The Intersection of Paganism & Environmentalism || Pagan Happy Hour Ep#29

[@acmulhern]

I've recently discovered that I am an animist as opposed to being a theist. Theists believe in Gods, either one (Judaist religions for example) or multiple (ancient Greek, Norse, etc). As an animist I don't believe in a God, but I believe in the power of plants, animals and sacred places in nature such as forests, rivers, oceans, mountains etc. And therefore I feel that I am just a part of nature, not above or in charge of it. My attitude, rather than feeling like I need to save the planet is rather to stop harming it. Probably doesn't make much of a difference to the end result, but to me this change in attitude is an important one.

[@Risofthegarden]

I feel that as a pagan the climate crisis hits so much closer to home bc some days I can actually feel Mother Nature’s pain. I wish everyone could see the magick and beauty of our home and want to take care of it. It breaks my heart to see the damage humans have done to our planet and I hope soon we will start taking steps in the right direction

[@sunman3829]

It's like a toxic relationship we can't get out of.

[@monicabooth2812]

I'm renting right now but eventually would love to buy a small house on a decent size property and turn the whole thing into a regenerative permaculture farm, growing the grand majority of my family's vegetables and medicinal herbs for the year and rehabilitating the soil using permaculture principles. It'd be cool to open the property up to the community so they can learn permaculture too. I'm just in research phase, so this is probably at least 10-15 years in the making, but it's my dream! Leaving the Christian church and embracing agnostic Paganism has made me more acutely aware of not just nature itself but also our society's attitude toward the environment. They've forgotten the directive to be good stewards of the land. So many just don't care because they're obsessed with "the world to come", or feel like they do care but are powerless. Paganism has awoken in me the knowledge that I am not powerless, I can affect change.

[@achyleftistwitch]

The elementary next door has a hummingbird and butterfly garden. If my finances manifest the way I've been working toward 🙏 I intend to buy at least an acre and just plant flowers and trees

[@LilacWolfGames]

Oh that is wonderful I hope you get your acre of land 🌳🌳🌳

[@KateKrabheart]

thank you so much for tackling this topic. this is so so serious and important! my two cents here would be that, not only we, as Pagans should be doing our best at living as environmentally-friendly as possible on an INDIVIDUAL level, we should actually be at the FOREFRONT of climate activism. we should be leading the protests, organising marches, drafting legislation, speaking at events, striking, boycotting, and not backing down. because this is OUR issue. if anything, this is our calling as people who view Nature as sacred. for example, the Indigenous community in the US was protesting the building of that pipeline across their sacred lands. we as Pagans should have been standing side by side with our brothers and sisters (at least those Pagans who live in that area). this is our fight too. not everyone can or should become a radical, but we really need more of us to do something beyond an individual effort. in a previous Pagan happy hour, Scarlet discussed the Warrior archetype and how it could be used and invoked by Pagans in the modern day. THIS is how. this is our chance to call upon our Warrior deities and fight for our Planet. also, related to the topic Scarlet brought up before about the materialistic consumerist culture of modern day "witchy aesthetic" - this obsession with buying witchy things/clothes/accessories is literally doing the opposite of helping the Earth and another reason why it's really harmful.

[@victorbonesteel6084]

My current job is to clean bathrooms and empty garbage cans at the local beach and parks so much plastic, metal, paper and cardboard is thrown away that a huge dumpster can be filled in one day and there are four different dumpsters in different areas I often wonder what is done with it, I don't think my area recycles anymore I know my own family don't care. I don't know why so much roundup and pesticides are being used and why everyone is letting themselves get sick on them

[@hannahbrooks6174]

As environmental scientist and pagan I'm so sad that I missed this live! But all of these are super good points, and water in the west and the Ogallala aquifer are huge issues that America is facing. I was super excited that you brought it up! All of these points were super spot on

[@tealnebula3909]

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate this conversation! I've been really convicted (to use the xstian term) to do more for the environment. We don't have a lot of money, so we are taking small steps towards being more sustainable. We have half an acre where we raise chickens, and are building a large fruit and vegetable garden. I am focusing on interplanting lots of flowers and herbs in my landscape and vegetable garden, as well. The goal is to one day be able to buy some land and build a sustainable homestead. 💕 I hope more people (Pagan and non Pagan) wake up to the need for less lawn, and more native wildflowers!

