This is an article a wrote a few months ago. At the time it was written it was a rant and is rather inflammatory. It is not intended to insult as some people believe. A follow up article was written to address some of the e-mail I recieved.
Everywhere you look you see it. Every other Pagan book you pick up you see it. The mixing of different cultures, beliefs, and religions seems to be all the rage among our Neo-pagan friends. The Neo-pagan community calls this eclecticism. Eclecticism has grown quite popular in recent years. Why? It’s because people do not want to take the time or effort to follow a set path and simply make their own from scratch. It is sad that this has become such a common place in the pagan community. We see this most commonly in Wicca. With such various forms of it like Celtic Wicca, Norse Wicca, etc. etc. etc. it’s amazing it all just doesn’t collapse into a maze of misconceptions, misinformation, and just plain crap.
All this mixing creates a mockery of the cultures and beliefs in almost all cases. People even mix paganism and Christianity. How is it possible to mix two very different things and make it work? It’s not possible. It just creates a mess. The same thing goes to every other belief, culture, religion, and tradition that one tries to mix. It just turns into a mess of distorted views, misinformation, and lack of facts and basis.
People are now stealing and taking things from cultures and traditions without giving a thought to it. They just go with what feels right and not with what is right. The facts get distorted and the original idea is lost when this is done. A lot of times they won’t even give recognition to the sources of their thoughts and ideas when it’s obvious their belief is just a patchwork of traditions from many different beliefs. This is now an epidemic and has made a lot of paganism seeming “fluffyâ€. We as pagans make it a rule to stay away from all things fluffy. But we constantly see examples of how much our community has become saturated with it. We see this and are insulted by the continuous theft of our belief and cultures yet little has been done to educate. The only cure to this epidemic is education. We must learn not to turn away people with misconceptions so easily. We must educate people. So where did all this eclecticism originate? The mixing of traditions, cultures, religions, and beliefs have been going on since the beginning of time. It never has happened in the blatant and extreme way that is happening to Paganism today though. I believe the biggest factor in this is misinformation spread by “pagan†authors who write just for money and do not care what crap they spread. So the greed for money is one factor. We can also cite people’s laziness to truly study a path another factor. Also just general stupidity is of course reason for this. So we have three main factors why the problem persists today. But it still does not explain how it got its start.
After Wicca got its start in the 50’s it grew fast. Its founder Gerald Gardner made it strictly a coven based and iniatory religion. It was a mystery religion more or less. Of course it took many years of study, devotion, and hard work to truly become Wicca. As we all know people can be rather lazy. People didn’t want to work for the right to be called Wicca. So now we come to the rise of modern Wicca (also known as Neo-Wicca). This is about the time insta-witch books began to get popular. Because people had become impatient with traditional Wicca many books were written for the “Solitary Wiccanâ€. These books contained little fact about traditional Wicca and promoted the idea of eclecticism and the “if it feels right do it†ideas. And so the seed was planted.
The eclectic ideas spread like wildfire. People too lazy to work toward a religious path could easily create their own! The authors said so and as everyone knows the authors are always right. There is now a market for these books. And where there is a market for something there is money to be made. So this is where the money factor comes in. Authors who didn’t care about writing fiction as if it was fact could easily make a buck selling their insta-witch manuals. And unsuspecting newbie’s would fall into their traps and become seriously misinformed and become part of the problem. This is another reason why we should focus on education. The more people who know these books are crap the less of a problem we will have.
Now which authors should one stay away from? Well for starters almost anything published by Llewellyn Publications. I can also list several authors.
Silver RavenWolf: Her books for teens are misleading, misinformed, and she gives bad advice (such as tips for deceiving their parents). Douglas Monroe: Wrote complete fiction and passed it off as fact and said his books described real Celtic and Druidic practices. Truly it was just a work of idiocy.
Though I know a lot of people will not like me including him Scott Cunningham’s books are one of the biggest promoters of this eclectic and “making it up as you go along†thinking.
I suggest looking at the author’s sources and credentials and quickly scan over the book to determine if it is worth reading. We can also look at the examples of what Neo-pagan eclecticism has brought us. A good example would be Celtic Wicca. What an interesting combination. Especially since Wicca religion and Celt beliefs conflict in many ways. I know many Celtic Reconstructionist's who are insulted by this cultural and religious theft.
