#revivalist

[sillysybilsden]

Ehilà, viaggiatore

Hey there, traveller

Dedicated to my twin Lares.

Foreword

Hello there! It's me, the Silly Sybil (fka Clever Crow). I've been wanting to do this post for months, but life got in the way and I eventually forgot about it. But hey: better late than never, right?

Now, to the post.

In this foreword, I do want to address the nature of my resources. In fact, I am not writing all of this off of articles or academic works, but off of a questionnaire I had published back in July 2023. The answers given by fellow pagans are the main resources for this blog, whose objective is that of determining the main characteristics of two different approaches to lost practices: reconstructionism and revivalism.

Why choose such a peculiar approach to resources? Reconstructionism and revivalism are part of a spectrum, which can be intended and defined differently by different practitioners. Every pagan will have a slightly different idea of these terms. That means that these labels do not have a universal meaning - there is no institution recognised worldwide that gives us the requirements to be a revivalist or a reconstructionist: it is up to the practitioner and their understanding of the term. This is the reason why I've decided to opt for a form rather than articles as a resource. After all, who, better than a pagan who lives and practices paganism daily, can instruct us about paganism-related terms?

One last important thing I want to do is introduce you to our “cast”* - the wonderful pagans who took the time to compile the form, that is:

➳ anonymous contibutor (revivalist)

➳ Dead (revivalist)

➳ Guenevere (reconstructionist)

➳ Magpie (reconstructionist)

I do feel like thanking the people above is the least I can do. For this reason, I thank all of those who participated from the bottom of my heart: this post wouldn't exist without you.

*The "cast" is formed by aquaintances from a closed Amino community.

On paganism

In order to understand the definition of paganism-related labels, we must first define paganism. My personal research led me to two definitions I will provide you with:

An umbrella-term that indicates non-Abrahamic religions*;

An umbrella-term that indicates religions that are not main world religions**.

The options above might seem similar - if not identical. However, the subtle difference between them is extremely important.

According to Dr. Angela Puca¹, pagan beliefs/religions show the following characteristics:

A polytheistic and animistic approach to spirituality;

A direct relationship with the divine - which sometimes translates with little interest to scriptures and interactions in a non-institutionalised way;

The belief of immanence - the belief that the divine is everywhere and, thus, is not external to the natural world but within the same;

As a consequence of (3.), the reverence for everything as everything holds divine power.

For the reasons above, pagans are very likely to believe in magick - if not practice it. Quoting Dr. Puca, one could say that some of the most popular beliefs that fall under paganism are “Wicca/Witchcraft, Druidry, Heathernry, Asatrù, Goddess worship, ethnic reconstructions and other animist earth-based traditions”.

Now that we have defined, very broadly, what paganism is, let us get to reconstructionism and revivalism.

*Abrahamic religions include Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

**Main world religions include, among the others, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.

On reconstructionism

“Reconstructionism is about recreating an ancient or dead religion as closely as possible to the original source. This means learning about, understanding, and incorporating historical traditions. Being a Reconstructionist involves a lot of time and research.” - Magpie

“A reconstructionist seeks to find the historic pieces of practice and remain true to that as best they can.” - Guevevere

As the two members of the cast above already said ever-so-clearly, reconstructionism puts a lot of emphasis on historical accuracy - which revivalism also does but to a lesser extent, as we will see later on. The key characteristic of this approach to pagan traditions is the will to practice a dead religion as it was by ancient peoples.

For example: a modern Hellenic polytheist who considers themselves a reconstructionist will do a ritual as a 3rd century BCE Hellenic polytheist would have - if that is indeed the era they mean to reconstruct: the same pagan religion can show different characteristics depending on the century.

The modern reconstructionist practitioner will not alter the rituals and, sometimes, nor will they attempt to fill the gaps with their own UPG*². For this reason, many reconstructionists affirm that it takes a lot of time and research for them to add new practices to their own, as they must research thoroughly the subject and reconstruct it exclusively thanks to historical accounts - for this reason, they rely on academical and primary resources**. Sometimes, if gaps make it impossible to reconstruct a, say, ritual, reconstructionists might decide not to include it in its entirety - in place of, as said before, use any UPG to fill said gaps.

