Starting Points
Ronald ‘Chalky’ White never sought publicity for himself, but he did seek to publicise and promote his religion. He and his friends in the Regency welcomed all well-intentioned persons to join them in public worship of the divinities they revered.
In the mid-eighties, after he retired, he spent some time preparing for publication a book that he called The New Pagans’ Handbook. This is based closely on the rituals developed by the Regency under his leadership. Over the next few months, the text of the Handbook, which has never been published, will be posted in instalments on this website.
Recently, some wildly inaccurate and misleading rumours have been attached to Chalky’s name. It is time people met with the real Chalky, communicating through his writings and art works.
In addition to the Handbook, it is intended to post here images of his ceramics and drawings, along with a number of his poems.
Some of us who knew him well will be posting short memoirs and other material related to his life and work.
Here is the beginning of Chalky’s introduction to The New Pagans’ Handbook:
Introduction
There is a constant need in man to relate to the world and the universe around him, and as far as he perceives it, to express his understanding in ritual and myth. From the obvious cycles of night and day, the phases of the moon, the place of the sun in the heavens, the unfolding story of the seasons, and the nature of our surroundings and their impact on our lives, our beliefs and our apprehensions of the Gods are formed. Also they have to take into account our observed behaviour and the patterns of thought, whether conscious or unconscious, that trigger our responses to our perceived universe and the condition of man within it.
Naturally religious rites have always varied to the circumstances, both physical and spiritual, of the people. They have all tried at many levels to explain the workings of our minds and souls. It is from such apprehensions that the stories of the Gods have been fashioned and great and enduring works of art, drama, music and literature have arisen.
One of the prime movers of our minds is myth. If rightly understood it can be our key to self understanding and psychological wholeness; and because myth and ritual are rooted in the structure of the human psyche, any pattern of religious belief can only be a re-phrasing of eternal themes tailored, as they must be, to new needs and circumstances.
The powers of myth are deployed through the story of the Gods and our relationship with them and the Goddess who is above them. Dance, music, mime and drama keep their ancient powers ever fresh because they speak to our deepest selves and of our relationships with nature and the felt magic that is at the heart of the universe.
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