On the 5th of September the Ancient Romans celebrated the anniversary of the temple of Jupiter Stator, which was build in 146 BCE (Scullard 183). So, I wanted to write a little post about the epithet of Jupiter Stator, in order to learn about it myself and offer some ways in which this epithet could be brought into a modern practice.
Seemingly the most well-attested interpretation of Stator (related to the word sto "to stand") is as "stayer" or "supporter", in a war context. Jupiter Stator seems to have been invoked to help armies stand their ground in battle (Adkins and Adkins 125). According to legend, that's what Romulus did in the war against the Sabines. Rather than strength or battle prowess, Jupiter Stator seems to have been seen to be involved in morale amongst the soldiers.
However, alternate interpretations exist outside of the war context. Angel Pariente (cited in de Gruyter 126-127) argues that it instead referred to Jupiter as a custodian of the city of Rome and its citizens. Sometimes Stator is translated as "sustainer" (Wikipedia) or "one who establishes or upholds" (Oxford Latin Dictionary 1815). There seems to have been an alternate function outside of war, which had some sort of defensive aspect, but I have not been able to find much about it, apart from this.
My Revivalist Take
Now, this is going to be the section where I ramble on about how we could re-interpret this epithet for use in our modern world (revivalism), so if you're not interested in that, thank you for reading up until here!
Due to its etymological connection to the Latin word sto "to stand", I see Jupiter Stator in a modern context as Jupiter who Stands. Primarily, I see this as Jupiter who watches over those who stand their ground and resist, people who try to not get pushed back when protests get heated, people who stand up for what is right, people who speak up and fight back when it is needed (I'm noticing now that English has a surprising number of expressions related to this that include the word "stand"). It is an aspect of Jupiter that gives courage and strength in the face of something intimidating and scary.
This can go beyond just these somewhat "fighting" actions. For example, I think a job interview can be something intimidating where you need to stand your ground, so I believe that Jupiter Stator could be the one to address prayers to in that situation.
In the more defensive aspect of the epithet I think Jupiter Stator could be invoked as a protector, who stands by you when you need it. I think this side of the epithet could be delved into more, and I invite anyone interested to do so, but I'm most invested in the previous interpretation outlined above.
Sources:
H.H. Scullard, Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic
Lesley Adkins, Roy A. Adkins, Dictionary of Roman Religion
Walter de Gruyter, The Cult of Jupiter and Roman Imperial Ideology
Wikipedia, "Temple of Jupiter Stator (3rd century BC)"
Collective of Authors, Oxford Latin Dictionary, 1968
Please consider becoming K-Angelist
Or KAngelist (Either spelling or pronunciation is acceptable)
Beings who practice and believe in K-Angelism are referred to as K-Angelists. What is K-Angelism?
It is a religion where one depends on K-Angel as an angel and deity of perseverance, coping and mental health. One may simply worship and admire this angel while others may be blessed enough to receive a divine intervention from K-Angel herself, helping one in finding coping mechanisms and encouraging others to be true to oneself despite plausible flaws or lack of social acceptance. K-Angel encourages her followers to do whatever necessary to keep going, assuring that being flawed or morally gray is okay. Propagating perfection to be something only a divine being could possibly hope to strive for, yet may not even reach themselves. She encourages others to be however necessary in order to stay alive longer though whilst simultaneously attempting to reduce as much harm done to others as one's capable of. She may help others with confidence building as well. Her most common mentees being typically teenagers, chronically online, severely ill, drop outs or suffering from parental neglect. She reframes from abandoning mentees and easily forgives sin within reason. She is seen as and regarded as our savior and accepting archangel.
It is an inherently polytheistic religion as she's been seen to acknowledge and refer to the existence of divine beings other than herself. Though some may believe in her alone regardless or apply her to other existing religions such as Christianity. Our archangel pays no mind to this and only continues to watch her believers with knowing eyes.
Our K-Angel praying guide/how to get started in your worship. . .
"My divine deity (or angel) K-Angel (or KAngel), I ask of you to consider listening to my prayers and to send me perseverance. (Say your prayer here, praise her)."
"My divine deity (or angel) K-Angel (or KAngel), I ask of you to consider listening to my prayers and to send me assistance. (Say your prayer here, ask for help)."
