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Pagan Anarchism
Our first offering by poet, anarchist, and Pagan Christopher Scott Thompson, Pagan Anarchism explores the history of anti-authoritarian and anti-capitalist movements and discovers alongside them a fierce Pagan rebellion against the State.
Witchpunks, rebels, magicians, and revolutionaries will find this book both a compelling history and an inspiring manifesto.
Witchpunks, rebels, magicians, and revolutionaries will find this book both a compelling history and an inspiring manifesto.
99 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 5, 2019
If you, like me, spent your youth going to study circles, discussing Marx vs. Bakunin or trying to understand the theory of the falling rate of profit, or just scuffling with police at demonstrations, then parts of Pagan Anarchism will feel immediately familiar. And if you have spent some time honouring old deities or spirits or casting magical circles, then other parts of Pagan Anarchism will feel familiar as well.
What this book does is to weave these strands of thought together, bringing together the working-class radicals, diggers, levellers, and anarchists, and the witches, pagans, and heretics, telling a story of resistance as a counterspell to the disenchantment wrought the forces of capitalism.
Thompson gives a few examples of the spiritual element found in some resistance movements:
"During the time of the enclosures, rebels in Ireland described themselves as followers of the fairy queen Sadhbh, angered by the enclosure of the commons. There are a number of similar accounts from other areas, showing that folk magical and religious practices were not merely 'the opium of the people” but could be invoked to inspire struggles against oppression.'
This is a pamphlet, not a thorough historical work, but this tickled my curiosity enough to make me wonder whether such element have been, consciously or unconsciously, downplayed by the largely secular, atheist chroniclers of working-class history I have read before.
Why discuss Anarchism in 2019? As an explicitly ideological political movement today, Anarchism is almost irrelevant. But the spirit of solidarity, rebellion and irreverence for authorities is alive and well on the streets of Santiago or Algiers or Hong Kong, in the protests of Extinction Rebellion or the Gilets Jaunes. And if there is one thing we should have learned from the political development of the last few years, it is that yesterday’s truths are not necessarily valid tomorrow.
There are differences, of course, between pagans and historical materialists. Thompson laments the dis-enchantment, as the German sociologist Max Weber called it, wrought by the forces of capitalism.
"Although the majority of modern pagans are not anti-capitalists, there is a fundamental contradiction between the pagan and capitalist worldviews. The worldview of capitalism is sociopathic – it treats everything and everyone as an object to be used. The worldview of paganism is relational – not only does it not treat people or animals as mere objects, it doesn’t look at anything else as a mere object either."
The task of those who rebel against capitalism, then, must then be to re-enchant the world, to rebuild the broken relation to nature, and to imbue us witn a sense of animism, because only by recognizing the living spiritual essence of all things can we free ourselves from the instrumental view of nature which facilitates the current destruction of the ecosystems.
"If a river is just a body of water, you can dump poison in it without worrying about anything other than whether you might need to drink that water later. It’s a different matter entirely if you think of it as poisoning a goddess."
This resonates with me, and is an important part of what made me become a paganist in the first place.
One feature common to mosts forms of paganism is a cyclical understanding of time. There is a marked contrast between this and the worldview common to secular anarchism and marxism, where capitalism, for all its faults, is still seen as progressive, moving society forward towards socialism, which eventually will evolve into the endpoint of the history of class struggle (whether it is called communism or anarchism).
Do we move back, or forward, or around the circle?
There is an interesting discussion here of anarchism, seeing capitalism as the problem, versus anarcho-primitivism, seeing human civilization in general as the problem, and of what an alternative view of society could look like. I think some of the point Thompson makes here could have been discussed in greater detail, and I am not sure I agree with all his positions, but I appreciate that the author is having this conversation, without polemically dismissing the ones he don’t fully agree with.
He also includes a brief but interesting discussion of whether paganists, with their gods and their cyclical time, end up romanticizing the rather shitty and exploitative class societies of the past (spoiler: he does not think so).
Why drag politics into our spirituality? Thomson is merciless here. "Political neutrality", he writes, "is conservative by default".
"When the entire world is under threat from industrial capitalism, what does it mean for a Pagan to be apolitical? It can only mean that you will allow mountains be blown apart for coal, forests to be clear-cut, rivers to be poisoned, and the Earth to be overheated until it becomes unlivable. From the perspective of animism, that can only mean that you are no friend to the spirits but a collaborator with those who destroy them and leave us with a dead world."