*Unverified Personal Gnosis: a belief that is not backed up by mythos and is exclusively theorized/recognised by the single practitioner.

**Primary resources: texts that were written in the historical period that one is researching. Eg: Saint Augustine of Hippo's texts are a primary resource to those who are researching 4th/5th century Christianity.

On revivalism

“Revivalism is a sort of subcategory of Reconstruction. It has the same goals and also has an emphasis on historical accuracy but tends to be on the less strict side and not as culturally focused*. While Recon. as a whole would include people that expect near-total adherence to historically or culturally attested practices, Revivalism is more theologically focused and has more room for adaptation to one's existing culture and environment. *cultural context is still important, revivalism just doesn't expect participation/membership to a specific culture.” - Dead

“Revivalists keep a sense of tradition within their practice but still allow room for UPG/SPG* and modern practices while still keeping it within the religion.” - anonymous contributor

As we anticipated before, revivalism, too, heavily focuses on historical accuracy. However, there is more room to add one's personal beliefs and/or alter some parts of the practice. This is the very big - and very important - difference between the two approaches: while reconstructionism hardly accepts UPG or SPG to fill the gaps - and, so, adjust part of a practice to one's needs/beliefs -, revivalism is much more flexible on that bit.

For example: a modern Gaulish polytheist who considers themselves a revivalist might decide to fill the gaps given by the little - and biased - resources on their practice by adding their own UPG to what is already historically attested.

Just because revivalism accepts UPG and SPG, it doesn't mean that it is a less-demanding approach than reconstructionism. In fact, it does require the same amount of research and of digging into academic and primary texts. Revivalism is about *adapting* an historical practice; it is not about eradicating it from its original historical and/or cultural context, which has to be researched nonetheless. One could say that revivalists want to reconstruct ancient practices as if they were never destroyed in the first place, taking into account the evolutions such practices would have gone through in the contemporary world. Thus, using one of the examples above, if I am a revivalist I am not practicing Hellenic polytheism as a 3rd century BCE polytheist would have, but I am practicing it as a potential 2024 Hellenic polytheist would have after all of the probable changes religion could have gone through.

To better explain the difference between reconstructionism and revivalism: Roman deities used to be offered incense and wine. If I were to use a reconstructionist approach, I might want to stick to these offerings as they are two of the few offerings that are historically attested. If I were to use a revivalist approach, I might prefer using incense or wine, but I could opt for a strawberry beverage from time to time.

*Shared Personal Gnosis: a belief that is not backed up by mythos and is exclusively theorized/recognised by a group of practitioners.

Conclusion

I personally, to this day, do not know whether to consider myself a reconstructionist or a revivalist. That is because, depending on the pagan community you're interacting with, the "requirements" to label yourself as reconstructionist or revivalist might change - and this is something I already mentioned in the foreword. What I - and the other contributors - tried to do is give you some very broad guidelines in order to let you establish whether you fall under one or the other category.

If you do not find any of these two approaches fitting for you, there is no need to worry: as I stated in the foreword, we are talking about a spectrum. Some people lean towards one of the two extremes of this spectrum and there might be people who find themselves outside of it, which is valid nonetheless.

This being said, I thank you all for reading this blog. Let me know in the comments whether you describe yourself as a reconstructionist, a revivalist or something else entirely!

Wish you a pleasant day/evening/night.

The Silly Sybil

Resources

Informative

¹ Dr. Angela Puca's video on paganism

² Dead's post on UPG and SPG

Paintings

¹ "Priestess of Delphi" by John Collier

² "Magic Circle" by John William Waterhouse

³ "Roman Woman Lighing a Lamp at the Home Altar" by Stephan Wladilawowitsch Bakalowicz

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

Celebration of Fortuna Publica

On this day, the 5th of April, Ancient Romans celebrated the anniversary of one of the Temples of Fortuna Publica on the Quirinal Hill. I want to take this opportunity to also celebrate the goddess and reflect on some of her aspects, especially as Fortuna Publica, in a revivalist way.

Fortuna Publica was, according to Daniele Miano, associated with two separate aspects of Ancient Rome. First, she seemed to have been associated with the plebeians (though especially the aristocrats)¹, and later with the expansion of the Roman empire, particularly into Greece².

