Monday, January 18, 2010

The Next Two Classes


I have, in light of my recent clarification of purpose, decided to pin down exactly what I'll be teaching in my Fall semester class at Rice. The first class—I haven't quite decided a name for it yet— will be a course detailing the Neo-Pagan movement in modern religious practice; its origins, texts, traditions, and issues with interpretation, etc. I think that I will require The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho as the only required text, because it has such an interesting way of approaching the individual's transformation, and also puts its finger on what is dissatisfying for some people about Christianity. I will structure the class mostly on the book Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler, as she addresses almost every aspect of the Neo-Pagan movement. I hope I can find a pagan group in Houston that I can take the students to, to witness what a ritual is like (this will be in the late summer/fall). If you live in Houston, and are willing to let a group of students witness a coven meeting, I would appreciate an email! Anyway, we will devote probably a third of the semester to Wicca, as it is the most prolific of the modern traditions, and then we will move on to Family Traditions, Reconstructionists, and other practices, as well as essential points in its history (such as the Witch's Councils). We will not refer to Neo-paganism as a mere "cult," but examine it as  a viable, growing, and spiritually satisfying religious practice that is steadily growing in America and Europe.

I think I should note, in order to avoid bias accusations, that 1.) I am not Neo-pagan, and 2.) my own personal knowledge lies solely within the European realm, that is, I cannot claim to know the religious traditions of the Native Americans or the Latin American tribes, although I will certainly be researching these in order to provide richer information to my students. Thank you for your suggestions and encouraging words.

And, for my next class (one that is much clearer in purpose, thank God), I will be teaching a class about Theology and Magic in popular British fantasy novels. This was, oddly enough, thought up after the suggestion of my Latin classmates, who urged me to use my love for Harry Potter to a more constructive end than babbling on about how much better it was than the Twilight shit—I'm sorry, series. So, after a long thought, I decided to address a broader and more detailed scope: "Deep Magic: Magic and Religion in English Fantastical Literature," which will draw from Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Prydain, The Circle of Magic, His Dark Materials, and The Dark is Rising sequence. Ambitious, no? These books were such an integral part of my childhood (and, I admit, adulthood) and I remember always wondering how the magic in these books "worked," especially the Deep Magic in C.S. Lewis' books. That always sent a chill down my spine, and it set me wondering how Lewis' Christianity could fit with this conception in his highly allegorical books.

Anyway, I'm excited, and I always welcome suggestions. Unless they have to do with Twilight. Please, don't insult the above books by throwing in that hateful waste of paper.

Always, etc.,
Ross Arlen

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A delayed update.

So...
My trip to the British Isles started out as a blind grope for an opportunity for a free (or at least cheap) trip to Europe this summer, a way to prevent a blooming intellectual (that may be stretching...) from acquiring a droll, tedious, soul-sucking, time-wasting, minimum-wage job over the holiday. It then evolved into a "study abroad" plan that included taking hours of classes in Dublin while waiting for the real fun to begin. I've decided to (try to) teach a class in Fall 2010. Originally, I was going to teach it about Paleolithic death-rituals, and other mortuary rites from around the world, but I soon abandoned that premise for two main reasons: one, I realized that people generally don't like focusing so intensely on death, as a confrontation with death is tantamount to realizing the finality of mortality, and two, I have little to no knowledge on the subject, but merely wanted to know more about it. For some odd reason, I thought that teaching a class about it would be a great way for me to learn. I'm glad I have thought this (mostly) through, and I have ditched the idea.

However, I read, over the Christmas holidays, many books about Neo-Paganism. In short, it has begun a fascination with the subject. The two main books were Drawing Down The Moon by Margot Adler, and Sacred Sites, Contested Rights/Rites by Jenny Blain and Robert Wallis. This alerted me to the strange problems of Neo-Pagan identity. Although, by it's own admittance, and by the intense study that Margot Adler has done on the subject, Neo-Paganism is a very new religious tradition, completely different than previous religious patterns, Neo-Pagans themselves often declare that they are part of an ancient tradition, indeed the ancient tradition. Although, undoubtedly, many aspects of the ancient traditions survived, and some imported into Neo-Pagan belief and practice, the simple fact is: no one knows.

That, to me, is frightening. If once, at least in Northwestern Europe, there existed a religion that was the metanarrative of all living humans, and if that religion manifested itself in the customary outpour of cultural artifacts that last to this day (dolmens, megaliths, barrows, etc.), then why don't we know the finer points of the belief system? Many would answer, "Christianity," but that doesn't answer every question, especially since Christianity is actually responsible for preserving many ancient sites and basic rituals, even if they do use the name Jesus. While in ignorance of the beliefs of these ancient people, how may Neo-Pagans claim to have "re-founded" paganism? I want to find the answer. I need to find the answer.

This is, then, what I suppose & propose: I suppose that the thousands of people flocking to Stonehenge on the summer solstice and other such "Pagan Pilgrimages" are in search of identity that they feel has been lost somehow in the shifting soil of the ages. I propose that I go to Stonehenge on the summer solstice and ask these pilgrims "From whence?" "For which?" and "Wherefore?". I propose that, in the wake of a recent personal upheaval, I make my own pilgrimage across the sacred sites and tombs of the British Isles, alone and unhindered by hotel bookings and formal wear, to rediscover something of myself which has been lost, or rather, never has been. I propose that after the summer is over (in other words, when I run out of money) I come back and share what I found or didn't find with others, through the class that I hope to teach at Rice University and perhaps by other means as well. In short, I propose that I make the Pagan Pilgrimage.

Tally-ho and all that jazz.
Always, etc.,

Ross Arlen