Historia magistra vitae, so Cicero defines history in his De oratore. History, the memory of past events and processes as a warning for the future.
Those who want today define themselves pagan or link themselves back to old religions, can’t ignore the history they are making their own. As we can’t pretend that nothing has changed and create an utopia of past revival by deleting the historical distance between us and the ancient ones, since the essence of pagan religio is also to live it in everyday life, so we can’t ignore that distance, avoiding looking at the past, and so risking of repeating the same errors.
The memory, above all memory of past obstacles, is something fundamental and we absolutely can’t pretend not to see slaughterings and destructions occurred to pagan people during history. A pagan person who wants to call him/herself in this way can’t believe that an excuse is enough to rub off the dust of temples destroyed by Constance and his successors, the blood of Saxons exterminated by Charlemagne, the ashes of witches burnt on a stake. And s/he can’t also bear that this happens in society in which s/he lives.
To look for and to give knowledge of these facts: this is the aim of this proposal of a European Pagan Memory Day, a day in which we can remember horrors in order to not forget them. But also a day in which celebrate the rebirth of paganism, because if there is a Pagan Memory Day, there are Pagan people who remember.
So we need to choose a date that all groups across Europe can celebrate, with actions of divulgation above all, and with rites that everyone feel to. Maybe it’s possible to institute a date for every European country, fixing a significant date for each, and it’s desirable that each country really does this. But I want to propose a common date, that can be considered significant in the process leading to the annihilation of paganism in Europe, process that lasted, starting from this date even though it began much earlier, almost one thousand year. This date is the 24th February: it was the year 391 e.v. and in this day was enacted Theodosius’ edict which forbade all forms of cult and even to look at statues. Other edicts were enacted the same year, but what is most important of all, and that made me choose this day, is that in that year Vesta’s fire was set off in Rome’s temple. A sign of the obscurantism that started under Constantine and was destined to spread until its triumph in 1386 e.v., the year of official conversion of Lithuania, last pagan country in Europe; eleven years ago, last Hierophant of Eleusi had already announced it.
The institution of an European Pagan Memory Day is therefore important for reconstruction of paganism that must be done over the ashes, still hot, of what remains of ancient paganism.
Agree to this initiative by signing the online petition and spreading knowledge about these fact and about paganism.
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