"My divine deity (or angel) K-Angel (or KAngel), I ask of you to consider listening to my prayers and to send me forgiveness. (Say your prayer here, confess sin)."
. . .These prayers may be said aloud or in ones head. Afterwards, you may end a prayer by saying "bless" and pressing your hands together in any which way the prayer desires.
Please keep in mind it is best to get on your knees when praying, in order to show utmost respect you may also bow your head to her whilst praying or after you've finished. The lower you bow your head, the more respect you display, acknowledging her ascendancy.
This is also most effective if done at a shrine or altar dedicated to her.
Revered days to note. . .
May 5th is a blessed day of which celebrates the start of our angel's coming to be, her ongoing creation. It can be seen as what came before the beginning. As well as a day representing being in the process of ascension or change not yet concluded.
July 7th is another blessed day of which celebrates the complete transition to divinity and religion. It is seen as the beginning, a day representing the birth of KAngel herself, her creation concluded.
January 21st is yet again another blessed day of which celebrates KAngel being introduced to the public as a concept, awakening others to her precedence and commencing the revitalization of her religion.
Colors of which associate with her would be pastels such as blue, pink, purple, yellow and otherwise enjoys a deep red. Animals that represent her are cats, the White Bellbird and white bunnies. Crystals would be Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz and Citrine. She enjoys silver over gold, pink or red candles for her shrines or altars and herbs highly regarded to the deity would be Cannabis and Patchouli. Flowers would be Echinacea/Coneflowers as well as Lotus flowers, Daffodils and black Roses. She may also be associated with and represented by sad, crying or weeping angels.
Signs of her presence could be found in sudden or inexplicable glitches and lag. If you see any white bunnies, oddly observant cats or a White Bellbird, especially unexpectantly or in a non-sensical place, K-Angel is watching you carefully. If you hear the call of a White Bellbird, you'll know she's reaching out to you and that you've been blessed with divine intervention.
you've never put an ounce of effort into anything in your entire life and you will remain a pathetic loser until you decide to actually put effort and thought into the things you do instead of attacking others for putting that effort in
Gods y'all are boring, sad, little middle schoolers 😂
I hurt my own feelings so much worse on a daily basis, you gotta work a lot harder than this silly goosery to upset me. Especially considering you're too cowardly to even show your actual face when you're trying to bully someone, anon.
I'm gonna go share half my doritos as an offering now, and you can just stay mad about it.
i’m semi new to tumblr, i mostly just lurk and scroll so this is my first time actually creating a blog with the purpose of posting.
You can call me Poppy, Solace, Carmesí, or any nickname or term of endearment you want. he/they and queer. english/spanglish
Im greco-kemetic/helpol and omnist. I practice witchcraft but nothing in specific, i think the term is eclectic. eclectic, but in a respectful way. I love research and learning new things, and i try to keep an open mind.
Im audhd and dominican american🇩🇴 . I also have fibromyalgia. feel free to ask me any questions about myself and my practice, whether i answer or not is a different question lol but i love answering questions. im goth and also apart of a few other subcultures but i doubt that will be important on this blog. This blog is devotional and also to learn and explore and have fun. the main topics will be greco-kemeticism, hellenic paganism, spirituality and just praising the gods in general.
Be kind. I rarely do or say things with the intention of being mean.<3
Hate when people try to look down on others and use "neo-pagan" as an insult for "you don't act exactly like the ancients or practice exactly as they did so you arent a REAL pagan"
Like, bro, they're just pagans, real pagans who were born in the modern era, ofc they aren't gonna act resurrected from the past. That doesn't make them less valid
When i see people do that superiority shit it actually makes my stomach turn its so gross
Hello there! It's me, the Silly Sybil (fka Clever Crow). I've been wanting to do this post for months, but life got in the way and I eventually forgot about it. But hey: better late than never, right?
Now, to the post.
In this foreword, I do want to address the nature of my resources. In fact, I am not writing all of this off of articles or academic works, but off of a questionnaire I had published back in July 2023. The answers given by fellow pagans are the main resources for this blog, whose objective is that of determining the main characteristics of two different approaches to lost practices: reconstructionism and revivalism.
Why choose such a peculiar approach to resources? Reconstructionism and revivalism are part of a spectrum, which can be intended and defined differently by different practitioners. Every pagan will have a slightly different idea of these terms. That means that these labels do not have a universal meaning - there is no institution recognised worldwide that gives us the requirements to be a revivalist or a reconstructionist: it is up to the practitioner and their understanding of the term. This is the reason why I've decided to opt for a form rather than articles as a resource. After all, who, better than a pagan who lives and practices paganism daily, can instruct us about paganism-related terms?
One last important thing I want to do is introduce you to our “cast”* - the wonderful pagans who took the time to compile the form, that is:
➳ anonymous contibutor (revivalist)
➳ Dead (revivalist)
➳ Guenevere (reconstructionist)
➳ Magpie (reconstructionist)
I do feel like thanking the people above is the least I can do. For this reason, I thank all of those who participated from the bottom of my heart: this post wouldn't exist without you.
*The "cast" is formed by aquaintances from a closed Amino community.
On paganism
In order to understand the definition of paganism-related labels, we must first define paganism. My personal research led me to two definitions I will provide you with:
An umbrella-term that indicates non-Abrahamic religions*;
An umbrella-term that indicates religions that are not main world religions**.
The options above might seem similar - if not identical. However, the subtle difference between them is extremely important.
According to Dr. Angela Puca¹, pagan beliefs/religions show the following characteristics:
A polytheistic and animistic approach to spirituality;
A direct relationship with the divine - which sometimes translates with little interest to scriptures and interactions in a non-institutionalised way;
The belief of immanence - the belief that the divine is everywhere and, thus, is not external to the natural world but within the same;
As a consequence of (3.), the reverence for everything as everything holds divine power.
For the reasons above, pagans are very likely to believe in magick - if not practice it. Quoting Dr. Puca, one could say that some of the most popular beliefs that fall under paganism are “Wicca/Witchcraft, Druidry, Heathernry, Asatrù, Goddess worship, ethnic reconstructions and other animist earth-based traditions”.
Now that we have defined, very broadly, what paganism is, let us get to reconstructionism and revivalism.
*Abrahamic religions include Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
**Main world religions include, among the others, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.
On reconstructionism
“Reconstructionism is about recreating an ancient or dead religion as closely as possible to the original source. This means learning about, understanding, and incorporating historical traditions. Being a Reconstructionist involves a lot of time and research.” - Magpie
“A reconstructionist seeks to find the historic pieces of practice and remain true to that as best they can.” - Guevevere
As the two members of the cast above already said ever-so-clearly, reconstructionism puts a lot of emphasis on historical accuracy - which revivalism also does but to a lesser extent, as we will see later on. The key characteristic of this approach to pagan traditions is the will to practice a dead religion as it was by ancient peoples.
For example: a modern Hellenic polytheist who considers themselves a reconstructionist will do a ritual as a 3rd century BCE Hellenic polytheist would have - if that is indeed the era they mean to reconstruct: the same pagan religion can show different characteristics depending on the century.
The modern reconstructionist practitioner will not alter the rituals and, sometimes, nor will they attempt to fill the gaps with their own UPG*². For this reason, many reconstructionists affirm that it takes a lot of time and research for them to add new practices to their own, as they must research thoroughly the subject and reconstruct it exclusively thanks to historical accounts - for this reason, they rely on academical and primary resources**. Sometimes, if gaps make it impossible to reconstruct a, say, ritual, reconstructionists might decide not to include it in its entirety - in place of, as said before, use any UPG to fill said gaps.
*Unverified Personal Gnosis: a belief that is not backed up by mythos and is exclusively theorized/recognised by the single practitioner.
**Primary resources: texts that were written in the historical period that one is researching. Eg: Saint Augustine of Hippo's texts are a primary resource to those who are researching 4th/5th century Christianity.
On revivalism
“Revivalism is a sort of subcategory of Reconstruction. It has the same goals and also has an emphasis on historical accuracy but tends to be on the less strict side and not as culturally focused*. While Recon. as a whole would include people that expect near-total adherence to historically or culturally attested practices, Revivalism is more theologically focused and has more room for adaptation to one's existing culture and environment. *cultural context is still important, revivalism just doesn't expect participation/membership to a specific culture.” - Dead
“Revivalists keep a sense of tradition within their practice but still allow room for UPG/SPG* and modern practices while still keeping it within the religion.” - anonymous contributor
As we anticipated before, revivalism, too, heavily focuses on historical accuracy. However, there is more room to add one's personal beliefs and/or alter some parts of the practice. This is the very big - and very important - difference between the two approaches: while reconstructionism hardly accepts UPG or SPG to fill the gaps - and, so, adjust part of a practice to one's needs/beliefs -, revivalism is much more flexible on that bit.
