thousands of years in the past, and it's like some Pagans feel that we need the same in order to be taken seriously.
But there is a flaw in this thinking, in that just because something is old (and unchanged) doesn't make it true or even a good fit to modern life. And if you look at other mainstream religions, they have had to alter their practices as well, as new situations pop up that require hard questions to be asked and answered.
I also think some of this stems from many modern Pagans not having even the barest understanding of the history of their own spiritual practices (let alone the practices of other Pagan paths and practices). I wouldn't consider myself a historian by any mark, but I still have a broad strokes understanding of where some of my practices stem from, and where there are big blank spots in the histories.
I am also not a believer in tradition for tradition's sake. I think having some traditions to retain a connection to our ancestors is a good thing, but we need to be mindful of what they are, what they mean to us now and what they meant to our ancestors. Some practices feel more attuned to this kind of introspection. Any form of ancestor work will tap into it, but also Sabbats and feasts and remembrance types of rituals.
What I don't think needs to be shackled by tradition is my everyday practices. The way I brew my tea (or coffee...), the way I cast my circle, the types of materials I make my tools out of (yes, I'm looking at you plastic), the way I keep my information and notes...these are all things that have changed greatly over the years.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a beautiful, hand-written and illustrated, leather bound Book of Shadows, but there is also nothing wrong with having a digital one. I firmly believe our ancestors would be fascinated with many of our modern conveniences, and fully on board to embrace things that make life better.
One kind of interesting one that came up for me recently involves tarot decks, specifically altering or breaking up established decks. Now tarot deck modification isn't a new thing. People have been edging and/or trimming their decks for ages (probably as long as there have been decks!), but it's become quite popular lately, and thus has received some backlash. Some people have gotten quite offended that people are modifying decks and 'ruining the artist's intention'.
I recently joined a group that is doing a lot of tarot swaps....creating brand new decks that are made of single cards from a whole host of other decks. These 'new' decks may even break the 'traditional' format of the tarot, not holding to the 78 card set that many are familiar with. And again, there have been people who have been horrified and outraged that anyone dare to 'mess with the tarot' as if it were somehow sullying the spirit of tarot itself.
But here's the thing....tarot evolved! It wasn't always the 78 cards that form the standard deck. There is a lot of debate as to when tarot decks first came into being, and where they originated, but if you look at the early decks, there is a wide variance in both the number and names of cards.
And it's not only the early history that has this type of variation. Sometimes decks will have their majors in a different order, or they might swap the elemental associations of suits. There are different styles of decks (like the Thoth deck), and even other whole divination card systems (like Lenormand). More recently some decks have added an additional card, the Happy Squirrel...which is based off of an episode of the Simpsons.
This need to cling to 'tradition' and insist that practices never change is something that will cause people to stagnate. Change needs to be a part of things or they are no longer living they are dead. And yet, the familiar is comfortable, and having some core practices that are recognizable to many different people helps facilitate working together and discussing what we do in our individual practices.
What we need to keep in mind is that we need to be flexible in our practices. We need to stop and think through our issues, and not just cling to 'the way things have always been done' because it is familiar to us. And we need to look into our history, so we can actually know how far back our practices are rooted....so we don't make claims that aren't true. There needs to be more discussion about how we build our practices and less arguing over who is right and who is wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment