Is your practice bioregional?

[thalassa]

In a bioregional spirituality, the bioregion*, and all of its inhabitants (including people, past and present) are the originating inspiration for religious and spiritual beliefs. Practice is centered in the idea that the bioregion (or the bioregion as its various components, from the landscape to the flora and fauna) can take the place of a central deity or deities (or other entities), which are interacted with and celebrated via the spectrum of traditional (and nontraditional) human ideas of godhood . This interaction may be theistic (heno-, hard or soft poly-, or pan-, etc) or non-theistic (animism, pantheism, agnostic or atheist) in nature and may be based in the idea of gods as literal, symbolic, or something else. Additionally, the deities through which the bioregion is interacted with may be a historical or created pantheon, or may literally be the natural features of the bioregion themselves.

Bioregionalism** when it is applied to spirituality calls upon us to worship (or not) in any way that brings ecstasy and reverence while honoring the cycles and stages of the bioregion and its inhabitants--this may include shamanistic practices, eclectic practices, or reconstructed practices that have been adapted to our personal bioregions. Either way, the point of a bioregionally centered religion is to (literally, symbolically, and spiritually) touch the earth and to grok ourselves as part of it. A spiritual bioregionalism calls on us to reclaim our wildness and reconcile it with our civilization through a reexamination of our relationships within the web of life.

Many Pagans are bioregional in their practices (at least some of the time), whether they realize it or not. Whether you are a Druid in Australia, working out your own ogham with local plants or a Hellenic pagan in the US trying to figure out when the best seasonal time is for Pomonalia because your climate isn't Mediterranean, chances are that you incorporate your local bioregion into your practice.


If you have any ideas, tips or resources for anyone, share them here!

*The bioregion is an area with similar natural characteristics, including plant and animal life, human culture, climate, and continuous geographic terrain.
*Bioregionalism emphasizes the bioregion as the basis for a healthier co-existence between human culture and the natural environment and sees humanity and its culture as a part of nature, and calls upon people to build positive, sustainable relationships with their bioregion.

[monsno_leedra]

I'd have to say sometimes. In part though because of being in the service and going about the world I have aspects that are incorporated that do not reflect my current region.

[B. de Corbin]

Uhhh...

Uhhh...

I'm not at all sure. It sounds way too technical for anything I do. But maybe.

I live on the land, I learn from the land, I am part of the land. So I guess...

... but I never have thought of it like that...

[Munin-Hugin]

In no way are my practices related to where I live, unfortunately. I live in a smallish city, bordered by well settled towns and also the state capital. I'm lucky enough to have a good sized yard, but other than the squirrels, neighborhood dogs, a few feral cats, and a patch of forcythia that seems to be trying to take over, there's not much around me that isn't man-made or industrialized. It's hard to feel connected to the land and bioregion in such a place.

[DanieMarie]

More or less. It didn't start off that way, but because the rest of my life became bioregional, it ended up that way. I rarely use anything or do any practices that don't involve my immediate surroundings or things I can find in the area.

[MaskedOne]

No

/10charnos

[Mootipi]

I've lived around farmland & countryside my entire life, so I've been brought up in a way that respects crops and nature. I suppose for me that naturally developed into a more spiritually significant occurrence, I consider everything interconnected and present with nature in someway and utilise it in my infrequent practices, soooooo sometimes?


*On a side note, yey another fancy word to throw in long winded religious debate-debuffels, thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank--

[Rae'ya]

In no way are my practices related to where I live, unfortunately. I live in a smallish city, bordered by well settled towns and also the state capital. I'm lucky enough to have a good sized yard, but other than the squirrels, neighborhood dogs, a few feral cats, and a patch of forcythia that seems to be trying to take over, there's not much around me that isn't man-made or industrialized. It's hard to feel connected to the land and bioregion in such a place.

This is a really, really common misconception about bioregionalism.