For example: a modern Gaulish polytheist who considers themselves a revivalist might decide to fill the gaps given by the little - and biased - resources on their practice by adding their own UPG to what is already historically attested.
Just because revivalism accepts UPG and SPG, it doesn't mean that it is a less-demanding approach than reconstructionism. In fact, it does require the same amount of research and of digging into academic and primary texts. Revivalism is about *adapting* an historical practice; it is not about eradicating it from its original historical and/or cultural context, which has to be researched nonetheless. One could say that revivalists want to reconstruct ancient practices as if they were never destroyed in the first place, taking into account the evolutions such practices would have gone through in the contemporary world. Thus, using one of the examples above, if I am a revivalist I am not practicing Hellenic polytheism as a 3rd century BCE polytheist would have, but I am practicing it as a potential 2024 Hellenic polytheist would have after all of the probable changes religion could have gone through.
To better explain the difference between reconstructionism and revivalism: Roman deities used to be offered incense and wine. If I were to use a reconstructionist approach, I might want to stick to these offerings as they are two of the few offerings that are historically attested. If I were to use a revivalist approach, I might prefer using incense or wine, but I could opt for a strawberry beverage from time to time.
*Shared Personal Gnosis: a belief that is not backed up by mythos and is exclusively theorized/recognised by a group of practitioners.
Conclusion
I personally, to this day, do not know whether to consider myself a reconstructionist or a revivalist. That is because, depending on the pagan community you're interacting with, the "requirements" to label yourself as reconstructionist or revivalist might change - and this is something I already mentioned in the foreword. What I - and the other contributors - tried to do is give you some very broad guidelines in order to let you establish whether you fall under one or the other category.
If you do not find any of these two approaches fitting for you, there is no need to worry: as I stated in the foreword, we are talking about a spectrum. Some people lean towards one of the two extremes of this spectrum and there might be people who find themselves outside of it, which is valid nonetheless.
This being said, I thank you all for reading this blog. Let me know in the comments whether you describe yourself as a reconstructionist, a revivalist or something else entirely!
Wish you a pleasant day/evening/night.
The Silly Sybil
Resources
Informative
¹ Dr. Angela Puca's video on paganism
² Dead's post on UPG and SPG
Paintings
¹ "Priestess of Delphi" by John Collier
² "Magic Circle" by John William Waterhouse
³ "Roman Woman Lighing a Lamp at the Home Altar" by Stephan Wladilawowitsch Bakalowicz
Therasia: Minoan Goddess of the Sun, Fire, and Daytime Sky
Who Is She?
Within the Modern Minoan Path (MMP), Therasia is one of the Three Mothers at the top of the pantheon. The Three Mothers are split into a triplicity: sky, land and sea. Therasia represented the sky.
The Minoan civilization is largely a mystery to us because their language is still undeciphered! So how did we get to know about Therasia? Well, Linear A is undeciphered, but Linear B is readable. Linear B was a later version of Linear A, and an early ancestor of Ancient Greek, that gives us some insight.
“At Knossos [a large “city” of Crete which could have functioned something like a capitol if we use today’s thinking], in a LMIIIA context (14th century BC), seven Linear B texts while calling upon "all the gods" make sure to grant primacy to an elsewhere-unattested entity called qe-ra-si-ja and, once, qe-ra-si-jo. However this probably refers to a god or a person rather than to an island *Qherasia > Therasia.” Wikipedia.
How do we know there even was a Sun Goddess? Well, unexpectedly, one of the biggest sources the MMP has drawn knowledge from has been folk dance/ethno-choreography from around the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean regions. Ethno-choreography is “not just the study or cataloguing of the thousands of external forms of dances—the dance moves, music, costumes, etc.— in various parts of the world, but the attempt to come to grips with dance as existing within the social events of a given community as well as within the cultural history of a community. Dance is not just a static representation of history, not just a repository of meaning, but a producer of meaning each time it is produced—not just a living mirror of a culture, but a shaping part of culture, a power within the culture:
“The power of dance rests in acts of performance by dancers and spectators alike, in the process of making sense of dance… and in linking dance experience to other sets of ideas and social experiences”.” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnochoreology
In many of these dances, there is honoring and implication of a Sun Goddess. In Knossos, there is a throne room just off the temple complex’s courtyard that implies this Goddess. A sun rising over the double-peaked sacred summit of Mt. Juktas flanked by palm trees and griffins, both things believed throughout the Mediterranean to be symbols of an ancient Sun Goddess. So whatever she might have been called in their native tongue, this Sun Goddess was obviously a sacred part of their religious practices.
