Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for CommunityRecent decades have seen a revival of paganism, and every summer people gather across the United States to celebrate this increasingly popular religion. Sarah Pike's engrossing ethnography is the outcome of five years attending neo-pagan festivals, interviewing participants, and sometimes taking part in their ceremonies. Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves incorporates her personal experience and insightful scholarly work concerning ritual, sacred space, self-identity, and narrative. The result is a compelling portrait of this frequently misunderstood religious movement. Neo-paganism began emerging as a new religious movement in the late 1960s. In addition to bringing together followers for self-exploration and participation in group rituals, festivals might offer workshops on subjects such as astrology, tarot, mythology, herbal lore, and African drumming. But while they provide a sense of community for followers, Neo-Pagan festivals often provoke criticism from a variety of sources--among them conservative Christians, Native Americans, New Age spokespersons, and media representatives covering stories of rumored "Satanism" or "witchcraft." Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves explores larger issues in the United States regarding the postmodern self, utopian communities, cultural improvisation, and contemporary spirituality. Pike's accessible writing style and her nonsensationalistic approach do much to demystify neo-paganism and its followers. |
Contents
Place Myths and Neopagan Festivals II | 41 |
Neopagan Borrowing | 123 |
Children of the Devil or Gifted in Magic? | 155 |
Copyright | |
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abuse altar American Indian American religious Ancestors attend festivals believe body borrowing boundaries camp campsites chant child childhood Chris Church Circle Network Circle Sanctuary contemporary costumes create cultural dance dancers deities describe drummers drumming e-mail to author ELF members ELF's ELFest Faerie fantasy feel festival community festival experience festival fire festival goers festival organizers festival participants festival space friends goddess Green Egg healing identify lives Lothlorien magic Magick Margot Adler merchants Mezlim movement mundania Native American nature neighbors Neopagan community Neopagan festivals Neopagan identity occult Pagan Digest Pagan Spirit Gathering parents persecution practices religions Rites of Spring ritual fire ritual space sacred space Santeria satanic Satanists Selena Fox sense sexual Shrine social Starhawk Starheart Starwood Starwood festival stories tattoos tion tival told traditions trees University Press Vodou Wiccan Wild Magick Witchcraft Witches women woods workshops York