Pantheist Practice

Pantheism as a way of life

by Paul Harrison

"Pantheism means living my life authentically and not letting other people determine how I think or feel or act. Pantheism means truly living each day one at a time, because now is all there is.  I realize how right it all is and how I’m part of it, as is every part of nature. It means knowing that when I die I am still part of it just in a different way."

Sharon Dobrovic

Control with your cursor - requires Java
Images" Hubble Deep Field, Galaxy, Sun, Earth, Trichostemma Lanatum, Tiger, Sam Harrison. Please download Java(tm).













Images: Nature walk in California
Pan Nature reserve in New Jersey
Midsummer on Hampstead Heath
Dinner in Rome; Sun Pie (apple)
Autumn equinox mandala with natural objects
Background: cloud reflection

Natural pantheism is not just a set of theories. It can be a way of life, giving a deep and strong grounding in reality to our whole approach to living, perceiving, feeling, and acting.

It can provide all the psychological services people derive from traditional religion, such as

  • a supportive community of "fellow spirits"
  • honest and realistic ways of coping with stress
  • profound approaches to dealing with grief
  • pathways to self-realization and self-renewal in the real world

To get these benefits from traditional religion usually involves accepting beliefs that defy common sense, reason and evidence. Often it means distancing yourself from body and world, thinking of life after death as more important than life right here and now, and submitting to a Deity who listens in to your every thought, who may one day plunge you into Hell and will one day destroy the earth as we know it.

These are heavy mental costs, and Pantheism  carries none of them. Indeed it can enhance our enjoyment of life, our interest in science and nature, our sense of belonging right here in this universe, on this earth,  in this body, in this our only life.

Of course everyone finds their own combination of what works best for them. We share daily insights on these issues in World Pantheism's mailing lists and message boards, especially the Community list and the Bulletin Board.

The pages below are intended as a provisional guide to approaches that may help you find your own way.

 

Life and Death

         What it means to be a pantheist: personal statements
         Pantheist ethics: the rights of the sacred.
         The pantheist way of death

Celebrating

Sacred time, sacred space: ceremony and celebration
A pantheist almanac: equinoxes, solstices, full moons
A pantheist calendar: notable dates in the year
 

Connecting

Union with Reality: pantheist meditation techniques
Pantheist perception: regaining the child's vision

Caring

          Save nature with World Pantheism


Community

Why organize?
Help to spread Natural Pantheism
Pantheist circles: Suggestions for weekly meetings