I hope everyone's June is off to a splendid and sunny, but not overly sunny, start!
To Share: Nothing from me this week, but a recent essay by John Carter of Mars on the (ahem) re-enchantment of the world might be of interest to some folks here: the pitfalls of designer religions, what makes for resonant myths, and where on the fringes today we might see proto-myths being born. Rather long, but I found it quite worth it: https://barsoom.substack.com/p/the-reenchantment-of-the-world
To Ask: You've mentioned before that during the height of the neopagan movement/fad, lots of its participants envisioned success as basically becoming standard protestant churches, only with more Gods and different songs (a building, paid clergy, regular service, associated community activities, and so forth). If this was only aping the conventions of wider culture, as seems like a reasonable first hypothesis, then it seems like a bad idea destined for failure, and the contraction of the alternative spirituality scene of the last decade plus might be evidence in support of it.
On the other hand, a while back, I had a conversation with another ecosophian that suggested an alternative, and I've been turning it over in my head for some time now, with no clear answer, and I wonder if you have any thoughts or pointers to books/people who might be worthwhile: might the pull toward that kind of model be something about the spiritual ground (whether literal or figurative) here in America?
Obviously we have a long history of weirdos having their own spiritual insights and schisming off to pursue them, as you've documented so well in your Occult America series, but it seems like the next-most-common American thing is for the weirdos (or some early followers) to rally as many folks as they can to their new, better truth, find somewhere to teach it, and put up a sign to attract new converts. This might be a topic for a post rather than an MM comment, but if you or the commentariat have any brief thoughts, I'd welcome them.
As always, thanks very much to JMG and everyone else here for all that you do.
The Reenchantment of the World and Question on the Protestant Church Model in America
I hope everyone's June is off to a splendid and sunny, but not overly sunny, start!
To Share: Nothing from me this week, but a recent essay by John Carter of Mars on the (ahem) re-enchantment of the world might be of interest to some folks here: the pitfalls of designer religions, what makes for resonant myths, and where on the fringes today we might see proto-myths being born. Rather long, but I found it quite worth it: https://barsoom.substack.com/p/the-reenchantment-of-the-world
To Ask: You've mentioned before that during the height of the neopagan movement/fad, lots of its participants envisioned success as basically becoming standard protestant churches, only with more Gods and different songs (a building, paid clergy, regular service, associated community activities, and so forth). If this was only aping the conventions of wider culture, as seems like a reasonable first hypothesis, then it seems like a bad idea destined for failure, and the contraction of the alternative spirituality scene of the last decade plus might be evidence in support of it.
On the other hand, a while back, I had a conversation with another ecosophian that suggested an alternative, and I've been turning it over in my head for some time now, with no clear answer, and I wonder if you have any thoughts or pointers to books/people who might be worthwhile: might the pull toward that kind of model be something about the spiritual ground (whether literal or figurative) here in America?
Obviously we have a long history of weirdos having their own spiritual insights and schisming off to pursue them, as you've documented so well in your Occult America series, but it seems like the next-most-common American thing is for the weirdos (or some early followers) to rally as many folks as they can to their new, better truth, find somewhere to teach it, and put up a sign to attract new converts. This might be a topic for a post rather than an MM comment, but if you or the commentariat have any brief thoughts, I'd welcome them.
As always, thanks very much to JMG and everyone else here for all that you do.
My blessings to all who welcome them,
Jeff