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35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Your Mothers Pagan Perspective, February 9, 2003
This review is from: The Urban Primitive: Paganism in the Concrete Jungle (Paperback)
Having grown up and spent most of my life in New York City, and having wandered the "concrete jungles" as a witch and pagan, I was curious about this book and was eager to look at someone else's views on being pagan in an urban environment.
What I was not expecting was a subculture within a subculture.
Having urban deities is not uncommon. There is Asphalta, the Goddess of the parking spaces. Bringing new Gods and Goddess's into the modern world is perfectly all right, and updating the old Gods to modern correspondences is fine too.
But I was stopped dead by the Triple Urban Goddess' "Squat, Skor and Skram" and the Triple Urban God "Slick, Screw and Sarge". This was just a bit too "off the cuff" for me. However, reading on, I began to realize that this book was not just about pagans in the city, this was about and for pagans who have preferences for cultural identities and ideals that may vary quite a bit from the average pagan.
There are discussions on rituals for body piercing, sacred art reflected in tattoos and addressing the corporate world as a "battlefield" because "there is capitalism, which involves brutal competition". There are also discussions on jobs, family and nature.
I then came to recognize these discussions are the kinds we had back in the 60's, and while the language has changed, the ideas and ideals have not. A new generation of revolutionaries has arrived; the basic complaints are still the same but the packaging is different.
Not all pagans in the urban centers are as Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein picture them in this book. While we do work spells to keep our cars on the road for just a little more, the ritual of keeping a match box replica of my car on my altar with some transmission fluid to the east, gasoline to the south, antifreeze to the west and break fluid to the north is a bit extreme even for me. Nice idea, but just a bit dangerous.
Yes, I admit that some of the lessons that are given in this book are pearls of wisdom for those who live in the cities, but the book limits its audience by the way in which these lessons are communicated. There are some interesting rituals and spells for the urban centered pagan, but I also feel that some of them are geared to a much younger and more experimental crowd.
This was an interesting attempt at something completely different in the way of approaching paganism from a specific viewpoint, but it is focused on a small group of special individuals. If you are one of those individuals, you will want to look into this book. boudica
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Straightforward and Practical, March 7, 2003
This review is from: The Urban Primitive: Paganism in the Concrete Jungle (Paperback)
I found this book to be a refreshing change among the cookie-cutter Pagan books on the market. It is a practical, straightforward description of Pagan spirituality in the city. I like the fact that the authors do not steer clear of subjects that are controversial (like blood letting), choosing instead to offer practical advice. What I like about the book is that it has what many others are missing - it explains how to express *your* spirituality, not try to recreate the spirituality of people outside of your culture, environment and time-frame. There are some hokey things I didn't like, like the urban triple goddess and god, as another reviewer already mentioned. I would not suggest that people read about them and adopt them as their own manifestation of divinity, but choose instead to do as the book tells you to do in other places - communicate with the energies around you and accept the ways it manifests on its *own* terms. The topics covered include practical advice on spellcasting, getting the feel for the energies around you, working with them and cleaning up, clothing and body decoration (with a very good description of the various spiritual purposes behind piercings and tattoos), Pagan children, exploring your under world, small list of resources, and much more. In general I think the book is extremely practical and relevant. It does not recreate old religions, or create new ones, nor does it tell you things must be done a certain way. Good read for everyone I think. Medium sized paper back 255 pages (minus index) 19 chapters.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
a different perspective...from Raven and from this review, March 26, 2008
This review is from: The Urban Primitive: Paganism in the Concrete Jungle (Paperback)
I liked this book, for many of the reasons that those who gave it poor reviews disliked it.
First some disclaimers:
1. I'm not a Wiccan. I follow a very different magickal/spiritual path, but I see value in learning insights from other traditions
2. I'm a dyed in the polyester urbanite. The raw natural world gives me hives.
3. I have academic degrees in folklore, semiotics and mythology and regard things from these perspectives as well as my spiritual experiences.
First, to those who object in general to the introduction of "urbanism" or technology into "earth centered religions": do you use a knife in your rituals? Metal doesn't grow on trees or lay about waiting to be found. It's manufactured using a very technological process from raw ore. Use a wand? Manufactured too, unless you just point a stick you found at things. It is in our "nature" as a species (wordplay VERY MUCH intended) to alter our environment through the use of tools. That does not remove the things we make from nature. (Gasoline? Just a long-dead dinosaur run through some tools, my friends. A lot of hard-to-deal-with waste products, but it's basically recycling!). Unless your version of earth-centered translates to going back to an australopicathine level of technology (and if it does, I pity you), you've modified nature to practice your art. And so it should be, as that is our role as a species -- to interact with our world in this fashion (while maintaining respect for the unity and essential sameness of all). That we've been out of balance in the past, implementing our technology without regard for its impact on nature is wrongandshould be redressed. But let's not throw the baby away with the bathwater. (BTW, use soap? Technologist!)However, I do agree with the reviewer who pointed out that you shouldn't have gasoline on your altar if you're lighting candles. Spiritual should not equal stupid.
Next, as to the three aspects of god and goddess in the modern environment: I freaking loved them. Why? couple of reasons. First, let's point out that the historical forms of these entities (Diana, Isis, the Horned God, etc.) aren't REALLY their essences. They're representations of principles of masculine and feminine traits and energies that make it easier for people to relate with (whether we believe those essences have an existence independent from ourselves or not). I think most of us don't live in an egyptian-flavored environment, so it's probably easier for us to relate to an urban, modern female archetype than, say, Isis or Hathor (unless you're one of those fantasy-fiction inspired, fluff-bunny, historical reconstructionist/re-enacter types. Which would be silly.)
Next, why the hell do you think people worship gods (or in my case bargain with spirits) in the first place??? Certainly we want to express gratitude and admiration for the world they manifest, but we also want their help in our everyday lives! And so did our bucolic ancestors. Praying for a good harvest is less important in my life (and the lives of most urban folks) than praying for the inspiration to get a job/clean my house (Sarge), finding good parking spot when I need one (Squat) or getting laid (Skrew). Different representations of the same essences for different contexts and needs. Simple, really. And doesn't at all prevent one from calling on the historical representations of these entities when their intervention is more appropriate. And, if you think about it, how is calling on the goddess of dumpster-diving different than a hunter-gatherer calling on his/her spirits or gods of hunting to find a straight stick in the forest to make a good spear? Different jungles is the only difference I see...
I'm not saying this book should be taken word for word -- some of it I find goofy, but endearingly so. I AM saying that it makes an important contribution to pagan/earth-centered/whatever spirituality -- as our environment has changed so has our symbolism and our daily concerns. As they change, so must our understandings of how universal principles act on us and how we relate to them. The book is a roadmap (or perhaps travelogue) of how the authors did just that. And it should betaken for being just that, as well as inspiration for each reader to start his own trip through the simultaneous realms of city and spirit.
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