My recent artwork of Voltumna/Veltune, Deus Etruriae Princeps - one of the most important Etruscan Deities (if not the most). A mysterious and shape-shifting figure.
I had a class talking about ancient religion yesterday and it was so funny sitting there as the professor is like: "well what would you put on your lararium?" or "what would you give the lares?" and I have to act like these are fun hypothetical questions and not something that I've thought a fair bit about and close to something I already do.
yes I understand the key fundamental differences in ancient greek, roman and etruscan religion and how they are all similar but entirely distinct from one another. Yes I also see neptune nethuns and Poseidon as the same god
Introduction To Supporting Sustainable Agriculture For Witches and Pagans
[ID: An image of yellow grain stocks, soon to be harvested. The several stocks reach towards a blurred open sky, focusing the camera on he grains themselves. The leaves of the grains are green and the cereals are exposed].
PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT ARE MOVEMENTS WITHIN A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CAPITALIST SOCIETY. As the world becomes more aware of the importance of sustainability, so does the duty of humanity to uphold the idea of the steward, stemming from various indigenous worldviews, in the modern era. I make this small introduction as a viticulturist working towards organic and environmentally friendly grape production. I also do work on a food farm, as a second job—a regenerative farm, so I suppose that is my qualifications. Sustainable—or rather regenerative agriculture—grows in recognition. And as paganism and witchcraft continue to blossom, learning and supporting sustainability is naturally a path for us to take. I will say that this is influenced by I living in the USA, however, there are thousands of groups across the world for sustainable agriculture, of which tend to be easy to research.
So let us unite in caring for the world together, and here is an introduction to supporting sustainable/regenerative agriculture.
A QUICK BRIEF ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Sustainable agriculture, in truth, is a movement to practise agriculture as it has been done for thousands of years—this time, with more innovation from science and microbiology especially. The legal definition in the USA of sustainable agriculture is:
The term ”sustainable agriculture” (U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3103) means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long-term:
A more common man’s definition would be farming in a way that provides society’s food and textile needs without overuse of natural resources, artificial supplements and pest controls, without compromising the future generation’s needs and ability to produce resources. The agriculture industry has one of the largest and most detrimental impacts on the environment, and sustainable agriculture is the alternative movement to it.
Sustainable agriculture also has the perk of being physically better for you—the nutrient quality of crops in the USA has dropped by 47%, and the majority of our food goes to waste. Imagine if it was composted and reused? Or even better—we buy only what we need. We as pagans and witches can help change this.
BUYING ORGANIC (IT REALLY WORKS)
The first step is buying organic. While cliche, it does work: organic operations have certain rules to abide by, which excludes environmentally dangerous chemicals—many of which, such as DDT, which causes ecological genocide and death to people. Organic operations have to use natural ways of fertilising, such as compost, which to many of us—such as myself—revere the cycle of life, rot, and death. Organic standards do vary depending on the country, but the key idea is farming without artificial fertilisers, using organic seeds, supplementing with animal manure, fertility managed through management practices, etc.
However, organic does have its flaws. Certified organic costs many, of which many small farmers cannot afford. The nutrient quality of organic food, while tending to be better, is still poor compared to regeneratively grown crops. Furthermore, the process to become certified organic is often gruelling—you can practise completely organically, but if you are not certified, it is not organic. Which, while a quality control insurance, is both a bonus and a hurdle.
JOINING A CSA
Moving from organic is joining a CSA (“Community supported agriculture”). The USDA defines far better than I could:
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), one type of direct marketing, consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.
By purchasing a farm share, you receive food from the farm for the agreed upon production year. I personally enjoy CSAs for the relational aspect—choosing a CSA is about having a relationship, not only with the farmer(s), but also the land you receive food from. I volunteer for my CSA and sometimes I get extra cash from it—partaking in the act of caring for the land. Joining a CSA also means taking your precious capital away from the larger food industry and directly supporting growers—and CSAs typically practise sustainable and/or regenerative agriculture.
CSAs are also found all over the world and many can deliver their products to food deserts and other areas with limited agricultural access. I volunteer from time to time for a food bank that does exactly that with the produce I helped grow on the vegetable farm I work for.
FARM MARKETS AND STALLS
Another way of personally connecting to sustainable agriculture is entering the realm of the farm stall. The farmer’s market is one of my personal favourite experiences—people buzzing about searching for ingredients, smiles as farmers sell crops and products such as honey or baked goods, etc. The personal connection stretches into the earth, and into the past it buries—as I purchase my apples from the stall, I cannot help but see a thousand lives unfold. People have been doing this for thousands of years and here I stand, doing it all over again.
