What comes to mind when I say Eclectic?
For me, it kind of means creating your own program or system of spirituality outside of organized religion, by picking and choosing what works for you from a variety of sources, traditions and schools of thought.
Do you identify as Eclectic, and why?
I generally call my path "eclectic spirituality in neo-pagan context" although often I just say "Pagan" for short. To me this means that I curate my beliefs and practices in a modern pagan framework, relying heavily on experiences I have had with diverse pagan groups and individuals, as well as my academic and personal studies in world religions and philosophy.
Here are ten of the ways in which folks see eclecticism as problematic:
1. So called "fluffy bunnies" (meaning that spirituality is all about the cupcakes with sprinkles and not heavy or serious topics)
Have you ever been labeled a "Fluffy Bunny" and what do you think about the term?
Have you ever called someone else a "Fluffy Bunny" and was it a term of endearment or disrespectful?
How important do you think it is to be balanced in seeing both the lighter and darker sides of life?
2. Excluding uninitiated people (the idea that you don't belong to a path therefore you are less worthy of instruction and participation)
Have you ever felt excluded because you were not in the in-group or inner circle or had not achieved or earned enough status to join in some of what they do together?
Was that your own feelings of inadequacy, or were people hurtful about it?
Have you ever belonged to a private group with a formal or informal screening process, and what did you think of that mindset?
How important do you think it is to protect the information and processes that a group keeps confidential, in the spiritual realm?
3. Legitimacy of the non-traditional (the idea that you don't have a "real" path because yours is "made up" or "constructed recently")
Have you ever been discredited for practicing "armchair" or "amateur" spirituality because you are doing things your own way, or from a place of learning or being a newbie?
Have you ever looked down your nose at somebody for having a stupid question or ridiculous assumption about what you do or how things are done in a tradition?
How important is it for people to get things right the first time, and is there really a right way that things originally came from?
4. Cultural appropriation (taking what you might not fully understand and using it in your own way might offend someone especially if you are profiting)
Have you ever been called to a deity or belief or practice, or used something like a tool or chant from another culture or tradition, and felt guilt or shame about not fully understanding what you were doing, either during or after?
Have you ever had to have a conversation with someone around them misappropriating part of your culture or tradition, or someone else's?
How important is it that we draw lines between what's mine and what's yours?
What is the proper way to take something as your own, in your opinion?
And how important is it to understand teachings about where something comes from, how and when it was used, what the process is for participating in it's use, and who has access to it, before something can be transferred to a person of another path?
5. Not having a codified or cohesive system (bits and pieces might not interrelate easily or be accessible for others to understand)
Have you ever thought that the ways in which you express your spiritual life are conflicting with or not fully fitting with the rest of what you do, and is that uncomfortable for you?
Have you ever asked questions to an elder or clergy member that just did not make sense even after it was explained to you?
How important is it that things make sense when they overlap and intersect?
6. Lacking a structured or verifiable commitment or dedication period to train in the tradition (or religious tourism seen as illegitimate)
Have you ever been condescended to because someone who had put in the time to master a certain level of attainment was father along in one direction on their path than you?
Or have you ever beaten yourself up over your lack of discipline in a single tradition?
Or have you ever studied a path until satisfied with your knowledge and then moved on to the next, in the spiritual marketplace?
How important is it that somebody stick with one path for long enough to get a good grasp of it before moving on?
7. Having few to no peers to learn with (or snobbery around who is more authentic or comes from a lineage)
Have you ever felt alone on your path? Maybe because nobody gets you, or nobody seems to agree with your thoughts and feelings about your beliefs and practices? Or some other reason?
Have you ever been surrounded by like minds but not clicked with anyone enough to grow together?
How important is it to be part of a group like a church or coven? How important is it to be solitary if you don't find a good fit?
8. Having had no elders to hand down a full tradition to you (permission to teach any kind of wisdom becomes an issue)
Have you ever felt disconnected from the spiritual elders in your community (local or global) because you aren't doing specifically what they are doing?
Have you ever felt that the people you look up to are inaccessible because you are not wanting to study their ways exclusively?
How important is it that we listen to our various elders' teachings, whether we get the whole picture or just a glimpse?
9. Criticism of the mixing of pantheons and omitting members of pantheons (new globalization related pantheism)
Have you ever worried about something like, inviting, say, Mars and Ares into the same circle might cause a bit of a disturbance?
Have you ever felt like the gods that do not call to you, or are not yours, might be offended if you honour their peers but not them? Or any higher power in general, say Love is something you believe in but you could do without Chaos, or whatever, do you worry that those powers will enter your life in mysterious ways?
How important is it to be pious toward all the important beings of all the cultures you draw from?
10. Stigma around historically inaccurate ways of mixing information (new ways of syncretism)
Have you ever felt like perhaps you were doing it "wrong" because nobody else had done what you are doing quite in this way before, when you study how a practice is done historically?
Have you ever been told that what you are doing is wrong because there is a proper way to do it?
How important is it that we get things right according to how others perform them? What about when different traditions have conflicting ideas about how it is done (eg altar facing north, altar facing east... south as air element, south as fire element?)
Overall, when we think about the reasons against being eclectic, and the values we hold around those conversations...
Can we always try to embrace our fellow seekers in a way that both respects the past and present, and honours the potential for future growth?
What are the challenges around this kind of inclusion?
What are the benefits we can reap from including eclectic paths in our circle of respect?