I’ve been putting off today’s topic—the spirit world—for as long as possible because I’ve really been enjoying this month so far and this just strikes me as one of the kookier aspects of paganism. But I’m trying to be objective and to cover all the bases, so here we go.
According to some pagans, in addition to our material world, there is an “otherworld” in which many different kinds of . . . well . . . creatures, or spirits, reside. Whether this otherworld is a real, physical place or some kind of parallel universe, or even just something that exists only in the human imagination, depends on who you talk to.
So, if you get the opportunity to go to this “otherworld,” who might you meet there? Oh, there are all kinds of possibilities—and some of them, I’ve got to say, really kind of freak me out.
Some pagans say that the spirits of our own deceased ancestors may inhabit the otherworld while they wait to be reincarnated.
Some say angels live there, too, and that they sometimes visit us during dreams or meditation to relay important messages. (Yes, that angel visitation worked out well for the Virgin Mary, if you’ll recall the Bible story from last month—I can’t WAIT to get an angel visitation of my own.)
Pagans say there may be spirit guides of all shapes and sizes living in the otherworld, from power animals to aliens (yup, actual extraterrestrials). I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to picture this place looking a lot like the cantina in Star Wars.
Anyway, particular kinds of spirits are associated with the four elements—earth, air, fire, and water—that we talked about the other day.
The element of earth has its own spirits, which are called gnomes. And yes, they’re a lot like the little ceramic garden gnomes you see all the time on people’s lawns (see the photo below). They’re short and stocky, and supposedly, they live in special passages underground.
The spirit associated with the element of air is called a sylph. These are usually delicate, playful creatures with wings—not to be confused with fairies, which we’ll talk about shortly.
The element of fire’s spirit is the salamander—not the little lizard-looking guys we know on Earth. These creatures can take many shapes, including the form of a dragon, and they actually live in fire. Scary.
Finally, the element of water is associated with a spirit called an undine. Although these beings are supposed to live underwater, they’re usually envisioned as human-like in form, sort of like mermaids.
Perhaps the best-known residents of the spirit world, at least to non-pagans, are fairies. (Or faeries, depending on your spelling preferences. I’ve noticed that pagans seem to like to play with words, to make them seem fancier or more mysterious, maybe—like when they spell magic with a “k”: magick. Whatever turns you on, I guess.)
Some pagans fervently believe that fairies play direct roles in our lives—whether for good or for bad. Like all creatures of the spirit world—and our own—fairies can be either helpful or mischievous, sometimes to the point of being harmful.
Although fairies are usually depicted like Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell—tiny, winged, and adorable (see the photo below)—in theory, they can be of any size and they don’t even have to have wings.
Pagans insist that the spirit world can be a useful and pleasurable place to visit, as well as a good source of guidance for our own daily lives. But it’s important to remember that spirits are really no different from humans—some are friendly, some are mean, and some should just be avoided (like my ex-husband). The problem is, you can’t necessarily tell which is which, so you always have to approach the spirit world with caution.
Okay. Here’s the thing. I have enough trouble getting myself to believe in a God and/or Goddess that I can’t see or hear or touch. How am I supposed to accept the idea that there may be fairies or gnomes or sylphs, and that if I’m not careful, they can screw around with my life? (I will admit this, however—one time, years ago, I thought I saw a gnome in my house, but let’s just say that I was not exactly sober and the “gnome” turned out to be a balled-up bath towel that had fallen off its hook. This, however, did not stop me from having a long conversation with it. . . .)
To me, all this spirit world stuff seems to be a little out there, and maybe even a little childish. Maybe it’s just that I’ve never really liked fantasy-type creatures, like gnomes and fairies, not even when I was a child. For example, I hated Tinkerbell. I always wished someone would swat her like the annoying fly she seemed to be.
So, the idea of believing in such things is more than just a stretch for me. It almost makes me question how solid the basis for the rest of the pagan religion is.
To be fair, most pagans say that the spirit world is something you choose whether or not to believe in. Just like everything else in paganism, the individual gets to decide.
I’m also somewhat reassured by the fact that a lot of pagans say the spirit world is nothing more than imagination, something individuals visualize and create in their own minds, and for their own purposes.
If I look at it like that, I guess I can deal with the bizarre idea of the spirit world. Of course, on the other hand, the notion that mischief-making spirit creatures can actually interact in our material world does have some appeal. It would certainly help explain why I’m always misplacing my cell phone.
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