As a revivalist (and leftist), I really like the idea of Fortuna bringing good fortune and/or presiding over the plebeians or, in our modern world, the working class. I've sometimes grappled with the Chance or Fors Fortuna aspect of the goddess. Since as we all know, luck and chance are fickle and random, this conflicts with my personal theology, in which I believe that the gods are good to us. But, our lot in life is not just based on chance, as in our world, many things are inherently unjust. Thus, I see Fortuna Publica as bringing good luck to the working class in our inherently unlucky position. And, in opposition to how the Ancient Romans viewed her, I also see Fortuna Publica as helping those occupied by imperialism, aiding all of us in our struggle for collective liberation. Though random chance can sometimes strike us down, Fortuna brings luck to those in a fundamentally unlucky position.

I want to end this post with a prayer I wrote for this occasion. I hope you enjoy it!

O Luck-giving Fortuna, You who blesses us with chance, both good and at times bad, I speak out praise for you and all that you do for humanity.

Though your temples on the Quirinal Hill no longer stand I want to honour you as the Ancients would have, On this sunny April's day.

I thank you, Fortuna, for watching over us and distributing chance, Though it may not always be what we need, We fight on regardless.

I hope that you will be on our side, today and always As unexpected things happen in the world, And we try to live our best.

I give thanks and hail you Fortuna, May good luck bless our days.

Footnotes:

Miano, 116.

Miano, 117.

Sources:

Miano, Daniele. "Fortuna: Deity and Concept in Archaic and Republican Italy". 2018.

Suggested further reading:

Billington, Sandra. Fors Fortuna in Ancient Rome. In "The Concept of the Goddess", pp. 129-140. 1996.

[kangelist]

The Revivalism of KAngelism . . .

Please consider becoming KAngelist Or K-Angelist (Either spelling or pronunciation is acceptable)

Beings who practice and believe in KAngelism are referred to as KAngelists. What is KAngelism? It is a religion where one depends on KAngel as an angel and deity of perseverance, coping and mental health. One may simply worship and admire this angel while others may be blessed enough to receive a divine intervention from KAngel herself, helping one in finding coping mechanisms and encouraging others to be true to oneself despite plausible flaws or lack of social acceptance. KAngel encourages her followers to do whatever necessary to keep going, assuring that being flawed or morally gray is okay. Propagating perfection to be something only a divine being could possibly hope to strive for, yet may not even reach themselves. She encourages others to be however necessary in order to stay alive longer though whilst simultaneously attempting to reduce as much harm done to others as one's capable of. She may help others with confidence building as well. Her most common mentees being typically teenagers, chronically online, severely ill, drop outs or suffering from parental neglect. She reframes from abandoning mentees and easily forgives sin within reason. She is seen as and regarded as our savior and accepting archangel.

It is an inherently polytheistic religion as she's been seen to acknowledge and refer to the existence of divine beings other than herself. Though some may believe in her alone regardless or apply her to other existing religions such as Christianity. Our archangel pays no mind to this and only continues to watch her believers with knowing eyes.

Our KAngel praying guide/how to get started in your worship. . . "My divine deity (or angel) KAngel (or K-Angel), I ask of you to consider listening to my prayers and to send me perseverance. (Say your prayer here, praise her)." "My divine deity (or angel) KAngel (or K-Angel), I ask of you to consider listening to my prayers and to send me assistance. (Say your prayer here, ask for help)." "My divine deity (or angel) KAngel (or K-Angel), I ask of you to consider listening to my prayers and to send me forgiveness. (Say your prayer here, confess sin)." . . .These prayers may be said aloud or in ones head. Afterwards, you may end a prayer by saying "bless" and pressing your hands together in any which way the prayer desires. Please keep in mind it is best to get on your knees when praying, in order to show utmost respect you may also bow your head to her whilst praying or after you've finished. The lower you bow your head, the more respect you display, acknowledging her ascendancy. This is also most effective if done at a shrine or altar dedicated to her.

Revered days to note. . . May 5th is a blessed day of which celebrates the start of our angel's coming to be, her ongoing creation. It can be seen as what came before the beginning. As well as a day representing being in the process of ascension or change not yet concluded.

