What is Paganism?

"When one defines oneself as Pagan,
it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion,
one that sees the divine manifest in all creation."

~ Edain McCoy ~

 The word "pagan" comes from the Latin word “paganus”, meaning “country dweller”, however, there is no consensus on the exact modern meaning of the word and the label of “pagan” has various meanings to different people.  This causes misunderstandings whenever the word is used, as most people assume that the meaning that they have been taught, usually in the context of their religious upbringing, is universally accepted. Therefore one must judge the meaning implied within the context in which the word is used in order to guess at the intent of its usage. In common modern usage, it may be used in an attempt to stigmatize pagans as being anything from  “Witches” to “Worshippers of the Devil”.  However, within Western patriarchal religious societies, the most common interpretation is “heathen” and/or “heretic”.    

In its  essence, as practiced throughout the world, “paganism”,  in its ancient and traditional sense, is a veneration of Nature.  It is a spiritual way of life which has its roots in the ancient tribal beliefs of the world, generally sharing a link with the concept of animism, which is considered by anthropologists to be the earliest form of religion.  

Animism is the belief that all objects, all living and non-living things (in the traditional sense) possess a soul or spirit. It is considered by authors to be the earliest form of religion. Animism (from Latin Latin: anima, "breath, spirit, life") proposes that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, and human handiwork as animated and alive. In a sense, animism supposes that if you were tru;y aware and attuned to the world around you, if you put a key in a lock and it broke, as it was breaking you would hear the key scream.

Pagans celebrate the sanctity of Nature and believe in the sacredness of all things. Pagans see the divine in every object, in every tree, in every plant, in every living creature living creature and in the dark side of life as much as in the light. Pagans live their lives attuned to the cycles of Nature and of life and death.

Paganism is tribal in essence as the "old religion" or "old ways" of a local “homeland”. All pagan beliefs form a connection and reverence for their “local” natural environment. Pagans see this as their spiritual heritage and maintain the beliefs and traditions of their ancestors. 

If we are to cast any light on the origins of paganism we have to go down into the darkness, deep into the ancient caves and look upon the prehistoric cave paintings. There we find recorded the images drawn by early humans. When we go down into those caves today with our floodlights we see them as works of art.  But those ancient “artists”, deep in the earth, working by the dancing light of their fires, were really composing prayers.

"If you look at Paleolithic cave paintings, you see how people were depicted inside nature, not outside it. It was a kind of dream time."

Gregory Colbert 

These ancient drawings were of the animals that the early humans not only hunted as food, but also venerated as spirits, and their presence of in the land meant the difference between life and death to the people. In time these early humans came to associate the appearance of these animals with the changing of the seasons, and in time the seasons with the movements of the Sun and the Moon and with this association came the awareness of the cycles of Nature. Before long early humans began to comprehend that there was something big, something “magical” going on and with that awareness came a desire to be a part of and that magic.

In reverence of Nature’s wonders the ancients told stories and painted pictures of the strange, mystical events they experienced and they sang and danced in celebration of these wonders. More importantly, in creating this of art of myth and legend, as expressed within ritual, they were creating a “language” through which they might be able to communicate with the magical forces of Nature that they were seeking to emulate. So, for all intent and purpose, it was in these ancient deep dark caves that we find the first the first gospels of the “Old Religion”

Unlike the patriarchal religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, the divine is expressed in female as well as in the male. There is both the Goddess as well as the God, the Goddess represents all that is female and the God represents all that is male and these dualities are within all creation as well.  Therefore, the pagan view of the universe is one of complementary opposites, of male and female, of light and dark, of yin and yang. The Gods of the major religions are above Nature, but the Pagan Gods and Goddesses are Nature.

It must be noted here that the belief in Gods and Goddesses is not a defining requisite of  being a Pagan. One might very well be an atheist or “non-theist” in their beliefs and still be a pagan, Pagans have always held a wide variety of beliefs about the nature of deities but, share an emotional element of philosophical naturalism or humanism. A belief in a unifying force made manifest in the natural world without deities creating or controlling that manifestation does not come in conflict with the basic animist (or stoic) perspectives of their pagan philosophy.

 http://www.neopagan.net/Pagan_Glossary.html

So, what then are the basic beliefs of the pagans? Like the name pagan itself, there is no consensus on the exact practice of the pagan lifestyle and unlike the patriarchal religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism there is no one set universal dogma that attaches itself to the pagan religion.  

There is a great variety of traditions within the practice of paganism throughout the world. To the pagans, everyone is unique and each person’s spirituality comes from an equally unique experience and that each person should find their spirituality according to the dictates of their own soul.  Pagan’s celebrate their diversity and for this reason respect all sincere beliefs, and do not proselytize or seek converts, from other faiths and from society in general. Their practice in general, has an essence of only tolerance. Pagans respect the rights of every living soul, whether human, animal, plant or rock and are ever mindful of the actions of cause and effect, by thought or deed, upon the creatures of the Earth.

Some Pagans may worship a pantheon of polytheistic Gods and Goddesses of Nature, drawn from the folklore and mythology of their native lands, while others may focus on an all encompassing Life Force of no specific gender. Some pagans see life in terms of animism, the belief that all natural objects and the universe itself have souls. Their beliefs are based upon direct perception of the forces of nature and their beliefs and practices convey respect for these forces and beings.  What most pagans share in common is an abiding respect for Nature, a respect for the traditions of their ancestral heritage and there is a strong sense of community and guardianship for the care of the Earth. Children are loved and honored and children and encouraged to celebrate the natural cycles of Nature throughout the year. 

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I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.

~ Frank Lloyd Wright ~

To the traditional pagan there is no “one right way” to believe, at the core of paganism there are four basic beliefs that Pagans share.

1. The Divine Principle is within allliving things and each is an important, integral part of the universe and has made itself manifest in different ways, in differentplaces and at different times and no one manifestation can express the totality of theall encompassing whole.
2. The Divine Principle is present in Nature and in each one of us. Pagans are very concerned about the state of Mother Earth and consider themselves Her guardians and protectors.  They honor the life forms which lived with them on the planet, take only what they need and pay homage to the Earth for providing for them by giving back to the Earth.
3. The Divine Principle is represented as both female and male, the Goddess and God, the yin and yang.  Pagans believe strongly in the balance and harmony of these dualities and that they must address theimbalances encountered and bring them into balance. 
4. The Basic Pagan Ethic is “do no harm”.  This means a Pagan cannot cause harm to anyone or anything and they must give back in some way to counteract anything taken or abused.

Like most religions, pagans celebrate rituals marking changes and events in life. Rituals can be ceremonies of celebration or a way of honoring the Deities and thanking them for their blessings. In the pagan calendar there are usually eight major holy days, or Sabbats relating to the cycles of Nature. The major pagan Sabbats or Festivals are determined by the position of the Sun  and  Moon within the agricultural year which ordained the days when one should plant or harvest crops, breed animals, or kill livestock and decreed the times when the Gods should be worshipped. These Sabbats were usually celebrated on the evening preceding the festival day, for the night was seen as belonging to the next day. The day was traversed from sunset to sunset.

The nature of Paganism is that of exploring, evolution, and opening up.”

 ~ Gede Parma ~