For most adherents of organised religion, certain days or periods are seen as more important that others. A liturgical calendar of some sort gives structure to the worshipping community. Obvious examples are Christmas, Diwali, Pasach or Ramadan.
For others, calendars are something of an oddity. They may even stand in opposition to core beliefs (such as in evangelical tradition, and possibly Buddhism) because of an emphasis on the spiritual and de-emphasis on rituals of time and space.
But if you are interested in liturgy and worship, eventually you come around to the question of special days and calendars. There are many calendars; many saints, many causes, too much to take in. I have had a quick look at several calendars, Catholic, Anglican, Coptic, Orthodox and African, to see what days or causes resonated with me.
At this stage, only two seem to have any meaning. Firstly, the Jewish; many Christians like to celebrate Pasach and the like, and I can see the appeal of this, especially when approaching the festival from a fresh, new testament angle.
But even more relevant it seems, especially from a Creation Spirituality point of view, is the pre-christian, Celtic Wheel of the Year. It is used by pagans, Wiccans and Celtic-oriented systems. The strength of this approach is it’s honoring of Nature; and for me by close implication, the Creator.
Many Christians are skeptical or hostile towards such an approach, seeing it as representing anti-Christian religion. “Pagan” is a word used by orthodoxy to describe non-Christians, hedonists, or savages. However, its meaning is most accurately understood as “of the country”, (from the Latin paganus, “an old country dweller, rustic”). This is distinct from “Of the City”.
I think it is fair to say that although Jesus spent much of his time with simple folks, country people, that Christianity itself has become a very urban religion. It has deep misgivings about those close to nature, and it can be argued that much of its most distasteful legacy – witch hunts, crusades and the like, were efforts to destroy what it perceived as wild, untamed and uncivilized.
If we look at modern Christendom, it comes down fairly strongly on the side of industry, with its attendant disregard for the creation. George Bush style “Christianity” typifies the duplicitous approach whereby an appeal to “Fighting for God” hides a deeply invested interest in oil and a flagrant disregard for the effects of consumerism on the planet.
Traditional Christianity can be seen as urban chauvinism, and most of its legacy in western culture demonstrates alienation, estrangement, suspicion and incompetence when it comes to knowing our place in the cosmos.
So it seems like this is a good time to reconnect with our aboriginal roots. In a case like mine, that is complex, descendant as I am of colonials. Am I African, or European? I have asked this question hard and as of now, I understand myself as a European in Africa. Whatever, I look to a pre-modern source of connection with nature, as a milieu for the sacred.
Here is a summary of the 8 sabats of the Wheel of the year, with their “Christianized” equivalent, with thanks to the liturgist Sea Raven, in her thesis “The Wheel of the Year“. I think there is great potential to rethink a calendar for worship based more closely on world as created by G-d.
| Northern | Southern | Pre-Christian Celtic Festival | “Christian” Liturgical Parallel |
| 1-Aug | 1-Feb | First Fruits: Lammas/Lughnasadh | Abundance; First Fruits of the Spirit |
| 22-Sep | 22-Mar | The Fall Equinox: Mabon | Harvest |
| 1-Nov | 6-May | Samhain (Halloween) Honoring the Ancestors | Feast of All Saints |
| 22-Dec | 22-Jun | Winter Solstice / Yule | Christmas |
| 2-Feb | 1-Aug | Imbolc | Candlemas; the return of the light; Epiphany |
| 20-Mar | Sep-20 | Celebration of Spring Equinox: Ostara | Easter; Resurrection; Life, Death, Rebirth |
| 1-May | 1-Nov | Now is the Month of Maying: Beltane | Communion as a Feast of Love; Pentecost |
| 22-Jun | 22-Dec | Summer Solstice | Midsummer; Growth, Commitment |
If we take a nature-first approach to the question of calendar, we might use Southern dates. But 3 of them might not shift very easily (Christmas, Easter and Halloween), without considerable weirdness. (Christmas in June anyone?) because of the association of the natural festival with a Christian tradition.
Still, it’s a start.
Sound and Silence 
Nic- All our roots are in the “pagan”. Even though we seem, as urban dwellers, to believe otherwise. They, the “pagans”, knew that their very lives depended on care of land. You were the one who corrected me in my use of the word “pagan” (thanks, by the way). I am not proud of my nation’s record in the area of conservation and recovery. I know that this poor record has been accumulating for over 100 years, but seems now to be laid at the feet of the current administration. We, therefore, are guilty as charged for doing an inadequate job in the area of conservation and recovery. The interesting part is that the miserable job, here in the US, was done by both rural (pagan) as well as urban folks for the entire span, including today. we must, as an interconnected species, do more to care for this big, blue marble on which we live. It IS our responsibilty.
