5th Phase Renaissance - New Religions 1940+
Perceptheism First Stated In Modern Times By Alcoholic's Anonymous (1940)
(July 6, 2022) Perceptheism is a mental framework which claims the details of the divine realm are objectively unknowable so all conceptions of the divine are personally valid as long as such conceptions are not claimed as something which others should believe. Monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, and atheism all assume the divine can be known in an objective sense and claim the other theisms are wrong.
This concept is found as specific examples throughout the ancient Druid rune texts and also in Greek philosophy in which a principle like wisdom (sophia) could be optionally perceived as the goddess Sophia. Yet Alcoholic's Anonymous seems to have been the first in history to state it as a general principle in opposition to the various dogmatic concepts of the divine. For this organization's founders, the establishment of a strong connection to Divine along with peer pressure was an essential aid in overcoming the power of addiction.
This conceptual freedom to view the Divine in a way most natural for each person is called Perceptheism. The importance of divine connections in the recovery of the alcoholic was well stated by George Little who wrote in 1948:
The distinctive novelty is that each alcoholic is allowed to choose his own concept of God. There is full liberty of belief and no end to the varieties of belief. Therein Alcoholics Anonymous differs from the churches which require belief in certain sets of dogma. An alcoholic refuses to accept these ready-made, he wants to make his own. In A.A. he is encouraged to do so, with this rider, that he obey the Higher Power as he understands it. That is intriguing. That places the responsibility on the alcoholic. He is on trial, not an organization, a book, a creed, or a sacrament. Can he act according to his own faith?Every person has some belief, more or less vague, in a creative, life-giving force, a universal mind or oversoul. Alcoholics Anonymous begins by thinking of this as a Power rather than a Person. It works unseen as electricity, may be thought of as gravitation, evolution, or growth. Thought is a power, good will is a power, trust is a power. Trying to visualize the Higher Power is a hinderance rather than a help. Formulas are of little value. Like the-wind, the spirit can be felt but not seen. Instead of expecting ecstasies, visions, trances, one finds God in what is; contact may be made through gratitude.
Surrender to the Higher Power is not difficult for alcoholics, because for years they have surrendered to a lower power. Alcohol has a power, an intoxicating power. It gives a lift, euphoria, escape, release, cessation from fear and worry, a lightening of reality, forgetfulness, stupor, and sleep. In time, however, there are craving and compulsion, memory blanks, shakes, sweats, headaches, and hangovers. One man after a bout felt as though he had seven skulls. In devotion to this autocratic tyrant alcoholics will surrender thought, time, money, health, friends, and vocation. To surrender to the Higher Power involves no more exacting a demand than the surrender they have made to alcohol, perhaps over a drinking period of twenty years. (Little 1948)
References
Little, George A. (1948) The God Concept in Alcoholics Anonymous. Religion in Life 18(1) p 25-33. Online at: http://www.silkworth.net/religion_clergy/01018.html
Modern Perceptheism Can Divide Up Spiritual Powers/Energies in Many Ways
(March 4, 2025)
While Gardner's ideas inspired most of the witchcraft groups which followed very few actually adopted his approach. The only groups which did so are now called British Traditional Wicca. The real growth of witchcraft began during the rebellious mid-1960s among women. During this time many spiritually sensitive women felt intellectually and emotionally excluded from patriarchal society in general and from patriarchal Christianity and Judaism in particular. Wicca was empowering because it placed value on the feminine. The most succinct and insightful explanation of these times is given by author Cynthia Eller (footnote page 217):Many spiritual feminists, like those cited here, seem to experience this need because they have felt very ambivalent about being a woman prior to any involvement with the movement. They do not want to feel like freakish imitation women; short of expensive surgical interventions, they cannot be men. But neither to they want to be the type of women of whom society approves. Other spiritual feminists seem to arrive at their desire for female validation from the opposite extreme. They feel very comfortable with femaleness as society describes it. They were not tomboys as children, but easily feminine little girls.Their only complaint is that they should be made to feel lesser than men for what are, in their eyes, equally if not more attractive traits. A feminism that emphasizes a complete abdication from cultural femininity is asking them to give up something they hold dear. Feminist spirituality, because it does not request this sacrifice is especially appealing to them.