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Farmers’ markets are dependent on your local area, yet in most you can still develop personal community connections. Paganism often stresses community as an ideal and a state of life. And witchcraft often stresses a connection to the soil. What better place, then, is purchasing the products from the locals who commune with the land?
VOLUNTEERING
If you are able to, I absolutely recommend volunteering. I have worked with aquaponic systems, food banks, farms, cider-making companies, soil conservation groups, etc. There is so much opportunity—and perhaps employment—in these fields. The knowledge I have gained has been wonderful. As one example, I learned that fertilisers reduce carbon sequestration as plants absorb carbon to help with nutrient intake. If they have all their nutrients ready, they do not need to work to obtain carbon to help absorb it. This does not even get into the symbiotic relationship fungi have with roots, or the world of hyphae. Volunteering provides community and connection. Actions and words change the world, and the world grows ever better with help—including how much or how little you may provide. It also makes a wonderful devotional activity.
RESOURCING FOOD AND COOKING
Buying from farmers is not always easy, however. Produce often has to be processed, requiring labour and work with some crops such as carrots. Other times, it is a hard effort to cook and many of us—such as myself—often have very limited energy. There are solutions to this, thankfully:
Many farmers can and will process foods. Some even do canning, which can be good to stock up on food and lessen the energy inputs.
Value-added products: farms also try to avoid waste, and these products often become dried snacks if fruit, frozen, etc.
Asking farmers if they would be open to accommodating this. Chances are, they would! The farmer I purchase my CSA share from certainly does.
Going to farmers markets instead of buying a CSA, aligning with your energy levels.
And if any of your purchased goods are going unused, you can always freeze them.
DEMETER, CERES, VEIA, ETC: THE FORGOTTEN AGRICULTURE GODS
Agricultural gods are often neglected. Even gods presiding over agriculture often do not have those aspects venerated—Dionysos is a god of viticulture and Apollon a god of cattle. While I myself love Dionysos as a party and wine god, the core of him remains firmly in the vineyards and fields, branching into the expanses of the wild. I find him far more in the curling vines as I prune them than in the simple delights of the wine I ferment. Even more obscure gods, such as Veia, the Etruscan goddess of agriculture, are seldom known.
Persephone receives the worst of this: I enjoy her too as a dread queen, and people do acknowledge her as Kore, but she is far more popular as the queen of the underworld instead of the dear daughter of Demeter. I do understand this, though—I did not feel the might of Demeter and Persephone until I began to move soil with my own hands. A complete difference to the ancient world, where the Eleusinian mysteries appealed to thousands. Times change, and while some things should be left to the past, our link to these gods have been severed. After all, how many of us reading know where our food comes from? I did not until I began to purchase from the land I grew to know personally. The grocery store has become a land of tearing us from the land, instead of the food hub it should be.
Yet, while paganism forgets agriculture gods, they have not forgotten us. The new world of farming is more conductive and welcoming than ever. I find that while older, bigoted people exist, the majority of new farmers tend to be LGBT+. My own boss is trans and aro, and I myself am transgender and gay. The other young farmers I know are some flavour of LGBT+, or mixed/poc. There’s a growing movement for Black farmers, elaborated in a lovely text called We Are Each Other’s Harvest.
Indigenous farming is also growing and I absolutely recommend buying from indigenous farmers. At this point, I consider Demeter to be a patron of LGBT+ people in this regard—she gives an escape to farmers such as myself. Bigotry is far from my mind under her tender care, as divine Helios shines above and Okeanos’ daughters bring fresh water to the crops. Paganism is also more commonly accepted—I find that farmers find out that I am pagan and tell me to do rituals for their crops instead of reacting poorly. Or they’re pagan themselves; a farmer I know turned out to be Wiccan and uses the wheel of the year to keep track of production.
Incorporating these divinities—or concepts surrounding them—into our crafts and altars is the spiritual step towards better agriculture. Holy Demeter continues to guide me, even before I knew it.
WANT CHANGE? DO IT YOURSELF!
If you want change in the world, you have to act. And if you wish for better agriculture, there is always the chance to do it yourself. Sustainable agriculture is often far more accessible than people think: like witchcraft and divination, it is a practice. Homesteading is often appealing to many of us, including myself, and there are plenty of resources to begin. There are even grants to help one improve their home to be more sustainable, i.e. solar panels. Gardening is another, smaller option. Many of us find that plants we grow and nourish are far more potentant in craft, and more receptive to magical workings.
