Book Review by Rita Rippetoe
Title: Reconsidering Nature Religion
Author(s): Catherine L. Albanese
Publisher: Trinity Press, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, 2002
ISBN: 1-56338-376-4
This is not a book about Wicca or other religions sometimes lumped together as Neopagan. However it contains material that may be of interest to those who consider Wicca to be, in some sense, a nature religion. Modern Pagans frequently refer to themselves as a nature religion and seem to see the term as fairly self explanatory, referring to the cycle of the seasons, Gaia, the ecosphere or named deities such as Artemis or White Buffalo Woman as examples of spiritual powers to be revered. However, students of religion use the term in a number of different ways. Catherine L. Albanese lists four meanings for the term in her book, Reconsidering Nature Religion. Of these, the first two are closest to what Pagans seem to mean by the term—1) land based spirituality with god in nature or nature as god and 2) goddess focused Neopagan groups. The third, natural religion, is a term that comes out of the Enlightenment and refers to ideas about god derived from reason alone as opposed to the revealed religion of scripture. For example reason can suggest that god created natural laws to order the creation, but only revelation would tell you that baptism washes away sin. The fourth term, natural theology, seems to refer to those parts of revelation that Christians believe are confirmed by the study of nature.
Nature religion in America was a compound of many influences. Albanese mentions Native Americans, Africans, Roman Catholics, and Jews in addition to the majority of Anglo Protestants. Even the latter however, included both native magic workers such as cunning men and women and practitioners of the elite magic found in grimoires.
For the religious leaders of the early American Republic the land itself provided a validation of their program. The new world was innocent, contrasted with the corruption of aristocracy in the old world. The natural rights of men which formed the foundation of the Declaration of Independence were seen as part of the universal laws of nature as demonstrated in planetary orbits and other manifestations of order in the cosmos. Furthermore, the American landscape itself was labeled as sublime, a grand and awesome canvas for a new political experiment. (Consider Jefferson’s concern to prove American fauna to be as varied and impressive as that of Europe—to the extent of shipping a preserved moose to a French naturalist.) Somewhat later this attitude of the continent itself validating the political experiment of America was used to justify the idea of manifest destiny.
According to Albanese, the Transcendentalists promulgated an attitude toward nature that contributed to three movements that have become part of the American spiritual landscape. John Muir and other environmentalists pushed for social action to preserve the natural world. This led to the establishment of national parks and organizations such as the Sierra Club. A second strand consisted of the combination of folk practices that became Spiritualism—a form of mediumship which emphasized that spirits were part of nature rather than a separate realm of supernatural. Later manifestations of this strand included Theosophy and the many elements of the New Age. A third strand led to healing practices based on ideas of spirit within matter, universal energies and the healing power of nature. Health was seen as the natural state of being, illness as a separation from nature. Various herbalisms, homoeopathy, vegetarianism, chiropractic and Christian Science are examples of healing practices incorporating this attitude.
Albanese observes that personal gnosis in nature, such as Muir’s raptures in Yosemite, seldom leads to organized churches. Instead she sees this form of nature religion as deconstructing into either politics or personal ethics. Earth First, for example, pushes actions intended to have political consequences. Albanese feels that ceremonies such as the Council of all Beings, in which members take on the identity of a species, are a form of ritual theater intended to inspire radical action, rather than an actual religious ceremony. She does note that the organization members who take the religious aspect more seriously, nicknamed the “holies” by more political members, also tend to link environmental and social issues.
As an example of nature gnosis transforming into ethics Albanese cites vegetarianism in its various manifestations. She then examines a contemporary movement she sees as an example of nature religion shifting into a form of metaphysics. This is the animal communication movement, a movement in which practitioners claim to communicate with companion animals on behalf of their owners. She notes that communication with animals is considered a shamanic power in many cultures, with many believing that originally all humans possessed the poser now given only to shamans. The animal communication movement teaches that animals are the voice of the planet, with important lessons to teach humanity. However they also aid in more individual services such as helping diagnose behavior problems and illness, search for lost pets and communicate with pets that have died.
As this summary may make clear, the concept of nature religion as seen by theologians and scholars is not quite the same as the more casual usage of Neopagans. Neopagans tend to define themselves in contrast to what they believe is the antagonistic attitude to nature of Christianity—nature as separate from God and a source of temptation rather of value. This is a less than accurate summation of Christianity, and we worship nature is a less than illuminating explanation of Neopagan practices and beliefs. Reading works by Albanese and other scholars may help one acquire a more sophisticated understanding of the various strands of thought that have contributed to the contemporary religious scene.