Religious Education Resources

A Brief Introduction to UU Paganism

Joan Van Becelaere

This workshop was presented in one form or another at the First Unitarian Society of Denver in Fall 1999, at First Universalist Church of Denver in Spring 1999, and at the Mountain Desert District Annual Meeting in Fall 2000. The workshop was designed for Unitarian Universalists who want to know more about UU Paganism. It is not an in-depth presentation; rather, it is a broad survey. From the workshop, it is hoped that participants may identify topics or area of interest for further exploration in the context of congregational adult religious education.

© 1999-2001, Joan Van Becelaere

The Fine Print: Unless otherwise stated, all work is the sole creation of the listed author(s). Copyright remains with the author(s); used here by permission. This material may be used in personal or congregational settings providing the author(s)'s name and this notice remain attached, but it may not be published or reproduced, on paper or electronically, for any other purpose without explicit consent of the author(s).

Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3

Session 1

Introduction

Call the Quarters - from the Hymnal

Chalice lighting -There are several good ones in the book Earth Prayers. Or create your own or use one from the hymnal..

Give students a basic outline of the 3 sessions as a whole, as well as the first session.

• Introduction to main theological elements of Paganism and UUism, a bit of the world view, in first session
• History in the second session
• Experiential elements in third session.

Introduce the class participants

Go around the circle:

• Your name
• Describe briefly your most profound religious experience
• If less than 12 people:
  • What brought you to UUism
• Or - is this your first experience of UUism?

Experience or intuiting your way to the divine rather than arriving by reason, are major elements in modern paganism. You may be a UU Pagan and not yet realize it.

New Symbols in UUism

For just a minute, picture a second grade religious education class. It’s right before Christmas and the teacher has just told the kids the story of the birth of Jesus - the shepherds and King Herod and the wise men, sheep - the whole thing. She then asks the children to draw pictures about the flight into Egypt. She wanders around the room and admires each child's artwork. They are all drawing pictures of donkeys, and madonnas and baby Jesuses and things like that. Then the teacher comes up beside little Mary who is just putting the finishing touches on a nice picture of a Boeing 747.

The teacher says, "Mary, what's this?"

"It's the flight into Egypt."

"Oh, OK. And these people in the windows?"

"That's Joseph and Mary and Baby Jesus."

"I see. And who is that person up in the cockpit?"

"That's Pontius, their pilot."

Religious symbols and language can be very tricky things. Just when we think we have it right, and we think know what is going, on, we find we've misinterpreted the whole thing. Little Mary heard the story of the flight into Egypt and she interpreted it with the symbols and the meanings that were familiar to her.

Miscommunication and misunderstanding can be big problems when it to comes describing our religious symbols. So every once and awhile, we have to stop and unpack some of our symbols and language and meanings and check them out. That's what I want to do today, unpack a few symbols both old and new and take a look at them.

At the start of Sunday Service, hundreds of Unitarian Universalist congregations light a flame inside a chalice, calling us to mindful presence for an hour. At the end of the service, we extinguish it and call an end to our special time together. The flaming chalice unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of Unitarian Universalism. When we light the flame, we are grounding ourselves within the larger UU movement.

The symbol of the flaming chalice was created during WW II as a distinctive symbol for the Unitarian Service Committee in Europe, which was working to help Jews, gypsies, Unitarians and others escape Nazi persecution. It was modeled after the kind of chalice the Greeks and Romans put on their altars. The holy oil burning in it is a symbol of sacrifice and service. This is what was in the mind of the artist when he created the concept. The symbol struck a deep chord and, in time, it became a symbol of Unitarian Universalism all around the world.

Just like the chalice was a new symbol for Unitarianism in WW II, there are some new symbols and elements of religious language entering Unitarian Universalism today. Some of these new symbols are coming from folk that ground themselves in earth-centered spirituality. Sometimes these earth-centered folk, or Pagans, are drawing on very ancient symbols. Sometimes they are knowingly creating entirely new ones.

No one meaning or interpretation of the chalice is official. The flaming chalice is said, like our faith, to stand open to receive new meanings that pass the tests of reason, justice, and compassion.

Most forms of Paganism will start a ritual or celebration with a calling of the quarters or the four directions. No one meaning or interpretation of the directions is official either.

