A Brief Introduction to Paganism

by Delia Morgan, 1999

Paganism refers not to a specific religion, but rather to a group of religions. In its broadest sense the word ‘Pagan’ refers to any faith other than Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which is to say: most of the world’s religious traditions. In that sense Paganism today could be seen to consist of three major branches: the great Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism; the indigenous or ‘primal’ religions, often with a heavy emphasis on shamanism, which have long existed in Australia, Africa, the Americas, and some other parts of the world; and finally the rapidly growing Neo-Pagan movement which emphasizes both a rebirth of ancient Pagan traditions, and also the creative spark necessary to re-imagine and reinvent what has been lost. In practice, those describing themselves as ‘Pagan’ are generally Neo-Pagans, since they are the ones most proudly reclaiming the word to describe their spirituality. (Despite common misconceptions, they is nothing inherently negative or disparaging in the word ‘Pagan’; it comes from Latin ‘pagani’ which meant a person living in the country.) Neo-Pagans seem so far to be most active in Europe and North America, and they are of many diverse paths. Our student group is founded by Neo-Pagans, but is open to and interested in learning about any and all Pagan traditions. Most of the following was written with Neo-Pagan and/or indigenous Pagan religions in mind.

In general, Pagan religions are Nature religions; we emphasize the divinity immanent in the natural world, we revere the Earth as sacred, and respect our fellow creatures that share the planet with us. We do not feel that humans own the Earth, but rather that humans are one small part of the living planet. Pantheism is the religious idea that equates the Deity with Nature, and most Pagan religions are pantheistic. This means we do not conceive of a Deity outside of Nature, but rather within it or identical with it. Since Nature contains all that is, we do not think that anything could be outside of Nature. Hence we don’t use the word ‘supernatural’ to describe religious or magical phenomena. All these things are part of Nature, and we conceive of Nature in a much larger way than the term is usually used.

Pagan religions are usually also polytheistic - honoring a number of different Goddesses and Gods, with the viewpoint that Deity, like Nature, comes in many diverse forms. We especially encourage the return of the feminine face of the divine, so long missing in western monotheism. For many of us, the Great Goddess is seen as a creatress who births the universe as a sacred living being, rather than a creator who manufactures the world as an object. But we also honor many other Gods, and this natural diversity of divine beings and religious expression leads naturally to a great degree of religious tolerance. We do not think that any religion has a monopoly on the Truth, and we encourage bold spiritual exploration. Many or most Pagan religions are also animistic: we sense that the world around us is not dead inert matter, but rather infused with spirit or soul. For too long the modern Western world has seen fit to treat the rest of the planet, including its many beings, as mere objects, in the belief that only humans have a soul; but to Pagans everything in Nature has Spirit/Soul and must be treated with profound respect.

The Pagan path is one of experience rather than dogma; we have no rigidly adhered-to set of scriptural doctrines but rather encourage each person to discover their path for themselves and to foster their own spiritual growth. There are various Pagan churches and other organizations which follow a distinctive path; but seldom or never do they claim to have the only true way. We draw upon a large body of sacred traditions for inspiration - worldwide mythology, music and dance, art and ritual - as well as our own personal connection to the natural world, whether it be wilderness or backyard garden. We also draw upon the collective spiritual experience of our fellow Pagans; we share our stories and our songs, our dreams and our devotion, and we enrich each other. Together we may find that this is a time of great awakening, a renaissance of the eternal Pagan spiritual path; and together we can help to create it.

Bright Blessings! Thank you for visiting our page.