Contemporary Paganism is a diverse religious and spiritual movement that includes paths such as Druidism, Wicca and Goddess Spirituality, among many others. It centres on the sacredness of nature, draws inspiration from pre-Christian practices, and seeks their reconstruction. This movement gained relevance in the second half of the 20th century; it was influenced by feminist and environmentalist ideologies and represented an alternative to the androcentric narratives of institutionalised religions. In the late 1990s, Contemporary Paganism became visible in Portugal, a Catholic country that has recently been experiencing a rise in religious plurality. A 2023 study showed that a growing number of people in Portugal identify as Pagan, but it is difficult to grasp their exact number.
When examining the itinerary of spiritual, physical and emotional healing and well-being of Pagans in Portugal, researchers have found that the interconnection with nature and the influence of (eco)feminist approaches are of key relevance. For many practitioners, ritual performances function as safe spaces where they can experience a sense of community and understanding. In this article based on data collected in 2024 within the project ReSpell, I illustrate how well-being, healing, gender roles, and expectations were experienced among the members of the Templo de Inanna e Astarté. This term did not designate a specific place of worship but a gendered community: it is the name of an informal Portuguese Pagan group composed of women who focus on reconstructing Sumerian, Phoenician and Iberian religious practices.
Interconnection, healing and well-being
On a rainy day in March 2024, members of Templo de Inanna e Astarté gathered at a building to celebrate the arrival of spring and the goddesses that guide their polytheistic practices. The room was set up with three altars dedicated to each pantheon. Each altar was adorned with colourful fabrics, clay figurines of goddesses, rocks, shells, feathers, food and crystals. The participants summoned the four elements and deities, and intoned prayers accompanied by Celtic-inspired music and intuitive dancing.
Afterwards, we sat in a circle to share a meal. I discussed with them how spiritual and religious practices act on their emotional, spiritual and physical healing and well-being. Alva, a founding member of the group who was in her thirties, explained that, when in need of healing or comfort, she performed rituals in which she called upon deities whose attributes she believed could provide her with the necessary comfort. At the same time, she recognised the importance of being in a collective space with people she felt connected to: the ‘temple’. She expressed the following:
I will think of the temple. I will think about spending time with you or doing something ritualistic with you. For me, that is a form of healing because it brings me comfort. That’s where I take refuge.
For Ana Wadi, an anthropologist that has been part of this group since its foundation in 2021, her connection with nature and her recognition of its agency aided her healing process. Acknowledging this relationship brought her comfort and helped her to make sense of the ‘chaos’ she experienced whenever she felt emotionally and physically unwell. It also reminded her that she was part of a ‘web’. She shared that:
[It is] seeing energy as one, and we are all part of that same energy. So, I can find my way in that energy by connecting with what is around me. […]) Even when I feel very alone, I’m not alone. I am not only everything that came before me but also everything around me, because everything is connected to me, and I am connected to everything.
Medeia, who has practised Paganism since her twenties and joined the group in 2022, agreed with Ana’s approach. For Medeia, walking in nature made her feel ‘lightness’ and helped her cope with her emotional turmoil in moments of intense stress. She also emphasised the importance of water, which had the potential to ‘purify’ her and ‘heal’ her by being near it or drinking it. Medeia communicated with this particular element, asking it to heal her emotional and physical afflictions.
Discussing gender roles and expectations
While reflecting on their healing and well-being, interviewed members shared their views on the importance of their community, and the roles played by nature and its elements. They also reflected on how the accelerated rhythms of modern societies have affected our connection with the more-than-human world, catalysing a sense of disconnection with themselves and their spirituality.
This collective discussion led them to reflect on how their spiritual and religious practices were affected by systemic conditioning, and to consider the expectations and limitations of gender roles. The participants talked about how women had been structurally silenced and how difficult it had been for them to express themselves vocally — like speaking loudly, screaming, or singing —. These members also considered the social conditioning and stigmatisation surrounding physiological processes such as menstruation and how expectations over gender roles affected them throughout their lives.
My interlocutors’ personal healing journeys were signified through ritual performances and collective conversations about women’s rights and the processes of enclosure in capitalist systems. By celebrating nature’s cycles and focusing on interconnectedness between humans and more-than-humans, the participants expressed their identities, navigated their gender roles, and reflected on broader issues. Their personal and collective motivations and concerns extended beyond religious and spiritual considerations. As Ana Wadi highlighted during this conversation:
After hundreds of years of feudalism and capitalism driving us apart, we now feel the need to search for that [community] again.