Walpurgisnacht and Beltane

Note: I’m highly indebted to John Beckett and Jason Mankey as resources for this post.

Some Pagan festivals land back to back on the calendar. This is one of those times. April 30th and May 1st mark the Pagan festivals of Walpurgisnacht and Beltane, respectively. This year, these two festivals carry special significance.

Walpurgisnacht is named after Saint Walpurgis, who, like the mythical Saint Brigid, was based on a pagan goddess. Walburg was the old Teutonic name for the Earth Mother. The festival of Walpurgisnacht is thought to have originally been part of a continental European pre-Christian May Day festival. The traditions of grain and bonfires on Warpurgisnacht are continuations of pagan festival practices. It’s also a liminal night similar to Samhain when the veil between this world and other Otherworld becomes thin. As a result, it’s a night of magic and witchcraft. In the tale of Faust, on Walpurgisnacht, the protagonist travels to a gathering of witches and demons on a mountaintop. The classic view of Walpurgisnacht as a night of dark magick is beautifully animated in Disney’s Fantasia. The result is Walpurgisnacht has a dark reputation.

Beltane is a Gaelic Pagan May Day festival. Little is known about the pre-Christian pagan practice. Likely a fire festival, like Walpurgisnacht, the Beltane festival was meant to protect cattle from dangerous magic. 19th and early 20th-century writers, like Robert Graves, practiced revisionist history and claimed it was a fertility festival with “orgiastic revels.” While Gardner agreed it was a fire festival, he got caught up in the fertility claim about Beltane. As a result, its sexual reputation continues today in contemporary Paganism.

Both festivals are more important today than ever. The rise of Christian Nationalism threatens the religious freedom of everyone, especially Pagans. Even many who aren’t caught up in the new religious-fascism movements support a thinning of the wall between church and state. Attacks on reproductive rights and the rights of LGBTQ+ are increasing at an alarming rate.

Maybe, just maybe, the dark magick of Walpurgisnacht and the sex-positive festival of Beltane will inspire us Pagans to join other freedom-loving people to fight back. As Benjamin Franklin said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

Earth Day 2023

Contemporary Paganism is often defined as an “Earth-Centered Religion.” While I think that’s an oversimplification, it’s true that most contemporary Pagans consider the Earth sacred. A significant reason for this view is the importance of animism within contemporary Paganism.

 

Animism is the belief that all of the Cosmos is infused with spirit. Spirit exists within every plant and every animal. Some animists believe spirit is also found in inanimate objects like rocks. 

Many indigenous religions incorporate animism into their belief systems. Animism plays an important role in Shinto, for example. Animism is also in classic Western thought, such as the concept of the anima mundi found in Greek philosophy. 

Earth Day recognizes the importance of treating the Earth and its inhabitants with respect. Unfortunately, humanity gets an F for how it treats the Earth. For example, it’s predicted that 1 million species will go extinct in the coming decades because of human activity. 

The Self is the product of its relations with others. These relations aren’t limited to other humans but also to the Earth and all that dwells upon it. Earth Day calls us to work on repairing this very important relationship.

Astrology and Fate

“The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves…” – William Shakespeare, ‘Julius Caesar.’

Astrology is an ancient practice found in many societies. It played a significant role in classic Greco-Roman paganism, which drew upon and modified Mesopotamian astrology. Astrology also plays a role in Traditional Chinese beliefs. Its popularity continues today, especially in New Age and contemporary Paganism in the West.

I will leave aside the criticism by those seeking scientific evidence for its efficacy. Astrology, contrary to the claims of many of its advocates, is a spiritual practice rather than a science. And spirituality does not lend itself well to scientific study. 

It’s important to remember that astrology does not equate to destiny. The planets and stars may influence us, but we have the power to decide how we respond. Let me give you an example from experience.

I have Type 2 diabetes. The popular assumption is that it’s the result of a poor lifestyle. However, my doctors have determined that mine is due to genetics. While I can’t change my genetic predisposition for diabetes, I can decide how to respond. With the help of my doctors, my diabetes is under control through the combination of medication and diet. 

Like genetics, any influence of stars and planets on our lives is beyond our control. However, it’s up to us how we play the hand we’re dealt.

Paganism and Easter

“Welcome to the world of bullshit, my dear. You have arrived.” - Elton John

The amount of bullshit on the internet is truly outstanding. In this post, I cover one of big loads of crap that's floats around. Put on your waders, folks. It’s going to get deep before we get to the other side.

The bullshit is a meme that goes around social media this time each year. If you haven’t seen it, although I don’t know how you missed it, it’s a picture of the Burney Relief with the following wording over it:

Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols (or did you actually think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with the resurrection?) After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. But at its roots, Easter (which is how you pronounce Ishtar) is all about celebrating fertility and sex.