There is also Christian Paganism. The conflicts in this are obvious. One of the definitions of Paganism is anything that isn’t Christian so there is no way the two can go together.
To go to the extreme I have had someone tell me they were a Celtic Christian Wiccan who followed the Egyptian Pantheon. Don’t believe me? Well it is no joke though it is fun to joke about. It amazes me the things people come up with.
Even the Native American beliefs are getting taken and being mixed with the Neo-Pagan beliefs. Some time ago the Dakota, Lakota, and some other tribe(s) met and made a declaration of war on anyone who stole something from their culture. The Indians have suffered much indignity because of these shameful acts. The white men just can’t stop doing enough to these people can they? Neo-shamanism seems as one of the biggest things "borrowed" from the Indians and distorted with Neo-pagan beliefs. Not to mention many other things. The Indian culture has been exploited far too much.
A lot of people are tired of this ''mix whatever the hell I wanna and facts be damned" attitude that seems to be so popular today. Because of this the facts get distorted and lost.
The ignorance people have for the original traditions, beliefs, and cultures grows everyday because of this constant mixing. It is sad that we do not care enough about the preservation of beliefs and cultures anymore and have to distort them as such. As I said before earlier in the article education is the best offense we have against this exploitation of other perversion of cultures and beliefs.
Eclecticism, Cultural Theft, and the Rise of Ignorance
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Eclecticism, Cultural Theft, and the Rise of Ignorance
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This is the follow up article.
The response to my last article “Eclecticism, Cultural theft, and the Rise of Ignorance†was bigger than I could have ever imagined. I receive everything from flames and hate mail to letters filled with nothing but compliments. At first I made it my resolve to respond to every e-mail, but as time went on I realized there were just too many e-mails coming in to respond to each on personally. So I have decided to write a second article in response to the tons of feedback.
First of all I would like to state that I did not write my article to offend people. Though if you were offended I am not about to apologize for what I wrote. Besides many of you would not apologize for the flames that were sent.
A lot of people have said I’m arrogant and an elitist. Obviously they did not understand what my article was saying. Never in that essay was there one word that said all Eclecticism was bad. There was also no phrase that said all Wicca was bad. I did not once say my way of thinking was the only way of thinking. Not once did I say my belief system was the one true belief system and that everyone else was wrong.
What I did say was that intellectual laziness and the distorting of traditions and culture was rampant in the Pagan community. The evidence of this is everywhere. If you look at the books, internet, and what some Pagans call “facts†you will see it.
Laziness in the Pagan community is a big problem. People are too lazy or simply unwilling to look at the facts. If the facts are not looked at then what Eclecticism accomplishes is a mockery of tradition and culture. Facts are very important when dealing with culture and tradition. It is not there for someone to twist and mash together and parade it around as truth. To do so insults the tradition and all of its practitioners. It is an epidemic in the Pagan community.
Some people said I was quick to pick out only a few authors I didn’t like. I did not list more authors because the article was not about bad authors and I wasn’t going to devote a large section of my essay to listing them. People also pointed out I did not list any authors I thought were good. Why? It’s because there are far too many authors on a variety of subjects to list in one single essay. The ones I listed were the ones who distorted facts and destroyed tradition. I also said to check the author’s background, credentials, and sources before you buy their book to see if they were credible or not.
I was told my views are unfounded, ignorant, and irrelevant. I would have to disagree. The literature and beliefs that are coming out surely prove that my views are not unfounded. The problems I describe with Eclecticism are true so how could it be ignorant? The problems are becoming increasingly relevant as culture, tradition, and beliefs continue to be distorted by authors and people who are too lazy to do research.
Eclectics were quick to say “Well why does it matter what other people believe? Why is it any of your business?†It matters because they are taking from many beliefs and spreading there mashed together beliefs as fact and not caring about how the original tradition or belief really worked. It is my business because I do not like to see my beliefs and traditions takes by people to be destroyed and warped by their ignorance. People ask what gives me the right to speak this way about Eclecticism. I say what gives you the right to take and destroy my and other people’s beliefs. At the very least look at the facts and actually learn something of the tradition and culture before you take from it.