[@tealnebula3909]

I also wanted to add that there are a few Facebook groups for Pagan Homesteaders/ Witchy Homesteaders. I'm in several and they are wonderful!

[@mithrilbb2636]

Idk if anyone will read this but I would love to have easy, accessible ways to limit waste and eat healthy organic, cruelty free foods as a disabled person. I often have to choose what is easiest over what I morally agree with because my health has been deteriorating so quickly. If I wouldn't have started pushing so hard to get better, I would be bed bound by now. But even still, I'm barely functioning. Would love some accessible solutions for disabled people like myself

[@alexist6193]

This was my favorite pagan hour topic!

[@katiemaier2782]

I recommend reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It is a wealth of scientific and indigenous knowledge regarding plants, the environment, and our relationships with them in the US. The author is a wise and fascinating storyteller!

[@mariaroman8726]

I have tried bamboo toilet paper through a company called Who Gives A Crap, they donate to help people get toilets. I also have tried the dehydrated laundry detergent sheets, from companies called TruEarth, Earth Breeze, Sheets and some California company.

[@wakefulwitch]

Raising honey bees is a partial contributor to the endangerment of local pollinators, because their species is a very efficient pollen collector, which is great for their queen and people who want honey, but not leaving a fair food supply for the local pollinators that have to go to many different flowers (moving that pollen) before it has enough to for itself or their own hive.

[@chadjcrase]

I can watch bees and butterflies in my backyard for long periods of time because it does seem more precious to see them now than I remember from my childhood. These contemporary issues though, are more about politics than spirit - paganism represents a connection with nature that doesn't necessarily adhere to a political stance, which is what Environmentalism suggests. Your eyelashes are amazing by the way!

[@carriekoltunov3288]

I loved hearing about how you've been watching homesteading videos! I've been doing the same thing, and writing a list of homesteading skills I'd like to learn. I sometimes find the religious commentary interesting. I'm surprised I haven't really found any Pagan homesteaders making these videos - it seems like a lifestyle Pagans would be drawn to.

[@we-anglo-saxondharma7164]

Human beings need to abandon ego and treat Earth as an actual mother. She goes through so much, such as the wars that humans get themselves into, oil-drilling, and so on. Despite all of this, she still gives. Hail our mother, Hail Earth.

[@gaventer2022]

Quite simply, Gaia is life. She is all, the very soul of the earth. She is a goddess who, by all accounts, inhabits the planet, offering life and nourishment to all her children. In the ancient civilizations, she was revered as mother, nurturer and giver of life. It’s she who created and sustained us, and to whom we returned upon death.

[@robert2730]

The sound is good

[@alexmeir1312]

Thank you for talking about this issue within the lens of a pagan belief/practice!!

[@alexmeir1312]

Also please be sure to plant NATIVE milkweed varieties to your area!! :) most tropical imports are actually not the healthiest for Monarch butterflies in the US!

[@LilacWolfGames]

Great video. So glad you brought this subject up. Definitely feel a focus on reducing plastics and encouraging our ecosystems to return through re-wilding forests and other natural habitats. These topics resonate strongly with me.

[@27sparkle73]

Very important subjects to discuss we do need to decide what we can do to help Mother Earth

[@kathleenroberts7972]

To me nature IS the divine.the Bible fails to mention that we are connected to everything. Not man's domination over nature but more we are one with nature.

