Yesterday I was reviewing an interview I did with Megan Black of Round the Cauldron, and I realised I used the term "UPG" no less than three times without defining it. It has become quite a common term, but not exactly ubiquitous, and is a very important idea. So I have reprinted, with permission, the definition from The CR FAQ — An Introduction to Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, the book that gave me my first clear understanding of the term -- a book, by the way, which is posted entirely online, though paper copies are available.
What
is this UPG thing I keep hearing about?
UPG =
Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis. This is a label used to identify information
gained through meditation, intense flashes of intuition, visions, and other
spiritual experiences. Often this information may not be verifiable through
primary or academic sources but seems to be usable in personal ways. CRs
consider it highly important to label UPG which cannot be substantiated by lore
or research as such, as this helps prevent misunderstandings about verifiable
sources and preserves intellectual honesty. “UPG” and its variants are used
specifically to indicate beliefs arrived at via mystical means, not ideas or
intellectual conclusions reached from academic research.
Variant
phrasings of UPG are Unverified or Undocumented Personal Gnosis.
Though it
is unclear exactly who first coined the term UPG, consensus holds that the term
and its variants originated in the Ásatrú communities some time in the 1990’s.
These terms have been gratefully adopted by many Reconstructionist traditions
and further refined and applied in our communities.
Related
terms:
SPG (Shared
Personal Gnosis) — indicating a mystical vision and belief shared by a number
of people; preferably, one arrived at independently of one another and arising
from people who are otherwise unconnected. For instance, a vision experienced
collectively by the members of a small household may have more validity to it
than a vision by a sole individual but, due to the possibility of group
hallucination, it is debatable whether this small-group gnosis truly qualifies
as SPG. A vision experienced by geographically separated people who have never
met one another is more in tune with what we consider SPG.
CG (Confirmed
Gnosis) — indicating that substantiating evidence for an incidence of UPG or
SPG has later been found in the lore. This is also sometimes referred to as CPG
(Confirmed Personal Gnosis). These instances are highly valued, and have served
to bolster individual and community faith in the Deities, spirits or ancestors
from whom the information was received. Instances of CG are also very important
in that over time they help us learn to distinguish true imbas from
imagination. (Imbas is the Old Irish word for “inspiration.” In Modern
Irish it is spelled iomas. )
UPG is
never an end in and of itself; rather, it is the beginning of a journey, the
beginning of the process of testing the information through both spiritual
practice and academic research. UPG is only useful when the community also
values humility and fact-checking, and acknowledges that even the most experienced
mystic can at times become deluded or make mistakes. At some point or another
we have all had to discard some cool dream or “vision” if it simply
does not line up with the lore, or if it threatened to take us in a direction
that was counter to our values. Similarly, though we have some people who have
shown skill in mediating for the Deities and spirits, and for bringing back
information from the otherworlds, we have no desire to take the dangerous step
of setting up anyone as an infallible guru or voice of the Divine.
When
considering whether someone’s UPG or SPG may be worthy of inclusion in your
spiritual practice, these “Laws
of UPG” may serve as a useful guide:
No UPG
should contradict known facts about the associated culture, and no practices
based only on UPG should stand as more than modern inventions.
If a
belief or practice based on UPG does not contradict known facts, but cannot be
verified within the same body of knowledge, it remains a modern invention.
If an
instance of UPG fits rule 2 and also fills a gap in known tradition, it is
probably worth pursuing further, through experimentation and research, to see
if it can become SPG or CG.
If an
instance of UPG that meets the second law is arrived at by people who have had
no real contact with each other, it remains modern but is Shared (SPG). This
means the group just may be getting somewhere interesting.
If an
instance of UPG becomes SPG, and said SPG is then incorporated into the
practices of those outside of the groups who first experienced it, it becomes a
modern tradition.
There is
no way for UPG to become ancient lore unless it becomes generally accepted and
then is kept mostly intact for at least 1,000 years.
Image: CR - FAQ cover. Copyright ©2006 NicDhàna, Laurie, Vermeers and ní Dhoireann.
Quote used by permission.