People told me that the mixing of beliefs, traditions, and cultures, has been going on since the dawn of human kind. This is very true. But in the past it has been the slow mixing of cultures over time. For example one empire invades another and the culture gets mixed over a period of many years. Of course this isn’t the only way cultures and beliefs have been mixed in the past but it is certainly the most common. Never in history have traditions and beliefs of so many different cultures have been brought together and mixed on such a huge scale.
In my previous article I forget to mention in the internet. With the internet came a huge abundance of information on Paganism. With this huge flow of information people could learn nearly anything on any belief. People too lazy to look at the traditions and beliefs closely would mix them together to create a jumbled mess of what they call a belief system. Such a free flow of ideas has created this idea you can mix anything you want. The internet can be blamed as much as books for this epidemic today.
I mentioned education about culture and beliefs in my last article in hopes that it would curb this growing trend of ignorance but it seems I was ignored in that aspect. People only saw my article as anti-eclectic and jumped on it calling me ignorant and that I was wrong about everything. I am going to say again that education is the best offense there is against intellectual laziness and the destruction of culture because of the constant mixing. Education is perhaps the most important thing in Paganism. Without education every single one of our belief systems would fall apart. But sadly education about the different Pagan beliefs seems to have taken a back seat to the “do whatever feels right†ideas.
I am not trying to say the way I choose to believe is “Proper Paganismâ€. I’m not saying my way of belief is the only way to believe. I am saying that cultural preservation and tradition are some of the most important parts of Paganism and that today people have seem to forgotten that. Learn the facts about a culture before you decide to integrate it into your belief system.
The response to my last article “Eclecticism, Cultural theft, and the Rise of Ignorance†was bigger than I could have ever imagined. I receive everything from flames and hate mail to letters filled with nothing but compliments. At first I made it my resolve to respond to every e-mail, but as time went on I realized there were just too many e-mails coming in to respond to each on personally. So I have decided to write a second article in response to the tons of feedback.
First of all I would like to state that I did not write my article to offend people. Though if you were offended I am not about to apologize for what I wrote. Besides many of you would not apologize for the flames that were sent.
A lot of people have said I’m arrogant and an elitist. Obviously they did not understand what my article was saying. Never in that essay was there one word that said all Eclecticism was bad. There was also no phrase that said all Wicca was bad. I did not once say my way of thinking was the only way of thinking. Not once did I say my belief system was the one true belief system and that everyone else was wrong.
What I did say was that intellectual laziness and the distorting of traditions and culture was rampant in the Pagan community. The evidence of this is everywhere. If you look at the books, internet, and what some Pagans call “facts†you will see it.
Laziness in the Pagan community is a big problem. People are too lazy or simply unwilling to look at the facts. If the facts are not looked at then what Eclecticism accomplishes is a mockery of tradition and culture. Facts are very important when dealing with culture and tradition. It is not there for someone to twist and mash together and parade it around as truth. To do so insults the tradition and all of its practitioners. It is an epidemic in the Pagan community.
Some people said I was quick to pick out only a few authors I didn’t like. I did not list more authors because the article was not about bad authors and I wasn’t going to devote a large section of my essay to listing them. People also pointed out I did not list any authors I thought were good. Why? It’s because there are far too many authors on a variety of subjects to list in one single essay. The ones I listed were the ones who distorted facts and destroyed tradition. I also said to check the author’s background, credentials, and sources before you buy their book to see if they were credible or not.
I was told my views are unfounded, ignorant, and irrelevant. I would have to disagree. The literature and beliefs that are coming out surely prove that my views are not unfounded. The problems I describe with Eclecticism are true so how could it be ignorant? The problems are becoming increasingly relevant as culture, tradition, and beliefs continue to be distorted by authors and people who are too lazy to do research.
Eclectics were quick to say “Well why does it matter what other people believe? Why is it any of your business?†It matters because they are taking from many beliefs and spreading there mashed together beliefs as fact and not caring about how the original tradition or belief really worked. It is my business because I do not like to see my beliefs and traditions takes by people to be destroyed and warped by their ignorance. People ask what gives me the right to speak this way about Eclecticism. I say what gives you the right to take and destroy my and other people’s beliefs. At the very least look at the facts and actually learn something of the tradition and culture before you take from it.
