Ecopaganism

Ecopaganism is a catch-all generic term, which explains a type of spirituality informing some U.K. activists' “lifeworlds.” Other useful terms include anarchist animists and political pagans. Ecopaganism as practice is focused on protection, for example, of the group, of the self, of threatened land, of threatened peoples. It is important to stress that ecopaganism is overridingly positive in its intentions, aiming to protect and support. While ecopagan ritual sometimes forms a part of ecopagan activist practice, there are no rules. Ecopaganism is not an organized religion, but very much a free-for-all where anything goes, across a broad spectrum of individual belief systems and practices, which nevertheless incorporates some core principles. In this respect, ecopagans are typical of U.K. activists per se in that identities and practices are fluid, shifting, and complex, and boundaries are blurred. This difficulty of classification is thus in itself part of the definition.

A basic definition of ecopaganism as a worldview, is that nature (and humans as part of nature) is seen as sacred. The sense of self in nature, as part of the cosmos, informs a feeling of spirituality, connectedness, and—crucially—a corresponding political motivation to take action. U.K. “free-form” or “detraditionalized” ecopaganism and ritual comes out of a British tradition of nature-worship and/or celebration. The celebration of nature and natural cycles is a cornerstone of this; for example, equinoxes, solstices, and full moons are seen as times to light fires and throw parties to celebrate the turning of the year, of the seasons—celebrating patterns of death, rebirth, and regeneration. Elemental and natural aspects are personified (e.g., the Green Man). [Page 507]Ecopagan activists tend to state that these personifications are metaphorical or symbolic, though such animism does imply an essence beyond the purely symbolic level—this again is a very personal issue. Landscape is especially important for U.K. ecopagans.

Ecopagans tend to have a reflexive appreciation of worldviews/cosmologies of indigenous peoples globally, where other “systems biology” spiritualities and philosophies that advocate forms of sustainability are expressed. “Walk lightly on Mother Earth” is probably the most commonly recognized principle here. Phrases like “Mother Earth”—the earth celebrated as a goddess—are common. Again, concepts like these are usually not taken literally, but are seen as symbolic, emphasizing the significance of the planet we live on as a life-giving force. “Fighting for Mother Earth!” and “Defending Mother Earth” were very common expressions among 1990s eco-activists in the United Kingdom. Ecopaganism is thus an embodied, engaged form of ecophilosophy, in that nature in its broadest sense is seen as having value and intrinsic worth, and this in turn motivates political action. U.K. ecopaganism is definitely not “biocentric” but is equally concerned with social justice. Ecofeminism and social ecology are important concepts inherent within ecopaganism. The U.S.-based pagan activist and writer Starhawk is probably the best-known advocate of this form of “political paganism.”

There has been considerable criticism of ecospirituality among some writers, such as Murray Bookchin, who critique “New Age,” postmodern shopping trolley approaches to religion. It is important to emphasize that there is a clear difference between “New Age,” highly individualist expressions of spirituality, and the activist-as-ecopagan. The former tend to be pursuing a (usually fairly moneyed) route to individual self-expression and spirituality; the latter are generally embedded in activist communities and networks, and express their spirituality as protest, in that their environmental and other protests are an expression of their worldview, and vice versa. U.K. ecopagans tend to have a critique themselves of what they view as self-centered forms of spiritual expression that are not linked to political practice. Because it challenges power abuses of all types and in all contexts, ecopaganism cannot be constructed as apolitical; rather, it is extremely politically engaged.

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