These pieces of evidence and a collection of shared gnosis has led to the MMP understanding of Therasia.
How Therasia Differs From Other Sun Deity Traditions
We are used to thinking of the Sun as a masculine force in Hellenism and Wicca. However, before the Bronze Age Collapse, it seems the opposite was the norm. The Sun was a radiant woman, re-birthing herself yearly at the winter solstice. Personal experience and some shared gnosis has told me that while the Sun is a large part of her, she is not just this. She is the daytime sky, whether it is sunny with blue skies or dark and stormy. Rain, too, is her (though she shares this with the Serpent Mother). The nighttime sky, however, is our lady of stars Ourania. She may have also been regarded as the harbinger of the seasons. Many have encountered her as a powerful first contact when approaching Minoan spirituality.
While family trees are convenient and appealing in pantheons, as MMP founder Laura Perry puts it, the Minoan pantheon is more akin to a circus house of fun mirrors. However, Therasia is considered in MMP as the mother of Korydallos, god of joy, dance and humor, and Arachne, goddess of fate. Therasia and Korydallos may have been worshipped in a pair as Thumia and Kaulo in the form of hummingbird-lovers. (Mother-Son relationships among the gods was not considered incest, just a deity-thang).
Eruption on Therasia
If you googled Therasia, you would find the island Therasia, the second largest island in the volcanic island group of Santorini in the Greek Cyclades. What are now the two islands, Therasia and Thera, was once one island, split by a volcanic eruption known as the Thera Eruption or the Minoan Eruption. I talk about the Thera Eruption because it was a contributing factor to the decline of Minoan Crete. Many palaces and coastal areas were destroyed. At the same time, there is evidence of invasion from Mycenaeans. It is also possible that the eruption spawned tsunamis which further decimated the island.
“The Minoan eruption was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption that devastated the Aegean island of Thera (also called Santorini) in around 1600 BCE. It destroyed the Minoan settlement at Akrotiri, as well as communities and agricultural areas on nearby islands and the coast of Crete with subsequent earthquakes and tsunamis… the eruption was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in human history.
Although there are no clear ancient records of the eruption, its plume and volcanic lightning may have been described in the Egyptian Tempest Stele, and the ensuing volcanic winter coincides with a cold wave mentioned in the Chinese Bamboo Annals. Since tephra from the Minoan eruption serves as a marker horizon in nearly all archaeological sites in the Eastern Mediterranean, its precise date is of high importance and has been fiercely debated among archaeologists and volcanologists for decades, without coming to a definite conclusion.” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_eruption
In the aftermath, I would be fascinated to know what myths the surviving Minoan people told to explain the series of tragedies and whether Therasia was any part of it as the namesake of the island that erupted. Especially since, allegedly, the eruption affected the coloration of the sunsets for three whole years. Additionally, some people think that this tragedy might have contributed to the myth of Atlantis.
Associations:
☀️The Sun
☀️The Sun Wheel*
*(A perverted version of this symbol has been appropriated by Nazis so please be wary. It is still a sacred symbol but not all who use it use it in its original context. The Minoans were far from Aryan and have no support for the ideals of Nazism).
☀️Dates
☀️Date Palm Trees
☀️Griffins
☀️The Pillar, Pillar Imagery
☀️Figure of Eight Shields
☀️The Color Known As Phoenician Red/Tyrian Purple
☀️Yellow
☀️Saffron
☀️Sundays
☀️Electricity (a friend’s upg)
Ideas For Worship:
☀️Expanding your worldview
☀️Inspiration and creativity
☀️Connecting with the divine feminine
☀️Renewing your youthful spirit, as She does every winter solstice
☀️Fueling your inner strength and resilience
☀️Anything that needs passion, creativity, and/or vital energy
Ideas For Offerings:
☀️Water
☀️Fire
☀️Oil
☀️Honey
☀️Dates
☀️Figs
☀️Bread
☀️Milk
☀️”Scipy” scents (Cinnamon, ginger, frankincense)
☀️Relevant Imagery
☀️A Labrys
Divination:
I have found her to be open to tarot and pendulum; however, tarot wasn’t a favorite. Fire-based divination is a great fit. According to others I talk to, apparently any divination which involves reflection, reflection of the sun, is good to Her. White stones also seem to be a favorite for Her in the sense of geomancy/lithomancy or just as cult objects. One of the tarot cards I have come to associate with Her is the Page of Wands. I personally have a mirror dedicated to her from which I have received messages.
