More than a few folks, from theologian John Calvin to philosopher William James to French theologian and historian Louis Auguste Sabatier, have noted that humans are “incurably religious” creatures. In other words, religion is native to the human heart. In the history of the world, the wholesale rejections of the supernatural is a quirk of Western secularism. At the same time, it will not ultimately survive the human longing for transcendence and communion with the supernatural, no matter how far technology advances. Evidence for this analysis is currently on display in Dortmund, Germany. An art exhibition, entitled “Technoshamanism,” was recently highlighted in the New York Times article “Space Pagans and Smart Phone Witches: Where Tech Meets Mysticism.” Josie Thaddeus-Jones describes the exhibition, which features the work of twelve artists and collectives, as an exploration of the “connections between technology and esoteric, ancestral belief systems.” According to the Times, the exhibition is an example of the rising interest in pagan and occult practices among “spiritual but not religious” Westerners. The new development, reports Thaddeus-Jones, is how frequently these practices are being combined with technology… So, why are digital technologies and social media bringing about a resurgence of pagan spirituality? The Times cites an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University, who says that because of the Internet, “people have access to belief traditions that were not easily accessible to them before.” This allows them to “discover, select and combine the spiritual traditions that most [appeal] to them.” Yet, this renaissance of paganism continues to happen precisely in countries where science and technology have most influenced life. If the Times is right, smart devices and the Internet have only fueled the spread of pagan spirituality… (READ MORE)

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