Where Is the Nature Magic Religion?
I’m not a joiner. But I still would like some kind of tribe around magical practice. The major groups out there just don’t stick. Is there something I’m not aware of — some fifth way?
- The Pagan. For me, magic and holiness is about nature. So druidism and paganism had an early allure for me. But what we have now is (re)-constructed and seems to borrow more from Christianity than it really means to. I’ve seen some serious pagan magic practitioners, but they seem to be the exception, and more like shamans (see below). Also, to be blunt, pagan communities always seem populated by sweet but dysfunctional people, who are surrounded by a lot of drama, particularly about polyamory — no thanks.
- Hunter Gatherer Animism. I’ve read a lot about “first peoples,” especially hunter-gatherers, who have a really close bond with nature, and intuitive powers grounded in it. This suggest we should spend time outdoors… but this kind of life and community aren’t really accessible to me, or anyone modern. There’s no religion or practice to really even follow. They believe a certain kind of animism, and so that’s good… but it’s just a starting point.
- Shamanism. This has been my re-entry-point into serious magic work: particularly journeying. But “core shamanism” dominates the discussion: a pretty touchy-feely, new-age pop practice, focused on selling therapeutic solutions to Californians (“soul retrievals” over the internet!). I hate to admit it, but I started on this path by reading some shitty Sandra Ingerman book. There’s better stuff out there too — but it’s hard to escape the cloud of Michael Harner and his weekend drum circle workshops. (I personally don’t even do drums.)
- Occult Magick. I always avoided this in the past: honestly, I’ve just never been into skulls or candles — or trusting medieval compilations of half-burned Greek texts. But there’s all kinds of magick practitioners, aren’t there? I stumbled on Aiden Wachter, and he’s so lucid and practical, it makes me think Chaos Magick (or Chaonimism) might work for me. But still… there’s a problem. Nature? Basically nonexistent. And more broadly, magick here is just useful: there’s no meaning, or purpose, or dare I say it, holiness. It’s not trying to be a religion or a spiritual system at all.
So where’s that holy grail? Where is a magical practice rooted in nature and animism, but that’s not trying to recreate medieval peasant practices or medieval occultism? (I actually love the middle ages, and have an undergraduate degree in that shit. It’s just not where I got for religion.) Where is a practice that’s useful and practical but that would actually still qualify as a religion, with spirits or gods you need to care about (and not just bribe)? Where is the place that can offer real integration of techniques — like journeying — but not just be technique (like core shamanism)?