Let me run through the error of this meme. While Ishtar’s domain includes fertility, her primary domains are war, sex, and wisdom. Her animal is not the bunny but the lion. And while bird imagery is found on some of Her Mesopotamian artifacts, eggs have nothing to do with Ishtar. Constantine did not establish a holiday named after Her. The Easter holiday here in the West was originally, and still is in the East, called Paschal. And Ishtar’s name is NOT pronounced: “Easter.”   

Now that we’ve sloshed through that manure, there is evidence that the name “Easter” might have a pagan origin. The primary source for this is an 8th-century monk named the Venerable Bede.

Bede was tasked with establishing a date for Paschal that met the criteria of the Medieval Western Church. In his book De Temporum, Bede wrote:

Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honored name of the old observance.

In this passage, we learn that the Saxon calendar had a month called Eosturmonath, named after a Saxon goddess named Eostre. Also, some 8th-century Christians in England continued to use this term for the Christian observance of Paschal. The modern Western name of Easter is a holdover from this practice.

Bede is the only source that the Saxons had a goddess by that name. Much later, in 1835, Jacob Grimm (yes, that Grimm) hypothesized that the Old High German tongue might contain references to a Saxon goddess named Ostara. 

Assuming there was a Saxon goddess named Eostre/ Ostara, what do we know about Her? We know nothing. Some scholars speculate that She was a goddess of the Dawn or possibly the East. But there are no records that the various pagan spring practices involving eggs and bunnies were associated with the goddess Eostre.

I know some people like to tease Christians. And some Christians ignore facts, making them easy targets. However, I feel an obligation to accuracy.

Epicurus and Dark Paganism

In my book, The Philosophy of Dark Paganism (shameless self-promotion), I mention that Dark Paganism is eclectic in that it draws on various schools of philosophy, both classic and contemporary. One of the philosophical schools that influence Dark Paganism is Epicurus.  

Epicurus

 

Epicurus and Gautama the Buddha determined that suffering was humanity’s greatest scourge. Epicurus believed that anxiety was the primary source of human suffering and developed a four-point treatment plan.

1. Don’t fear god.

Epicurus and his followers were not atheists. However, they didn’t believe that the gods were involved in ordering the Cosmos. And the gods certainly weren’t interested in human affairs. Therefore, according to Epicurus, one didn’t have to fear a god’s retribution. One shouldn’t be anxious about being sent to Tartarus for displeasing a god or breaking some ethical rule.

Dark Paganism shares the view that most gods don’t care about humans. Occasionally, a god will develop a relationship with an individual human, but that’s the exception and not the rule. Most of the time, we don’t even show up on their radar. Rituals and offerings to gods aren’t done to avoid a god’s wrath. They’re performed to maintain relationships. 

2. Don’t fear death.

According to Epicurus, death isn’t something to fear. He pointed out that we have no memory of non-existence before our birth. Therefore, we’ll have nothing to fear of non-existence after our deaths.

But what if Epicurus is wrong and there is an afterlife? Should we worry about our fate? The answer is still no. As mentioned, the gods don’t care about us. They won’t punish us by sending us to Hell or some other place of torment. Those UPGs (Unverified Personal Gnosis) that I consider most reliable describe the afterlife as a place of contemplation, renewal, and joy followed by either rebirth or ascension. Whatever it entails, suffering and torture aren’t part of it.  

3. What’s good is easy to attain.

According to Epicurus, “good,” as used here, has a particular meaning. Typically, especially in America, “good” means expensive luxuries. However, that’s not what Epicurus meant. “Good” meant that which is needed to maintain life. Food, shelter, etc., sufficient to live are “good.” He didn’t condemn luxuries, but he did warn that they could create anxiety because they might be lost once acquired.

Generally, Epicurus was right. Most people can acquire the basic needs to live if they set their standards at realistic levels. One problem is that many of us aren’t happy living within our means. As a result, we create massive debt, which can cause us to work long hours and live in anxiety of loss.

However, reality is complicated. The truth is that even lower standards aren’t always enough in our Capitalist society to guarantee shelter and food. For example, medical care, a necessity for life, can be outlandish in cost. The primary cause of bankruptcy is the cost of medical care here in the US. 

Homelessness and food insecurity are real problems for many people. Hard work and setting realistic standards don’t always pay. These real problems inherent in our Capitalist socioeconomic system can create anxiety that Epicurean principles don’t address.

4. What’s terrible is easy to endure.

Epicurus died a painful death. Before his death, he suffered for two weeks from a kidney stone that blocked his urethra. However, he endured his pain by remembering the good times with his friends over the years. 

In this final point, we’re reminded that physical pain, even severe, is usually temporary for most people. And severe chronic pain, while horrible, is uncommon for the majority. Most of us learn to live with moderate chronic pain. And for most people, mental pain, such as fear and anxiety, can be reduced by maintaining a healthy outlook on life.

Dark Pagans accept Epicurus points on pain as a general principle. If we apply this wrong, there is the risk that we can minimize the seriousness of suffering from pain. While applicable to most people, this Epicurean principle doesn’t apply to everyone.