I commented recently that if I had enough coin, I'd create a series of Temples in the UK - we could issue statements about things of public interest such as the madness of 'Witch Tok' that we are currently seeing online, of so called 'baby witches' cursing the Fae and the moon. Misguided attention seeking nonsense. And that's all I have to say about that.
Why a series of Temples? We don't convert others to Paganism and there are various paths, some of which regularly intertwine with similar practices such as Wicca. We often claim that 'Nature is our Church' and we have altars at home or in our gardens. Some of us have Moots, regular meet ups in certain bars or cafes, there are also websites and genuine Pagans online who are easy to find.
Paganism seems to have been the original faith within the UK, it was certainly dominant as far as we know thanks to archaeological remains in places like Bath, standing stones and other artifacts. Many of the settlers here - whether they came in peace or by force - brought their ancient gods with them; Norse and Roman in particular. This Old Religion is locked into our land. It has always been here, it will always be here. Recently, looking online I've been shocked at the amount of witchcraft, Tarot and general Pagan books and products available compared to ten or twenty years ago. There are green man colouring books, there were even Green Man fabric face masks (as of the end of this week we must wear a face covering inside shops in the UK due to the covid-19 pandemic). The Greek God Pan is often portrayed within a woodland, with wood-nymphs around. His name means 'All'. We take some of our English from this- pandemic, panic, Pandora's box. When I have traveled by road, I have noticed road signs which are incredibly similar to Norse Runes. Aspects of religion, traces of polytheism are everywhere right down to the naming of our weekdays and months of each year.
It would seem that we have no need for a Temple. Yet my specialism has been mental health and one thing that stands out in these times is a terrible lack of good mental health care. Add religious belief to that and it becomes chaos. Imagine saying to a person who believes in reincarnation, 'This is the only time you can do this.' or 'How can you love this era/City/culture when you live so unconnected to it? Move on and focus on the present.'
Imagine saying to a Witch, 'You can't know what is going to happen, you cannot see or control the future!'
Well. Regardless of what is or isn't possible, it is distressing in a mental health setting to conflict with a person's religion when that may be the only thing keeping them going and giving them hope at that time.
In my strong opinion, a series of Temples or Houses would be fantastic within England and Scotland to start, branching out into Wales and Ireland.
The Houses would support only the following;
- counseling, good mental health care, retreats if possible, shelters if needed, recognized therapy with a respect toward Pagan belief*
- jobs, gardens, general goods such as domestic items from companies who are eco friendly as well as a means for Pagans to sell or advertise their own goods
- part of each building could potentially contain a library and a cafe as well as a grand hall for celebrations and seasonal markets'
I think 'Houses' sound better than 'Temples'. There are people who are Pagan but do not actively worship a deity and others who would not call a place of worship a Temple as there are so many sacred spots in nature.
*Paganism does not accept discrimination based on race, colour, age, sexuality, gender and so on. Any Temple or House would be considered a safe space.
Just a few years ago, we were able to search Pagan websites using a public library computer yet we would be blocked from accessing the sites themselves by the library settings because Paganism was classed as an 'alternative religion'. I don't know if this still happens. We are also generally restricted in the media. Christianity is the official religion in the UK. In reality there are many religions, many Temples and Churches.
Hundreds of years ago we who worshipped the Earth were robbed, gaoled (jailed) and murdered ('executed') in various witch hunts. Today, we have so much more freedom and I think an open support network to help us all as a group, both mentally and financially would be a healing and sensible step to take. Other religions have this level of support with places of worship and offices with phone contact lines and real people on the other end. These are difficult times. A beautiful safe house, therapy house, Temple, market space, even a handfasting space filled with Pagan art would bring hope and relief.
I would love to be able to do this.
Cover photo by myself, V Bowie 2017.
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