Why worship the “old gods”?
Pay very close attention to how neopagan people answer this question.
TLDR: There are good, bad, and ugly ways to answer it. Some indicate the person is spiritually bypassing some much needed therapy; Other answers to this question will show you who are the reasonable people VS who are the nazis (or, much more often, nazism-enablers); Other ones, still, will reveal a legit inclination and/or personal choice to worship these gods devoid of ulterior motives. The latter and healthiest, I’m afraid, are in the minority.
By “old gods”, I’m exclusively referring to the deities you see in revivalist spirituality that focuses on European and Near-Asian pre-Christian traditions. That is: Germanic, Celtic, Norse, Roman, Hellenic, Kemetic, Mesopotamian, etc. I am NOT talking about any unbroken traditions. Keep it in mind as you read this article.
I’ll just go straight into the most common reasons why people report an interest in “the old gods”. I have no formal research to cite, only my own experience having interacted with many of these communities both online and in person. That is to say, I’m not speculating. Anyone with a similar experience spanning decades will confirm what I’m saying here.
So, without further ado, dear neopagan, why do you worship the old gods?
Below are some of the most common answers:
Reason #1: “it’s my heritage”.
The wide majority of adepts to neopaganism today are white people. (White from a western industrial background, to be more specific). I’m stating it as a matter of fact, and you can conclude whatever you want from that fact. It’s a neutral fact, and makes perfect sense: the original cultures where these gods came from were mostly located in Europe anyway. The thing is, there are people with wicked agendas out there who take advantage of this fact and feel attracted to “the old gods” for that reason only — which, I’m sure you know, shouldn’t be anyone’s main motivation because it lends itself to racism, but it happens. It has happened since the very beginning of this reconstructionist movement. We shouldn’t be naive and think it’s a problem of the past, or that [insert group here] is free from it just because you’re a member. Let’s not look at things from a rose-tinted perspective.
I know my commentary here is likely to ruffle a lot of feathers (but then again, that’s what my articles normally do. I’m used to it), so please bear in mind that certain truths are hard to hear but nonetheless necessary. Usually — not always, but usually — when someone claims a pre-Christian tradition from the “Old World” is their heritage… That’s a dogwhistle for white supremacism. It’s not even new: Hitler and friends were known for appropriating Occultist symbols that alluded to a pre-Christian past, because Christianity alone wouldn’t give them the sense of ethnocentric exclusivity that fascism thrives on (since a lot of cultures, by then, had adopted Christianity — rendering it “useless” for German supremacist purposes — but reviving Germanic paganism proved more interesting for them). Click here for a more comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon.
This is not to shame people who take a lot of pride in their ancestry. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, in fact I live in a country (Ireland) where taking pride in cultural heritage is quite common. The problem is when you bypass several generations of ancestors to focus only on the pre-Christian ones. Why would you do that? If your motivation is ancestry, why not praise your Christian great-great-grandparents too? Why skip straight to the vikings or whatever? That’s “a bit sus”, like kids are saying these days.
Another detail worth considering is the political undertone that exists in choosing a religion “because of ancestry”. It’s a political decision, much like saying “my whole family is in this clique, so I’ll be in it too”. To each their own, but it doesn’t sound like a decision borne out of critical thinking; Instead, it’s more like just going with the crowd. And in that case, again, I’ll repeat: if you’re a fan of going with the crowd, why not take the easier route and just be Christian?
Anyway. Next:
Reason #2: “to get back at the Church for converting my ancestors by force”.
This is probably the second most common reason why people worship “old gods”. It’s quite similar to the first in that it’s making a statement first and foremost and leaving actual belief in second plan; However, now we’re not looking at heritage and family ties for the sake of pride: instead, we’re taking a different perspective and looking at these ancestors from a purely Historical and Sociopolitical lens. We’re saying, “these ancestors of mine were wronged. They need to be avenged. I feel called to do that”. I find this a lot healthier compared to Reason #1, since there is no focus whatsoever on race or genetics, but rather, on your ancestors’ humanity — and the human rights they were denied (such as freedom of belief).
The problem with this approach is another: when you focus too much on differentiating yourself from a group (namely, the Christian people around you), you’re not focusing enough on what you DO want to be. So, it’s almost as if you were living life through reverse psychology — rather than “this is who I am”, what you’re usually saying in between the lines is “look at that other crowd! They are everything I’m not”. And in that process, you sort of erase yourself.
The vindictiveness behind this approach can also cause a bit of blindness to all the things paganism and Christianity have in common (both good and bad), since you’re essentially villainising one and putting the other on a pedestal. That’s why I am not a fan of staying here in the long term. However, on the short term, this can be a very interesting transitional period in anyone’s spiritual path.
Important note: there are people (disingenuous people, let’s be honest) who will justify Reason #1 with this Reason #2 here by saying, “well, ancestry matters to me, AND at the same time I don’t agree with that the Church did in the Middle Ages”. On a surface level, it sounds fine. Underneath the surface, it’s just an excuse to mask their white supremacism: if they TRULY MEANT that, they still wouldn’t ignore/villainise their Christian ancestors, because we all know that a lot of these common people simply had no choice but to declare themselves “Christian” in times of pagan oppression; Which doesn’t mean they would have chosen that path out of free will or were responsible in any way for the wrongs committed against others. So, good try, but no, that’s just an excuse.
Moving on…
Reason #3: “because the gods reached out to me”.
Here you can find people in spiritual psychosis, people who are mentally sound but just have a lot of trauma, and everything in between.
First of all, no-one’s experience is invalid. I hope that’s clear.
