Honoring Inspiring Pop Culture at your Altar?

[Araceli Cianna]

What are your thoughts on this? When I mean pop culture I mean like music idols and superheros from TV that speaks to your soul. In my case, Wonder Woman as depicted in the latest movie is my hero, and even better she was modelled on Goddess Diana who is my patron, so it feels nice to link the two.

Maybe this is more suited towards secular altars? I am not sure. Last night I saw The Last Jedi and remembered how much the original star wars movies spoke to me, with the whole idea of the force and such. I still link it to spirituality because of it, and of course there is the actual Jediism religion these days.

So even though you wouldn't really worship such characters, what do you think of having representations of them at your altar, to remind you of that aspect of your spirituality, and what it means to you personally?

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

I regard several of the Greats along side my ancestors; not as gods (and I don't have an altar) but exalted as great men and women who pass into Legend of our culture. Such that I honor are Ronnie James Dio, Christopher Lee, and J.R.R. Tolkien; monoliths in the arts and gifts of Music, Film, and Literature.

 

[EverChanging]

What are your thoughts on this? When I mean pop culture I mean like music idols and superheros from TV that speaks to your soul. In my case, Wonder Woman as depicted in the latest movie is my hero, and even better she was modelled on Goddess Diana who is my patron, so it feels nice to link the two.

Maybe this is more suited towards secular altars? I am not sure. Last night I saw The Last Jedi and remembered how much the original star wars movies spoke to me, with the whole idea of the force and such. I still link it to spirituality because of it, and of course there is the actual Jediism religion these days.

So even though you wouldn't really worship such characters, what do you think of having representations of them at your altar, to remind you of that aspect of your spirituality, and what it means to you personally?

I don't think there is anything wrong with it even if you did worship some of these characters. There are lots of theories for how integrating even fictional pop cultural characters into one's spirituality might work. Perhaps old gods show up in new guises or new gods show up in new forms. Maybe they are archetypes or otherwise useful tools for working with one's personal psychology.

When I make altars or shrines I tend to put anything on them that is meaningful to me and linked in some way to what I want to do with that altar or shrine. There's nothing wrong with including stuff from our own modern cultures. Why would there be? Neo-paganism tends to be about the here-and-now, and even if we are working with inspiration from an older culture we are still enmeshed in our own modern culture, and that's going to affect how we do things. There wouldn't be neo-paganism as we know it without the modern and post-modern periods anyway.

 

[Quintessence]

Consider that in historical times, ancient mythology was in many respects the popular culture of its day. It was vivid and lively, something that large numbers of people participated in. The division between religion and culture is largely a modern fabrication, and for the polytheistic cultures of old, their mythologies were part of the prevailing culture that surrounded them.

This is no longer the case. Those cultures and religions of antiquity don't have the pull and the clout that they once did. They lack a vividness to them as a result; they're not a contemporary cultural phenomena. But modern mythology (aka, pop culture) is. Contemporary Pagans, who often derive inspiration from historical mythologies, often seem reluctant to incorporate modern mythology into their religions and worship. I feel that reviving the spirit of Paganism necessitates embracing the living, contemporary culture that surrounds us.

Granted, I'm someone who goes where the inspiration takes me. Old stories are rarely inspiring for me, in no small part because they are not cultural phenomenon anymore. It's all gods to me, so it doesn't much matter if it's an old interpretation or a new one. New stuff is more contemporary, more living, more vivid. I think that would be different if I was part of a living Pagan community in my area where we shared the old stories. But I don't have that right now, so those tales seem lost to time for me.

 

[Holdasown]

I don't like to incorporate pop culture into my religion. I love to in my witchcraft. I have four bands I listen to daily and use their lyrics in spells. Each one represents an element. I love song lyrics for spells. Music increases my energy and focus. Nothing cleans a space like Bonzo on the drums. Especially "The Levy"

 

[The Kilted Heathen]

Somewhat related, the new Arkona album "Khram" begins with a mantra calling Mara from the Prav' into the Yav', and ends with a mantra thanking her and reversing the calling of the Intro. Also the lyrics (including these invocations) were written in the lead singer's own blood.

 

[Sha'irullah]

Things like this make me worry because of how diverse pop culture is. I admit that 99% of pop culture sickens me to the extent it causes severe depression within me. Growing up and witness so many cultures and their mediums for expression I have watched them all degrade from cinema, literature and even theater. I literally have to shelter myself from the outside world so often the notion of bringing it into my own life seems abhorrent.

Obviously I cannot tell you what is great and I would not bother but as others have stated. Paganism has always been tied to culture and the circulation of common thought. Paganism is never static and should remain in flux, but this fluctuation is also what makes it something of diversion.

A horrible culture cultivates horrible religion and especially paganism and right now I place exclussive contemporary thought as the lowest denominator of stupid.

But I can complain all day . Just do as you please and realize that if anthropologist studied this a thousand years from now they would call you a savage primitive just like the Greeks and Romans before us.

 

[Quintessence]

Just do as you please and realize that if anthropologist studied this a thousand years from now they would call you a savage primitive just like the Greeks and Romans before us.

Nah, contemporary anthropology has done away with such ethnocentric slurs. Too bad it tends to take the rest of society a few decades (or more) to catch up to the standards of academics...

But anyway, you've got me curious. What aspects of contemporary culture are you finding so horrible? On the whole, I think there is something to your observation of "degradation" of the arts. There is a lot of noise and not as much signal - arts are often produced for entertainment rather than for their own sake or with religious intent. There's a distinct difference between mass market fiction and a work of literature, right? Is that some of where your gripe is? Or were you thinking something else entirely?

 

[Quintessence]

I don't like to incorporate pop culture into my religion. I love to in my witchcraft. I have four bands I listen to daily and use their lyrics in spells. Each one represents an element. I love song lyrics for spells. Music increases my energy and focus. Nothing cleans a space like Bonzo on the drums. Especially "The Levy"

I'm curious about something in here too. Many contemporary Pagans don't see much separation between their religion and their magical practices. In what way are these distinct for you? How does your take on those differences lead to rejecting pop culture in one but not the other?

 

[Holdasown]

I'm curious about something in here too. Many contemporary Pagans don't see much separation between their religion and their magical practices. In what way are these distinct for you? How does your take on those differences lead to rejecting pop culture in one but not the other?

My religious practice involves gods that I think deserve a certain about of respect. My witchcraft is personal in rarely involves the gods at all.

 

[Quintessence]

My religious practice involves gods that I think deserve a certain about of respect. My witchcraft is personal in rarely involves the gods at all.

Would it be correct to assume that for you, figures out of contemporary mythos cannot be gods? And that they also cannot be used to represent things that you do consider gods? If so, then I can see where you're coming from with this. It would be weird to use things you don't associate with deities in worship of the gods.

 

[Holdasown]

Would it be correct to assume that for you, figures out of contemporary mythos cannot be gods? And that they also cannot be used to represent things that you do consider gods? If so, then I can see where you're coming from with this. It would be weird to use things you don't associate with deities in worship of the gods.

I believe gods are beings they exist. I don't know if something like Batman can become a god if enough people choose to worship him. The gods tend to fill roles in nature. I have no issue with pop culture paganism. People are free to do that. I don't think Loki would even mind a Marvel Loki on an altar for him but I personally don't feel called to mix pop culture and the gods I worship. Magic is different. Whatever give you power, strength, focus is fair game.