[@Cernunnos_83]

Totally agree! 🌱🌳💚👍

[@gaventer2022]

Absolutely agree! 🌿

[@ladyscarfaceangel4616]

The Bible is a very difficult read. "Be Still & know I am God" is by far my favorite line in the bible. To me that means mediate often, be still in nature. When I'm doing my morning yoga during the week at 5am I love to open my windows so I can hear God waking up the earth. I feel He communicates with me through Mother nature. That's just how I feel. I don't identify as Christian anymore because I needed a separation from all the Hell focus & negativity to the positives which is the way I believe it's supposed to be. I don't think God is that uptight & He wants us to be happy, & heavy focus on Sin keeps ppl in a negative & therefore unachieving mood. I just tell ppl that I have a spiritual relationship with God, over using the label "Christian". I personally believe that Jesus was a teacher much like Buddha & taught the ways to achieve enlightenment. Peace, love, & acceptance. I feel the connection & oneness with the Divine & nature when I meditate outside. Be still & know I am God. I know He's there for me because I feel the energy. Outside is my church, my yoga mat is my church. I can't feel His Divine presence inside a church, but I can outside away from that Christian environment. I don't know of that makes any sense to anyone else, but to each his own. Every individual must find their own Divine path, whatever it may be. There is no right & wrong. Only what each person feels in their heart.

[@commonwisdom5333]

I have a green house that I have tomatoes in. They were started in big trash cans. I tried straw and it did not work as well as I hoped, potting soil will most likely be be better. I think I have to draw in pollinators as well or do it myself.

[@SMAHAF]

I was hoping for your planned subject about atheist paganism. Could it be the topic of next week's live stream, please?

[@galadriel9127]

Jes, pease!

[@elysezzz5627]

I second this!!

[@tinam2696]

You sound great!

[@leonardjames672]

It seems overwhelming at first, when it's new, enough to make you tear up, and then you realize everything will be fine. Where there's life, there's hope. We're all in it together. Botticelli on bookshelf ?

[@terryhayleypatterson7847]

I have a lot of viwes on this sadly missed this live feed . . Great viwes here . Am not a fan of organice lots of reason behind this . I would defo swap to farmer maker's if given the chance . As a mum of 6 i feel the problem with over crowding is there loads of nice good land but every one seem to want to live in a cage well thats city life for me . I do believe all the small steps we take to try and change things all adds up to one big change more so because i habe 6 kids to me it all about teaching kids in the hope they will make biger changes . You doing this on yourtube is fantastic

[@mariaroman8726]

It doesn't say destroy and ruin nature. The natural world is not here to be abused.

[@jamiepratt9247]

WOW! It's really big in here.🙋 Echoooo!

[@danwoodman5505]

One of the big problems with Christianity is it's disregard for the earth plane. If it's one's inclination to anchor one's spirit in a higher realm, that's fine. But it's not an excuse to disregard one's physical home. It's like saying, "I'm going to have a big fancy house someday, so who cares if I trash my apartment complex and ruin it for everybody else."

[@gaventer2022]

Well said! 🌟🌟🌟

[@batty_babette]

Just a point on organic- it might be better to get non organic at times if the trade off is the produce is local. Big organic is better than regular Big Food Production (lol this name) but the industry still has its issues unfortunately. :/

[@funnygaming2672]

yep im not into environmentalism part ..i dont even recycle in my area .I care more about animals that need a new home, most of my pets are adopted and i prefer the spiritual and caring aspect of taking care of people and animals in need and my family's ,i do my garden every year but anything that touch consuming in a big corp level I'm not interested. they need to change their way not my job to go after them because their product are not biodegradable with too much packaging .Taking care of others is more gratifying and i see a direct impact i did .

