Technopaganism is an umbrella term that characterizes several different beliefs and practices in neopaganism in reference to the place of technology in neopagan practice. The expression umbrella term means a word that provides a superset or grouping of related concepts. ... Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism [1] is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ...

Definitions

Technopaganism has a number of distinct definitions found in various discourse:

• the use of modern-day devices in magical ritual. This can include the substitution of technology for traditional magical tools, such as using their oven for a hearth, keeping a "Disk of Shadows" instead of a "Book of Shadows", and using a laser pointer as a wand. In other practice, technology is target of the magical work, such as the use of stones and other charms to help improve the performance of mundane items.
• the affinity for technology found relatively often in various pagan communities and prevalence of neopagans in computer and Internet subcultures.
• modern tribal/urban primitive movements such as urban shamanism and rave culture. This is often used in association with techno music.
• an emergent trend in neopagan thought that deals with spiritual and magical facets of technology and technological society. Associated with this is the use of technological metaphors (most often computer metaphors) to describe spiritual phenomena, as well as the use of symbolism from popular culture in spiritual contexts.

The Book of Shadows is a traditional book of Wicca, containing the core rituals, practices, and wisdom of a Wiccan tradition. ... Urban Shamanism, also known as Digital Shamanism or Psychedelia, is an artistic school of thought born out of the social upheavals of the past four decades, the artistic and technological movements of the 20th century, and the philosophies of various non-western cultures. ... A rave (sometimes referred to as a rave party) is an all-night dance event where DJs and other performers play electronic dance music and rave music. ... Techno is a form of electronic dance music that became prominent in Detroit, Michigan during the mid-1980s with influences from electro, New Wave, Funk and futuristic fiction themes that were prevalent and relative to modern culture during the end of the Cold War in industrial America at that time. ...

Technopagan beliefs

When used to describe belief systems, technopaganism focuses on the spiritual side of technology. This can include the belief that technological items and artifacts of modern living - such as buildings, roads, parks, cars, and other such items - have pseudo-spirits, or totem spirits, of their own. This also extends to cities as well.

One belief that faces substantial objections is that the Internet itself is attaining a unique spirit. Indeed, it is the stated objective of the creator of VRML to bring about the merging of the spiritual world with the physical world. VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language, usually pronounced vermal) is a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind. ...

Cultural References

In the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jenny Calendar refers to herself as a technopagan and being a member of a cyber-coven. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an American cult television series that aired from March 10, 1997, until May 20, 2003. ... Jenny Calendar is a fictional character played by Robia LaMorte in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ...

Also mentioned in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

When the character of Rupert Giles is plucking up the courage to ask Jenny Calendar on a date, Buffy gives Giles some advice by stating; Jenny Calendar is a fictional character played by Robia LaMorte in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ...

She's a technopagan, right? Ask her to bless your laptop.

Further reading

• Christopher Penczak. City Magick: Urban rituals, spells and shamanism. Weiser, 2001. ISBN 1-57863-206-4
• Erik Davis. TechGnosis : Myth, Magic & Mysticism in the Age of Information. Harmony, 1998. ISBN 0-517-70415-3
• Raven Kaldera and Tannin Schwartzstein. The Urban Primitive: Paganism in the Concrete Jungle. Llewellyn, 2002. ISBN 0-7387-0259-5