The Philosophy of Dark Paganism

“Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.” - Edger Allen Poe, The Raven

As I walked through a Halloween store the other day, I came across a placard with the above quote from Poe’s The Raven. When I saw the placard, I knew I had to buy it for it truly spoke to me. 

Several years ago, I decided to write a book. I can’t say that my dreams were like “no mortal ever dared to dream,” but they were the product of peering into the darkness of the Self. My dream of being published became a reality today with the release of my book The Philosophy of Dark Paganism by Llewellyn Worldwide.

In my book, I explore Dark Paganism as a philosophical worldview. In it, I explore self-knowledge and autonomy as part of creating a meaningful life. To aid the reader, I provide nine principles to aid in individuation and achieving a state of well-being, which the ancients call eudaimonia. 

Of my book, Raven Digitalis, author of A Witch’s Shadow Magick Compendium and Esoteric Empathy, wrote:

“Differing from ‘black’ magick or baneful sorcery, this deeply intelligent and honest book explores darker magickal elements through a lens of Neopaganism. Focused on self-development by way of shadow, the reader is given an opportunity to cohesively improve themselves and search for life’s greater purpose. I have never experienced a book like this. It is packed to the brim with educational references and citations, all of which boil down to a metaphysical perspective. The author’s refreshing approach encompasses solid academic history and philosophy alongside practical theory aimed toward self-empowerment. The shroud of darkness is enchanting...why not take a peek?”

You can purchase my book from Amazon and from Llewellyn.com.

What’s in a Name? – Part 2

I wrote about using the term “dark” in Dark Paganism in my previous post. However, any understanding is incomplete unless I address the second half of the name, “paganism.” To begin, we need to look at its possible etymology.

We know that “pagan” has been used primarily by Christian missionaries as a derogatory term for indigenous religions. Even today, many use it in the same manner for any belief they consider superstitious or primitive. There are several possible etymologies for “pagan.” The one I prefer is given by Hellenist and historian Pierre Chuvin, who proposes that the root is pagani, meaning “people of the place” and those who preserve local traditions. This root word would seem consistent with its historical usage by Christian missionaries’ intent on destroying indigenous religions.

Isaac Bonewits coined the term “Neopaganism” to differentiate contemporary Paganism from the perceived barbarism of ancient Paganism. Some contemporary Pagans still use this term. However, I see this modifier as unnecessary. For example, none of the major world religions are exactly as they were in ancient times, but we don’t attach “Neo-” to their names. Therefore, I use “pagan” for both ancient and contemporary Paganism.

Now we can look at defining “paganism” in Dark Paganism. I define contemporary Paganism as an umbrella term for various contemporary spiritual paths of Western esotericism inspired by pre-Abrahamic concepts, tropes, and mythology. The terms “Western esotericism” and “pre-Abrahamic” deserve some attention.

Antoine Faivre is the most widely referenced scholar in Western esotericism. According to Faivre, esotericism includes 1) an interconnected universe, 2) a belief that all of the world is alive, 3) imagination can influence the world using ritual and symbols, and 4) individual transformation is possible. The inclusion of Western esotericism in the definition acknowledges these elements found in contemporary Paganism and distinguishes it from the various indigenous religions around the globe.

Finally, the reference to “pre-Abrahamic” is quite simple. “Pre-Abrahamic” simply means that Paganism isn’t part of the same thread, literary and philosophical, that unites the big three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Its tropes and mythology pre-date the origin of Abrahamic religions and their current dominance.  

Taking both parts of this series together, Dark Paganism’s name is the result of being a spiritual philosophy that focuses on the Self and is part of the larger Pagan community.
Blessed Be,
Frater Tenebris

What’s in a Name? – Part 1

“All names mean something.” – Salman Rushdie

Of all of the possible words, one might be wondering why Dark Paganism is called ‘dark’? Commonly the word ‘dark’ or ‘darkness’ is synonymous with something negative. “The dark night of the soul,” for example. If Dark Paganism is indeed positive and life-affirming, as I wrote in my first blog entry, shouldn’t it be called something else?

In the same post, I wrote that John J Coughlin, the Father of Dark Paganism, proposes that spirituality has two approaches, the external and internal. In the external approach, personal meaning is found outside the individual. In the internal approach, personal meaning is found within.   