Caring for plants is fundamental to our natures and there are a thousand ways to delve into it. I personally have joined conservation groups, my local soil conservation group, work with the NRCs in the USA, and more. The path to fully reconnecting to nature and agriculture is personal—united in a common cause to fight for this beautiful world. To immerse yourself in sustainable agriculture, I honestly recommend researching and finding your own path. Mine lies in soil and rot, grapevines and fruit trees. Others do vegetables and cereal grains, or perhaps join unions and legislators. Everyone has a share in the beauty of life, our lives stemming from the land’s gentle sprouts.
Questions and or help may be given through my ask box on tumblr—if there is a way I can help, let me know. My knowledge is invaluable I believe, as I continue to learn and grow in the grey-clothed arms of Demeter, Dionysos, and Kore.
FURTHER READING:
Baszile, N. (2021). We are each other’s harvest. HarperCollins.
Hatley, J. (2016). Robin Wall Kimmerer. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Environmental Philosophy, 13(1), 143–145. https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil201613137
Regenerative Agriculture 101. (2021, November 29). https://www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101#what-is
And in truth, far more than I could count.
References
Community Supported Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/community-supported-agriculture
Navazio, J. (2012). The Organic seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Plaster, E. (2008). Soil Science and Management. Cengage Learning.
Sheaffer, C. C., & Moncada, K. M. (2012). Introduction to agronomy: food, crops, and environment. Cengage Learning.
Sheldrake, M. (2020). Entangled life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures. Random House.
Sustainable Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/sustainable-agriculture
My name is Dian, I'm 21 y/o, I am Latino and a pagan.
This is a sideblog for my journey with my deities. I currently worship deities from different pantheons: my own conpantheon, the kushite pantheon (especially the one in worshipped in the meroitic period of Kush), and the etruscan pantheon (aka Rasenna polytheism). Currently like this:
Devoted to:
Danéh & Darukus (Conpantheon)
Worshipping:
Apedemak (Kushite)
Aman (Kushite)
Amesemi (Kushite)
Considering:
Sutekh (Kemetic)
Djehuty (Kemetic-Kushite)
Atari (Kemetic-Kushite)
Sobek (Kemetic)
Inpu (Kemetic-Kushite)
Sekhmet (Kemetic-Kushite)
Dedun (Kushite)
Menerva (Etruscan)
Turan (Etruscan)
Turms (Etruscan)
Uni (Etruscan)
Artumes (Etruscan)
Fufluns (Etruscan)
Atunis (Etruscan)
Iao Sabaoth (Christopagan)
Péh₂usōn (Proto Indo-European)
This might expand and move around in the future of course!
Before the 5th Century BCE, a group of people called the Faliscan lived in close harmony of the Etruscan. These Faliscans had a cult centre to the god Sorannus at Mt Soracte in the Lower Tiber valley, the only mountain in the area. The cult was led by a group of priests called the Hirpi Sorani, roughly translating to "The Wolves of Sorannus".
Despite living and conducting rituals in the Faliscan region, some families of the Hirpi did not come from this region, according to Pliny and Solinus.
Although Priesthood was reserved to only certain families, the whole community joined in on the rituals.
According to Pliny the Elder, Solinus and Strabo, the rituals were conducted by burning a pile of wood, specifically pine according to Virgil, to glowing embers. The priests would later walk thrice on these embers, painless, carrying offerings for Sorannus.
All authors describe that the Hirpi didn't burn their feet even when they walked upon the embers. Varro and Servius point out that the priests applied a medical ointment on their soles to avoid burns.
(Image of a silver coin of Apollo-Sorannus)
The most striking aspect of the Hirpi Sorani is their affiliation with wolves. In the Etruscan religion in general, wolves were associated with the underworld. In the Mediterranean region, they served as a symbol of the passage between life and death. Thus their association with the goddess Hecate of the Greek Pantheon.
(Image of an Etruscan wolf helmet)
Their affiliation with Wolves may be the cause of syncretism with Apollo. After the 5th Century BCE, the Roman city-state gained control of the Faliscan territory. They ended up syncretising Apollo and Sorannus. Wolves were sacred to both gods.
The Hirpi Sorani represented wolves, and even were wolves spiritually or symbolically. The abuse of wolves was apparently taboo. They were also seen as messengers of the gods to the Romans. There is however no evidence as to if they had any clothing which made them look like wolves.
Much information about the Hirpi Sorani has been lost to time. For further reading:
• Rissanen, M. (2013) "The Hirpi Sorani and the Wolf Cults of Central Italy"
• Fogliazza, S. (2020) "Wolves and Gods in the Etruscan world"
Started a new devotional sketchbook with this painting of Menrva, Etruscan Goddess who takes care of arts, wisdom, education, and medicine... She has access to the power of thunderbolts, so of course I painted her with one. Śin Menrva!
