May 31, 2022
I’m sometimes invited to lead a Sunday service at my friendly local Universalist church, and on a recent occasion, the church posted this graphic of the “Wheel of the Year” – an image that led to one individual stating that they hoped it was not going to be “presented as representative of paganism.”
In other words, one of the two classic statements of Heathenism: “You’re doing that wrong.”
Of course, the only response to that classic statement is its rejoinder – “You’re not the boss of me.”
Below is my reply.
Undoubtedly the modern Wheel of the Year is exactly that – a modern invention. The mixture of sources for even the accepted names of the holidays makes that pretty clear, and yet my personal ancestry also involves a mixture of sources (as does most people’s). My spiritual interests – the things that resonate with me – provide an even wider mix that goes well beyond just my ancestry. That all adds up to a living spiritual experience which is uniquely my own, one I refer to as the “Church of Kurt.”
My beliefs and practices simply align more closely with a Pagan/Heathen worldview than with any other faith structure. I’m not a farmer, but I do stay in tune with seasonal changes. For me, the modern Wheel works as a tool to keep me aligned with those seasonal changes, and provides me some connection to my ancestors who were undoubtedly much more tied to the agricultural calendar.
Which is all to say, it works for me so it’s become a part of the Church of Kurt. YMMV.
Honestly, there’s not much of anything that I’d ever try to pass off as “this is what ALL Pagans believe.”