Dark Paganism is an internal approach to spirituality. It looks inward rather than looking to the Cosmos or society for personal meaning. This inward focus makes Dark Paganism very Western and reflective of our times.

The terms ‘light’ and ‘dark’ are metaphors for the external and internal approaches. Imagine a cave, a model used by Plato. The inside of the cave is dark, while the outside is light.

Although the cave is dark, it’s not evil. Caves play an essential role in the ecosystem and the web of life. The cave provides needed shelter for many creatures. In addition, a cave is often a reservoir of drinking water for both humans and wildlife.

Darkness isn't evil. Embrace the darkness.

Blessed Be,
Frater Tenebris

Grief – A Follow-up Post

Note: this post addresses the complex topic of grief. If you’re struggling with grief and would like assistance, please visit the Grief Resource Network.

Last week, in a post titled Memento Mori, I posted about the brutal reality of death. Looking back, I feel like I didn’t adequately address grief.

Grief is natural. Not only do humans grieve, but so do many non-human creatures. Denying or suppressing grief can result in problems emotionally, mentally, and physically.

There is no timetable for the progression of grief. For some, it’s short-lived, while for others, it takes years. Grief is very individual; while many people are thought to progress through multiple stages during the grieving process, the grieving process is not universal in its progression.

From a philosophical perspective, while I quoted Stoicism, the Stoic emphasis on rationality fails. In my previous post, I quoted Seneca saying that we shouldn’t allow grief to control us. While this is good advice, the problem is that we can’t just turn off our emotions. Although we think of ourselves as rational creatures, rational thought is the tiniest tip of the iceberg of the mind. The majority of the mind, conscious and unconscious, is emotion. 

Dark Paganism is a philosophy of reason. That doesn’t mean it’s exclusively about rational thought. Reason includes not only our rational side but accepts the emotional and irrational side. This view on reason makes Dark Paganism a form of humanism, for it accepts and celebrates our humanity with all of its messiness and complexity. To quote the Roman playwright Terence, “I am human, and I think nothing human is alien to me.”

Blessed Be,
Frater Tenebris

Memento Mori

Note: this post addresses the complex topic of death. If you’re struggling with loss and would like assistance, please visit the Grief Resource Network.

Recently, I had a colleague pass away unexpectedly. He was the type of guy that one enjoyed being around. He was intelligent and talented. His death was a shock to all of us.

In the past, death’s presence was more apparent than today. Until modern times, funerals took place in individuals’ homes rather than some sanitized funeral home. Frequently, photos were taken of the deceased, which in some cases were the only photos ever taken of them. Sometimes the deceased were propped up as though they were still alive. Deceased children might be photographed while being held by their parents or as though they were sleeping.

While today we don’t dwell upon death as much, there are times, like the passing of my colleague, when death forces its presence upon us.

The title of this post is memento mori, meaning “remember, you will die.” Often associated with Christianity, the concept is pagan in origin. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote that when one kisses a child or a friend, temper your happiness by remembering their mortality. 

Stoics like Epictetus have an unfair and inaccurate reputation as being anti-emotion. For example, Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, based the ever-logical Mr. Spock on what he understood of Stoicism. However, Roddenberry, like so many people, was mistaken. Stoicism isn’t about repressing emotions, like the fictional Vulcans. The Stoics accept that emotions are part of the human condition but believe in learning not to allow emotions to control you.  

We can learn a lot from the Stoics when it comes to death. 

• Death is not evil because it’s an inevitable part of life. “But death and life, honor and dishonor, pain and pleasure—all these things, equally happen to good men and bad, being things which make us neither better nor worse. Therefore they are neither good nor evil.” - Marcus Aurelius

• We should not allow the fear of death to hold us back. “It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.”- Marcus Aurelius

• Because of death’s inevitability, don’t put off what’s important. “Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” – Seneca

• It’s okay to grieve the death of someone, but don’t let it control you. “It’s better to conquer grief than to deceive it.” – Seneca

The Stoics don’t have a monopoly on good advice concerning life and death. Friedrich Nietzsche, who despised the Stoics, wrote, “And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh.” And it was Joseph Campbell who advised, when asked about the meaning of life, to “follow your bliss.” 

