Transitional Era Reconstructionism / Christo-Irish Reconstructionism

I’ve given a sort of brief run-down of what I mean on a surface level when I say “Christo-Irish Reconstructionism”. But what does it actually mean, for me, to be a Christo-Irish Reconstructionist? On a core level, what does that look like?

I consider myself “A Giant Hot Mess” when it comes to my faith; religiously my beliefs are complicated at best- and downright nonsensical to most at worst… And I don’t just say that because I want to feel like what I’m doing is unique, either. I say it because, insofar as I can tell, it’s true.

I’ve poured the last five years of my life into developing my Irish Reconstructionism, and exploring all the twists and turns its taken me on during that time. In the last year that's looked quite different as I maneuver it towards the Transitional Era... And as far as I can tell? Outside of a few regional folk syncretizations (which I’ve no connection to), or actual Christopaganism (which I don’t feel I do, either)… It’s uncharted water in the Reconstructionist community.

Or, at the very least: If it’s not uncharted water, no one’s actually talking about it. Not in spaces I can see and have access to, anyways. Which is understandable given just how vile people within the Pagan Community can be sometimes towards anyone with Christian leanings of any form. But that also makes for a lot of difficulty in other ways.

So for the last five years, I’ve been floating around on this ocean basically by myself… And five years after starting on this journey, I’m still not even sure what I’m doing- let alone what it means. Hell, after the last year, I’m still not even sure what it looks like- hence the reason this blog exists: To explore that.

But What Does it Mean Right Now?

At the core of everything, I worship the approximated pantheon of Irish Deities. I follow the Irish holiday cycle. I read Irish Mythology and Folk Tales- and these not only act as my holy texts, but form the foundation of my belief.

All of these are simple facts about what I do first and foremost- and all of these form a major part of the core of Irish Reconstructionism. So in short, simple, and sweet terms, I’m an Irish Reconstructionist on a bare basic surface level.

Reconstructionism: A subset of Pagan faiths which seeks to accurately reconstruct Pre-conversion faith systems of now archaeologically “dead” cultures- usually with a focused emphasis on orthopraxy derived directly from Archaeology, and other related fields of scientific study and academia; see my post about the differences between Reconstructionism, Revivalism, and Reimaginists here.

My actual religious practices and rituals themselves are largely derived from a blend of Local Cultus, and the historical records of Ireland; sometimes a bit of comparative mythology is included- mostly focusing on Scotland and the Isle of Mann, with Greek or Norse getting thrown in on the odd occasion where evidence exists without concrete methodology. I also utilize a lot of Native American practices I learned directly from my Adoptive Family while growing up- but I won’t be talking about those here.

The Local Cultus in particular exists both in regards to how the Gods and the Contract of Irish Faith can be mirrored within my own Ecoregional landscape… And with regards to how the Irish Diaspora (including my own ancestors, in more ways than one), their culture, and their faith, impacted the very land on which I stand today.

Local Cultus: Regionally specific interpretations and modifications of a religion which are directly tied to the environment and culture surrounding the practitioner, as it differs from the greater body of the religion. This can be focused on a Microregional level, an Ecoregional level, or a Bioregional level- though due to a poor understanding of  ecological terminology among Pagans, most practitioners tend to incorrectly call what they do "Bioregional" when they should actually be calling it "Ecoregional" or "Microregional".

Here, though, it should be made clear that the ancestry came second to the call to faith, and remains nothing more than a stepping stone; while it’s certainly true that a part of my ancestry is bound to and descends from the Ire-Scot diaspora in America, it’s neither the focus nor the reason of my faith; I am not a Tribalist by any means and abhor the ideology as a subset of Nationalism… Rather, it’s a way of further connecting to those Ancestors I am already honoring as an Ancestor Venerator, in part, by going back to the roots of Irish faith.

It’s an acknowledgement that these ones here came from a different place, at a different time. As a result, they would have looked at and interpreted their new landscape in the context of their mythology, with different eyes than those of the native Irish from which they extend in Ireland… And as the Irish Polytheists of actual Irish descent in Ireland do frequently complain: Irish-American culture is a different beast to native Irish culture in many ways- though they share numerous similarities for obvious reasons.

A major part of Ancestor Veneration, to me, however, is acknowledging that difference between homeland and motherland, and how they melded old tradition with the numerous changes of a new location (in much the same way that Christo-Irish syncretism did for the mythos and practice of the Irish motherland)- and allowing it to influence my practice in ways previously unconsidered; and ways I find are often intentionally left unconsidered by other practitioners.

I have other ways of honoring other Ancestors, both blood and unblood- and a part of that, in some small form, is a vested interest in Christianity. Particularly Near and Early Medieval Christianity, and early forms of Gaelic Christianity more specifically. 