Gerald Gardner's Wicca (1948-1964)
(July 6, 2022) The idea that witches represented the remnants of the pre-Christian nature religion motivated Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) of Britain to found Wicca. He sought to recreate the original witch fertility cult proposed by Margaret Murry.
Gardner himself was flawed and used his Wicca to gain access to young women yet his later followers stripped Wicca of these flaws while keeping its important spiritual core. These traditions later became known as British Traditional Wicca.
During his working life Gerald Gardner managed tea and rubber plantations in Ceylon, North Borneo, and Malaya until 1923 when he became a government inspector. During that time he was exposed to tribal level spiritual practices. In 1936 at age 52 he was able to take an early retirement due to an inheritance. He then settled in a suburb of Bournemouth, England and joined the local mystical esoteric society called the Fellowship of Crotona at nearby Christchurch.
Right after WW 2 Gardner's interests became more focused on spiritual things. Consequently, he rented an apartment in London so he could participate in the Ancient Druid Order. He was elected to their governing council in 1946. This Druid organization was a Freemason type of organization which used the Druid as its icon. Gardner soon found out the organization had no interest in developing a more nature based magical focus.
The Ancient Druid Order was founded around 1900 in London. They drew mostly on the fake Druid documents of Iolo Morganwig and the occult ideas of the Order of the Golden Dawn. Significantly, the founders of both Wicca (Gerald Gardner) and Druidry (Ross Nichols) were members at one time and both left for the similar reasons. They both found the organization to be too stagnant in its rituals and ideology. In 1961 Nichols left to found the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids.
In 1947 Gardner visited old Aleister Crowley who led the Order of the Golden Dawn. At that time Gardner was looking to revive a spiritist organization called the Ordo Templi Orientis which had originated in 1904 in Germany as a mystical offshoot of Freemasonry. In 1912 this organization had made Crowley its head in England due to the similarity of their approaches. (Hutton, p 222).
Failing in that, Gardner decided to go his own way. In 1948 Gardiner published a novel called “High Magic’s Aid” which was a story mixing Murray’s portrait of witchcraft with the magical ritual approach of the Golden Dawn. The book presented witch rituals which he was probably already doing with a woman friend known to history as Dafo. These rituals included nudity which the novel justified as bringing the witch into a more powerful mystical unity with nature. Gardner himself was a nudist (naturist).
The real name of “Dafo” has not been published out of respect for her family’s privacy because she later was ashamed of her part in this affair. In any case she was with Gardiner during 1947 in his witchcraft revival project called Ancient Crafts, Ltd.
Gardiner and Dafo bought some land next to a naturist (nudist) camp just north of London. Upon this land they built an imagined sixteenth century witch cottage and it was there that they established the first modern witch coven and worked out its rituals with other mystical minded nudists (Hutton, p 214).
In 1951 Britain repealed its witchcraft acts which had made practicing witchcraft illegal. In 1952 Dafo broke up with Gardner. In 1954 Gardner published his book “Witchcraft Today” with a foreword by Margaret Murray herself and began publicizing witchcraft as a religion, which he called “Wica” in the book. With that he began initiating other members into his “secret” movement. Wican covens grew slowly at first but his publicity and the publicity generated by others inspired others to form covens of their own.
References
Eller, Cynthia (1993) Living in the Lap of the Goddess, the Feminist Spirituality Movement in America. Beacon Press, Boston
Hutton, Ronald (1999) The Triumph of the Moon. Oxford University Press
Ritual of Drawing Down the Moon (1949)
High Priestess stands in front of Altar, assumes Goddess position (arms crossed). Magus, kneeling in front of her, draws pentacle on her body with Phallus-headed Wand, invokes, "I Invoke and beseech Thee, O mighty Mother of all life and fertility. By seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit, by Life and Love, do I invoke Thee to descend into the body of thy servant and High Priestess [name]." The Moon having been drawn down, i.e., link established, Magus and other men give Fivefold Kiss:- (kissing feet) "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in (these ways";
- (kissing knees) "Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar";
- (kissing womb) "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be";
- (kissing breasts) "Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty and in strength";
- (kissing lips) "Blessed be thy lips, that shall speak the sacred names."
