Neo-Pagan Sacred Art and Altars: Making Things Whole (review)

Neo-Paganism is a thriving movement, an eclectic gathering of religions that share an interest in reviving or reimagining aspects of pre-Christian polytheism. Contemporary Pagans draw on a great range of source materials as they craft their rituals and tools, and in the process, numerous traditions have emerged that center on specific sets of deities, particular ethnic or regional identities, or shared ideologies. Though they have developed symbolic links to deep historical traditions, Neo-Pagans have also fostered a culture that treasures creativity. The transformative aspects of art are often equated with magic, and thus acts of creation can be important ways for Neo-Pagans to connect with the sacred. It is not surprising, then, that Pagans have produced a rich body of material culture. In Neo-Pagan Sacred Art and Altars, Sabina Magliocco examines a sampling of these creations in order to offer a brief but insightful introduction to this religious movement.

Magliocco's book is not meant to be comprehensive. It is an initial survey of things that have been off the radars of most scholars of folklore and religion. Without canonical texts or centralized authority, Neo-Paganism resists familiar approaches to the study of religion. Many folklorists are uncomfortable with appropriation by primarily white, middle-class Neo-Pagans of traditional elements from living, marginalized cultures. Claims of links to ancient, persecuted religions cause lingering labels of "fakelore" and "folklorismus" to spring to mind, and scholars devoted to traditional arts turn elsewhere in search of authenticity. Researchers who study Neo-Pagan culture tend to focus on the sociopsychological motivations of practitioners. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the emergent expressive traditions of this group. As Magliocco suggests, "we may learn more about why people become Neo-Pagan by studying their artistic creations than we might by administering sociological surveys" (p. xi).

Neo-Pagan Sacred Art and Altars begins with a succinct overview highlighting the romantic and oppositional nature of contemporary Paganism; its demographics; its emphasis on the immanence of divinity in nature; and the importance of appropriation, magic, ritual, and creativity in its practice. With this framework established, the heart of the book is then devoted to two broad documentary chapters. "Altars" covers home and community altars, magical tools, and various representations of the Goddess and God. "Costume" examines jewelry, body modification, ritual dress and undress, and masks. Each chapter uses the words of artists and the works they create to present multiple perspectives on symbolic meaning, spiritual dimensions of artistry, aesthetics, attitudes toward the natural world as subject matter and raw material, and the exchange or sale of sacred art. Black and white photos and color plates allow readers to develop their own visual sense of these pieces. In her conclusion, Magliocco identifies commonalities in this eclectic assortment of objects and practices. She also draws connections with academic discourse on aesthetics, appropriation, hybridization, and postmodernity. Given the book's brevity, Magliocco does an admirable job of blending sympathetic presentation with critical responsibility. She acknowledges that appropriation and questionable claims to historical continuity are problematic, but challenges readers to see some of the positive motivations behind these processes.

Neo-Pagan Sacred Art and Altars has a few minor shortcomings. Grounded entirely in examples from the United States, it might have been enriched by the addition of a paragraph or two on related movements in other countries. In a departure from the attractive format used for most other titles in the Folk Art and Artists series, this book is a small paperback. Squeezed into this space, some photos, especially those of detailed altars, lose much of their potential impact. Also Magliocco has been cautious about overgeneralizations, but a few inevitably slip in. For instance, some readers may find her characterizations of Neo-Pagan values to be...