People told me that the mixing of beliefs, traditions, and cultures, has been going on since the dawn of human kind. This is very true. But in the past it has been the slow mixing of cultures over time. For example one empire invades another and the culture gets mixed over a period of many years. Of course this isn’t the only way cultures and beliefs have been mixed in the past but it is certainly the most common. Never in history have traditions and beliefs of so many different cultures have been brought together and mixed on such a huge scale.
In my previous article I forget to mention in the internet. With the internet came a huge abundance of information on Paganism. With this huge flow of information people could learn nearly anything on any belief. People too lazy to look at the traditions and beliefs closely would mix them together to create a jumbled mess of what they call a belief system. Such a free flow of ideas has created this idea you can mix anything you want. The internet can be blamed as much as books for this epidemic today.
I mentioned education about culture and beliefs in my last article in hopes that it would curb this growing trend of ignorance but it seems I was ignored in that aspect. People only saw my article as anti-eclectic and jumped on it calling me ignorant and that I was wrong about everything. I am going to say again that education is the best offense there is against intellectual laziness and the destruction of culture because of the constant mixing. Education is perhaps the most important thing in Paganism. Without education every single one of our belief systems would fall apart. But sadly education about the different Pagan beliefs seems to have taken a back seat to the “do whatever feels right†ideas.
I am not trying to say the way I choose to believe is “Proper Paganismâ€. I’m not saying my way of belief is the only way to believe. I am saying that cultural preservation and tradition are some of the most important parts of Paganism and that today people have seem to forgotten that. Learn the facts about a culture before you decide to integrate it into your belief system.
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I think this is a well written piece and illustrates a real and rising problem.I get frustrated sometimes,when I see the 'mish mash' of my homeland's culture with Wicca and other religions. I'd go further than you,Paganmafia and cast many reconstructionists into the fire also.One example,of this....... I see history warped and misinterpreted,by those with a Socio/Political agenda to pursue.To wit: Asatruism. The stain of racial superiority complex still hangs heavy over many of those groups,the heavy over emphasis on all things Germanic,being a main factor.It is there,the Germanic blood/influence but it's not all prevailing -the bloodlines of the conquered Pre -Vanic/Vanic people still run in many North Europeans who also have Aes blood through descent.This blood isnot Germanic.Quid pro quo.Demonising the previous heroes/legends ands gods of a people is not an exclusively Christian provenance. No one is encouraged to focus on WHY Loki betrayed Odin,or on Freya's real identity[ Freya=lady,Frey = Lord, Freys 'true' name is INGVI] no one bothers much with the stories of Hel, Angerboda and the older Gods [called giants ,demonised and demoted,though still feared, and seen as lesser somehow].No one questions the Sturlsson versions of lore either.[A Christian overwriting and his reinterpretation of a mythology and history of which this author had little interest in or understanding of,surely not an authoritive source??????????] End of mini rant.It is not just you who holds strong opinions.lol.
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ThePaganMafia
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There is alot of elitism type bahavor happening in all the Recon communities and it is rather sad. I have several Hellenic friends who have been chastized and put down for really no good reason other than so someone can look like an elite Hellenic.
There is also the same going on the Celtic Recon community.
Alot of people don't seem to realize that only a small minority of the ancient peoples were great Greek philosophers or Celtic Druids.
Most people were commoners who went on with their daily lives and honored the Gods. Alot of people don't understand you can believe in the Gods and not be an elitist with supposed infinite knowledge.
There is also the same going on the Celtic Recon community.
Alot of people don't seem to realize that only a small minority of the ancient peoples were great Greek philosophers or Celtic Druids.
Most people were commoners who went on with their daily lives and honored the Gods. Alot of people don't understand you can believe in the Gods and not be an elitist with supposed infinite knowledge.
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Here is a prominent example of what Paganmafia is talking about, Misinformation and ignorance paraded as history.The Llewellyn author Edain McCoy.
Witta (Wicca)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Witta is the name of a modern Wiccan tradition described by author Edain McCoy in her book, Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition.
