Modern Paganism is steeped in myth and inaccurate portrayals in today's media. Terms such as pagan, heathen, and witch are steeped in superstition and mystery. The term pagan comes from the term pagani, meaning people who live in the country. Heathen quite literally means one who dwells on the hearth. A witch is simply a follower of the oldest known religion. These misconceptions need to be dismissed so that Neo-Pagans can live free of unjust prejudices in every aspect of modern life
With a collective shout, a man draped in dingy animal hide plunges the first of many primitive spears deep into a beast's earthen hide. Paleothic man danced to the rhythmic shouts of his brethren circling and jabbing the clay bison. The juggernaut falls to the ground and the hunters erupt in joyous howls, celebrating the portent of a successful hunt. With that, early man cast the first spell using sympathetic magick, the belief that like attracts like.
Even pre-historic man understood the duality of humankind. They had the God of the Hunt, now for a goddess. In order to have a successful hunt they needed the animals to reproduce. Thus they had their goddess, the Goddess of Fertility. Not just for the animals but for the fertility of the women of the tribe also. The Goddess is most often depicted as an overly engorged pregnant female.
Since those first 'pagans' the religion has persevered through the worst persecutions the world has ever seen. Including the Malleus Malleficarum, Witches
Hammer of 1486 which gave explicit instruction on how to root out and deal with witches and others who didn't follow the Christian God. Then the Witchcraft Act passed by King James I in 1694 that stated "It shall be Felony to ractice, or cause to be racticed Conjuration, Witchcraft, Enchantment or Sorcery, to get Money; or to consume any Person in his Body, Members or Goods; or to provoke any Person to unlawful Love; or for the Despight of Christ, or Lucre of Money, to pull down any Cross; or to declare where Goods stolen be." It was then that the craft went underground and was nearly unheard of until 1954 when the last of the anti-witch laws were finally lifted from the books in England
That cleared the way for witches and other pagans to finally come out of hiding. Leading the way was Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner. In his book, Witchcraft Today, he boldly stated "Witchcraft was a religion and, in fact, it still is. I know, because I am a witch myself." Whatever ones feelings about Dr. Gardner and Gardnerian Witchcraft, he is owed a great debt from the pagan community for his bravery in the face of ignorance.
Since then, according to ARIS (American Religious Identification Survey), conducted by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Wicca, and other earth-based religions are growing faster than any other religion in America. From 40,000 in 1990 to 259,000 in 2001. That's nearly 600% increase compared to Christianities hardly recognizable 10%. It would seem now that we have a choice, rather than what's forced down our throats through fear. Christianity is rapidly loosing its stolen foothold.
Today Pagans congregate openly for festivals, workshops and other rituals free from the fear of persecution, something that was unheard of 50 years ago. There are more and more family focused groups emerging to help Pagans along their spiritual paths. Even US Military chaplains must be well versed in Wiccan rituals in order to deal with the varying religious needs of today's soldiers.
The pagan community is extremely diverse, with rituals and beliefs varying from practitioner to practitioner. While in most religions such diversity is bound to lead adversity, the Pagan path embraces these differences teaching that they believe that no one Path to the Sacred is right for all people, and to see their own religious pattern as only one among many that are equally worthy. ("US Army Chaplains Handbook" 236) Some of the most popular sects include: Gardnerian Wica, Seax-Wica, Kaballahism, Druidism, and Urban Primitives.
Named for its founder, Dr. Gerald Gardner, Gardnerian Wica was the first denomination to make itself publicly known. The tradition places emphasis on the Goddess over the God giving the Priestess dominance over the priest. As many other covens and sects, they teach the Wican Rede, "An it harm none, Do what thou will." A teaching very similar to the Christian/Jewish golden rule.
Seax-Wica was founded by Raymond Buckland, one of the first American Witches, in 1973. The tradition draws its inspiration from a Saxon base. It in no way claims its lineage as a re-creation or continuation of the original Saxon religion. They focus on the belief that the teachings should be freely available for anyone who wants to learn, removing the mystery that has enveloped the religion for centuries.
Kabbalah is a school of thought that acknowledges the mystical aspects of Judaism. Though recently popularized by such celebrities as Madonna and Britney Spears, the tradition traces its roots to the Garden of Eden. Kabbalahists seek to define the inner meanings of the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, and traditional Rabbinic literature. Along with these texts Kabbalah has a strong oral tradition where most of their secrets are passed down at certain points in an initiates walk.
Inspired by the romantic movements of the 17th-19th century modern Druidism teaches a love for Mother Earth and Father Sky and to look at animals and plants as brothers and sisters. These Neo-Druids often gather together for the consumption of the "water of life" or Irish whiskey. An interesting fact is that most of the founders of the RDNA (Reformed Druids of North America) were practicing Christians.
Urban Primitives are a very modern sect of Neo-Paganism that focus on the evolution of the Craft with today's society. They believe that as cities grow they develop their own spirits and personalities and must be appeased and acknowledged to live with peacefully. They also believe the natural spirits of old have found new life in the city in electrical lines, sewers and radio waves. Many of their spells use low cost substitutions found in the everyday modern household.
Pagans today enjoy more freedom today than any other point in American history. There are still many pagan stores and families that are quite litrally ran out of town by Fundamentalist Christians. Margie Allen, a pagan shop owner from Kingsland Texas, was forced to close her shop and move her family because they were harassed with threatening phone calls and letters in 2004.
Although today's society is slowly becoming more tolerant and accepting of modern Pagan beliefs, there are still many taboos and misconceptions that Neo-Pagans must overcome. That is precisely why many Pagans prefer to practice their beliefs in solitude and secrecy, away from the blind eyes of prejudice. This veil of secrecy makes it impossible to accurately count the actual number of Pagans in the United States and the world.
