Last night I was fortunate enough to hear one of our great Pagan leaders, Margot Adler, speaking as part of the 12th Annual Women's Spirituality Series hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Andover, Massachusetts.

Margot Adler is the author of Drawing Down the Moon, the classic study of contemporary nature religions, Paganism and Goddess Spirituality. The book, originally published in 1979, was revised, expanded and updated this fall. She is also the author of Heretic’s Heart, A Journey through Spirit and Revolution (a 1960’s memoir). She is New York correspondent for National Public Radio, and her pieces air on NPR’s award winning shows: Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition. She is also the host of Justice Talking, a public radio show about law and American life. She is a priestess of Wicca, an elder in the Covenant of the Goddess, and was for ten years on the board of CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) and also a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of All Souls in NYC.

The subject of her talk was "Lessons from the Pagan and Earth Religions in a World of Religious Violence." Her primary point on this topic is that if people would view the Earth not as a place to pass through on the way to some other divine destination but as the ground of the divine itself, not only would they be better to the Earth but better to each other. When people allow for the possibility that there are different ways to reach the divine, then accepting that it is not necessary to compel someone else to believe what they do and living next to each other in peace is much more likely to happen. Whether this kind of acceptance is ever likely to happen in our lifetimes is anyone's guess but it's wonderful to imagine the possibility. Imagine if other religions not only were willing to accept the existence and contribution of Pagans on this planet but were willing to actually learn from our example!

Margot spent a lot of time talking about the evolution of the Pagan religions in this country, what it was like in the early days, and how far she sees that we have come. She also admitted where mistakes have been made and what challenges new generations of Pagans will face. On the whole, however, she is amazed and thrilled at how far we have come. She expressed her opinion that what modern Pagan movements are trying to do is to create an ecstatic tradition that will allow us to experience the kinds of things that the ancients did - ritual, dream states, healing, DOING - and still function in our daily lives as whatever modern people we happen to be. For the benefit of those in the audience who know her only in her role as an NPR journalist, she was happy to explain that an idea that comes from the ancient animist traditions that informs what we Pagans are all about is that we humans are part of a vibrant cosmic interconnectedness, neither above or below other life on Earth.

It was inspiring to hear her points of view on everything from women's consciousness raising groups to simple rituals to promote understanding to responding the aftermath of 9/11 as a New Yorker. The evening ended with some chanting and a spiral dance that Margot led. It was an incredibly powerful and moving experience for me. It never ceases to amaze me how much energy is raised when people come together in groups like this, often for no other purpose than to celebrate life and the company of others. I bought the updated version of her book, Drawing Down the Moon, which she kindly signed for me. It will be a keepsake I will treasure.

The message of Drawing Down the Moon has always been that the spiritual world is like the natural world - only diversity will save it. Just as the health of a forest or fragrant meadow can be measured by the number of different insects and plants and creatures that successfully make it their home, so only by an extraordinary abundance of disparate spiritual and philosophic paths will human beings navigate a pathway through the dark and swirling storms that mark our current era. "Not by one avenue alone," wrote Symmachus sixteen centuries ago, "can we arrive at so tremendous a secret."

- Margot Adler, from her Preface to the New Edition

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 2:49 PM