That last post has me thinking about Paganism in connection to alternative relationship structures, and how Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, who coined the term polyamory, also helped to found the first registered Neopagan church in the U.S. and how that might be relevant for those of us who are both a-spec and Pagan.
We talk a lot about how the poly community and a-spec community overlap, interact and share values due to an allowance for non-normative relationship styles. For those of us who practice some form of Neopagan spiritual tradition, I think this can also help link us to our religious communities. Personally, I have always viewed Pagan spiritual space as being a place for alternative relationship models. I think more than half of the other Pagans I know are poly or otherwise queer, and those who aren't still often participated in cis, heterosexual, monogamy in a non-normative way. This is due, at least partially, to the shared history and community values of Paganism and polyamory.
From an aroace perspective then, I can say that growing up in Pagan spaces gave me many different examples of how a non-normative relationship might work. It lessened my anxiety about what the future would look like as an aroace, because I could see a large portion of my community building their relationships, families, and support networks in a way that didn't fit the norm. That understanding creates a wholeness to my identities. My spiritual identity helped build a framework for my queer identity to grab onto, and so my aro-ness is part of my ace-ness, my aroace-ness is part of my pagan-ness, and my relationship anarchy and non-monogamy is wrapped up in all of it.
Anyways, I'm interested to know if other neopagan a-specs also feel this connection between their identity and their spirituality. I know these values can shift a little across religion and congregation, so I would love to hear people's thoughts.