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Folk Horror, Catholicism, and Wicca
May. 31st, 2023 05:13 pmThis is another word-vomit prompt where I write out some ideas bubbling in the back of my mind. It's not as thought out as the last entry, so I may return to these themes at a later time.
What is Folk Horror? It's more of an aesthetic or fell than a sub-genre of film or literature. Some of the usual themes involve folklore and the "old ways" of life, a (dis)connection to nature and rural environments, feelings of isolation from both the outside world and the odd community one finds themselves in, the presence of the supernatural (whether real or imagined), and the fear of people (i.e. the folk) and fanaticism. In film the "Unholy Trinity" of Folk Horror include The Witchfinder General (1968), Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), and of course The Wicker Man (1973). If you wish to explore this cinematic and literary aesthetic in more depth there is an entire cult following (pun intended) which has produced documentaries and periodicals delving into its themes.
What does this have to do with Catholicism and Wicca? I'll attempt to answer that by discussing some of the above elements of Folk Horror including one I've yet to mention, the small or secluded town with a secret cult. In these stories the protagonist usually comes from mainstream society (i.e. a society that is modern, urban, rationalist, often industrialized, and conventional in its social and religious norms). For one reason or another they find themselves in a remote village or commune that either continues in its traditional customs (often, but not exclusively religious), or has revived some arcane cult as a reaction to the modern world. If the setting is British or European than the cult in question is typically involves Paganism, Witchcraft, Satanism, occultism, or any combination thereof. If the setting is in America, it's usually some fringe form of Christianity which otherwise deviates from the norm.
The psychology behind Folk Horror stems at least in part from two separate sets of fears. The more contemporary set emerged in the mid-late 20th century as a reaction not only to the occult revival and witchcraft craze that emerged after Britain's Witchcraft Act of 1735 was repealed, but also due to disillusionment with the hippie and back-to-the land movements of the 1960's and 1970's. This was also the time of the oil crisis, where many people took a serious interest in appropriate technology, doing more with less, and the first wave of the Peak Oil movement.
The older set implicitly hearkens back to the anti-Catholic rhetoric of the Protestant Reformation; to the Puritan there was virtuously no difference between the witchcraft of the pagan and the priestcraft of the papist. On a side note, it's interesting to observe how the rise in Gothic Horror in the 19th century occurred around the same time as the emancipation of Roman Catholicism in the UK, the Oxford Movement and Ritualism within Anglicanism, and a renewed interest in medievalism in arts and literature (e.g. the Gothic Revival in architecture, the Arts & Crafts movement, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, etc.) An excellent summation of this theme can be found in the scholarly work Wicca and the Christian Heritage: Ritual, Sex, and Magic (2007); wherein she discusses how the history of sacramental Christianity since the Reformation has played a small, yet significant role in the beginnings of Wicca in the early-mid 20th century. (I may need to revisit this book myself and write a review on it at a later point).
Here I start to turn inward upon myself and reflect on how these intertwining themes influence my own thinking. I mentioned in my last entry how I've always been drawn to Celtic and English forms of Christianity. Around the time I was in community college I discovered two book series that forever changed my perception of religion, spirituality, and the paranormal (I would argue for the better). These were the Time-Life book series Mysteries of the Unknown (1987-1991) and the encyclopedia series Man, Myth, and Magic (the revised 1995 edition). Both gradually turned me on to the Western Mystery Tradition, Esoteric Christianity, the Druid Revival, and old-fashioned traditional Wicca; these two book series serving as the gateway to other publications on these subjects.
Although I have never joined a coven (traditional or eclectic) or perform a self-initiation I've had a remote interest in traditional forms of Wicca at the same time as my interest in traditional forms of Catholicism (Anglican, Roman, or otherwise). It was reading Pearson's above-mentioned book that I realized why I have this interest in two separate religions. Growing up in a culturally Protestant society I'm drawn to creeds that engage in ritual and theurgical magic (what is the Mass, but the highest form of white magic?). This also dovetails with a realization that the trajectory our society has taken has led to a rather grim and life-denying reality. Both Catholicism (Anglo-, Roman, etc.) and modern Paganism (when it hasn't been hijacked by either the woke-leftist or alt-right agendas) can be life-affirming and creation-affirming creeds, they are fertility religions after all. And yes, I deliberately said that to irritate the Puritans (religious or secular), the Karens, and other killjoys who promote the Technopathocracy we've stumbled into. This is why when reading or watching Folk/Gothic/Lovecraftian Horror media I find myself far more in sympathy with the "sinister" priest/magician/cultist rather than the protagonist who represent rationalism and modernity.
I'm running out of time, so I may need to return to these thoughts at a later time. As always, I appreciate feedback, and if I need to clarify or expand on something let me know and I will try to address it when time permits. Have a wonderful (insert tine of day). peace and blessings to you.