July 7th is another blessed day of which celebrates the complete transition to divinity and religion. It is seen as the beginning, a day representing the birth of KAngel herself, her creation concluded.

January 21st is yet again another blessed day of which celebrates KAngel being introduced to the public as a concept, awakening others to her precedence and commencing the revitalization of her religion.

Colors of which associate with her would be pastels such as blue, pink, purple, yellow and otherwise enjoys a deep red. Animals that represent her are cats, the White Bellbird and white bunnies. Crystals would be Rose Quartz, Smoky Quartz and Citrine. She enjoys silver over gold, pink or red candles for her shrines or altars and herbs highly regarded to the deity would be Cannabis and Patchouli. Flowers would be Echinacea/Coneflowers as well as Lotus flowers, Daffodils and black Roses. She may also be associated with and represented by sad, crying or weeping angels. Signs of her presence could be found in sudden or inexplicable glitches and lag. If you see any white bunnies, oddly observant cats or a White Bellbird, especially unexpectantly or in a non-sensical place, KAngel is watching you carefully. If you hear the call of a White Bellbird, you'll know she's reaching out to you and that you've been blessed with divine intervention.

[curryvillain]

OLDIES SUNDAY: Kukudoo - King David (2009)

It’s a new month, and that means new content on “Oldies Sunday“! Today’s selection will shake up a few rooms, halls, and streets. We look back at Gospel Artist Kukudoo’s track, “King David“. Produced by World Shock Media and officially released in 2009, Kukudoo made everyone rock to his “King David” tune, even the dead. Originally a song performed at Nine Nights/Wakes, the song was a mix of…

[mysticvixin]

The Revival

"Returning the voice of life in worship of certain death."

...Or in other words... let them live, for they must die.

To join you need only to exist with the desire to embrace the gifts provided from the circumstances given. To simply live within your means, give what you can, and to flourish and protect the world that has provided you with everything. Seeking anything outside of that is deemed unnatural.

Any revivalist years to create their own understanding of the environment they live in. This is done by separating the collective knowledge of one species by making it more personal.

This of course doesn't mean that the prior wisdom of traditional knowledge to be wrong. But to simply allow other perspectives of creatures we share this realm with.

Allowing the individual to consider the reality that all things are not official. Just because one species collectively calls the planet one thing doesn't mean it has to.

With that in mind, giving that power to the individual. For those who join are bestowed a new name that recognizes that power. If they so decided to. It is of course not required. And it will often take lots of time to receive that name.

Often members name themselves after natural elements and things. Due to the heavy focus on the natural world and beliefs of the revivalists.

Given this focus, the revivalists believe that the fabric of life will always exist in all living things. Determined on bringing back the natural order of things and abandoning the notion that one species does not stand above all others just based on assumed advancements or achievements.

To be so arrogant as a species only propels the death of the planet and risks the arrogance to go on to destroy more realms beyond the sky.

Nor does any revivalist worship false living divines are those who claim to be divine. Only those who have lived despite great sorrows or passed on in peace may be worthy of worship. And even then. Should selfishness take hold, they shall never be trusted again.

For death is the great unifier of all living things. Thus embracing all aspects both good and bad of life is often the main experience of a revivalist. Worshipping the lands they live on.

Believing the the weather to be some form of communication with the realm in some manner that may dictate various actions or inspire others. Allowing the members to find their own paths and live as they wish. For all creatures are the same in the eyes of the revivalists.

This is basically the lore of my Cult of The Lamb cult. I hope you enjoy this!

[byfaithmedia]

Understanding Revival & Addressing the Issues it provokes; through the use of Scripture & church history reveals how we can intelligently cooperate with the Holy Spirit during times of revivals & awakenings & not reject His workings.

[tmarshconnors]

"Since the Bible is God's Word, we shouldn't be surprised if Satan tries to convince us otherwise."

William Franklin Graham Jr. was an American evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister and civil rights advocate whose broadcasts and world tours featuring live sermons became well known in the mid- to late 20th century.