Those are strong words, but I don't think they are untrue. That does not mean you necessarily have to let yourself be shoehorned into this or that political movement, of course, but not having an opinion is also an action in itself.
Pagan Anarchism is just a little under a hundred pages long, but in this short space, it manages to show how radical politics and spirituality not only can support each other, but be different expressions of the same thing. I strongly recommend it.
What this book does is to weave these strands of thought together, bringing together the working-class radicals, diggers, levellers, and anarchists, and the witches, pagans, and heretics, telling a story of resistance as a counterspell to the disenchantment wrought the forces of capitalism.
Thompson gives a few examples of the spiritual element found in some resistance movements:
"During the time of the enclosures, rebels in Ireland described themselves as followers of the fairy queen Sadhbh, angered by the enclosure of the commons. There are a number of similar accounts from other areas, showing that folk magical and religious practices were not merely 'the opium of the people” but could be invoked to inspire struggles against oppression.'
This is a pamphlet, not a thorough historical work, but this tickled my curiosity enough to make me wonder whether such element have been, consciously or unconsciously, downplayed by the largely secular, atheist chroniclers of working-class history I have read before.
Why discuss Anarchism in 2019? As an explicitly ideological political movement today, Anarchism is almost irrelevant. But the spirit of solidarity, rebellion and irreverence for authorities is alive and well on the streets of Santiago or Algiers or Hong Kong, in the protests of Extinction Rebellion or the Gilets Jaunes. And if there is one thing we should have learned from the political development of the last few years, it is that yesterday’s truths are not necessarily valid tomorrow.
There are differences, of course, between pagans and historical materialists. Thompson laments the dis-enchantment, as the German sociologist Max Weber called it, wrought by the forces of capitalism.
"Although the majority of modern pagans are not anti-capitalists, there is a fundamental contradiction between the pagan and capitalist worldviews. The worldview of capitalism is sociopathic – it treats everything and everyone as an object to be used. The worldview of paganism is relational – not only does it not treat people or animals as mere objects, it doesn’t look at anything else as a mere object either."
The task of those who rebel against capitalism, then, must then be to re-enchant the world, to rebuild the broken relation to nature, and to imbue us witn a sense of animism, because only by recognizing the living spiritual essence of all things can we free ourselves from the instrumental view of nature which facilitates the current destruction of the ecosystems.
"If a river is just a body of water, you can dump poison in it without worrying about anything other than whether you might need to drink that water later. It’s a different matter entirely if you think of it as poisoning a goddess."
This resonates with me, and is an important part of what made me become a paganist in the first place.
One feature common to mosts forms of paganism is a cyclical understanding of time. There is a marked contrast between this and the worldview common to secular anarchism and marxism, where capitalism, for all its faults, is still seen as progressive, moving society forward towards socialism, which eventually will evolve into the endpoint of the history of class struggle (whether it is called communism or anarchism).
Do we move back, or forward, or around the circle?
There is an interesting discussion here of anarchism, seeing capitalism as the problem, versus anarcho-primitivism, seeing human civilization in general as the problem, and of what an alternative view of society could look like. I think some of the point Thompson makes here could have been discussed in greater detail, and I am not sure I agree with all his positions, but I appreciate that the author is having this conversation, without polemically dismissing the ones he don’t fully agree with.
He also includes a brief but interesting discussion of whether paganists, with their gods and their cyclical time, end up romanticizing the rather shitty and exploitative class societies of the past (spoiler: he does not think so).
Why drag politics into our spirituality? Thomson is merciless here. "Political neutrality", he writes, "is conservative by default".
"When the entire world is under threat from industrial capitalism, what does it mean for a Pagan to be apolitical? It can only mean that you will allow mountains be blown apart for coal, forests to be clear-cut, rivers to be poisoned, and the Earth to be overheated until it becomes unlivable. From the perspective of animism, that can only mean that you are no friend to the spirits but a collaborator with those who destroy them and leave us with a dead world."
Those are strong words, but I don't think they are untrue. That does not mean you necessarily have to let yourself be shoehorned into this or that political movement, of course, but not having an opinion is also an action in itself.
Pagan Anarchism is just a little under a hundred pages long, but in this short space, it manages to show how radical politics and spirituality not only can support each other, but be different expressions of the same thing. I strongly recommend it.
