Day Sixteen: The Meaning of Terms Like "Earth-Based"

I got so busy for a while there. Which I guess makes sense between visiting family (mine and my partner's), college and apartment hunting...still doing the last 2 things though, so.

Full prompt: The meaning of terms like "earth-based" and what they mean to this path

Anyway, I don't think I have much of an opinion on the term "Earth-based" or other related terms? I think they're accurate in some ways, misleading in others and can probably be understood in many different ways if you're the type to overthink it (which I am).

I think when most people describe paganism and adjacent practices (I'm just going to say pagans though, but y'know what I mean) as "Earth-based", they mean it in the sense of "nature worship" and/or in the sense that pagans ascribe spiritual significance to nature. I would say that's generally true. Many pagans are also environmentalists or support environmentalist action, even if they themselves are not activists in that space.

I do think viewing paganism as Earth-based gives a false impression that pagans worship Earth and the things on it like gods. Even animists and those who honor land and nature spirits would likely not describe the relationship as "worship". Though, how you define worship could complicate things. Of course, many deities are personifications of nature...but many deities are also personifications of human cultural concepts like love, rulership and war. The separation between a deity and the thing it is a personification of can also get tricky. I do think the phrase "Earth-based" does tend to conjure up images of hippies hugging trees though. Which is fine, go hug a tree if you'd like. But that isn't what paganism is.

Earth-based, I suppose, could also be understood as "materialist", if you're an overthinker like me and are making it deeper than it really is. Paganism can be considered materialist insofar as paganism is concerned with what is happening right now in your life as you are living it and isn't necessarily concerned with the afterlife or salvation (typically, there's probably exceptions). The afterlife is a consideration for some pagans, but your life isn't lived with the expectation that doing or believing certain things will get you a better deal when the time comes.

I dunno, I don't really care for "Earth-based" or "nature-based" or whatever, it doesn't really explain anything.