Originally McCoy claimed that Witta originated in Ireland, and was of ancient origin. However, as the tradition bears no resemblance to ancient Irish Paganism, those familiar with actual Irish traditions believe McCoy herself invented the tradition, or was unwittingly taught by someone who invented it.[1][2][3] McCoy claims to have been introduced to the tradition by a woman named Mollie she met at an Irish dance gathering.
The author herself has said about the book Witta: "That’s the book that makes me cringe the most. I see places where I didn’t explain things well, or where I hadn’t thought through faulty research. It’s like getting whacked in the head as suddenly you think, 'I can’t believe I put that in print.' "
[ARGHHHH.WHY NOT RETRACT THIS THEN AND REMOVE IT FROM PRINT,IF IT'S SO EMBARRASSING - IT MUST STILL BE GENERATINMG PROFIT METHINKS.THIS,ABOVE COMMENT MADE ME WANT TO SCREAM.]
Controversy
Despite the author having a BA in History from the University of Texas; critics of the tradition described in Witta have pointed out many anachronisms which demonstrate it to be of recent New World origin
Like other Wiccan traditions, the cosmology and ritual structure bears little to no resemblance to actual Celtic traditions
The term "Witta" is either freshly-coined or at least Saxon - the Irish language having no W and not using double-Ts.
There are many differences between Wittan history and historical events well known in Ireland; e.g. in Wittan mythology the Normans invaded Ireland in 1155 CE and this led to an increasingly difficult time for witches, whereas the accepted historical account of the Normans invading Ireland in 1169 CE is well known amongst both the Irish and even casual scholars of Irish history.
There are differences between Wittan cosmology and actual Irish geography; and between Wittan cosmology as it applies to England and other countries outside of Ireland, including some (such as Stonehenge) frequently visited by Irish Pagans.
As a consequence Witta is no longer claimed to have any actual historical links to Ireland, but to be a modern American invention loosely inspired by Irish culture, a view that is considered variously as anything from flattering to the Irish to being anti-Irish racism.
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I have been paying attention.lol.
Witta (Wicca)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Witta is the name of a modern Wiccan tradition described by author Edain McCoy in her book, Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition.
Originally McCoy claimed that Witta originated in Ireland, and was of ancient origin. However, as the tradition bears no resemblance to ancient Irish Paganism, those familiar with actual Irish traditions believe McCoy herself invented the tradition, or was unwittingly taught by someone who invented it.[1][2][3] McCoy claims to have been introduced to the tradition by a woman named Mollie she met at an Irish dance gathering.
The author herself has said about the book Witta: "That’s the book that makes me cringe the most. I see places where I didn’t explain things well, or where I hadn’t thought through faulty research. It’s like getting whacked in the head as suddenly you think, 'I can’t believe I put that in print.' "
[ARGHHHH.WHY NOT RETRACT THIS THEN AND REMOVE IT FROM PRINT,IF IT'S SO EMBARRASSING - IT MUST STILL BE GENERATINMG PROFIT METHINKS.THIS,ABOVE COMMENT MADE ME WANT TO SCREAM.]
Controversy
Despite the author having a BA in History from the University of Texas; critics of the tradition described in Witta have pointed out many anachronisms which demonstrate it to be of recent New World origin
Like other Wiccan traditions, the cosmology and ritual structure bears little to no resemblance to actual Celtic traditions
The term "Witta" is either freshly-coined or at least Saxon - the Irish language having no W and not using double-Ts.
There are many differences between Wittan history and historical events well known in Ireland; e.g. in Wittan mythology the Normans invaded Ireland in 1155 CE and this led to an increasingly difficult time for witches, whereas the accepted historical account of the Normans invading Ireland in 1169 CE is well known amongst both the Irish and even casual scholars of Irish history.
There are differences between Wittan cosmology and actual Irish geography; and between Wittan cosmology as it applies to England and other countries outside of Ireland, including some (such as Stonehenge) frequently visited by Irish Pagans.
As a consequence Witta is no longer claimed to have any actual historical links to Ireland, but to be a modern American invention loosely inspired by Irish culture, a view that is considered variously as anything from flattering to the Irish to being anti-Irish racism.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been paying attention.lol.