That being said: I am not Christian, and nor do I worship the Abrahamic God in any other manner. I do, however, venerate certain Christian figures in recognition of Christianity’s part in, and its inseparability from, the historical continuity of Irish belief, mythology, and practice.

Venerate: To regard with great respect, revere, or honor a Saint (or other significant figure) who is regarded as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness.

These figures include the Holy family itself (particularly Jesus and Mother Mary). But it also includes figures with connections to my own faith, or who were unofficially sanctified during Ireland’s conversion (Saint Brigid of Kildare), Saints directly related to conversion (Saint Mary Magdalene) and the conversion of Ireland in particular (Saint Pádraig), and any and all Saints directly associated with Ireland (especially Saint Íte of Killeedy).

Even then, however, I’m incredibly careful not only about which figures I venerate and how I venerate them- but also my adoption of any Christian elements of faith and practice; I’m meticulous in my research; I make all reasonable attempts to understand them within their appropriate contexts in order to ensure I’m keeping them in tact and true to their purpose, and the theology behind them, as best as I possibly can.

More importantly, I keep a certain distance between myself and Christian figures and terms I recognize are sensitive; I’ve explicitly avoided forming any sort of a practice that could be misconstrued as worshiping them out of respect for the faith, and its tenants; tenants which I fully, personally, believe make such actions absolutely impossible without significant modification to- if not the destruction of- my faith as it currently stands.

I fully, personally, believe that to participate in such actions would be incredibly disrespectful of me in light of that, and the fact that I am unwilling to make such modifications. And that’s a decision I came to through intense study of both faiths, and a lot of discernment over the course of several years- especially during my discernment about re-conversion.

I do this out of respect for the fact that what I’m doing is not wholly Christian- and I certainly wouldn’t call myself Christian anymore… But neither is what I do wholly Pagan, either. Because while I may straddle an incredibly weird line between Paganism and Christianity- being neither wholly one, nor wholly the other? That line, at least for me, is drawn very, very clearly.

And it’s a line I don’t believe in crossing.

In order to understand why I bother to include Christianity at all, however, you have to understand that the Irish conversion process was largely peaceful (what happened during and after the Reformation is another matter entirely). And the peacefulness of this conversion allowed a large number of folk beliefs and practices to survive relatively intact in the early Gaelic Church up to a point… A feat helped in no small part by the relative autonomy the Celtic Church in Ireland had up until the time of the Catholic-Protestant wars, and the period of Protestant Reformation.

In other words, the Gaelic Rites- and early Catholicism itself- are an intrinsic and near inseparable part of Gaelic continuity; Irish culture is so incredibly intertwined with Catholicism that it’s nearly impossible to separate Pre-Christian Irish faith from early Gaelic Christianity. And as a result of how Reconstructionism functions, there will always be holes that need plugging- making early Gaelic Christianity an important resource for reconstruction to those who stop refusing to ignore it.

Like other Reconstructionists, I have largely plugged the holes that appeared with resources from other Gaelic countries (Scotland and the Isle of Mann). But frankly, it is not enough; there is too much missing- particularly as it pertains to ritual. And so instead of continuing to ignore it, I've made the decision to intentionally acknowledge it, and to actively embrace it within my practice. For this reason, a lot of my ritual methodology, theology, and overall structure, is now directly derived from  early Catholicism and Modern Episcopalianism (their more liberal beliefs are frequently better compatible compared to modern Catholicism’s). 

So in essence: What I do undeniably looks Pagan on the surface. And indeed, I’ll call myself a Pagan Reconstructionist every single time I’m forced to pick a side; it is, after all, the core of what I’m doing. I refuse to be called anything other than Pagan, because a Pagan is what I am; Pagan Gods are who I am worshiping, and Paganism is what I am performing at its core.

But instead of simply just acknowledging Christianity’s role in all of this and then ignoring (or outright trying to erase it) like most seem to? I’ve been drawn towards embracing what resulted from Ireland’s transition into Christianity; the syncretism that occurred during the earliest portions of Christianity’s development in Ireland.

So in the most accurate, but simplistic and ridiculous terms possible: I’m an Agnostic Polytheist who worships Irish Gods with Christian Theology, and prays Christian Prayers with Pagan Methods (and Pagan prayers with Christian ones).

The best thing I’ve found to call what I do, is Christo-Irish Reconstructionism, or Transitional Era Reconstructionism, because that is effectively what I’m doing: Reconstructing Transitional Era Irish Faith– or the unique Irish-Christian syncretism that occurred during Ireland’s religious conversion in the Near and Early Medieval Periods. Though in my case, I pay particular attention to the non-Christian figures and rituals.

And for now, that works for me.