Let’s talk about what we did at the start of tonight’s meeting. We called the four directions and lit a chalice. I’d like you all to give your impressions of what we did at the start of the class session. Why do you think we did it? What do you think it meant? Why do you think Pagans call the quarters? No definition is either right or wrong.

(Go around the circle.)

Questions?

What is a UU Pagan?

Just what is a UU Pagan?

Some of us think we know what a UU is - but we’ll get to that. Perhaps the most unfamiliar part of that phrase is the Pagan part. So we’ll begin there - what is a Pagan?

Does anyone know what the word Pagan actually means in the Latin?

Let's look at the word Pagan. What does it mean and why do folk use it? In Latin, it simply means "country dweller" or rural hick. When Christianity became the dominant religion in the cities of the Roman world, it was very uncouth to be caught following the old, nature-centered ways. That was for the unsophisticated. The folk in the countryside, the PEOPLE OF THE LAND. And so the word Pagan became a pejorative term and the negative connotations have stuck with us.

Contemporary Pagans, including UU Pagans, use the term Pagan or Neopagan because it places them squarely in solidarity with all of those men and women of the past and the present who have suffered persecution, torture and even death for their beliefs and the right of religious freedom. This is the same reason some forms of Paganism will also use the word Witch - to stand in solidarity with those who have suffered for their chosen spiritual path. I also like the literal groundedness of the term Pagan - to be called a person of the land has a certain meaning in our all too artificial age.

It’s been suggested, often, that we as Unitarian Universalists, should use some term other than Pagan - like earth-based spiritualist. And, as we’ll see next week, you could honestly call UU Pagans pantheistic or panentheistic neo-Transcendentalists. But that’s a much harder set of words to wrap your tongue around than plain old Pagan.

Not too long ago, some Unitarian Universalists who identify with a pagan path tried to develop a definition or basic description of their spirituality. This is what they came up with:

(pass around sheet with readings)

A pagan is a person who honors divinity in all things, and follows a path of worship which enhances our sacred connections to the natural cycle, fosters harmony with nature and our environment; and promotes positive personal growth.

Pagans are folk who believe that divinity exists in all that is, and all that is exists in divinity.

Pagans are people who, to varying degrees and in varying ways, seek to preserve or restore or even create anew some aspect of the original earth centered religions that first inspired human spiritual exploration. (tie back to experiences)

Pagans are people who prefer to look within for the divine and a connection to the rest of the universe and the natural energies and rhythms of life.

Pagans are people who are very intentional in their use of religious symbols and imagery.

Paganism is already one of the fastest growing religious movements in North America today and is truly beginning to affect mainstream culture. It is estimated that the pagan community in North America alone numbers over 500,000 individuals, not counting the Native Americans who have maintained or are rediscovering ancient tribal beliefs and not counting a large and growing number of Unitarian Universalists who follow an earth-centered spirituality.

Neopagans are everywhere. The 500,000 noted earlier includes only those who are out of the broom closet, so to speak, and belong to one of the many Pagan groups and organizations. Many people hold earth-centered beliefs, but are not open about it. We call this living in the broom closet.

What type of person becomes a Pagan? What type of person would you meet at a pagan gathering? The current CUUPS Board of Trustees contains a computer systems analyst, a software designer and a computer engineer along with two ordained ministers, a Ph.D. in childhood development, and myself, a school administrator.

There are a wide variety of flavors of Paganism - Wicca of various traditions and kinds, feminist Goddess movement, Druidism, northern European Asatru, movements influenced by Hinduism, Taoism and science fiction – and you’ll find all of these different kinds in many UU congregations and in many CUUPS groups. At First Unitarian Society of Denver, we have a couple of traditional Wiccan folk, some Goddess movement people, a few Asatruer, a Radical Faerie, and some Taoists; there’s quite a variety in the CUUPS group.

There are about 200,000-225,000 UUs in North America right now, or so I’ve been told. And accordingly to a recent survey conducted by Boston (10,000 respondents), about 20% of us are earth-centered in our spirituality. (40,000?)

I think Paganism is going to become a very common part of our UU movement as it takes form as a socially active spirituality, working to change social, political, and environmental attitudes, working to stop the destruction of our planet.

Now, let’s ask -- what is a UU? We’ll go into UU history and transcendentalism as it relates specifically to Paganism next time, but for now, let’s get a basic outline.