Ritual of Third Degree Initiation (1949)
(Gardner defined three levels or degrees of witches and this is his 1949 third degree initiation rite.)Magus: "Ere we proceed with this sublime degree, I must beg purification at thy hands."
High Priestess binds Magus and ties him down to the altar. She circumambulates three times, and scourges Magus with three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes. She then unbinds him and helps him to his feet.
Magus now binds the High Priestess and ties her down to the altar. He circumambulates, proclaiming to the four quarters, "Hear, ye mighty Ones, the twice consecrate and Holy (name), High Priestess and Witch Queen, is properly prepared and will now proceed to erect the Sacred Altar." Magus scourges High Priestess with three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes. Cakes and wine may now be taken [see "Cakes and Wine"].
Magus: "Now I must reveal to you a great Mystery." [kiss].
Note: if High Priestess has performed this rite before, omit these words. High Priestess assumes Osiris position.
Magus: "Assist me to erect the Ancient Altar, at which in days past all worshipped, the Great Altar of all things. For in the old times a woman was the Altar. Thus was the altar made and so placed [Priestess lies down in such a way that her vagina is approximately at the center of the circle], and the sacred place was the point within the center of the circle, as we of old times have been taught, that the point within the center is the origin of all things. Therefore should we adore it." [kiss]
"Therefore, whom we adore, we also invoke, by the power of the lifted lance." Invokes. "O circle of stars [kiss], whereof our Father is but the younger brother [kiss], "Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space, before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered and understanding dark, not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be of love [kiss].
"Therefore, by seed and root, and stem and bud and leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee, O, Queen of space, O dew of light, O continuous one of the Heavens [kiss]. "Let it be ever thus, that men speak not of Thee as one, but as none, and let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous, for thou art the point within the circle [kiss], which we adore [kiss], the fount of life without which we would not be [kiss]. "And in this way truly are erected the Holy Twin Pillars Boaz and Joachim [kisses breasts]. In beauty and strength were they erected, to the wonder and glory of all men."
(Eightfold Kiss: 3 points, Lips, 2 Breasts and back to lips; 5 points)
"O Secrets of secrets that art hidden in the being of all lives. Not thee do we adore, for that which adoreth is also thou. Thou art that and That am I [kiss].
"I am the flame that burns in every man, and in the core of every star [kiss].
"I am Life and the giver of Life, yet therefore is the knowledge of me the Knowledge of Death [kiss].
"I am alone, the Lord within ourselves whose name is Mystery of Mysteries [kiss].
"Make open the path of intelligence between us. For these truly are the 5 points of fellowship [on the right appears an illuminated diagram of the point-up triangle above the pentacle, the symbol for the third degree], feet to feet, knee to knee, groin to groin, breast to breast, arms around back, lips to lips, by the Great and Holy Names Abracadabra, Aradia, and Cernunnos.
Magus and High Priestess: "Encourage our hearts, Let thy Light crystallize itself in our blood, fulfilling us of Resurrection, for there is no part of us that is not of the Gods."
(Exchange Names.)
Closing the Circle High Priestess Circumambulates, proclaiming, "The twice consecrate High Priestess greets ye Mighty Ones, and dismisseth ye to your pleasant abodes. Hail and Farewell."
She draws the banishing pentacle at each quarter.
Core Rituals and Theory Developed by Gardner (1949-1961)
(July 6, 2022) Near the end of his life in 1964 Gerald Gardner made public his rituals in what is known as the "Gardnerian Book of Shadows." This was the time when alternate religious practices were starting to be noticed and invented. His rituals continue to be at the core of Traditional British Wicca groups. What follows are excerpts from his book.
How to Cast a Circle (1949)
It is most convenient to mark the circle with chalk, paint or otherwise, to show where it is; but marks on the carpet may be utilized. Furniture may be placed to indicate the bounds. The only circle that matters is the one drawn before every ceremony with either a duly consecrated Magic Sword or an Athame. The circle is usually nine feet in diameter, unless made for some very special purpose. There are two outer circles, each six inches apart, so the third circle has a diameter of eleven feet....