You can absolutely have a bioregional practice in an urban region. Part of bioregionalism is being connected to the physical land around you, not just some concept of 'nature'. In a city, there is still land around you, there is the ground under your feet, the trees in the park, the urban wildlife, the weeds in the vacant lot, the mountains off to the east, the ocean just a few miles away, the river that the city was built on... you just have to look harder. There are seasonal variations that are specific to your city. There are native and endemic plants to be researched. There were indigenous tribes that inhabited your area. There is surrounding farmland and wild places that are a part of the bioregion and the identity of your city. There are hundreds of spirits to connect with... the landwight, the citywight, the spirits of the rivers and oceans and mountains, the spirits of the urban animals (endemic, feral and domestic), the greenwights. Just because your (hypothetical) mountain is covered with roads doesn't mean that it isn't there, or doesn't have a spirit.

Part of bioregionalism is also about humanity as a part of nature, not apart from it. Manmade things are not necessarily anathema. You generally want to reduce your environmental impact and be sensitive about what products you use and things like that, but you don't have to be a rural person living off the land to be bioregional. You can drive a car, live in a city, be surrounded by concrete and tall buildings, breathe smog in on daily basis, but still be connected to the land under your feet. Bioregionalism isn't about 'nature'... it's about the ground you are walking on. It's about a sense of place. It's about your geographical features, your weather, your immediate surroundings, and the relationship that you have with those things. You don't need to be in the middle of a forest for that. And frankly, being in the middle of manmade farmland is not that different to being in the middle of a manmade town when you think about it. Just because things are growing doesn't mean they are beneficial for the land and wildlife around them.

In a bioregional spirituality, the bioregion*, and all of its inhabitants (including people, past and present) are the originating inspiration for religious and spiritual beliefs. Practice is centered in the idea that the bioregion (or the bioregion as its various components, from the landscape to the flora and fauna) can take the place of a central deity or deities (or other entities), which are interacted with and celebrated via the spectrum of traditional (and nontraditional) human ideas of godhood . This interaction may be theistic (heno-, hard or soft poly-, or pan-, etc) or non-theistic (animism, pantheism, agnostic or atheist) in nature and may be based in the idea of gods as literal, symbolic, or something else. Additionally, the deities through which the bioregion is interacted with may be a historical or created pantheon, or may literally be the natural features of the bioregion themselves.

Bioregionalism** when it is applied to spirituality calls upon us to worship (or not) in any way that brings ecstasy and reverence while honoring the cycles and stages of the bioregion and its inhabitants--this may include shamanistic practices, eclectic practices, or reconstructed practices that have been adapted to our personal bioregions. Either way, the point of a bioregionally centered religion is to (literally, symbolically, and spiritually) touch the earth and to grok ourselves as part of it. A spiritual bioregionalism calls on us to reclaim our wildness and reconcile it with our civilization through a reexamination of our relationships within the web of life.

Many Pagans are bioregional in their practices (at least some of the time), whether they realize it or not. Whether you are a Druid in Australia, working out your own ogham with local plants or a Hellenic pagan in the US trying to figure out when the best seasonal time is for Pomonalia because your climate isn't Mediterranean, chances are that you incorporate your local bioregion into your practice.


If you have any ideas, tips or resources for anyone, share them here!

*The bioregion is an area with similar natural characteristics, including plant and animal life, human culture, climate, and continuous geographic terrain.
*Bioregionalism emphasizes the bioregion as the basis for a healthier co-existence between human culture and the natural environment and sees humanity and its culture as a part of nature, and calls upon people to build positive, sustainable relationships with their bioregion.

Bioregionalism isn't one of my primary identifiers, but I do have a bioregional practice. On a religous level, I'm Northern Tradition, which has got nothing to do with my local landscape at all. But on a practical, on-the-floor everyday spiritual level, I'm a bioregionalist. I have quite a strong sense of place, rooted here in the Southern Mount Lofty Ranges. As a shamanist and an animist, I form relationships with spirits of the land and mountains around me. I know the rivers and gorges, the forests and the bush, the Adelaide Plains, the Fleurieu, the ocean... and the mountain spirit himself. And yes, the city of Adelaide, though I live on her fringes and will soon live fully within the Ranges rather than in the foothills. I know the overarching spirits of the birds, animals and reptiles that visit my backyard... Magpie, Wattlebird, New Holland Honeyeater, Crimson Rosella, Galah, Rainbow Lorikeet, Red Rumped Parrot, Mudlark, Australian Raven, Pacific Black Duck, Blue Tongued Skink, Eastern Brown Snake, Feral Cat, Red Fox, Crested Pigeon, Bronzewing. I know many of the greenwights, though that's a work in progress.