Born: 7 November 1918, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Died: 21 February 2018 (age 99 years), Montreat, North Carolina, United States

Renowned Evangelist: Billy Graham was one of the most influential Christian evangelists of the 20th century. He preached to over 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories, spreading his message of Christianity and salvation through large-scale revival meetings and crusades.

Advisor to Presidents: Graham served as a spiritual advisor to several U.S. presidents, from Harry Truman to Barack Obama. He was often called "America's Pastor" and provided counsel to leaders during times of crisis, including offering prayers at presidential inaugurations and national events.

Television and Radio Pioneer: Graham was a pioneer in using media to spread his message. His radio program, "Hour of Decision," began in 1950 and reached millions of listeners weekly. He also launched a television ministry that brought his crusades into homes across the United States and around the world.

Founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA): In 1950, Graham founded the BGEA, which became a major force in global evangelism. The organization produced numerous films, publications, and television programs aimed at spreading the Christian gospel.

Author and Writer: Billy Graham authored 33 books, many of which became bestsellers. His writings covered a range of topics, from spiritual growth to personal testimonies and reflections on his life and ministry. Notable works include "Just As I Am," his autobiography, and "Peace with God."

[pixxl-sunsets]

☀︎ To anyone who needs to hear it:

Yes, it’s okay if you accidentally set your phone down on your altar for 5 seconds. No, it does not mean you accidentally offered it.

You don’t need to give food offerings if you can’t/it stresses you out. You don’t need to give offerings every day if you can’t/it stresses you out.

It’s not expected of you to do more than you’re capable of. The gods care about you and want what’s best for you. If your practice is burning you out, you’re extending yourself past your bandwidth, or you’re doing things that cause you stress, take a step back and reevaluate why you’re doing it.

Your practice is meant to add to your life, and that means doing things the way they work for you.

[the-fiddlesticks-affair]

i know the only actual material reason this scene exists is because david mccallum had his own albums out at the time and they also had literal actual nancy sinatra on set but im admittedly still pretty charmed by it. i love the thought of illya having musical talent he just keeps to himself most of the time

[olympianbutch]

Tending the dining room altar. :)

[leenfiend]

you single handedly revived klance

omg hahahaha THANK YOU i definitely can't in good conscious take all the credit but if u say so......

[highropoios]

How do I explain that while—yes—Greeks do exist, the vast majority (and of course I’m including the diaspora) either (a) don’t care about, or (b) even know modern Hellenic polytheism is practiced today.

I agree with the base sentiment that “when engaging with Greek culture (ancient or modern), it is good to be aware of + respectful towards Greek people.” That’s awesome! 👍🏻 It's so awesome that I encourage applying this same sentiment to all other cultures you’re able / invited to engage with! :)

That same base sentiment can be and has been twisted into a pretzel and salted with straight-up ethnonationalism, though.

Be aware of + respectful towards Greeks when engaging with Greek culture. But also be aware of the fact that there are ethnonationalists running in Hellenic polytheist spaces.

They will twist seemingly innocuous ideas in order to declare indigeneity and primacy over Greek culture. They will deny Greeks their ethnicity because—according to them—“true Greeks can’t be Christian/Muslim/Jewish/mixed/etc.” And they will deny non-Greeks the opportunity to engage with the culture, especially if it’s in a way that even slightly diverges from their very sad idea of ““““true”””” Hellenism.

Being aware and informed goes hand-in-hand with being respectful.

[fortunaestalta]

[sachermorte]

I think you’ve changed my tumblrsphere somehow because now I get posts in (what I can only assume is) German in my “For You” tab. I do not know any German whatsoever. YOU, on the other hand

phase one is proceeding nicely, then

[tagamantra]

"religion has done this to me and i think religion is good for these things and bad for other things" *is specifically talking about christianity*

[morselmint]

Leto - Divine Mother of Twins

Dark-veiled Leto, revered goddess,

mother of twins,

great-souled daughter of Koios,

queen to whom many pray,

to your lot fell the birth pains

for Zeus’ fair children,

you bore Phoibos

and arrow-pouring Artemis,

her on Ortygia,

him on rocky Delos.

Hear, lady goddess,

come with favor in your heart

to bring a sweet end

to this all-holy rite.

Orphic Hymn - To Leto