A much-needed anthology explores Polytheistic Monasticism from different perspectives.
(Image description: A photo of the book cover, in gray tones. A scarf loosely drapes over a light-skinned person’s face, casting it partly in shadow. The white text reads: Polytheistic Monasticism: Voices from Pagan Cloisters, edited by Janet Munin.) Credit: Janet Munin/Moon Books
Polytheistic Monasticism: Voices from Pagan Cloisters fills a void within Polytheistic literature as guidance for devotees yearning for deep, contemplative paths!
The book features nine chapters from contributors from a variety of paths, eight of them personal accounts, an interview between two of the authors, and an introduction by the editor, Janet Munin.
They cover thought-provoking and insightful topics in the developing Polytheistic Monasticism movement, from how they were called to a monastic path to the unique ways their respective paths developed over time.
Each work also turns the mainstream view of monastic vows (such as obedience, chastity, and poverty) and aspects on their heads. Polytheistic Monastic practices can illustrate societal flaws, such as different forms of inequality or the disconnect with the natural world.
I resonated with different parts of the contributors’ pieces, as they wrote about challenges that can occur in monastic paths and provided ways of incorporating monastic activities into a personal practice.
I’ve had my moments with doubt and comparison to other Pagans and Polytheists, in that I didn’t meet some imaginary standard I thought existed. It was comforting to read about their respective struggles in building their paths. I felt an underlying theme that paths can still be quite different from one another, but they are unified, in a sense, by their devotion to their Holy Powers.
It showed me that some monastics’ daily lives may follow a highly structured routine, while others’ are more fluid, based on time and life’s circumstances.
The personal question of being clergy and following a monastic path is one that keeps re-occurring in my mind. While the anthology hasn’t settled any future decisions for me, it provided clarity of what possibly defines monasticism in contrast to priesthood, a matter of “not-doing” and “doing” in regards to serving community.
My spiritual community is currently located online, so I serve it by offering prayer requests during my flamekeeping shifts and as an admin. That’s how I aid them while also helping Brighid. I have no idea how the concept of community might change for me, so it’ll be a matter of waiting and seeing.
Additionally, the adapatation of a couple Christian monastic practices offer some surprisingly meaningful ways to connect with nature and the elements (whatever system you prefer to use), as well as filtering out influences that may hamper spiritual routines.
My only criticism for the book is that I wish that it was longer, but that is a minor one. In fact, its brevity means there is room for more Polytheistic Monastic books to be written!
I recommend this anthology for any Polytheistic Monastics who are looking for inspiration to broaden their paths or Pagans and Polytheists who are curious about this diverse, developing branch of modern Polytheism and want to understand it better.
I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.
https://bookshop.org/books/polytheistic-monasticism-voices-from-pagan-cloisters/9781789048919
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