• Radical reformation in Europe - 1550-1575-1600
  • Some reformers looked into the scriptures and found that the idea of the trinity was not in there.
  • Faustus Socinus in Poland, Polish Brethren
  • Michael Servetus from Spain who was burned as a heretic by Calvin in Geneva.
  • Francis David in Romania - Romanian Unitarian church still survives to this day.
  • British Unitarians drew from the Polish Brethren.

• In America
  • 1750- anti Calvinist feelings in Congregationalism. Humans are not totally depraved, Double predestination is not God’s will. Nature of humanity was the key element
  • Secondarily - began to deny the trinity. Emphasized the humanity of Jesus since humans are not depraved and hopeless.
  • 1805 - Harvard University appointed a liberal theologian to a prestigious position. Big schism. Property fights. Churches splitting. In 1825, the American Unitarian Association was born.
  • Around the same time, late 1700’s, other New England ministers were saying that all would be saved. Of course, the conservative folk said they were heretics preaching a seditious gospel. The Universalists were born.

At one point, the Universalists were said to be the largest denomination in the US. That’s before other mainline groups dropped the hard Calvinism and began to lean toward universal salvation. But by then, at the end of the 19^th century, the Universalists had moved on and were exploring the implications of a Universal human religion.

Both groups spread out from New England right before and after the Civil War. But both believed that people had to chose their religious beliefs for themselves. The right of one’s own conscience was paramount. They thought it was wrong to try to frighten people into religion with threats of hell or damnation. Therefore, both the Unitarians and the Universalists developed a kind of shyness when it came to spreading their own good news and making converts. And we have inherited that fear of evangelism. We hide our light under a bushel - under a silo.

It’s also a problem with Paganism. It is said in Paganism that when the student is ready, the teacher will come along. But, once again, that is putting a lot of trust in chance. And it does very little for good public relations. Which is why so few people know anything about Paganism or Wicca.

Continue with the Unitarian Transcendentalists of the 1830’s next time.

Ritual on 7 Principles - To Remind Us

We want to explore the Pagan world view for a few minutes and take a peek inside its theology, the way it approaches life, the universe and everything. But before we look at the elements in the Pagan world view, we should take a moment to remind ourselves of what our seven Unitarian Universalist principles are.

(Pick 7 volunteers to light the 7 candles)

As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant to affirm and promote the following principles:

The Red candle is for Respect:
We Respect the importance and value of all beings.
Our first principle is to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

The Orange candle is for what we Offer:
We Offer fair and kind treatment to all.
Our second principle is justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

The Yellow candle symbolizes our Yearning.
We Yearn to learn throughout life.
Our third principle is acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

We light the Green candle for Growth.
We Grow by exploring ideas and values together.
Our fourth principle is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

We light the Blue candle for our Beliefs.
We Believe in our ideas, and insist on the right to act on them as we see fit.
Our fifth principle is the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

We light this Indigo candle for Insistence.
We Insist on peace, freedom and justice for all.
Our sixth principle is the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

We light the Violet candle to remind us to Value the web of life.
We Value our interdependence with nature
Our seventh principle is respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Relating Pagan World View to 7 Principles

(inherent worth and dignity of every person - since all are part of the divine)

(interdependent web of existence)

(interdependent web of existence)

(a free and responsible search for truth and meaning)

(justice, equity and compassion in human relations)

(goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all)

(right of conscience and use of democratic process)

(a free and responsible search for truth and meaning)

(acceptance of one another and encouragement to growth)

(right of conscience)

(tied to inherent worth and dignity of all - including women!)

Summary

Next Week

Bring items that mean something to you and your life - for whatever reason. We are going to build our own altar.

Next week, we will look at:

• History of modern Paganism - where does it come from.
• The place of the Transcendentalists in UU history.
• How Transcendentalism and modern Paganism are related.

• Common symbols in Paganism
• Magick
• Ritual
• Sunday Service from an earth centered point of view
• And CUUPS

Closing

Extinguish the Chalice

Dismiss the quarters - hymnal

Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3

The Fine Print: Unless otherwise stated, all work is the sole creation of the listed author(s). Copyright remains with the author(s); used here by permission. This material may be used in personal or congregational settings providing the author(s)'s name and this notice remain attached, but it may not be published or reproduced, on paper or electronically, for any other purpose without explicit consent of the author(s).