The purpose of this site is to provide some guidance to those who may be curious about contemporary Paganism. It is not an authority on Paganism, rather it is an attempt to answer some frequently asked questions and help visitors decide if they have reason to seek further investigation.
Paganism is a religion that honors nature as sacred. All aspects of the natural universe are manifestations of the sacred and are treated as part of the divine. Through observation of nature, we understand certain precepts that we feel are truths communicated to us by the divine. We formulate our beliefs by learning the lessons provided to us by the natural divine.
Pagans believe in the circle of rebirth. One of the most important lessons taught by nature is that change is constant. When something changes, there is both living and dying. What existed before is no more, yet out of that dying comes the birth of something new. Everything that lives also dies, and what dies fuels the next life. Death is embraced as a positive and proper step in the evolution of life. For this reason, pagans honor death as sacred just as we honor life as sacred. We know that dying is the precursor to rebirth.
Pagans believe that the entirety of nature -- the whole universe -- is divine. For us, our god(s) did not create the world as a separate thing. The whole universe IS god. The deity exists in all things at all times, including each human being. For this reason, each of us is connected to every other person and thing. We are all part of a large family -- a web that affects each other from the stones up to the smartest man and woman. We are all brothers and sisters of every other person and thing. What we do affects them and, in turn, affects us.
Our view of the universe goes far beyond mere animism, in which the life force in all things is given some consciousness and percieved as self motivating. It is more correctly a form of pantheism, in which the divine is percieved as being all things and phenomena. As we embrace and glorify the divine presence as different objects or ideas, we symbolize the different presences with faces that make them easy to identify and honor. We also look back into the myths and stories of the past to help us find these faces, because we know that the forms of these stories are universal; they change their details but are all essentially the same. For this reason, many pagans honor a specific pantheon of deities. How we choose our pantheon is unique to each of us -- reasons that we feel are divinely inspired. Some pagans choose to condense their pantheons into only two gods -- a general male and female form. Despite honoring many different deities, we know that they are ultimately only avatars of the one true creative divine.
Because the divine is all things, the creative power of the divine that brought about the universe is also in all things, including people. Because humans are self-aware and have a more complex intellect, we have the opportunity to intentionally manipulate this divine energy to cause changes in the natural world. This is what we call "magick." There are specific techniques governing how this energy can be more or less effectively manipulated. Applying these techniques is what we refer to when we speak of our "craft" and "spells." Those who learn these techniques are known as "witches." For this reason, a witch can be of any religion, not just pagan, and not all pagans use this craft. Also, witches are male or female; use of the term "warlock" to refer to a male witch is NOT acceptable.
One of the lessons pagans have learned from nature is that species continue because of sex. Life comes from sex, which makes sex a sacred act indeed. In humans, sexuality is a means for pleasure as well as continuance, making sex additionally sacred. Pagans do not fear our sexuality. We do not repress it into the back of our minds. We embrace sexuality in all of its forms because its energy generates renewal.
The ethical behavior of pagans is governed by the theroy of return. The creative energy that permeates all things also permeates each human being. Though there is a limit to how much of this energy we can safely retain, it is not locked within us like a battery. Like a pool of water fed by a stream, there is a flow moving both into and out of each of us. As it moves through us, it takes on subtle vibrations caused by our thoughts and actions. As the energy moves away from us, it magnifies, like ripples on water. In time, this expanding energy causes changes, but because we are all linked to a complex web of existence, we also feel the affects of our own energy. When we do frequent good, positivity is returned to us. When we do frequent bad, negativity reigns over our lives.
The erroneous idea that pagans worship Satan comes from many causes all working together. First is the corruption of pagan philosophies, beliefs, techniques and symbols by the young or fanatical. These people are so hungry for immediate power over others that they have absorbed the fictional tales of speculation about the occult. Such books are popular over the counter but only combine loose source work with incorrect conclusions to place improper context on pagan ritual, which is attractive because it is conducted in secret.
The second cause for this myth is the belief that pagans turn away from the Christian God to worship various horned "demons." The reality is that pagans believe in a different god than Christians. Pagans do not believe in the Christian God and so do not believe in Satan. Can Buddhists be said to be Satanists because they believe something other than Christianity? The fact that pagan gods are often represented with horns comes from the primitive concept that they are the masculine animal forms often inspired within more primitive hunting tribes. During the Christian growth of the Middle Ages, when Christianity was spreading throughout Europe, the horned images of the pagan gods were intentionally used as representations of evil to make the subversive conversion of pagans to Christianity more successful.
Lastly, the pagan practice of honoring multiple deities is viewed as blatant opposition to the first of the Ten Commandments. The truth is that pagans do not worship many deities. We understand that the divine can be manifested through different guises, but we all ultimately understand that there is only one wholeness. In fact, the honor we pay to lesser deities is not unlike the Catholic practice of honoring patron Saints.
In very ancient times, primitive peoples actually did use animal or human sacrifice in their rituals. Their idea was that a surplus of resources (which included the human population) could only come about because their deities had been generous to them. A sacrifice was a way of returning that generosity back to its source. Also, a surplus of resources indicated an imballance in the natural equilibrium, often caused by man's presence. In recent, more civilized times, we recognize that the intricate web of life that connects all of us is too delicate to continue such sacrifices. Our sacrifices now consist of food or money -- representations of our personal wealth -- that we toss into flames or bury in the Earth.
Pagans do manipulate the creative energy of the universe to cause changes -- what we call "magick." Certainly it is possible to use these techniques for both good or evil purposes. But the law of return warns all pagans that doing evil will cause evil to come back to its source. So called "black magic" is a pagan taboo and is not taught to anyone. If a pagan chooses to use her knowledge for evil, she must face the consequences alone. Her community will not stand with her and risk receiving a share of that foolish individual's evil return
Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon. Beacon Press, 1986.
An sociological study of contemporary Paganism by an intelligent and insightful witch and National Public Radio correspondent.
Cunningham, Scott. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Llewellyn Publications, 1989.
A good beginning guide to the beliefs, tools, magick and history of contemporary paganism.
Starhawk. The Spiral Dance. Harper Collins, 1989.
An exploration into the mind, practice and philosophy of contemporary paganism.
Still more answers may be found at the more complete FAQ from Alt.Pagan newsgroup.
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