Gardner's Theory of Spiritual Power (1953)
This section on spiritual power shows that Gardner was biased by his naturist (nudist) desires and so assumed spiritual power was some sort of invisible material fluid created within the body which can only come out through the skin and orifices. This spiritual power could then be stored in items. This contradicts his other idea that spiritual powers come from focused emotions.
Power is latent in the body and may be drawn out and used in various ways by the skilled. But unless confined in a circle it will be swiftly dissipated. Hence the importance of a properly constructed circle. Power seems to exude from the body via the skin and possibly from the orifices of the body; hence you should be properly prepared (go naked).The slightest dirt spoils everything, which shows the importance of thorough cleanliness. The attitude of mind has great effect, so only work with a spirit of reverence. A little wine taken and repeated during the ceremony, if necessary, helps to produce power. Other strong drinks or drugs may be used, but it is necessary to be very moderate, for if you are confused, even slightly, you cannot control the power you evoke.
The simplest way is by dancing and singing monotonous chants, slowly at first and gradually quickening the tempo until giddiness ensues. Then the calls may be used, or even wild and meaningless shrieking produces power. But this method inflames the mind and renders it difficult to control the power, though control may be gained through practice. The scourge is a far better way, for it stimulates and excites both body and soul, yet one e easily retains control. The Great Rite (sex) is far the best. It releases enormous power, but the conditions and circumstances make it difficult for the mind to maintain control at first. It is again a matter of practice and the natural strength of the operator's will and, in a lesser degree, of those of his assistants.
If, as of old, there were many trained assistants present and all wills properly attuned, wonders occurred. Sorcerers chiefly used the blood sacrifice; and while we hold this to be evil, we cannot deny that this method is very efficient. Power flashes forth from newly shed blood, instead of exuding slowly as by our method. The victim's terror and anguish add keenness, and even quite a small animal can yield enormous power.
The great difficulty is in the human mind controlling the power of the lower animal mind. But sorcerers claim they have methods for effecting this and that the difficulty disappears the higher her the animal used, and when the victim is human disappears entirely. (The practice is an abomination but it is so.) Priests know this well; and by their auto-da-fé, with the victims' pain and terror (the fires acting much the same as circles), obtained much power.
Of old the Flagellants certainly evoked power, but through not being confined in a circle much was lost. The amount of power raised was so great and continuous that anyone with knowledge could direct and use it; and it is most probable that the classical and heathen sacrifices were used in the same way. There are whispers that when the human victim was a willing sacrifice, with his mind directed on the Great Work and with highly skilled assistants, wonders ensued but of this I would not speak.
Skyclad Magic with a Lover (1953)
Gardiner was a Naturist (Nudist).
It is important to work naked from the start, so it becometh as second nature, and no thought of "I have no clothes" shall ever intrude and take your attention from the work. Also, your skin being so accustomed to unconfinement, when power is given off the flow is more easy and regular. Also, when dancing you are free and unconfined. . . .And the greatest of all, the touch of the body of your beloved thrills your inmost soul, and so your body gives out its utmost power; and then it is most important of all that there is not the slightest thing to divert the attention, for then the mind must seize and mold the power generated, and redirect it to the desired end with all the force and frenzy of the imagination.
It has been said that no real knowledge may be gained our way, that our practices are such that they can only lead to lust; but this is not really so. Our aim is to gain the inner sight, and we do it the most natural and easy way. Our opponents' aim is ever to prevent man and woman from loving, thinking that everything that helps or even permits them to love is wicked and vile. To us it is natural, and if it aids the Great Work it is good. 'Tis true that a couple burning with a frenzy for knowledge may go straight to their goal, but the average couple have not this fire. We show them the way, our system of props and aids (i.e., magic ritual). A couple working with nothing but lust will never attain in any case; but a couple who love each other dearly should already be sleeping together, and the first frenzy of love will have passed, and their souls will already be in sympathy.
If the first time or two they do stay a while to worship Aphrodite, 'tis only a day or two lost, and the intense pleasure they obtain only leads them again to the mysteries of Hermes, their souls more attuned to the great search. Once they have pierced the veil they will not look back. This rite may be used as the greatest of magics if it be done with both partners firmly fixing their minds on the object and not thinking of sex at all. That is, you must so firmly fix your mind on your object that sex and all else are naught. You inflame your will to such an extent that you may create a strain on the astral such that events happen.
The Working Tools (1953)
This section is a list of the magical tools Gardner used and it also indicates Gardner was rediscovering the emotional magic of the ancients as evidenced by the statement "magical operations are useless unless the mind can be brought to the proper attitude, keyed to the utmost pitch."
There are no magical supply shops, so unless you are lucky enough to be given or sold tools, a poor witch must extemporize. But when made you should be able to borrow or obtain an Athame.So having made your circle, erect an altar. Any small table or chest will do. There must be fire on it (a candle will suffice) and your book. For good results incense is best if you can get it, but coals in a chafing dish burning sweet-smelling herbs will do. A cup if you would have cakes and wine, and a platter with the signs drawn into the same in ink, showing a pentacle.A scourge is easily made (note, the scourge has eight tails and five knots in each tail). Get a white-hilted knife and a wand (a sword is not necessary). Cut the marks with Athame. Purify everything, then consecrate your tools in proper form and ever be properly prepared.But ever remember, magical operations are useless unless the mind can be brought to the proper attitude, keyed to the utmost pitch. Affirmations must be made clearly, and the mind should be inflamed with desire. With this frenzy of will, you may do as much with simple tools as with the most complete set.
But good and especially ancient tools have their own aura. They do help to bring about that reverential spirit, the desire to learn and develop your powers. For this reason witches ever try to obtain tools from sorcerers, who, being skilled men, make good tools and consecrate them well, giving them mighty power. But a great witch's tools also gain much power; and you should ever strive to make any tools you manufacture of the finest materials you can obtain, to the end that they may absorb your power the more easily.
And of course if you may inherit or obtain another witch's tools, power will flow from them. It is an old belief that the best substances for making tools are those that have once had life in them, as opposed to artificial substances. Thus wood or ivory is better for a wand than metal, which is more appropriate for knives or swords. Virgin parchment is better than manufactured paper for talismans, etc. And things which have been made by hand are good, because there is life in them.
Gardner's Ideal Coven Organization (1961)
Priestesses were to rule the Coven but they must resign once their beauty fades with age because her power actually comes from the masculine god and not the goddess.
[A] The Law was made and Ardane of old. The law was made for the Wicca, to advise and help in their troubles. The Wicca should give due worship to the Gods and obey their will, which they Ardane, for it was made for the good of the Wicca, As the Wicca's worship is good for the Gods,For the Gods love the Wicca. As a man loveth a woman, by mastering her, so the Wicca should love the Gods, by being mastered by them.And it is necessary that the Circle, which is the Temple of the Gods, should be truly cast and purified, that it may be a fit place for the Gods to enter. And the Wicca should be properly prepared and purified, to enter into the presence of the Gods. With love and worship in their hearts they shall raise power from their bodies to give power to the Gods, as has been taught us of old, For in this way only may man have communion with the Gods, for the Gods cannot help man without the help of men.
[B] And the High Priestess shall rule her Coven as representative of the Goddess, and the High Priest shall support her as the representative of the God, And the High Priestess shall choose whom she will, if he have sufficient rank, to be her High Priest), For the God himself, kissed her feet in the fivefold salute, laying his power at the feet of the Goddess, because of her youth and beauty, her sweetness and kindness, her wisdom and Justice, her humility and generosity. So he resigned his lordship to her.
But the Priestess should ever mind that all power comes from him. It is only lent when it is used wisely and justly. And the greatest virtue of a High Priestess is that she recognizes that youth is necessary to the representative of the Goddess, so that she will retire gracefully in favour of a younger woman, Should the Coven so decide in Council, For the true [30] High Priestess realizes that gracefully surrendering pride of place is one of the greatest of virtues, and t hat thereby she will return to that pride of place in another life, with greater power and beauty.
Awen is a Celtic word for the inspiration which comes from spiritual connections. As such it is analogous to the Greek word Logos which as a noun it means "the interconnectivity of consciousness" or "spiritual network." As a verb it means "connective inspiration."