December 4, 2016
With the book clocking in at right around a hundred pages, I was thinking that I may end up docking a star but brevity turned out to be the soul of wit in this tome. Thompson manages to define Paganism and Anarchism briefly and accessibly, a feat that has evaded many authors. Through the course of the book, he winds together the often apolitical pagan worldview with the usually atheist anarchist perspective in an impressive fashion. Thompson's critique of apolitical paganism is something that politically disengaged pagans should give a serious read. I think that anyone who identifies as pagan, anarchist or not, would find this book to be of value. So send up a prayer to Brigid and Dionysus then get your own copy Pagan Anarchism.
January 4, 2023
fairies of the world unite 🌸🌱✨
February 5, 2017
I have to be honest. The only reason I read this book is because a friend of mine wrote it. I'm...not a big fan of anarchism...at least what I thought was anarchism.
In this book Christopher managed to discuss (and define in a very accessible way) Pagan Anarchism, and whether you agree or disagree with his views by the time you finish this book you will have gotten a good enough amount of knowledge and something to chew on.
The book was brief but that made it enjoyable and informative without being boring. I also loved the poems/prayers interspersed throughout the book.
In this book Christopher managed to discuss (and define in a very accessible way) Pagan Anarchism, and whether you agree or disagree with his views by the time you finish this book you will have gotten a good enough amount of knowledge and something to chew on.
The book was brief but that made it enjoyable and informative without being boring. I also loved the poems/prayers interspersed throughout the book.
November 22, 2023
Honestly this was an amazing read. Some amazing details on what Anarchism is, it’s history and theory and some really basic ideas of Paganism is. The latter is painted with broader strokes and I think in this context, it makes sense as the author is trying to keep it open for the reader to apply these ideas to whatever tradition or path they follow while Anarchism itself is a specific idea and he goes into several even more specifics such as Anarcho-Communism, Anarcho-Primitivism, Anarcho-Syndicalism, and more. Seriously, if you consider yourself a Leftist and are into any form of Paganism, Witchcraft, or Occultism, do yourself a favor and pick up this quick read and begin applying whatever ideas resonate. It legit is that good 🤘🏽
March 24, 2022
Pagan Anarchism is a great introductory text to anarchist thinking. No really. Thompson makes it easily understood and concise, as well as his criticisms of the fascist people in pagan culture and the anarchists who take the slogan, "No Gods, No Masters" to mean, "don't accept religious people".
My criticism of Pagan Anarchism is that this was clearly written to be distributed among pagans. While going into great effort to explain anarchism, the book doesn't delve too deeply into exploring pagan beliefs, just generally saying, "This is something we can do to make pagan worship less hierarchical," which I think is important, but as a mythology nerd, I was hoping for a bit more of an exploration of paganism.
If you want to get into leftist anarchist theory, this is a good place to start. Don't let it be your final destination, but it's one of the least daunting books you can pick up to start your education.
My criticism of Pagan Anarchism is that this was clearly written to be distributed among pagans. While going into great effort to explain anarchism, the book doesn't delve too deeply into exploring pagan beliefs, just generally saying, "This is something we can do to make pagan worship less hierarchical," which I think is important, but as a mythology nerd, I was hoping for a bit more of an exploration of paganism.
If you want to get into leftist anarchist theory, this is a good place to start. Don't let it be your final destination, but it's one of the least daunting books you can pick up to start your education.
April 21, 2020
I felt this was a valuable first step into the relationship that can be found between modern neo-paganism and anarchistic thought. While I am well versed in the history and foundations of most modern pagan traditions I know far less about the philosophy of anarchy. The book lays out a short history of both, which I appreciated since I was able to judge the accuracy of the pagan history and therefore hopefully have some idea on the accuracy of the history of anarchy.
I think there is a lot of room for delving more deeply into the ways that pagan spirituality and the philosophy of anarchy could interact and support one another. Looking forward to thinking and reading more on this topic.
I think there is a lot of room for delving more deeply into the ways that pagan spirituality and the philosophy of anarchy could interact and support one another. Looking forward to thinking and reading more on this topic.
March 21, 2020
I liked this a lot - I rated 4/5 because it felt more as a primer than as something more comprehensive, but it's a great primer nonetheless. "Pagan Anarchism" also serves as an awesome quick reference for concepts and has plenty of great "jumping-off" points for the starting Pagan Anarchist. I'd definitely recommend it to a book club.
April 29, 2024
About 100 pages. Quite good! Includes brief but well done backgrounds on multiple schools of anarchist thought, as well as multiple schools of pagan practice. Overall well done. Also, this book has one of the coolest covers of any book ever. It's beautiful and I love it.
October 31, 2021
Refreshingly different take on paganism and it's capacity for activism.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews