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Asceticism

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 5 months ago

Asceticism is not wildly popular in contemporary Paganism, but one does occasionally come across people who try to simplify their lives and reduce the amount of their material possessions as part of their spiritual practice.

 

The adjective "ascetic" derives from the ancient Greek term askesis (practice, training or exercise). Originally associated with any form of disciplined practice, the term ascetic has come to mean anyone who practices a renunciation of worldly pursuits to achieve higher intellectual and spiritual goals.

 

Many warriors and athletes, in Greek society, applied the discipline of askesis to attain optimal bodily fitness and grace. The manner of life, the doctrine, or principles of someone who engages in askesis is referred to as an ascetic. -- Wikipedia

 

So a form of asceticism was certainly practiced among ancient Pagans, and it is also popular in Buddhism and Hinduism, while Lao Tsu also promoted the idea of the simple life.

 

As many Pagans consider pleasure to be sacred, asceticism is often seen as inimical to Pagan practice. However, as Pagans view life as a cyclical experience, from birth to death to rebirth, perhaps it is appropriate to have times of feasting and times of fasting. Certainly many Wiccans fast before rituals (in order to make the connection with the numinous more effective) and feast afterwards (to ground themselves). In a sense, asceticism could just be seen as the pursuit of simple "rational" pleasures rather than the intense and Dionysiac ones enjoyed by hedonists.

 

Many Pagans are now finding attractive the idea of temporary or even permanent retreat from the world in order to practice contemplation and find renewal. There is a Pagan monastic order, the Order of the Horae. (In Greek mythology, the Horae were three goddesses controlling orderly life, and promoting concepts like peace, plenty, justice, order, study, exercise, bathing and prayer.)

 

- Yvonne Aburrow

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