An example of a wisdom triad in OBOD is:
Three ways Druidry can help ease sorrow is through these connective principles:
- opening our souls to the cradling of Time and the nourishment of Place;
- through welcoming us home to our true nature,
- through welcoming us home to the family of All Being.
This triad is informally discussed with Phillip Carr-Gomm below.
Druidry (OBOD) (1950s on)
(July 6, 2022) Modern Druidry has several organization but this discussion will center on its earliest organization called the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD at https://druidry.org). OBOD includes the core elements of witchcraft but is more focused on experiencing emotional resonances with nature, emotional healing, developing wisdom and awareness, and being creative. OBOD is a spiritual path making no claims to being a religion. Instead it provides a kitchen full of nature spirituality practices to use as needed.
As originally conceived by druid revival groups, "Druids" were assumed to be the priests of the people of Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments around Europe. Stonehenge was older then the Romans and so were the Druids of Gaul and Britain mentioned by the Roman geographer Strabo (63 BCE - 21 CE) and Julius Caesar. Strabo says this:
Amongst [the Gauls] there are generally three divisions of' men especially reverenced, the Bards, the Vates, and the Druids. The Bards composed and chanted hymns; the Vates occupied themselves with the sacrifices and the study of nature; while the Druids joined to the study of nature that of moral philosophy. The belief in the justice [of the Druids] is so great that the decision both of public and private disputes is referred to them; and they have before now, by their decision, prevented armies from engaging when drawn up in battle-array against each other. All cases of murder are particularly referred to them. When there is plenty of these (Druids) they imagine there will likewise be a plentiful harvest. Both these (Druids) and the others (Vates and Bards) assert that the soul is indestructible, and likewise the world, but that sometimes fire and sometimes water have prevailed in making great changes. (Strabo's Geography Book 4, Chapter 4, Section 4, translated by Hamilton and Falconer, as found at Perseus)But the Germans were more barbaric than the Celts because they had no Druids and no zeal for sacrifices. This indicates their Indo-European religion had not yet been corrupted by lordification in which deities as people had to be appeased and bribed. Julius Caesar says this:
The Germans differ much from this manner of living. They have no Druids to regulate divine worship, no zeal for sacrifices. They reckon among the gods those only whom they see and by whose offices they are openly assisted — to wit, the Sun, the Fire‑god, and the Moon; of the rest they have learnt p347 not even by report. (Julius Caesar, The Gallic War, Book 6, chapter 21. Online: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Caesar/Gallic_War/6C*.html)Late Greek historian Diogenes Laertius (sometime between 220 and 300 CE) draws on other accounts referencing a respected book by Sotion (about 200 – 170 BC) to say this in his Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 1, Prologue:
There are some who say that the study of philosophy had its beginning among the barbarians. They urge that the Persians have had their Magi, the Babylonians or Assyrians their Chaldaeans (Akadians), and the Indians their Gymnosophists; and among the Celts and Gauls there are the people called Druids or Holy Ones, for which they cite as authorities the Magicus of Aristotle and Sotion in the twenty-third1 book of his Succession of Philosophers. ... [6] As to the Gymnosophists and Druids we are told that they uttered their philosophy in riddles, bidding men to reverence the gods, to abstain from wrongdoing, and to practice courage.(Translated by R.D. Hicks. Online at: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text%3Fdoc%3DPerseus:text:1999.01.0258:book%3D1:chapter%3Dprologue%26highlight%3Dthales)
"Chaldaea" is a Latinization of the Greek Khaldaía (Χαλδαία) which is similar to "Akkadian." The book "Magicus of Aristotle" is not believed to have been written by Aristotle but only attributed to him.
While Strabo and Caesar were referencing a late Indo-European (Dualist, Lordified) religious culture which has nothing to do with Stonehenge builders the name "Druid" and Ovate actually are connected to Stonehenge because they are Akkadian.
The word "Druid" means "Eternal-Form.Channelers" from the compound word DR.ID (duru-id). Eternal forms are the invisible "platonic" forms into which matter flows to manifest itself as a physical object. Thus they were the priests of the life-growth powers for the European Neolithic farmers and analogous to the life priests called abu (meaning father) in the Levant.