[@stevenmcgonigal3231]

Have you ever thought about start your own group for read environment and in Australia we have a think of plant Tree Day I'm picking up rubbish day 2

[@just_simply_alive1130]

Why don't you interact with your own discord community? It's really sad that you don't come in and join the conversations

[@The_Green_Knight_8888]

Is that a Batman Graphic novel on the bottom-left? Which one is it? I gotta know. :)

[@thenightfirewitch]

💚

[@francisedward8713]

We need more tree planting. And no, not all tree planting is good. Often, very dense monoplantations are planted which are NOT beneficial to wildlife and are cut down for logging when mature yet still count towards governments’ tree planting targets. We need mass-scale, DIVERSE and native tree planting across the globe that is protected from logging to begin the restoration of wildlife habitat, as well as obviously the massive net benefit of carbon absorption. This is by no means a quick fix, with forests taking centuries to fully mature, but it needs to happen NOW. And planting trees is *SO* cheap and cost effective over time.

[@waltergrove2657]

do pagans have to be witches?

[@funnygaming2672]

no

[@waltergrove2657]

Is there a such thing as secular paganism?

[@scarling9367]

Do lapse pagans count?

[@monicabooth2812]

My pagan practice is secular. I don't invoke or acknowledge deities in my practice, but I believe in natural energies of the earth, how they interact with lunar tides, etc. The most "religious" I get is I guess considering "the universe" as a representative term for all the energies and aspects of the cosmos and our planet in my meditations and rituals. So I observe the wheel of the year and lunar phases but I don't attribute deities to them. Check out the podcast "The Pragmatic Pagan", the host is atheist and takes a very nature- and science-based approach to witchcraft. The podcast has helped me immensely with focusing my practice.

[@waltergrove2657]

@@monicabooth2812 I am an Atheist right now and I really want to find a religion that is right for me. I grew up in a Buddhist family and I havent told my parents yet that im an atheist. I go to a christian school and I havent told them either. I love nature so much and I want to find a nature based religion. I dont believe in Gods because I dont believe in things that dont have proof to. But Paganism, is an umbrella term which means you get to choose what kind of Pagan you want to be. So since all pagans worship nature, I was interested in this religion. But most of them are polytheistic, so I was just curious if Secular Paganism was a thing.

[@monicabooth2812]

@@waltergrove2657 I'm very new to paganism, but yes it is very much what you make of it, which suits me in my stage of life. I'm agnostic, and I find that letting go of the "certainty" of faith in a specific deity has helped me become more spiritual. What I like about a lot of Paganism, even the theistic parts, is that there's a diversity of beliefs. Some truly believe in the gods they worship and work with, and some will refer to or acknowledge gods in their practice as a means of personifying the principle or aspect of nature they are working with (e.g. they might "call on Vesta" while purifying/blessing their home, not necessarily because they believe Vesta exists, but because in mythology she's representative of hearth and home so calling on Vesta helps the practitioner feel more connected to their work spiritually). I hope that makes sense. For me personally, I view deities in folklore and mythology just as I would the characters of the Christian bible - literature, anthropology, and even history of the people who lived in those ancient times. But actual gods/goddesses who require our worship in a reciprocal way? Nah, not for me. Wishing you the best, I know what it's like to have a different spiritual path from family/friends and it can be lonely, but thankfully the online community of Pagans is growing.

[@sunman3829]

What are some of the biggest environmental issues? People who are not attuned to their environment. Region religion... The way of the desert is not the way of the jungle, etc. I am not talking of religion in the common sense. But how we work with the environment. These days culture is of a world trade, one big culture. Whereas culture used to be due to the environment and resources which were unique to the region. Biodiversity, a variety of systems. Which is key to the function of the cell of eartH. Everything cannot be the same. Thus, religions which try to take over the world and make one religion... They are harming mother nature. And they don't even know what they are doing. At the end of the Bible it says not to alter the word in any way (or something like that) otherwise it would unleash plague. Thus, to translate? Some things you can't translate, otherwise it alters the art. You can't recreate an original piece of art. You have to create an original. Origins. Nevermind the problems. Let's talk solutions. Dissolution... Dissolved in the solution. Mixed up. Strange brew of the cauldron.