Hi Don – you diligent reader you.
I’ve been musing over this pagan thing and ther lots more to come.
Interesting how you picked up on the “Ecological Genocide” aspect of the post – it was not the main thrust.
But you point us towards interconnectedness – and that is a vital thing to grasp, as I know you and those at BoldGrace have been doing. We have been gradually alientated and divided – it is the “way of the world (in the fallen sense)”, and see this as normal, especially from the Enlightenment onwards.
I’m going to be exploring this. You pointed me towards Frank Violas “Pagan Christianity” and its an interesting and certainly useful analysis, but he starts with a false dichotomy ends up with very different conclusions to me.
I might call on you for some guidence, as the need arises, if you don’t mind… I think you are well placed. Maybe we could “syncroblog?”, together with others? It’d be fun and interesting to hear other points of view.
Any other takers out there on the issue of Paganism? If so tell us how you might approach the subject. You might be supporters or detractors, obviously.
Hi Nic,
I like the way you’re thinking here. I’d have to refresh my thinking but the OT festivals are, in part, rooted in nature along with the relationship of the people and YHWH to it and bear similarities to other Ancient Near Eastern traditions. Their particular view, however, is particularly related to YHWH as opposed to the capricious gods or nature spirits.
The place of Original Blessing is actually a fruitful garden along with all in it that people are given to care for and live within. As an urbanite I love visiting nature. But the bugs are noisy and bite. I’ve oft thought of this as odd – that I prefer the urban along with its sterility to the natural and its life.
I’ve been thinking, recently, about how modern, evangelical Christianity has reduced Goddess’ call on our lives to the modern evangelical paradigm. We seem to have forgotten that Christ adds the His comission to Goddess’ original commission – care for the earth and all that is within it, have kids, and have FUN! Personally I feel so out of touch with this life and this world which I was created for and much of my spiritual focus is on recapturing that.
The historian Robin Lane Fox says that the term “pagan” was originally Roman military slang for a civilian, and this gave rise to the Christians usage, meaning those who had not enlisted, by baptism, in the army of Christ, in the heavenly battle that coloured the Christian worldview.
Be that as it ay, in the Orthodox Church the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, 1 Sep, coincides nicely with the beginning of spring, and the first week is also deficated, in the Orthodox Church, to prayer fior and concern about the environment. I think I blogged about it somewhere, somewhen.
Steve – 3 questions
1. How closely do you observe the Orthodox calendar?
2. Are all those saints etc on the list meaningful to you at all?
3. To what extent do Orthodox dates align with natural events?
Hi Nic! Thanks for using my material. I really like what you are doing … and thanks for adding the Southern dates to the chart.
Comments are very interesting. I have been called a “Cristo-Pagan” myself by some in the Pagan community in the Washington, D.C. area.
I’ll try to keep in this conversation.
Sea Raven
I’d be very happy for your views on this issue to be made known.
Do you consider the term “Christo-Pagan” accurate?
What value have you found in other calendars, beside the Wheel of the Year?
Nic,
How closely do I observe the Orthodox calendar? Not as closely as monks in monasteries. But the calendar has several cycles, all related to time and the sanctification of time.
There is the daily cycle, which begins at sunset, and, strictky speaking there are 8 services in the 24 hour period. The day begins with sunset, with vespers, and we sing about “the lights of evening”.
Compline, apodipno, after supper — about 9:00 pm
Nocturns, mesonichto, midnight service
Matins, Orthros – 3 am
First hour — 6 am
Third hour — 9 am
Sixth Hour – noon
Ninth hour — 3 pm.
Each of these sanctifies a particular time of day, though in practice they are often “aggregated”, that is, run together. In the Russian tradition, for example, they have the “All night vigil” service, — ninth hour, vespers, matins, first hour.
If you want to see it, go to the Russian church in Midrand at 4:30 pm on a Saturday (the golden domes are visible from the freeway). But a bit far from Cape Town! .
Then there is the weekly cycle — begins Saturday evening, and each day has a theme. Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days.
Then there is the Octoechos, the eight tones. They are used one a week, starting at easter, and after 8 weeks the cycle repeats.
Then there is the yearly cycle, some fixed (commemorations of saints), some seasonal or moveable, based on Easter. And there are seasons of fasting, which mark the cycles… The Nativity Fast from 15 November to 24 December, and various others.
These give the year a rhythm.
Our synchroblog this month will be on Halloween, so I’ll say something about that in its proper place, and will perhaps link to yours for it.