Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth

In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.

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Are You Bi?

So far as I can determine, it was the late Ray Buckland (1934-2017) who first coined the ghastly word duotheism to describe Wicca's two-deity, God-Goddess system.

Well, Uncle Ray accomplished many things in his 83 years, and all New World pagans owe him a deep debt of gratitude.

But a poet, he wasn't.

The term duotheism first saw print in the introduction to his 1974 The Tree: A Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft. In the absence of any earlier citations, my guess would be that it arose out of the theological ruminations that went into the making of Seax Wicca.

Alas, this amateurish botch of a coinage still sees light every now and then. It still makes me cringe every time.

In fact, the coinage was unnecessary. In the language of religious scholarship, a two-deity system is known as a bitheism. To this poet's ear, at least, this is a much less painful option.

Aesthetically speaking, that is.

As for the theology of the matter, well, don't look at me: I'm not Bi.

I'm Poly.

 

 

 

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Poet, scholar and storyteller Steven Posch was raised in the hardwood forests of western Pennsylvania by white-tailed deer. (That's the story, anyway.) He emigrated to Paganistan in 1979 and by sheer dint of personality has become one of Lake Country's foremost men-in-black. He is current keeper of the Minnesota Ooser.

Comments

  • Tasha Halpert
    Tasha Halpert Thursday, 12 October 2017

    Poly, me too, in that while I believe the All is One, it is made up of the Many, yes?

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