The Pagan Path

Janet Farrar, Stewart Farrar & Gavin Bone.
Custer, Washington: Phoenix, 1995. 251pp. Softcover.
Reviewed by Taner Edis

A readable and informative introduction to Neopaganism as a religion. The roots of this pagan path are in Western occultism rather than long-lost pre-Christian religions; so skeptical readers will notice the extremely accepting attitude toward paranormal claims. There is more than enough weirdness endorsed. Beyond standard occult material, there is Jungian psychology, reincarnation, Kirlian photos of auras, chakras, and so on. When science takes the stage, it is a prop for magic, as with outdated brain-lateralization ideas. The authors emphasize that paganism values the female, in contrast to patriarchal religions. The female principle involved turns out to be a mystical right-brain aspect, as opposed to the rational left-brain male. Aside from being nonsense, it is difficult to see how this sort of mythology is supposed to be helpful for women.

The weirdness, however, should not obscure the religious nature of Neopaganism and the occult. This is a religion in which magic and paranormal experience is central, not a developed doctrine. As such, it part of an experiential trend in modern religion, where so-called primitive magical and religious attitudes are gaining ground as a reaction against both doctrinal religion and scientific rationalism. Seen as religion, the peculiarity of Neopaganism is not its emphasis on magic, but the fact that it lacks a community aspect. It is a severely individualist religion. Not even tradition serves to bind pagans to others -- what the authors refer to as "traditions" are all a few decades old at most. Neopaganism has only a superficial connection to pre-Christian times, being a thoroughly contemporary religion setting therapy ahead of truth.

While there is little to be recommended in Neopaganism, its superstitions are harmless compared to, for example, fundamentalist Christianity. Criticism of paranormal claims usually avoids getting entangled with criticism of religion. But the line drawn is arbitrary, and with pagans, nonexistent. This raises concerns of how skeptics should respond to occult religion, particularly since it is already unfairly demonized by fundamentalists.