By (author) John Michael Greer
An investigation into the underpinnings and superstructures of the Pagan world view
Pagan religions have tended to be more concerned with practice that with theory and in a system that has no dogma - no legislated doctrine - that is as it should be. Yet as the movement grows and matures, it is inevitable that we will begin to think in a more abstract way about our models and systems.
John Michael Greer has provided a primer on the kinds of ideas and themes that must be included in any discussion of the theology and philosophy of Neo-pagan religions.
Much of the book takes shape in a dialogue with existing ideas in theology, philosophy, and comparative religion. It looks to find a middle ground between too much and too little reference to the work of other scholars to find a comprehensible yet intellectually rigorous middle ground.
It aims to be part of a conversation, that stretches out over the centuries. Voices of polytheist spirituality have had little place in that conversation for many years, but much of value has been said in their absence. The rebirth of polytheism as a living religious tradition in the Western world will inevitably force a reassessment of much of that heritage, and pose challenges to some of its most cherished assumptions.
Yet reassessment is not necessarily rejection, and the traditions of modern polytheism are deeply enough indebted to legacies from the past that an attentive ear to earlier phases of the conversation is not out of place.
By (author) John Michael Greer
John Michael Greer is the award-winning author of more than fifty books, including The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, The Druidry Handbook, The Celtic Golden Dawn and Circles of Power: An Introduction to Hermetic Magic. An initiate in Freemasonry, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Martinist Order, and three Druid traditions, Greer served as the Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) for twelve years. He is also the author of seventeen fantasy and science fiction novels and ten nonfiction books on peak oil and the future of industrial society. He lives in Rhode Island and blogs weekly on politics, magic, and the future at www.ecosophia.net.
Add your own review for this title.
“Some twelve years ago, when I first became (as a fellow druid put it) ‘gods-bothered’, there were very few people to ask who the gods were, let alone question what it meant that they actually existed. Fortunately, I came across John Michael Greer's A World Full of Gods and finally understood where to begin. Especially in this delightful update, Greer expands and moves beyond a compelling defence of polytheism, to an explanation of the rich and dazzling moral, cultural, and even political consequences of a world full of many truths, many desires, many forces, and many, many gods.”
Rhyd Wildermuth, author of Being Pagan: A Guide to Re-Enchant Your Life
“Some twelve years ago, when I first became (as a fellow druid put it) ‘gods-bothered’, there were very few people to ask who the gods were, let alone question what it meant that they actually existed. Fortunately, I came across John Michael Greer's 'A World Full of Gods' and finally understood where to begin. Especially in this delightful , Greer expands and moves beyond a compelling defence of polytheism, to an explanation of the rich and dazzling moral, cultural, and even political consequences of a world full of many truths, many desires, many forces, and many, many gods.”
