The hermitage of the heart

"Polytheistic Monasticism: Voices from Pagan Cloisters" is a recent book edited by Janet Munin and published by a press with the inevitable name Moon-Books. Yes, it´s time for a deep plunge into the netherworld of Neo-Paganism again! Full disclosure: I´m skeptical to the entire Neo-Pagan concept, and this little work just confirmed my impression. But YMMV, to quote a favorite expression by one of the contributors...

Apparently, some "polytheists" (as the contributors insist on calling themselves, rather than the more tainted Neo-Pagan designation) want to form cloisters or leave like hermits. The book contains contributions from a number of people about how this could be done. Or how it can´t be done, since many of the authors agree on such a project being almost impossible in the modern Western world. Apparently, the Maetreum of Cybele in the Catskill Mountains is the only functioning polytheist cloister in the United States as of this time. I think it´s pretty obvious what the reason for this is: Neo-Pagans are fiercly individualist, and not always in a good way, making it downright impossible to pool money, resources and energy into forming a cloistered intentional community. Living as a hermit is also problematic. Most of the contributors are married, take care of elderly relatives, have teaching positions at colleges, and so on. 

To be honest, the female or "non-binary" contributors to this volume come across as emotional train wrecks, sollipsistic, and pretty damn weird. There is a strong tendency towards a kind of essentialist feminism, with a lot of talk about "nurturing", "sustenance", living inside a cocoon, lying in fetal position, and what have you. The spiritual perspective is broadly Wiccan, with some authors claiming to be female Druids, and strongly eclectic. Ironically, Christianity is strongly present in the mixed stew, although most authors don´t even realize it. Many have an intensely personal relationship to various Celtic and Norse gods, something the ancient Celts and Norse probably didn´t, this being an evangelical or perhaps charismatic Christian influence. The monastic perspective itself is also Christian, not Hindu or Pythagorean, since the polytheist nuns dress like stereotypical Christian monks. Yet, they constantly attack "monotheism"!

The only cis-male contributor seems to be John Michael Greer, whose perspective is markedly different. Greer is the former head of several small esoteric groups, including the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) and the Universal Gnostic Church (UGC). One of his more recent projects is called the Gnostic Celtic Church (GCC). On the one hand, these groups have a formal structure and training programs, quite unlike the chaotic Neo-Pagan milieux. Greer even tacitly admits that many people probably have to be excluded from the GCC, having the wrong "Awen" (destiny or karma). On the other hand, not even these groups try to form actual pagan cloisters. Rather, the goal is to create a "hermitage of the heart" by becoming a solitary practioner of various specified rituals. I previously reviewed Greer´s own book "The Gnostic Celtic Church: A Manual and a Book of Liturgy" here on the blog. Despite the churchly designation, the GCC doesn´t sound Christian (or even Gnostic), and it´s in fact hard to see any difference with its Druid Revival parent group. 

And no, none of the Neo-Pagans demand celibacy. There, I said it.