The word 'vates or 'wates or 'uates (depending on the translator's native language) is similar to the Greek ouateis which is assigned the meaning of "soothsayer" or "prophet." Both actually derive from a compound Akkadian word meaning "Motion Magic-Crafter" from 'W.T. (’û-tû) or the earlier (a'û-tû). This word has the letter ayin as the first letter which does not exist in Latin or Greek where it is either ignored or replaced with the letter "O."
The founder of OBOD was Ross Nichols. He was the principal of a cramming school in London during the 1950s. He started contributing articles on Druidry and the occult to magazines in his younger years. In 1954, probably at the suggestion of his friend and fellow naturist Gerald Gardner of Wicca fame, he joined the Ancient Order of Druids. He even edited Gardner's book Witchcraft Today. He left the Order in 1964 after three of his core friends there died including Gerald Gardiner. Ross wanted to form a more authentic Celtic spiritual practice less focused on supposed fertility witchcraft rituals. He did this by combining Celtic mythology with Occult practices. Yet Ross remained a Christian not viewing the spiritual practices of OBOD as a full replacement for Christianity despite having many personal reservations about Christian theology. He probably saw the nature spirit elements in the teachings of Jesus.
After Ross died in 1975 leadership of OBOD passed to Philip Carr-Gomm, a psychologist and long time student of Ross Nichols who started out by taking photos of their ceremonies when young. At this time OBOD was not doing well so Phillip refocused OBED on nature and emotional healing distancing it from the occult. He also developed OBOD's popular correspondence course.
References
Carr-Gomm, Philip (2002) Druid Mysteries-Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century. Rider Publishers
The "Force" in Star Wars (1977)
(July 6, 2022) Star Wars presented a magical divine/spiritual realm not populated with people like gods but with the "Force" generated by conscious experiences. Jedi were the magic crafters and some were more talented at it than others. Yet in order to make a simple adventure story it divided that divine realm into good and evil taking the dualist religious position. Yet this simplicity shows how dualism is so seductive on the human mind. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977.
Quotes on the Force in Star Wars
From Yoda: “Remember, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force. But beware: Anger, fear, aggression – the Dark Side, are they.”From Obi-wan: “Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.”
From Yoda: "For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes."
References
Quotes from: https://screenrant.com/star-wars-best-quotes-force/
Books and camping festivals were the main conduits of Nature Pagan growth during this time. The History of Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin is representative of the change during this period as many diverse pagan traditions started coming together at Nature Pagan camping festivals.
After this era three unreconcilable main divisions started to become apparent. The Heathens/Reconstructionists, the Occultists, and the Nature Pagans.
The Reconstructionists wanted to recreate a Pagan religion based upon various ancient mythologies as preserved in ancient texts. These typically are Norse, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian. Like the traditional faith based religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), their source of authority are ancient texts.
The Occultist groups continued the Hermetic and Rosicrucian magical traditions and added a few new ones like Scientology. Again, their sources of authority are various texts.
The Nature Pagans connect with the divine (spiritual) realm via emotion magic with their practices and ethics inspired by and derived from nature. They follow the most ancient ancestral traditions because those traditions were also nature based and magical because they existed before the written word.
References
History of Circle Sanctuary online at:https://www.circlesanctuary.org/index.php/organization/history-of-circle-sanctuary
The Neo-Pagan Era: A Growing Sense of Identity and a Failed Search for Grounding (1960 - 2010)
(July 6, 2022) Neo-Pagan or simply Pagan became a general catch-all term for the many non-Christian groups which emerged at this time. They were unified simply by being non-Christian. This resulted in their fundamental differences being overlooked, especially those between the reconstructionists who sought to revive ancient Pagan religions by deriving authority from surviving ancient texts and the New Age approach of people who refused to be grounded in anything (feelings defined their reality).
Other Pagans started calling themselves by various names such as eclectic wiccan or kitchen wiccan (home and herbal based) leaving Gardiner's original style to be called traditional British Wicca. The more extreme feminist Wicca came to be called Dianic Wicca. Others started calling themselves witches and claimed authority from familial traditions. Finally there were the nature based Druid groups who went looking for grounding but failed doing no better then scattered Roman era texts (see Druid Source Book by John Matthews 1997).
