TWH – The 18th annual Conference on Current Pagan Studies took place from January 15 to 16 over Zoom. The conference is one of the few opportunities for Pagan academics or Pagan-friendly academics to engage in scholarly discourse on modern Paganism. The conference had 25 sessions. Some were experiential. Below are brief summaries of ten sessions from the weekend conference.
Pagan Culture
Orion Foxwood discussed “The River of Blood: The Faery Practice to Heal Cross-Generational Ancestral Trauma.” He described the Pagan movement as an ancestral movement, unearthing ancestral gods. Foxwood spoke much more poetically and graphically than is usual in an academic conference. He said, “We are boats of flesh on a river of blood.” We only see entanglements and attachments. Until we clean the great river, we’re just recycling trauma. Not only should we honor the ancestors, but also we must heal the ancestors, as we are becoming them. Cleaning the stream honors the ancestors. Foxwood then led the conference in a powerful guided visualization about cleaning up that river of blood.
Francesca Tronetti, Ph.D. spoke about “Creating Pagan Community Out of Diverse Practices.” She noted that Pagan communities consist of a large number of solitaries. One would think this would lead to fragmentation. That fragmentation, however, has not seemed to occur. Her presentation focused on why that has not happened. Tronetti argued that Paganism is a creative religion. Pagans do not debate who holds the ”Truth.” This pluralism of beliefs allows people to work together. Frequently, solitaries move in and out of groups and back into solitary work. Pagans are people of the Library, not the Book.
Jeffrey Albaugh, Ph.D., discussed “The Conflict Between: Contemporary Pagans, Divine Inspiration, and Participation in Late-Stage Capitalism.” It was more like an essay with observations than a typical academic paper with conclusions. He said that Jung considered creativity as one of the major psychological drives. In contrast, contemporary US capitalism has yoked creativity to material gain. Religion has become a commodity for consumption. Albaugh linked that concept to YouTube influencers marketing Paganism on the internet.
Jeffrey Albaugh – courtesy
Pagans and Pop Culture
Film historian and journalist, Heather Greene discussed “The Use of Pop Culture in Magic and Ritual.” She spoke about the increasing intersection of pop culture and Pagan practice. She compared the relationship of fans to their star to that of religious devotees to their god. Some pop culture media have given rise to what looks like a religion. Jediism from Star Wars may be the most famous. At first, fundamentalists attacked the Harry Potter books and films. Now, some fundamentalists view them as telling a Christian story. Oberon Zell has also used Harry Potter books and movies as Pagan teaching tools. Pagans frequently use pop music in rituals. Disney has even produced two or three Tarot Decks. Note: during Greene’s presentation, the zoom “Chat” appeared particularly lively and engaged, validating her argument.
Murtagh AnDoile spoke about “Folk Horror Revivals and Pagan Revivals: Cultural Touchstones, Interweaving Threads.” Folk Horror re-enchants the world. In doing so, however, the old ways take their cruel revenge. Folk horror relies on the uncanny, Fortean events, and urban wyrd. The latter refers to “the sense of otherness within the narrative.” Folk horror began in the 19th century with E.A. Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorn and continued into the 20th century with H.P. Lovecraft. Films in this genre include The Wickerman (1973 Robin Hardy). and The Village (2004, M. Night Shyamalan), among others.
Pagan History
Caroline Tully spoke about “Imagination, Creativity, and Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis in Contemporary Pagan Relationships with Ancient Gods: The Case of Hekate.” She discussed how the worship of Hecate changed throughout the 1,200 years of her active cult. Worship of Hecate first appears around 700 B.C.E. Archaeological evidence depicts her as a single or triple goddess, but not as a crone. In 425 B.C.E., the Athenians placed a statue of Hecate on the Athenian acropolis. In that stature, she had the form of a triplicate goddess surrounding a column. During the classical period, Hecate was a goddess of transitions. In the Hellenistic period, she became linked to dogs. Only in the Roman period, did she develop an association with the moon.
Denny Sargent spoke about “Animistic-Pagan Werewolf Cults in the Ancient World.” Sargent linked werewolves with human-animal shapeshifting and the more Dionysian side of Paganism. Sargent argued that among Indo-European tribes, roving bands of warriors identified as werewolves. Herodotus reported that werewolf cults were extant in his time. Mount Lykaion in Arcady had temples to wolfish Pan and Zeus Lykaios, both werewolf gods. A she-wolf sucked Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. In the Roman Lupercalia ritual, the priests of the Wolf God, the Luperci, would run through the streets of the city, striking people with the skin of a sacrificed animal.
Preparing for Death and Dying
Herleena Hunt, a death midwife, spoke about “the Role Imagination and Creativity Plays in Dying and Death.” She gave practical tips on preparing for death. People can leave their stories in the form of a keepsake video, legacy letters, or treasure boxes of important items. She suggested having a home funeral. Green burials include compost burials, green coffins, and shroud burials. She called for Pagans to reimagine death.
Kat Reeves spoke about “Death & Dying: Creative Transformation.” She stressed that embalming pumps the body full of dangerous chemicals, including solvents. Burial puts those dangerous chemicals into the earth. The sanitization of death changes it from a natural process to an unnatural and losing battle for life. Currently, people tend to go into hospice when they have few days left. Reeves argued for six months in hospice to give people time to prepare and say goodbyes to loved ones.
Guy Frost spoke on the theme of “Inspiration in Preserving Contemporary Pagan History.” Archiving preserves and stores the records of contemporary Paganism for research. Individuals donate their papers and other records to be archived. Several libraries are now collecting this material for use in studying modern Paganism. With digitalization and the internet, this material can go online. Once online, these records can be available to anyone with an internet connection. People can block some material from becoming public for a given period of time. Items of interest include ephemera, receipts, notes, and media as well as both published and unpublished material. Heirs may be unaware of, or hostile to, the value of Pagan material. Those unaware or hostile heirs have already sent parts of Pagan history to landfills.
If anyone would like more information on donating their records to the New Age Movements, Occultism, and Spiritualism Research Library, they should contact Guy Frost at gfrost@valdosta.edu.
The conference announced that in the future it will offer both face-to-face and zoom components. For those who are interested in the scholarly understanding of Paganism, the conference provides a unique opportunity for community and discourse.
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