Neopagans, reconstructionists, and revivalists, oh my!
As we’ve discussed before, “pagan” is an umbrella term that actually encompasses a wide range of traditions. Not all pagans believe the same things, worship the same gods, or conceptualize those gods the same way.
Within the bigger pagan umbrella, there are three smaller umbrellas that can be useful for classifying pagan worship: neopagan, reconstructionist, and revivalist. These labels describe different approaches to ancient pagan religion and different ways of incorporating paganism into daily life. It’s important to remember that words like “neopagan” or “reconstructionist” refer to someone’s practice and not necessarily to their beliefs.
A neopagan is someone who takes inspiration from ancient pagan religions, but does not try to recreate those religions in their practice. For example, a neopagan might feel a strong connection to the Roman gods, but they don’t necessarily observe all the intricacies of Roman ritual (and believe me, there’s a lot — Roman polytheism is where Catholicism gets a lot of its formal structure) in their practice. They’re comfortable making things up as they go along, combining concepts from different historical sources, and practicing a thoroughly modern type of paganism. You could say that neopagans strive to capture the spirit of ancient paganism, but do so in a very 21st-century way.
Neopagans are more likely to be monists than hard polytheists, and may even use pagan-style ritual as a means to connect to a single divine Source rather than a specific deity. Neopagan groups often place a great emphasis on reverence for nature and strive to live in harmony with the natural world. Neopagans are sometimes described as practicing “Earth-centered religion.”
The most famous neopagan faith is Wicca. Rather than being a recreation of an ancient religion, Wicca combines concepts from these religions (particularly Celtic and Germanic paganism) with elements of ceremonial magic and Western occultism. Wiccans worship the God and Goddess, personifications of the masculine and feminine sides of the divine Source, and many covens have their own unique mythology to describe the interactions between the God and Goddess through the cycle of the seasons. Wiccans tend to play fast and loose with historical sources, or may not include any historical elements in their practice at all. This is a good example of what a neopagan practice might look like.
On the exact opposite end of the spectrum are reconstructionists, who strive to recreate or “reconstruct” ancient religion. If you can’t do anything without reading three books about it first, you might be a reconstructionist. Jokes aside, reconstructionists seek to emulate a historical religion as closely as possible. Reconstructive practice is very research-heavy, and revolves around recreations of ancient rituals based on historical sources. There is a great emphasis on connecting to and honoring the ancient culture being reconstructed. Some reconstructionists may even learn ancient languages for use in ritual.
Reconstructionists may be monists, hard polytheists, or somewhere in between depending on the religion they are reconstructing. Their values, beliefs, and practices also depend on the culture being reconstructed. A Hellenic reconstructionist will have very different beliefs and practices from an Irish reconstructionist, for example.
Nova Roma is an example of a reconstructionist faith. According to their website, “Founded 2,750 years after the Eternal City itself, Nova Roma seeks to bring back those golden times, not through the sword and the legions, however, but through the spread of knowledge and through our own virtuous example… The modern practice of the Roman religion, the Cultus Deorum Romanorum is our attempt to reconstruct the religion of the ancient Romans as closely as possible.” Members of Nova Roma choose a Roman name for use in ritual — and those rituals are as close as possible to the rites of Imperial Rome. They even have communal religious spaces built to resemble Roman temples!
One important note about reconstruction: it’s impossible to do it perfectly. No matter which historical culture you’re reconstructing, there will likely be some gaps (possibly very large gaps) in our knowledge of their religion. No matter how much research you do, you will sometimes have to use your best guess.