Interesting piece. I must admit you have a point and i would think that the excess of response, both positive and negative would only work to further emphasise your point. Those who also feel you are on to something giving support, and those seeing similarity in what they do feeling attacked. Be that as it may, the eclectic trend is taking over and for good reason(well not really good reason, but prevalent reason)
Personally i dont like religion at all, i defend peoples rights to practice. Doesn't mean i like it. I think religion(with particular emphasis on modern religions based on or reconstructions of dead religions) is a corruptive and tained expression.
Personally i dont like religion at all, i defend peoples rights to practice. Doesn't mean i like it. I think religion(with particular emphasis on modern religions based on or reconstructions of dead religions) is a corruptive and tained expression.
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ThePaganMafia
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@ Eretik
You know I just wrote a kinda rant on another board last night about her book "Celtic Womens Spitirtuality" lol. It was full of misinformation and man-bashing. But you really can't expect quality from Llwellyn.
@ Sobek
To each his own on that.
You know I just wrote a kinda rant on another board last night about her book "Celtic Womens Spitirtuality" lol. It was full of misinformation and man-bashing. But you really can't expect quality from Llwellyn.
@ Sobek
To each his own on that.
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Paganmafia - I know. That's why I said 'I have been paying attention' at the bottom of my last post.I looked her up after reading your rant on that forum. I thought I'd bring what I found here, as it illustrates some of your essay points really well. Education IS the key. I agree with Sobek on religion, I dislike organised religion,dogma and heirarchy, but I know that my way is not the only one and I am tolerant of other beliefs and systems etc.however,I am not tolerant of revisionism and elitism,poor research and the dreaded fakelore.[above author is typical of that, shame on the moneygrabbers and attention seekers:shame on Llewellyn too]
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ThePaganMafia
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And... yet, there's a hidden reason why the ecclecticism is gaining strength.
Desipte what I'm saying here and now, I actually do agree %100 with what Eritik and others say.
First of all, it is difficult, nay, impossible to get a really accurate version of what ancient religion was like, and sometimes it has little relevance to modern people. Playing devil's advocate here... what do you do if you have a tradition that's so fragmented that you can't make a coherent belief pattern based on that? Even some Native Americans sometimes will steal a little here and there from New Age philosophies just to fill in the gaps of what is lost.
This is why ADF claims not to be reconstructionist, even though they do a better job than a lot of people do.
Let's use Irish witchcraft as an example. After all, we have more data to work with here (IRONY) than we do with many other traditions.
Now, why is it ironic? Well, most of our *BEST* sources come from... bad sources. After all, we have Roman Conquers and Catholic Monks to choose from. Yum, yum! Oh, and Germanicus, who actually spent most of his time with the Gauls, though by most contemporary standards he went native.
So what about archeology? Very good question. Curl up with a copy of "Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles" by Ronald Hutton, and you start to get the idea that the whole thing is an exercise in pulling one's hair out. Why?
Well, early archeologists had their own axes to grind as well, with strange and hidden agendas to do with racial superiority and pet theories about early diaspora, as well as prominent theories that were dead wrong, but served little purpose besides ego stroking and maintaining the reputations of cronies who made up the establishment.
Further, every tribe (read: family group) had it's own religion, it's own slant on how things worked. In the here and now, we can't even tell which settlements were what tribe, let alone what they believed. Why? Because they didn't write it down, and, didn't even have a system of writing until they started trading with the Romans, and those who did were in the process of being Romanized anyway. That big temple to Sulis at Bath was in fact to a Roman Goddess even though that Goddess was colored by local tradition. (Yeah, ok, it's not an Irish site, but it's a good enough example to illustrate the problems I'm talking about)
Here's another example. We don't even know if they used human sacrifice or not... largely because we can't tell the difference between someone who was murdered, sacrificed or executed by the state. We simply do not know.
We just know that if they did, the didn't prepare the bodies the way they did when they sacrificed animals. Which means something... but what?
Not only that, but many of our archaeological sites have been so badly contaminated that they don't really give you a good idea of what was going on there anyway. Look at the history of Stone Henge and you'll see what I'm talking about. At one point, they completely replaced all the soil that was there. Again, not an Irish site, but it's the sort of thing you see over and over again.