So, do what makes you happy. Go out and take chances. Tell that person how you feel. Fill your life with beauty and love. Most importantly, live your life as though there will be no tomorrow. Because, one day, there won’t be. 

Memento mori.

Blessed Be,

Frater Tenebris

Walpurgis Night

April 30th, 2022, is a magical night for several reasons. One reason is that it’s a rare Black Moon, which occurs when there are two New Moons in one month. The other is that this Black Moon coincides with the ancient festival of Walpurgisnacht, also known as Hexxennacht. Tradition holds that Walpurgisnacht is named after Saint Walpurga, who supposedly founded a monastery in Heidenheim and had the power to fight disease and witchcraft. However, like so many Christian saints, she was probably a myth. Her true origins rest in the Teutonic pagan Earth goddess by the same name.

According to Judika Illes in her book Encyclopedia of Spirits, Walburga is the goddess of beauty, warmth, fertility, the renewal of life, and grain. The Wild Hunt pursues the goddess Walburga for nine days before May Day. In the past, villagers would leave doors and windows open to give Her refuge. There’s a myth that the goddess was given shelter by a farmer who didn’t know who She was. In the morning, She was gone but had left grains of gold sprinkled in with his rye crop as gratitude for his kindness.  

The wizard and author Oberon Zell-Ravenheart explains that on Walpurgisnacht, the veil between the worlds becomes thin and is traditionally a night of insanity. It was also known as the Festival of Hades in the classical world.  This dark aspect is likely why Saint Walpurga and the Walpurgis Night festival are associated with witchcraft and dark magick. Goethe wrote that Faust was taken to Brocken in the Harz Mountains on Walpurgis Night to celebrate with demons and witches. This Faustian festival of demons is famously depicted in the Disney animated film Fantasia to the orchestral piece Night on Bald Mountain. Hence, the alternative name of Hexxennacht or Witches Night.

So, dear reader, go ahead and celebrate Beltane by dancing around the (very Freudian) Maypole on May 1st. Don’t forget the political side of May Day and make sure to show solidarity with the working class. However, remember that tonight is special in its own right. Tonight is Walpurgisnacht, a night of dark magick and dark desires.

Defining the Self

In my introductory post, I defined Dark Paganism as a positive, life-affirming Pagan spirituality focused on honoring and cultivating the Self. However, this definition begs what is meant within Dark Paganism by the “Self.” For this, we begin with the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Carl Jung believed that four universal, inborn models within us influence human behaviors. He called these four models “archetypes.” The four archetypes are anima/animus, persona, shadow, and the Self.  

Jung defines the Self archetype as being not only the center of a person but also the totality of that person. The Self is a phenomenon that encompasses both the unconscious and conscious mind. It’s the center of the individual while also the person’s totality. 

The Self is “nothing” or “not a thing.” It’s an ever-changing, dynamic phenomenon that’s an emergent property of the physical and spiritual bodies. While we exist in this material realm, it’s the product of complex interactions between biology, environmental conditioning, and cognitive functions. During our existence in the Otherworld, the Self is the emergent property of the Soul’s or subtle body’s unique conditions.   

Blessed Be.

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Welcome to my new blog. I’m an author, philosopher, and practitioner of Dark Paganism. What is Dark Paganism? I’m so glad you asked. As I define it, Dark Paganism is a positive, life-affirming, Pagan spirituality that’s focused on honoring and cultivating the Self.

In his work, Out of the Shadows, John J Coughlin proposed the existence of two approaches to spirituality. Both approaches address existential questions of meaning and ethics. However, they look for answers to these questions differently.

One approach is “external” in that it looks outside the person for answers. In the external approach, the primary question is, “What is the meaning of the universe?” By discovering this Cosmic meaning, the individual can find their purpose.

The other approach is “internal” in that it looks inside the individual for answers. In the internal approach, the primary question is, “Who am I, and how do I fit within everything?” Meaning isn’t something handed to a person but is something the individual creates.

Dark Paganism is an internal approach to spirituality. Self-knowledge is paramount in Dark Paganism. It avoids the two extreme errors of selfishness and self-denial. Autonomy, healthy relations, self-acceptance, and self-cultivation are all elements of Dark Paganism.

I look forward to sharing Dark Paganism in future blog posts.

Blessed Be