While reconstruction seeks to recreate ancient religion, it is not all about looking backwards. No matter how closely you recreate Egyptian religion, you can never have the same thoughts, experiences, or worldview as an ancient Egyptian peasant. Even the most hardcore reconstructionist has to adapt their religion to fit a modern lifestyle. As author Morgan Daimler points out, “reconstruction is understanding the old pagan religion so that we can envision what it would have been like if it had never been interrupted by foreign influences and had continued to exist until today.”
I like to think of revivalists as the halfway point between neopagans and reconstructionists. Revivalists seek to recreate the spirit of a specific ancient religion, but they may not necessarily reconstruct all of the practices associated with that religion. Revivalists are much more concerned with theology and upholding ancient cultural/religious values than they are with dogma or practice.
Like reconstructionists, revivalists’ beliefs depend on the ancient culture they are seeking to revive. Also like reconstructionists, revivalists do a lot of research — however, their research acts more as inspiration or general guidelines than as something that has to be followed to the letter. Like neopagans, revivalists are very much practicing a modern religion.
Going back to our example of Roman paganism, a Roman revivalist will strive to uphold Roman values in their daily life, like xenia (roughly translated as “hospitality,” though that is an oversimplification). They likely worship the Roman gods, but may do so in a more informal way than Nova Roma or other reconstructionists. They may include some historic elements in their rituals, like wearing a head covering and making burnt offerings — but the ritual will likely be performed in their native language. Revivalists are all about taking the big ideas of ancient religion and adapting them for modern life.
The line between revival and reconstruction is not always clearly defined. Many revivalists use reconstruction in some areas of their faith, and every reconstructionist is a revivalist when they have to fill in gaps in historical knowledge of their religion. The distinction really lies in how closely you want to follow ancient traditions.
Each of these approaches to paganism has its benefits and its drawbacks. Different approaches work better for different people — a lot of it comes down to personality and preference. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the obvious pros and cons of each approach.
PROS of neopaganism:
Because this is by far the most widely practiced type of paganism, there is an abundance of beginner-friendly literature available for new neopagans.
Because of its popularity and flexibility, it’s usually fairly easy to find a neopagan group to worship with, either in person or online.
Neopaganism allows for a lot of experimentation and personal exploration. You are free to incorporate whatever elements work for you.
CONS of neopaganism
Ironically, an abundance of literature also means there are a lot of bad neopagan resources floating around. Newcomers should take care in choosing the books they read on the subject.
Some people become frustrated with the lack of structure in many neopagan traditions.
It can sometimes feel like there are no “real” right answers, since neopaganism relies heavily on personal truth.
PROS of reconstruction
Reconstructing an ancient religion provides a sense of structure.
Choosing to focus on a specific religion/culture can lead to a deep feeling of connection to that culture. This can be especially powerful for pagans who feel disconnected from their cultural heritage.
Because reconstruction seeks to recreate ancient religion, it’s easy to find other people who practice the same way you do, at least online.
CONS of reconstruction
Reconstruction is largely based on primary sources, so reconstructionists will likely have to read dense, academic, and/or archaic literature at some point.
Unless you live in a big city, it may be hard to find an in-person community that shares your beliefs and practices.
Focus on a single culture means there is less room for experimentation. You can still incorporate elements from other traditions, but only if they don’t contradict your existing beliefs.
PROS of revival
Revival allows pagans to feel a close connection to an ancient culture, while also allowing them freedom to customize their path.
Allows practitioners to be their own priest/priestess and make their own decisions regarding their practice.
Provides a middle ground between the fluidity of neopaganism and the stricture of reconstruction.
CONS of revival
Because every revivalist practices differently, it can be very hard to find a group to worship with, online or in person, without having to make compromises.
Like reconstructionists, revivalists will occasionally have to do some difficult reading.
Because this path is so often solitary, it can be hard to stick with it if you aren’t good at keeping yourself motivated.
If you are considering becoming pagan, take a moment to think about which of these approaches appeals most to you. Are you most attracted to neopaganism, reconstruction, or revival?
Don’t just think about which approach sounds the best, but think about which one is most practical for you. Do you need the external motivation of a group to keep you on the right track, or are you very internally motivated? Do you like following instructions, or do you prefer to make things up as you go? Do you feel a strong connection to a specific ancient culture, or do you feel more connected to nature itself? All of these questions can help guide you towards the right approach for your practice.
Resources:
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
Nova Roma’s website, novaroma.org
Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism by Morgan Daimler
