The Ethics of Pagan Ritual
Pagan rituals structure the way that Pagans relate to each other and the other-than-human world. I argue that this means that Pagan ethics is predominantly relational ethics. The relational experiences provided by ritual shape the ethical practices of Pagans. I provide a detailed example of one teen...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
Published: |
[2019]
|
In: |
The pomegranate
Year: 2019, Volume: 21, Issue: 1, Pages: 76-99 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Neopaganism
/ Ritual
/ Ego-awareness
/ Social consciousness
/ Cosmic consciousness
|
IxTheo Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion AZ New religious movements NCB Personal ethics NCC Social ethics NCG Environmental ethics; Creation ethics |
Further subjects: | B
Ethics
B Paganism B Ritual |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Pagan rituals structure the way that Pagans relate to each other and the other-than-human world. I argue that this means that Pagan ethics is predominantly relational ethics. The relational experiences provided by ritual shape the ethical practices of Pagans. I provide a detailed example of one teenager who used ritual to change the way she felt about herself and her life. These changed feelings are often associated with ethical changes because they shape the way people act. Similarly, other Pagans use ritual to change the way they relate to the other-than-human world. I discuss the seasonal rituals of Paganism and how they relate to the sense of ethical obligation that Pagans have towards nature. Finally, the article considers a Pagan ritual recreation of the myth of Persephone's descent into the Underworld, and the issue of the terror and beauty of nature in a time of climate change. Pagan ritual and symbols provide resources that can generate an ethics of hope and courage. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1743-1735 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: The pomegranate
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1558/pome.37502 |