Noun
Paganism- Local religions practiced before the introduction of Christianity.
- : Recently converted societies often dealt harshly with signs of a return to paganism.
- A class of religions often associated with nature rituals.
- : While paganism is a broad term, most forms pay close attention to the lunar and solar cycles.
Read full definition at wiktionary.org
...Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller, rustic")http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/pagan.html is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world. It is a term which, from a Western perspective, has modern connotations of spiritualist, animist or shamanic practices or beliefs of any folk religion contemporary. It has also been used as an equivalent term for polytheistic religions. Catholic Encyclopaedia (1917 edition) on paganism Read full entry
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- 1.Paganism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- ... Historical Polytheism (such as Celtic polytheism and Norse paganism), Folk ... Paganism" frequently refers to the religions of classical antiquity, most ...
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P
aganism
- 2.CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Paganism
- Paganism, in the broadest sense includes all religions other than the true one revealed by God, and, in a narrower sense, all except Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathe
n/11388a.htm
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Paganism??
I looked alot of stuff up on
Paganism,
but i want to hear about it
from actual people.
What is the idea?
what do they believe?
Who do they worship? or belive
in?
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In simplest terms Paganism is a religion of place, or a native religion, for example the Native American's religion is Pagan, Hinduism is a form of Paganism. All Pagan religions are characterised by a connection and reverence for nature, and are usually polytheistic i.e. have many Gods and/or Goddesses. Modern Paganism as practised in the west is particular to the native peoples of the west and although there are many forms most are descended from Celtic origins. Modern Paganism or 'neo-Paganism' has the following characteristics: 1. Paganism is a religion of nature, in other words Pagans revere Nature. Pagans see the divine as immanent in the whole of life and the universe; in every tree, plant, animal and object, man and woman and in the dark side of life as much as in the light. Pagans live their lives attuned to the cycles of Nature, the seasons, life and death. 2. Unlike the patriarchal religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) the divine is female as well as male and therefore there is a Goddess as well as a God. These deities are within us as well as without us (immanent); they are us. They are not simply substitutes for the Muslim or Judeo-Christian God. This is because the Gods of the major religions tend to be super-natural i.e. above nature whereas Pagan deities are natural, symbolizing aspects of nature or human nature. Having said that God and Goddess are split from the Great Spirit or Akashka which probably equates to the God of the patriarchal religions. 3. The Goddess represents all that is female and the God represents all that is male. But because nature is seen as female the Goddess has a wider meaning. Often called Mother Earth or Gaia she is seen as the creatrix and sustainer of life, the mother of us all which makes all the creatures on the planet our siblings. 4. There are sub-groups of named Gods and Goddesses called Pantheons, drawn from the distant past, for example Isis and Osiris from Egypt or Thor, Odin, Freya et al from Norse religion and mythology. Ancient Pagans would have worshipped one or a small number of Gods and Goddesses, whilst often recognizing the validity of other people's deities. The concept of an overall, un-named Goddess and God, the sum totals of all the others, appears to be a recent one but individual named deities represent particular human qualities or archetypes and are often used as a focus for celebrations and spiritual rites. 5. Paganism has developed alongside mankind for thousands of years; as cultures have changed so has Paganism, yet it is grounded in deep rooted genetic memories that go back to neolithic times and before. Thus Paganism is not just a nature religion but a natural religion. 6. Paganism in the west takes a number of forms including Wicca, Druidism, and Shamanism. 7. To Pagans the four ancient elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water have special significance. The importance of these is hard to define because they have so many correspondences, for example they are associated with the four directions, North, East, South and West. Each element is a kind of spiritual substance from which all things are made especially ourselves and at the same time are Guardians both of ourselves and of the Goddess and God, and guarding the gateways between this world and the other world. 8. Many Pagans believe in reincarnation in some form. It gives Pagans a substantially different view of life. Early Christians saw Karma as a kind of treadmill, trapping people in endless reincarnations, never free. But Pagans see reincarnation as, at best, a chance to improve or to continue unfinished work, and at worst just a simple re-cycling of souls. |
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How can I learn about eclectic I'm curious and I want to know
if there are any good books
out there about eclectic
paganism. I feel in my heart
that I want to follow a
spiritual path and I've read
about many traditional pagan
paths and about wicca, but it
just doesn't seem quite right.
I have searched for
information about eclectic
paganism on the web and I
can't find ANYTHING. Any help
from your own knowledge of
suggestions for books or
websites would be greatly
appreciated.
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"Eclectic" means that you take some of this and some of that and mix it together for what feels right to you. There are no books written that cover this since it is different for everyone. Keep reading about the various pagan paths. Jot down in a diary or BOS (book of shadows) what 'feels' right to you, what 'calls' you whether it be deity, or ways of doing things, etc. Eclectic is fun because you can mix and match pantheons and rituals all you want, there is no 'wrong way' to do anything, it is all your way. |
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What are good sources to read It has been suggested in other
questions on this site that my
spiritual leanings are towards
pantheistic paganism. The
question where this has been
suggested is still open, if
you'd like to chime in or read
more fully what my leanings
are.
So, my question is: what are
good sources (books, articles,
websites, anything) to begin
researching this branch of
paganism?
Alternatively, if you've read
the open question about my
spiritual leanings and
disagree with this
characterization, what
alternate sources would you
recommend?
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