what being pagan means
the term “pagan” comes from the latin word paganus, which refers to those who lived in the country.
this term was assigned to them because, when christianity started to grow in the roman empire, it was primarily in cities, so those who lived outside of the cities kept believing in “the old ways” and were known as people who believed in things outside “mainstream” religions, like christianity or judaism.
they are known, primarily, for not having any official doctrine and believing in a divine presence in nature, and they mostly live by the wheel of the year rather than the roman calendar of months.
different types of paganism
historical paganism
paleopaganism
civilopaganism
mesopaganism
syncretopaganism
neopaganism
secular paganism
modern paganism
naturalistic paganism
humanistic paganism
paleopaganism is the standard of paganism. it’s a pagan culture that hasn’t been disrupted by “civilization” by another culture. for example: druidism (ancient celtic religion), the religions of the pre-patriarchal cultures of old europe, norse religion, pre-columbian native u.s. religions, etc.
civilopaganism is the beliefs of “civilized” communities which evolved in paleopagan cultures, such as: classical greco-roman religion, egyptian religion, middle-eastern paganism, aztec religion, etc.
mesopaganism consists of a group, which may or may not still constitute a separate culture, that has been influenced by a conquering culture, but has been able to maintain an independence of religious practice.
syncretopaganism, while similar to mesopaganism, had to tosubmerge itself into the dominant culture, and adopt the external practices and symbols of the other religion. for example, the various afro-diasporic traditions (voodoo, santeria, etc.), culdee christianity, etc.
the term neopaganism, a.k.a. contemporary paganism or modern paganism, was coined in the 19th century, when paganism resurfaces as a topic of fascination in romanticism. particularly in the context of the literary celtic and viking revivalism that portrayed historical celtic and germanic polytheists as noble savages.
revivalism, in architecture, is the use of visual styles that consciously echo the style of a previous architectural era.
by the mid-1930s it was used to refer to new religious movements, and by 1964 and 1965, it was used as self-designation in publications related to witchcraft. at the time it was used by revivalist witches in the u.s. and the u.k.
contemporary paganism attempts to reconnect with nature, using imagery and forms from other types of pagans but adjusting them to the needs of modern people. their practices and beliefs are said to be a collection of modern, religious, spiritual and magical traditions that are self-consciously inspired by the pre-judaic, pre-christian, and pre-islamic belief systems of europe, north africa, and the near east. some examples are:
wicca, in its many forms
neoshamanism
neodruidism
asatru and other forms of norse neopaganism
neonative u.s. practices
the range of practices labeled “women’s spirituality”
secular paganism is a form of neopaganism in which pagan deities are viewed as archetypes instead of real beings, but pagan virtues and principles are upheld. this means that secular pagans do not have a formal religion — they do not believe in any form of goddess or god. however, they remain pagan to its truest form.
notes:
historical paganism is passed down generation to generation, while neopaganism is self taught and closely related to historical paganism beliefs.
secular paganism is not atheist paganism, as secular pagans believe in energy —or chi— while atheists simply do not believe in anything. although secular means non-religious by definition, secular witches still believe in energy. religion is not the same as the belief in the supernatural. religion is also not synonymous with theism because there are non-theistic forms of religion, like buddhism and taoism.
the fifteen guiding principles of secular paganism, according to abby willoroot:
ethical behaviour does not require a religion
all living things have a unique spirit or soul
the equality of genders, races, and all humans
care must be taken in using nature’s resources
all Earth’s life is connected and inter-dependant
the Gaia Principle is an important, basic, truth
the cycles of Nature teach us what is important
balance must be maintained for all life to flourish
our health depends on the the environment’s health
our individual actions can and do have consequences
evolution is an ongoing process that occurs in all species
birth, living and death are natural cycles shared by all life
respect for ourselves requires respect for the Earth
all human cultures have value and can teach us
goddesses and gods can be seen as metaphors
“secular paganism is not a religion — it is an ethical view of the world, based on the belief that nature is sacred and must be respected and treasured. secular pagans hold many of the same views about nature that religious pagans and many people of other religions do. secular pagans believe that we are a part of nature, not her master. there are no particular religious views connected with secular paganism.”
—Abby Willowroot
naturalistic paganism is a form of philosophical naturalism, which seeks to explain the universe without resort to supernatural causes. for naturalistic pagans, “naturalistic” is synonymous with “scientific.” in general, they adopt the most current explanations of science and are skeptical of claims not supported by science.
naturalistic pagans are also skeptical about things like magic(k), psychic abilities or communication with spirit entities, attributing intention to inanimate nature to the extent that, when they speak about “magic(k)” or “gods,” they tend to use these words differently than their common usage. naturalistic pagans may understand “gods” as metaphors for natural phenomena.
in short, naturalistic paganism integrates mythic, editative, and ritual practices with a worldview based on the most compelling scientific evidence.
as well as naturalistic paganism, humanistic paganism describes the pagan path for those who are uncomfortable with or skeptical of the supernatural or metaphysical elements of contemporary paganism. they are pagans who are firmly rooted in the physical world. humanistic paganism “is a naturalistic path rooted in ancient paganism and contemporary science.” it is a form of religious or spiritual humanism.
religious humanism can describe any religion that takes a human-centered ethical perspective as contrasted with a deity-centered ethical perspective. what is good is defined in terms of human experience rather than the will of any goddess or god. religious humanists tend to be atheistic or non-theistic. for religious humanists, human experience and reason provide a more than sufficient basis for ethical action without supernatural revelation. humanistic paganism can embrace the notion that we humans are part of a much larger community of beings to whom we have ethical obligations. the adjective “humanistic” is intended to contrast with “theistic;” it excludes goddesses and gods, but not other living beings.