Now, I'm sad to see that McCoy boffed it here. After all, I did like her book on the elements and intro to witchraft. I never recommend her supposed recon stuff... and what I like of hers is out of print anyway. Bother.
Desipte what I'm saying here and now, I actually do agree %100 with what Eritik and others say.
First of all, it is difficult, nay, impossible to get a really accurate version of what ancient religion was like, and sometimes it has little relevance to modern people. Playing devil's advocate here... what do you do if you have a tradition that's so fragmented that you can't make a coherent belief pattern based on that? Even some Native Americans sometimes will steal a little here and there from New Age philosophies just to fill in the gaps of what is lost.
This is why ADF claims not to be reconstructionist, even though they do a better job than a lot of people do.
Let's use Irish witchcraft as an example. After all, we have more data to work with here (IRONY) than we do with many other traditions.
Now, why is it ironic? Well, most of our *BEST* sources come from... bad sources. After all, we have Roman Conquers and Catholic Monks to choose from. Yum, yum! Oh, and Germanicus, who actually spent most of his time with the Gauls, though by most contemporary standards he went native.
So what about archeology? Very good question. Curl up with a copy of "Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles" by Ronald Hutton, and you start to get the idea that the whole thing is an exercise in pulling one's hair out. Why?
Well, early archeologists had their own axes to grind as well, with strange and hidden agendas to do with racial superiority and pet theories about early diaspora, as well as prominent theories that were dead wrong, but served little purpose besides ego stroking and maintaining the reputations of cronies who made up the establishment.
Further, every tribe (read: family group) had it's own religion, it's own slant on how things worked. In the here and now, we can't even tell which settlements were what tribe, let alone what they believed. Why? Because they didn't write it down, and, didn't even have a system of writing until they started trading with the Romans, and those who did were in the process of being Romanized anyway. That big temple to Sulis at Bath was in fact to a Roman Goddess even though that Goddess was colored by local tradition. (Yeah, ok, it's not an Irish site, but it's a good enough example to illustrate the problems I'm talking about)
Here's another example. We don't even know if they used human sacrifice or not... largely because we can't tell the difference between someone who was murdered, sacrificed or executed by the state. We simply do not know.
We just know that if they did, the didn't prepare the bodies the way they did when they sacrificed animals. Which means something... but what?
Not only that, but many of our archaeological sites have been so badly contaminated that they don't really give you a good idea of what was going on there anyway. Look at the history of Stone Henge and you'll see what I'm talking about. At one point, they completely replaced all the soil that was there. Again, not an Irish site, but it's the sort of thing you see over and over again.
Now, I'm sad to see that McCoy boffed it here. After all, I did like her book on the elements and intro to witchraft. I never recommend her supposed recon stuff... and what I like of hers is out of print anyway. Bother.
I think Eclectisism is fine,in itself, it's the rise of the 'fluff' and 'ignorance as fact' brigade that annoys me. I know education is the key, that and a bigger burden of proof - by which I mean backing statements[ on historical claims] with accurate fact and research. I've lost count of the times I've been attacked verbally for challenging what I know are false assumptions[which I can disprove]. This annoys me beyond belief, it's hard to stay on the issue at hand.Shouting louder than or insulting someone who demands proof of information given, is not the way to prove anything,it shows Paganism in a bad light. I don't know much about ADF, but it sounds interesting. This below, is a snippet from a site PM gave a link to, it's talking about CR but is valid for any belief system which is rooted in the past.
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How do you pick which authors to believe?
There are two approaches. One is to find well-read, experienced and knowledgable people to recommend books to you. In order for this to work, they must be people you trust to make correct judgements between good and bad research. CR folk often debate the validity and accuracy of information presented in books. Usually an eventual consensus judgement emerges about the author or book.
The second approach is a difficult but very personally rewarding learning process of developing that discerning judgement yourself. This involves critical thinking and the ability to discern the difference between fantasy and reality, solid attributed research and wishful thinking. It’s useful to go through the bibliography of any book you are looking at. Check out who is writing the books the author references. If most of the books in the bibliography are printed by occult and Pagan presses, chances are you’re better off looking at a different source. However, if a book or article is published by an academic press — affiliated with a university or other academic institution — you’re more likely to find useful and accurate information.