What is Folk Horror? It's more of an aesthetic or fell than a sub-genre of film or literature. Some of the usual themes involve folklore and the "old ways" of life, a (dis)connection to nature and rural environments, feelings of isolation from both the outside world and the odd community one finds themselves in, the presence of the supernatural (whether real or imagined), and the fear of people (i.e. the folk) and fanaticism. In film the "Unholy Trinity" of Folk Horror include The Witchfinder General (1968), Blood on Satan's Claw (1971), and of course The Wicker Man (1973). If you wish to explore this cinematic and literary aesthetic in more depth there is an entire cult following (pun intended) which has produced documentaries and periodicals delving into its themes.
What does this have to do with Catholicism and Wicca? I'll attempt to answer that by discussing some of the above elements of Folk Horror including one I've yet to mention, the small or secluded town with a secret cult. In these stories the protagonist usually comes from mainstream society (i.e. a society that is modern, urban, rationalist, often industrialized, and conventional in its social and religious norms). For one reason or another they find themselves in a remote village or commune that either continues in its traditional customs (often, but not exclusively religious), or has revived some arcane cult as a reaction to the modern world. If the setting is British or European than the cult in question is typically involves Paganism, Witchcraft, Satanism, occultism, or any combination thereof. If the setting is in America, it's usually some fringe form of Christianity which otherwise deviates from the norm.
The psychology behind Folk Horror stems at least in part from two separate sets of fears. The more contemporary set emerged in the mid-late 20th century as a reaction not only to the occult revival and witchcraft craze that emerged after Britain's Witchcraft Act of 1735 was repealed, but also due to disillusionment with the hippie and back-to-the land movements of the 1960's and 1970's. This was also the time of the oil crisis, where many people took a serious interest in appropriate technology, doing more with less, and the first wave of the Peak Oil movement.
The older set implicitly hearkens back to the anti-Catholic rhetoric of the Protestant Reformation; to the Puritan there was virtuously no difference between the witchcraft of the pagan and the priestcraft of the papist. On a side note, it's interesting to observe how the rise in Gothic Horror in the 19th century occurred around the same time as the emancipation of Roman Catholicism in the UK, the Oxford Movement and Ritualism within Anglicanism, and a renewed interest in medievalism in arts and literature (e.g. the Gothic Revival in architecture, the Arts & Crafts movement, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, etc.) An excellent summation of this theme can be found in the scholarly work Wicca and the Christian Heritage: Ritual, Sex, and Magic (2007); wherein she discusses how the history of sacramental Christianity since the Reformation has played a small, yet significant role in the beginnings of Wicca in the early-mid 20th century. (I may need to revisit this book myself and write a review on it at a later point).
Here I start to turn inward upon myself and reflect on how these intertwining themes influence my own thinking. I mentioned in my last entry how I've always been drawn to Celtic and English forms of Christianity. Around the time I was in community college I discovered two book series that forever changed my perception of religion, spirituality, and the paranormal (I would argue for the better). These were the Time-Life book series Mysteries of the Unknown (1987-1991) and the encyclopedia series Man, Myth, and Magic (the revised 1995 edition). Both gradually turned me on to the Western Mystery Tradition, Esoteric Christianity, the Druid Revival, and old-fashioned traditional Wicca; these two book series serving as the gateway to other publications on these subjects.
Although I have never joined a coven (traditional or eclectic) or perform a self-initiation I've had a remote interest in traditional forms of Wicca at the same time as my interest in traditional forms of Catholicism (Anglican, Roman, or otherwise). It was reading Pearson's above-mentioned book that I realized why I have this interest in two separate religions. Growing up in a culturally Protestant society I'm drawn to creeds that engage in ritual and theurgical magic (what is the Mass, but the highest form of white magic?). This also dovetails with a realization that the trajectory our society has taken has led to a rather grim and life-denying reality. Both Catholicism (Anglo-, Roman, etc.) and modern Paganism (when it hasn't been hijacked by either the woke-leftist or alt-right agendas) can be life-affirming and creation-affirming creeds, they are fertility religions after all. And yes, I deliberately said that to irritate the Puritans (religious or secular), the Karens, and other killjoys who promote the Technopathocracy we've stumbled into. This is why when reading or watching Folk/Gothic/Lovecraftian Horror media I find myself far more in sympathy with the "sinister" priest/magician/cultist rather than the protagonist who represent rationalism and modernity.
I'm running out of time, so I may need to return to these thoughts at a later time. As always, I appreciate feedback, and if I need to clarify or expand on something let me know and I will try to address it when time permits. Have a wonderful (insert tine of day). peace and blessings to you.
