Reinventare la Natura: il caso del Neopaganesimo

Abstract

Re-inventing Nature: the case of Neo-paganism. The article is an analysis of how the development of Neo-paganism, a new religious movement, modifies the perception of Nature of its followers. Neo-paganism is a group of polytheistic cults coming from pre-Christian traditions. One of the common principles is to be a nature-based religion, this means that Nature is the center of veneration. One of its multiple roots is in the rediscovery of the ancient Celtic past that begins in the UK at the end of the eighteenth century and develops inheriting the whole Romantic imaginary. Neo-paganism became a proper spiritual movement during the second half of the Fifties. In the Sixties there is another evolution that brings a change of perspective thanks to the rise of ecological awareness. The human being is put inside the natural world recalling an ancient mythical past where the coexistence was symbiotic, and it is constantly evoked a sense of debt and duty in front of an abused Mother Nature that is always good and fair.