A structure adorned with carvings of Old Gods, animals, and symbols sits in a forest clearing. Nestled under the gable above the threshold, a large set of antlers looms. There are braziers full of charcoal and ash that line the pathway leading up to the large, ornate doors. This is a Pagan Monastery. Except, it doesn’t exist.
When someone thinks about what a Pagan Monastery would look like, they may picture something like what I’ve described above. Or they might picture something completely different. It’s hard to know what an actual Pagan Monastery would look like because none exist (yet) in the world today. So, why are we seeing a surge of the Pagans of today becoming interested in Pagan and Polytheist Monasticism?
What Is Monasticism?
Monasticism is when people decide to live a life centered around their faith, often joining a group with similar beliefs, and following a set of rules that help them focus on their spiritual goals, sometimes within society rather than apart from it. A lot of monastics work regular jobs but choose to express their spirituality in an extremely structured way with a high level of devotion to one or more deities.
Pagans can incorporate a monastic practice into virtually any tradition. In my book ‘The Path of The Sacred Hermit’, I detail the four components of monasticism:
- Devotion: The ability to give oneself fully to the divine (however you experience that).
- Discipline: The ability to control one’s own behavior and to follow through on one’s commitments.
- Discernment: The ability to distinguish between what is true and what is false, and to make wise choices based on that understanding.
- Contemplation: The ability to reflect deeply on one’s own thoughts, feelings, and experiences as well as allowing oneself to be immersed into a greater reality outside of the Self.
The Monastic Community
Much of the time, you will find it easy to do a quick google search of Catholic or Christian Abbeys and Monasteries. You might even be able to find some Christian Intentional Communities rather easily. However, when you try to do a google search for Pagan Monasteries or Abbeys, you find that there aren’t many that exist, and those that do exist are simply online communities.
So what about these online Pagan Monastic communities? Are they really ‘Monasteries’? Well, in a sense, yes, they are. If we look at the term ‘Monastery’ as meaning a ‘place where contemplatives practice’, a virtual Monastery is truly a Monastery. If we only allow the term to mean a building or structure where Monks and Nuns live, I think we miss the forest for the trees.
The Problems with A Pagan Monastery Building
I think it might be possible to one day have a fully functioning monastery with a handful or more Monks and Nuns who live together on a self-sustaining piece of land who practice together, but there are some logistical problems. One, you must figure out how to mesh everyone’s traditions or UPG into your daily practices. Devoting a monastery to Brighid or Cernunnos might simplify this, but it could create conflicts among different hearth cultures.
The good news is, there is a community that I am a part of that is known as the Gnostic Celtic Church Monastery that is a place where Druids (as the GCCM is the monastic religious branch of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA)) of many faiths can share in monastic practices and a monastic lifestyle together. With this approach, each person brings a new light to the circle, and we can learn from each other and evolve as spiritual beings.
But what about the building? Why can’t we just build one? Well, aside from it being a very expensive endeavor, the culture of today is more demanding. The amount of work required to sustain a building and a piece of property is incongruent to the number of Pagan Monks and Nuns who could live in a physical Monastery. Many of us, partnered, married, or with children, choose to integrate monastic lifestyles into our situations. Considering the significant amount of physical work required, the spiritual work would surely suffer.
So, at this juncture, a virtual Monastery seems to be the best choice until enough Pagan voices for Monasticism are contributing to the topic and we can figure out, at the very least, a middle ground.
How To Get Involved
If you are interested in Pagan Monasticism or simply want to support the efforts of the Pagan Monks and Nuns in our greater community, I urge you do a little research on how our practices are benefiting our own lives and those around us. If you know a Pagan Monk or Nun, let them know you are there to support them. Join in on the conversation on social media platforms and forums. As the adage goes, ‘it takes a village.’
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