However, although every personal experience (or “gnosis”, if you’re familiar with neopagan jargon) is valid, some lend themselves to maladaptive coping mechanisms. These can delay or even stand as permanent obstacles to genuine healing, and that’s where they become a problem.
Here’s a hard-to-swallow pill: the gods don’t “reach out” to anyone. That’s narcissistic delusion. I fell for it too, there was a time when I would listen attentively to anyone who had a god allegedly reach out to them — and even use the phrase myself — but in truth, that’s delusion. It doesn’t happen, just like we don’t see modern Apostles claiming Jesus reached out to them in spirit. (Or not outside cults anyway).
What the gods do is respond to a natural affinity you might have with them, and this is where interesting spiritual experiences come from, not some “calling” that only you are special enough to heed. The gods won’t “reach out” to you as if you were some irreplaceable resource, they’ll just reciprocate the interest in them you are consciously (or not!) displaying. You and millions of others who could equally access these gods’ energy if they bothered trying — that’s the key bit. The gods look back at us when we look at them, but that doesn’t automatically mean anyone is special. No-one is “chosen” above everyone else (no, not even for a specific mission, and let me remind you once again that pacts are things WE seek with Them, not Them with us); But when you’re dealing with chronic self-loathing, and need that extra bit of overcompensation to give your self-esteem an artificial boost…
Anyway, another crowd that tends to claim gods reached out to them are those prone to hallucinations (and you can insert condition here; These are usually known by the person already, they don’t come as a surprise with spiritual activity alone). I’m not saying that if you have certain conditions, you can’t also receive spiritual messages — of course you can! — but I’m reminding you to be careful with discernment. Just think about it: why would a deity temporarily ignore all the other things they’re responsible for, only to focus on sending YOU a random message out of nowhere for no apparent reason other than “connecting”? Doesn’t that sound like there’s a higher chance it could be confirmation bias / your own mind working on it? Unless you’re putting time and effort into specific rituals over a predictable timeframe (that is, not “random” or “at a whim”), it’s very difficult to establish a reliable connection with a deity.* Also, legit connection/reciprocity tends to come with a very obvious purpose. If there’s nothing specific to aim for or tend to, they don’t bother answering. Gods don’t waste their time.
*The above is valid for deities. Human spirits are a whole other can of worms, and a topic for another post!
Reason #4: “research has led me here and I like the concept”.
This is the answer scholars will give you. A lot of people who join the revival of “old gods” worship do so out of academic curiosity because they’re into Classics or Celtic Studies or what-have-you. They tend to be pragmatic and much more sceptical than everyone else on this list. In Hellenic circles, for example, these people are the ones who advocate for “prayer only” or “ritual for the sake of ritual” and wouldn’t ever touch mysticism with a 6 foot pole. I suspect it’s the same for scholars interested in other pantheons (although exceptions and outliers exist here and there).
I wouldn’t call scholars materialistic, necessarily. In all honesty, I am a materialist in a lot of ways (yes, really) because I have a very real attachment to the “3D” dimension of life, like some mystics would say… And I know for a fact my attitude is different from that of scholars. They come from a place of fear; They’re afraid of believing, and this belief interfering too much with their scientific objectivity (which is understandable! Not judging here). I’m not afraid of faith at all, myself; I wholeheartedly believe in the spiritual realm. I just happen to enjoy my grounding on Earth more than I enjoy daydreaming.
As with everything else on this list, I’m just being descriptive. You can form your own opinion if you’re so inclined.
Having a very experimental and detached outlook, these professionals aren’t the best people to talk to about personal experience or intuitive insights — just so you know, in case you meet them in the wild. On the other hand, they’re usually enthusiastic for niche conversations about archaeological finds and Historical backing for certain practices. Asking them questions on their topic of expertise can make for a great friendship.
Reason #5: “I personally enjoy the rituals”.
Where are my Wiccans at? Just kidding (or am I?)
9 times out of 10, when someone tells you their path is “eclectic”, they’re in this category. They’re in it for the experience; the rigidity of prescriptivism comes second. So, one could say, this crowd is the polar opposite of the scholars. I include myself in it (although I’m not a wiccan; Never was. I’m simply acknowledging they are abundant in this category).
I’m biased, so I’ll keep this short and straight to the point: this is the crowd who understands best the subjectivity of spiritual experience. You don’t need to “prove” to yourself or anyone external that your faith “makes sense”. You can just choose to believe, and it doesn’t make you any more superstitious than a Christian or a Buddhist. Hell, you can believe in the “old gods” AND be a Buddhist at the same time (my case). Not sure about Christianity, since it’s monotheism, but eclecticism can happen in terms of certain traditions only — in case you’re dead-set about making it work. People are multicultural these days, and come into contact with all sorts of traditions. This doesn’t automatically mean appropriation or disrespect (although it CAN mean that, depending on how self-centered you are).
Although out of all the answers to the “why worship the old gods” question, this answer — basically boiling down to “because I like it” — may sound like the silliest or most simplistic, I personally approve of it. There are things you shouldn’t overcomplicate. In the end of the day, a lot of religions have the same core message; what differs is ritualistic details. We forget that when we focus too much on political conflicts that only had religion as a facade. But then again, who am I to question other reasons for worshipping “old gods”? To each, their own.
Your turn: is your answer not included here? Let me know in the comments!
I don’t think my list is exhaustive; It just covered common answers to the question proposed. Feel free to share other possible answers. Ultimately, the objective was to highlight the importance of asking the question. It can reveal a lot about who you’re dealing with.