I support local businesses, and try to buy produce that is produced on or by the land under my feet... cheese from the Fleurieu or the Hills; milk from Paris Creek; wine from the Hills; McLaren Vale, the Barossa or the Riverlands; eggs from the free range Hills farms (when I'm not eating eggs from my Jemima duck); venison from Handorf; chicken from Lilydale. For me it's not about organic produce... it's about local produce. Low impact produce. Produce that I can get directly from the farm gate or the cellar door, where the producer benefits more than the supermarket. Produce that roots me more firmly in the bioregion by being local and seasonal and specific to this place.

There are no Otherworldly gods of this land. The spirits worshiped by indigenous peoples (in my particular area, the Kaurna peoples) were the land spirits, the animal spirits, the greenwights and the spirits of the ancient ancestral 'people'. I don't consider them my gods, but I interact with them far more frequently than I do any of the Northern Gods (bar Skuld). My relationship with the spirits of this place is different to my relationship with my gods. I do not worship the ground I walk on, but then I don't really worship my gods either. I live with the ground I walk on. I coexist with it. I revere it. I treat it with sensitivity and respect. I realise that I am no more important to it than an ant, but no less important to it than an ant. This land is a part of my life in ways that no god will ever be.

[Näre]

I would very much like to say that my practice was bioregional but it isn't always so. Bioregionalism itself resonates a lot with my beliefs and ideals but I'm still clinging to an idea of a universal, transcendental deity (Of course these beliefs can coexist but I'm having a hard time making it work.) and practices that revolve around such a being/phenomenon instead of "going local".

Getting to know the place where you live, both the nature and culture aspects of it was an important part of my upbringing so where I live (or travel) it still matters a lot to me and I want to get to know the land, the nature and the culture of that place. Sense of place is important for me, although as a Pagan I sometimes feel it's a bit contradictory that I see a kind of "spirit" in industrial zones (especially those that were build in the ~70s-80s, small and local) and various other man-made places but the more I think about it the less I find any reasons to exclude those places from what we call "land".

I'm also interested in the concept of beloging to somewhere and belonging to the place we happen to live in. Still, it's a bit tricky for me sometimes because the places that have sort of spiritual value for me are far away (but still I like where I live). I don't always see the places I live in as a basis for a religion and the spiritual symbolism I have usually comes from elsewhere. (But when I think about that Druid in Australia, I probably shouldn't make a fuss about this. :P)
I guess I still (imho a bit too much) reaching for the stars instead of touching the ground.

[Jembru]

Just added my vote!

When this thread first went live, I was still figuring out what I believed so wasn't sure I'd have called my path bioregional. Now I'd say it most certainly is. My practice is directly influenced by the features of my local area to the extent that even the landscape of the inner worlds that I work with in the shamanic aspect of my path, are influenced by and echoed in the physical landscape of my hometown.

I never deliberately intended to create a bioregional path, but rather it's something that just sort of happened. It's a good feeling though, to know that my path is as unique as the region itself. What I've learnt can't be found in a book, and what I practice won't resemble the practice of any other pagan. Although there are drawbacks to that too.

What has also really excited me is that before I began exploring my local area spiritually I didn't think there was anything unique or magical about my home town. In fact I've always done whatever I can not to stay here too long. It was just a typical working class town in the Northeast of England. Nothing to take pride in. Once I had started to read up on the history of the area, I began to see key features that had always been here, in a new light. I realised the rich history that surrounds me. The many fascinating stories that the physical features of the land tell. It has made this minute and inconspicuous corner of the country as seemingly enchanted as any inner world I might imagine. It's made me realise that magic can be found in the land no matter where you live, or how mundane your area might appear at first glance.