The many curtains and secrets that surround modern Paganism are there for protection from uninformed society that fear and loathe what they do not know or understand. Modern Pagans should discuss their beliefs while still holding true to the traditions of secrecy that many hold so tightly to.
With a collective shout, a man draped in dingy animal hide plunges the first of many primitive spears deep into a beast's earthen hide. Paleothic man danced to the rhythmic shouts of his brethren circling and jabbing the clay bison. The juggernaut falls to the ground and the hunters erupt in joyous howls, celebrating the portent of a successful hunt. With that, early man cast the first spell using sympathetic magick, the belief that like attracts like.
Even pre-historic man understood the duality of humankind. They had the God of the Hunt, now for a goddess. In order to have a successful hunt they needed the animals to reproduce. Thus they had their goddess, the Goddess of Fertility. Not just for the animals but for the fertility of the women of the tribe also. The Goddess is most often depicted as an overly engorged pregnant female.
Since those first 'pagans' the religion has persevered through the worst persecutions the world has ever seen. Including the Malleus Malleficarum, Witches
Hammer of 1486 which gave explicit instruction on how to root out and deal with witches and others who didn't follow the Christian God. Then the Witchcraft Act passed by King James I in 1694 that stated "It shall be Felony to ractice, or cause to be racticed Conjuration, Witchcraft, Enchantment or Sorcery, to get Money; or to consume any Person in his Body, Members or Goods; or to provoke any Person to unlawful Love; or for the Despight of Christ, or Lucre of Money, to pull down any Cross; or to declare where Goods stolen be." It was then that the craft went underground and was nearly unheard of until 1954 when the last of the anti-witch laws were finally lifted from the books in England
That cleared the way for witches and other pagans to finally come out of hiding. Leading the way was Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner. In his book, Witchcraft Today, he boldly stated "Witchcraft was a religion and, in fact, it still is. I know, because I am a witch myself." Whatever ones feelings about Dr. Gardner and Gardnerian Witchcraft, he is owed a great debt from the pagan community for his bravery in the face of ignorance.
Since then, according to ARIS (American Religious Identification Survey), conducted by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, Wicca, and other earth-based religions are growing faster than any other religion in America. From 40,000 in 1990 to 259,000 in 2001. That's nearly 600% increase compared to Christianities hardly recognizable 10%. It would seem now that we have a choice, rather than what's forced down our throats through fear. Christianity is rapidly loosing its stolen foothold.
Today Pagans congregate openly for festivals, workshops and other rituals free from the fear of persecution, something that was unheard of 50 years ago. There are more and more family focused groups emerging to help Pagans along their spiritual paths. Even US Military chaplains must be well versed in Wiccan rituals in order to deal with the varying religious needs of today's soldiers.
The pagan community is extremely diverse, with rituals and beliefs varying from practitioner to practitioner. While in most religions such diversity is bound to lead adversity, the Pagan path embraces these differences teaching that they believe that no one Path to the Sacred is right for all people, and to see their own religious pattern as only one among many that are equally worthy. ("US Army Chaplains Handbook" 236) Some of the most popular sects include: Gardnerian Wica, Seax-Wica, Kaballahism, Druidism, and Urban Primitives.
Named for its founder, Dr. Gerald Gardner, Gardnerian Wica was the first denomination to make itself publicly known. The tradition places emphasis on the Goddess over the God giving the Priestess dominance over the priest. As many other covens and sects, they teach the Wican Rede, "An it harm none, Do what thou will." A teaching very similar to the Christian/Jewish golden rule.
Seax-Wica was founded by Raymond Buckland, one of the first American Witches, in 1973. The tradition draws its inspiration from a Saxon base. It in no way claims its lineage as a re-creation or continuation of the original Saxon religion. They focus on the belief that the teachings should be freely available for anyone who wants to learn, removing the mystery that has enveloped the religion for centuries.
Kabbalah is a school of thought that acknowledges the mystical aspects of Judaism. Though recently popularized by such celebrities as Madonna and Britney Spears, the tradition traces its roots to the Garden of Eden. Kabbalahists seek to define the inner meanings of the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, and traditional Rabbinic literature. Along with these texts Kabbalah has a strong oral tradition where most of their secrets are passed down at certain points in an initiates walk.
Inspired by the romantic movements of the 17th-19th century modern Druidism teaches a love for Mother Earth and Father Sky and to look at animals and plants as brothers and sisters. These Neo-Druids often gather together for the consumption of the "water of life" or Irish whiskey. An interesting fact is that most of the founders of the RDNA (Reformed Druids of North America) were practicing Christians.
Urban Primitives are a very modern sect of Neo-Paganism that focus on the evolution of the Craft with today's society. They believe that as cities grow they develop their own spirits and personalities and must be appeased and acknowledged to live with peacefully. They also believe the natural spirits of old have found new life in the city in electrical lines, sewers and radio waves. Many of their spells use low cost substitutions found in the everyday modern household.
Pagans today enjoy more freedom today than any other point in American history. There are still many pagan stores and families that are quite litrally ran out of town by Fundamentalist Christians. Margie Allen, a pagan shop owner from Kingsland Texas, was forced to close her shop and move her family because they were harassed with threatening phone calls and letters in 2004.
Although today's society is slowly becoming more tolerant and accepting of modern Pagan beliefs, there are still many taboos and misconceptions that Neo-Pagans must overcome. That is precisely why many Pagans prefer to practice their beliefs in solitude and secrecy, away from the blind eyes of prejudice. This veil of secrecy makes it impossible to accurately count the actual number of Pagans in the United States and the world.
The many curtains and secrets that surround modern Paganism are there for protection from uninformed society that fear and loathe what they do not know or understand. Modern Pagans should discuss their beliefs while still holding true to the traditions of secrecy that many hold so tightly to.