One of the first statements of Neo-Pagan principles occurs in the founding papers of the first Druidry group in the United States called the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA). This group was founded in 1963 at Carleton college in Northfield, Minnesota as protest against the requirement that all students attend a certain number of religious services “of one’s own religion.” Their founding statement is listed below (Adler 2006 p 337):
The object of the search for religious truth, which is a universal and never-ending search, may be found through the Earth-Mother; which is Nature; but this is one way; one way among many.And great is the importance, which is of a spiritual importance of Nature, which is the Earth-Mother; for it is one of the object of Creation, and with it do people live, yea, even as they do struggle through life are they come face-to-face with it. (Adler 2006 p 337)
The Carleton religious requirement was abolished the following year but much to the chagrin of some of the original founders, the RDNA continued on as a real alternative religion. This example is paralleled throughout the Pagan movement. What started out as one thing became another as people discovered spiritual liberation in something more personal.
An early statement about grounding Wicca as a religion was made in 1984 by Janet and Stewart Ferrar. In this statement they define for Wicca a purpose as an alignment with the spiritual (divine) powers (1984, Part 2, p 146):
Now the purpose of Wicca, as a religion, is to integrate conflicting aspects of the human psyche with each other, and the whole with the Cosmic Psyche; and as a Craft, to develop the power and self-knowledge of the individual psyche (and in a coven, the co-operating group of individual psyches) so that it can achieve results which are beyond the scope of an undeveloped, un-self-aware psyche - much as an athlete develops, and learns about, his muscular power and control to achieve feats impossible for the non-athlete.In 1995, the alignment with nature became the sixth recognized religious root for the Unitarian Universalist church. This root is presently represented by the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. They stated this sixth source as follows in their source list :
"Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature" (U.U. Source List)In 2002 realizing the limits of magic on the physical realm, the chief of the Nature-Pagan religion of Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, Philip Carr-Gom said this about magic:
“So the magic taught and practiced within Druidry, at least in the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, concerns not the attempt to manipulate circumstances or to ‘get things’, but instead the art of opening to the magic of being alive, the art of bringing ideas into manifestation, and the art of journeying in the quest of healing, inspiration, and knowledge.” (Carr-Gomm 2002, page 164)Pagans at the turn of the millennium did not yet have a solid intellectual foundation for their beliefs and practices. As a result, the Neo-Pagans of the time mostly defined themselves by what they were not. This is shown by this summary from Margot Adler’s book “Drawing Down the Moon”:
But when asked, Neo-Pagans were adamant in insisting that they were “different” although often the differences were subtle and hard to express. “What are the common traits of Pagans?” I asked. The answers I received included, again, that sense of childlike wonder, acceptance of life and death, attunement to the rhythms of nature, sense of humor, lack of guilt-ridden feelings about oneself and about the body and sexuality, genuine honesty, and unwillingness or inability to play social games. (Adler, 2006, p 384)As a practicing Nature Pagan herself she added this insight about Pagan rituals as a means of promoting connection:
From my own experiences of Neo-Pagan rituals, I have come to feel that they have another purpose - to end, for a time, our sense of human alienation from nature and from each other. Accepting the idea of the “psychic sea,” and of human beings as isolated islands within that sea, we can say that, although we are always connected, our most common experience is one of estrangement. Ritual seem to be one method of reintegrating individuals and groups into the cosmos, and to tie in the activities of daily life with their ever present, often forgotten, significance. It allows us to feel biological connectedness with ancestors who regulated their lives and activities according to seasonal observances. Just as ecological theory explains how we are interrelated with all other forms of life, rituals allow us to re-create that unity in an explosive, non-abstract, gut-level way. Rituals have the power to reset the terms of our universe until we find ourselves suddenly and truly “at home.” (Adler, 2006)References
Adler, Margot (2006) Drawing Down the Moon, Penguin books, U.S.A
Carr-Gomm, Philip (2002) Druid Mysteries, Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century. Rider: London
Ferrar Janet & Stewart (1984) A Witches’ Bible, The Complete Witches’ Handbook, Phoenix Publishing
Matthews, John (1997) The Druid Source Book. Blandford