A crucial point in evaluating any book is whether the author is writing within their own field of expertise. For instance, someone with an advanced degree in archaeology, but no training in the Celtic languages, might be invaluable in terms of understanding sacred sites, but next to worthless in analyzing the mythology. A Ph.D. level zoologist might be a fine author on zoology, but know absolutely nothing about Celtic studies or comparative mythology. If an author cannot read the original language of the texts they are using as source materials, there are bound to be flaws in their interpretation. Similarly, if an author is trained in Classical and European mythology, but is not an expert on the Insular Celts, their conclusions will be filtered through a different lens and may easily result in a warped view.
We can not believe any authors who write on matters Celtic if what they are presenting is based on nothing more than their own opinion. Checking their references is absolutely necessary if you are uncertain as to the historical accuracy of their work. If you can’t find credible sources with some proof of their claims, it’s best to take the information with a grain of salt or to regard it as personal opinion, not fact. The most accurate sources on Celtic history and religion are going to be archaeologists, Celtic historians, and language experts publishing through academic presses, not occult and New Age authors. The books may be more difficult to wade through, but the rewards for doing so are immense.
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How do you pick which authors to believe?
There are two approaches. One is to find well-read, experienced and knowledgable people to recommend books to you. In order for this to work, they must be people you trust to make correct judgements between good and bad research. CR folk often debate the validity and accuracy of information presented in books. Usually an eventual consensus judgement emerges about the author or book.
The second approach is a difficult but very personally rewarding learning process of developing that discerning judgement yourself. This involves critical thinking and the ability to discern the difference between fantasy and reality, solid attributed research and wishful thinking. It’s useful to go through the bibliography of any book you are looking at. Check out who is writing the books the author references. If most of the books in the bibliography are printed by occult and Pagan presses, chances are you’re better off looking at a different source. However, if a book or article is published by an academic press — affiliated with a university or other academic institution — you’re more likely to find useful and accurate information.
A crucial point in evaluating any book is whether the author is writing within their own field of expertise. For instance, someone with an advanced degree in archaeology, but no training in the Celtic languages, might be invaluable in terms of understanding sacred sites, but next to worthless in analyzing the mythology. A Ph.D. level zoologist might be a fine author on zoology, but know absolutely nothing about Celtic studies or comparative mythology. If an author cannot read the original language of the texts they are using as source materials, there are bound to be flaws in their interpretation. Similarly, if an author is trained in Classical and European mythology, but is not an expert on the Insular Celts, their conclusions will be filtered through a different lens and may easily result in a warped view.
We can not believe any authors who write on matters Celtic if what they are presenting is based on nothing more than their own opinion. Checking their references is absolutely necessary if you are uncertain as to the historical accuracy of their work. If you can’t find credible sources with some proof of their claims, it’s best to take the information with a grain of salt or to regard it as personal opinion, not fact. The most accurate sources on Celtic history and religion are going to be archaeologists, Celtic historians, and language experts publishing through academic presses, not occult and New Age authors. The books may be more difficult to wade through, but the rewards for doing so are immense.
This raises an interesting question... do we have the right to force a person to become educated (re: violate a person's free will choice to stay in ignorance)? Humanity has been very fond of this in the past, often forcing indigenous "ignorant" people to become "educated" by occupying forces. Let's face it, not everyone wants to be educated. Is education by force (the ol' education at swordpoint) the way to go to deal with fluff? How far should we go? (I have heard people advocating death to fluffies if they refuse to be educated, but I've only known of one person who has tried.)
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ThePaganMafia
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Well Im certainly not advocating death to fluffys but you know sometimes you just get the urge to knock one out. 
I think better information should be put out there instead of Llewellyns crap.
I think better information should be put out there instead of Llewellyns crap.
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Ah, that's easy enough....shazam. It's done. There is better information out there.ThePaganMafia wrote: I think better information should be put out there instead of Llewellyns crap.
And before people laud my uber-powerful magickal skills, I have to be honest.... the better information has been out there all along. I'm still not sure it will convince people to read it, believe it, or integrate it, however.