Re: Pop Culture Paganism
It's the same knee jerk reaction I think we all have when we're first exposed to the idea of Pop Culture paganism... "but it's not REAL". But when you think about it more, and when you start talking to people who actually do this, you start to see that it's not really that different to most pagan's belief patterns.
Having said that, I think there absolutely are people out there who actually believe in the literal existence of these entities. Some accept the 'egregore' explanation, but I'm sure there are those who think they were pre-existing entities completely separate to human construction. That I struggle with myself... I can't reconcile the literal, actual existence of Pokemon or Sailor Moon. But I get that maybe someone's archetype wears Sailor Moon's face, or that the Divine manifests that way because that's the image that helps the person understand that energy more deeply. I even sort of get people using fictional creatures like Pokemon as 'animal guides'... kind of... this one I struggle with a bit more, but I do get why they might.
But then, I'm a hard polytheist shamanist, so by your definition, I'm crazy. But I'm okay with that. If you boil me right down to my core, I'm agnostic and I completely accept the possibility that I'm crazy. I just believe in my beliefs anyway because they enrich my life. I figure, who am I to denigrate anyone else for doing the same with their beliefs?
Originally posted by Medusa
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Having said that, I think there absolutely are people out there who actually believe in the literal existence of these entities. Some accept the 'egregore' explanation, but I'm sure there are those who think they were pre-existing entities completely separate to human construction. That I struggle with myself... I can't reconcile the literal, actual existence of Pokemon or Sailor Moon. But I get that maybe someone's archetype wears Sailor Moon's face, or that the Divine manifests that way because that's the image that helps the person understand that energy more deeply. I even sort of get people using fictional creatures like Pokemon as 'animal guides'... kind of... this one I struggle with a bit more, but I do get why they might.
But then, I'm a hard polytheist shamanist, so by your definition, I'm crazy. But I'm okay with that. If you boil me right down to my core, I'm agnostic and I completely accept the possibility that I'm crazy. I just believe in my beliefs anyway because they enrich my life. I figure, who am I to denigrate anyone else for doing the same with their beliefs?
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