A Brief Intro to Neo-Paganism

Jun 8, 2001 - © Tempest_Rayne

In the everyday dictionary, Paganism* is defined as the worship of false gods or idols.
Even though many Pagans are "anti-faith," if you said to a Pagan that their gods were
false, it would be like telling a Christian that Jesus is make-believe. To understand the
true meaning of Paganism, you have to dig deeper than a dictionary.

Most Pagans today, often called Neo-Pagans*, are classified by the word 'witch'. A
witch is a man or woman who practices an Earth-based religion that honors the divine
aspects of the female as well as (or instead of) the male and takes part in magickal
practices (including divination). The religion, usually Wicca, generally involves a deep
respect for nature, worshiping of the many deities, and the practice of magick. There are
many traditions of witches, ranging from Garderian Wicca (the most widespread form)
to solitary, eclectic Wicca.

There are numerous misconceptions about the Wiccan religion, as well as with other
Pagan religions. For instance, since Wiccans are mainly defined as witches, many
people relate that with Satanism or Demonism. Truth be told, Wiccans hold a strong
belief in the good and kind aspects of humanity. They abide by the Wiccan Rede, which
contains their major rule, "An ye harm none, do as ye will." Wiccans take part in
magickal practices such as circle castings, and various forms of divination and rites. The
many forms of Wicca embrace slightly different beliefs. Celtic Wiccans worship
different deities than do Dianic, and so on. For the most part though, their practices
embrace the beauty in feminism, nature, and the spiritual realm.

In America today, there is an average of 200,000 or more Neo-Pagans. Groups besides

Wicca, such as Asatru, Hellenic, Shamanism, Druid/ADF, and Santeria make up a
decent portion of this number.

Asatru, or Norse Neo-Paganism focuses mainly on honoring the two families of gods
and goddesses, the Aesir and the Vanir, but also holds respect for ancestors and land
spirits. Most follow the Nine Noble Virtues: Courage, Truth, Honor, Fidelity,
Discipline, Hospitality, Industriousness, Self-reliance, and Perseverance. Many Asatru
people practice in small groups called garths or felags, and they participate in religious
ceremonies called Blots, which are held at pivotal points during the year, such as Yule
and Midsummer's Blot. Outsiders tend to label the Asatru people as "Viking
worshippers" because they hold high reverence for the Norse gods such as Odin and
Thor.

The branch of Paganism that is most often classified as Hellenic directs its worship
towards the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. Their ideals include the complete
rejection of dogmatism, conversion, religious persecution, and the concept of theirs
being the only true and right faith. To Hellenists, religion is personal and not organized,
therefore the only word to really describe their faith is "piety."

Shamanism is the practice of appointed persons performing certain magickal duties for
others. Shamans are healers and seers of all. Shamanism is widely practiced in Native
American cultures. Many Shamans take part in the usage of Peyote, a psychoactive
plant that allows them to experience a higher level of spirituality.

Druidism and ADF is almost directly associated with the Celtic Pagan/Celtic Wiccan
religion. Druids embrace excellence - physically, intellectually, artistically and
spiritually. Multiple gods and goddesses, with some lesser than others (yet just as
worthy of love and respect), and the reverence of all things natural along with respect
and acceptance of science and technology are the main aspects that Druids base their
beliefs on. ADF, or Ár nDraíocht Féin, is an eclectic organization of Druids that believe
strongly in having one's own interpretation of the Paleopagan practices. They value a
sense of dogma, but it is a sense completely different from the full-blown dogmatism of
other mainstream religions (ex. Christianity). According to ADF, Neo-Paganism will
someday be a widespread and overall accepted form of religion, with temples and
public services dotted across the world. This view has yet to be accepted by other
Pagans, with the exception of few.

Santeria is a form of Paganism with origins in West Africa. Practicers of Santeria

believe in one god, Olorun, yet they are not monotheistic. Olorun is the source of ashé,
the spiritual energy that makes up the universe, all life and all things material. This god
is believed to communicate and interact with the world through orishas, the rulers of the
forces of nature and humanity. The followers of Santeria pray, practice divination and
rituals, and offer sacrifices (or ebo) in order to keep close relations with the orishas. In
order to avoid persecution in the New Age, Santeria hid behind a façade of Catholicism,
with orishas "being" saints. While slaves were supposedly praying to saints, they prayed
to their gods. Santeria, like many forms of Paganism, uses magick in conjunction with
their religion.

Though there are many other forms of Pagan/Neo-Paganism, a few general statements
can be made about the subject as a whole. First, Pagans are polytheistic. In every Neo-
Pagan religion, more than one god is recognized either as a creator or other vital part of
Earth and humanity. Also, most Neo-Pagans practice or hold interest in magick.
(Magick is purposely spelled with a k in order to set itself

itself apart from magic, which is purely staged illusion.) These practices include astral
travel, witchcraft, and divination.

Unfortunately, Neo-Paganism is misunderstood by today's world due to lack of

knowledge in the subject and the vast array of subdivisions and classifications that come
with the term, Pagan. It is a broad subject in which one could spend an entire lifetime
studying.
*Pagan: Pre-Latin pagus, "to fix" and also, "something stuck in the ground as a
landmark." Latin word paganus, or "country dweller." Related to the term heathen,
which loosely means "non-Christian, non-Jew" and "occultist."

*Neo-Pagan: Present day Pagan.

The copyright of the article A Brief Intro to Neo-Paganism in Paganism is owned by

Tempest_Rayne. Permission to republish A Brief Intro to Neo-Paganism in print or
online must be granted by the author in writing.

Read more at Suite101: A Brief Intro to Neo-Paganism

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/paganism/67331/3#ixzz0d6cgdeQA