Balance

A lot of arguments on the interwebs on Paganism have talked about what is more important, UPG or the LORE.  Is established practice by our ancient forefather and foremothers imp, or can you do whatever you want to do?  Does relying on UPG make you a fluffy bunny?

I think these questions fail to get to the heart of something.  Are we recreating what was put in place a few thousand years ago, or are we creating something new?  Since many of us have come from Christian backgrounds, that we didn't find spiritually fulfilling, where does our needs and ego begin and end?  Do we need to suck up and accept certain things, or are there certain things that need to change with each individual worshipper?

The Lore is not without bias and problems.  In some of the recon stuff, it has many Christian overtones. Mainly because the Christian monks are the ones that saved it, from themselves.  Much has been lost to history and time.  Context of why the ancients did what can only be speculated on.  Plus the lore is the UPG of the ancients.  I"m sure I"ll get flack for this from someone, but outside of the Pagan 10 commandments being written by the Gods and dropped on some poor priests head, I doubt anyone can argue it is UPG.

Then there is the other point.  If you do what the lore says, you are replaying what others have done.  If you listen to your own UPG, you are forging your own path.  It makes the spirituality more personal to you.

I personally fall more in the line of listen to your own gut and UPG.  The religion is a personal one.  Life changes, so just because something was done once many years ago, doesn't mean it has to be done all the time.  Check in with your Gods.  Get their feedback, because this is a relationship between them and you. Your likes and interests are important as well.

There are limits for me on UPG trumping stuff.  For instance if someone would say that the Morrigan is a pink tutu wearing hippy, who hates guns, and wants peace to reign.  There are clear indications from lore and other people who are affiliated with her that this is patently untrue.  On the other hand, if you she wants you to sacrifice to her a cup of coffee a week, I can't see how that would affect anything other than your personal relationship with her.

To summarize.  I believe that Lore is imp, but personal UPG is more imp to me.