Many Neopagans and Neopagan traditions attempt to incorporate historical religions and mythologies into their beliefs and practices, often emphasizing the hoary age of their sources; thus, Wicca in particular is sometimes referred to by its proponents as the "Old Religion", a term popularised by Margaret Murray in the 1920s, while Germanic Neopaganism is referred to as Forn Sed, "the Old Way". Such emphasis on the antiquity of religious tradition is not particular to Neopaganism, and is found in many other religions, compare for examp ...

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Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Historical sources

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Historical sources

A sect within Neopaganism is sometimes referred to as a "tradition," although this term is more properly used to define a sect within a particular Neopagan religion, such as Wicca, Hellenism, Ásatrú, Druidry, Dianics etc. There are many traditions within the larger world of Neopaganism, most of which are identified according to the pantheon they work with, or the founder of the tradition. The main distinction between the branches is between reconstructionism, the attempt to base a modern approach to paganism on a particular h ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Traditions

Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism) describes a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, mainly pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. Often these are Indo-European in origin, but with a growing component inspired by other religions indigenous to Europe, such as Finno-Ugric, as well as those of other parts of the world. As th ...

Including:

• Neopaganism - History
• Neopaganism - Historical sources
• Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents
• Neopaganism - Pantheon
• Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual
• Neopaganism - Number of adherents
• Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity
• Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender
• Neopaganism - Traditions
• Neopaganism - Reconstructionist
• Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic
• Neopaganism - Related theological concepts
• Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'
• Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia - Neopaganism

The characterization of the witch in Europe is not derived from a single source. Popular neopagan beliefs suggest that witches were female shamans who were made into malicious figures by Christian propaganda. This is an erroneous oversimplification and presumes that a recognizable folklore figure must derive from a single historical precedent (a female, maligned magic-worker). The familiar witch of folklore and popu ...

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European witchcraft, European witchcraft - History of European witchcraft, European witchcraft - Typical practices, European witchcraft - Witchcraft and the Church, European witchcraft - Beginnings, European witchcraft - Middle Ages

Read more here: » European witchcraft: Encyclopedia II - European witchcraft - Typical practices

The characterization of the witch in Europe is not derived from a single source. Popular neopagan beliefs suggest that witches were female shamans who were made into malicious figures by Christian propaganda. This is an oversimplification and presumes that a recognizable folklore figure must derive from a single historical precedent (a female, maligned magic-worker). The familiar witch of folklore and popular superstition is a combination of numerous influences. The characterization of the witch, rather than being a caricature of a Pa ...

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Witchcraft, Witchcraft - Practices typically considered to be witchcraft, Witchcraft - Etymology, Witchcraft - European witchcraft, Witchcraft - Middle Eastern witchcraft, Witchcraft - Ancient Middle Eastern and Near Eastern beliefs, Witchcraft - Witchcraft in the Tanakh Hebrew Bible Old Testament, Witchcraft - Witchcraft in the New Testament, Witchcraft - Jewish views of witchcraft, Witchcraft - African witchcraft, Witchcraft - Theories of Neopagan witchcraft, Witchcraft - Additional Reading

Read more here: » Witchcraft: Encyclopedia II - Witchcraft - European witchcraft

During Christianization, Christianity became itself suffused by pagan elements, but it was not until the High Middle Ages that interest of the scholastic in the culture and religion of Classical Antiquity began to revive. Thomas Aquinas attempted to fuse concepts of Graeco-Roman philosophy and cosmology with Christianity. With the Renaissance, Graeco-Roman mythology became omnipresent in Europe, but it was still clad in a Christian interpretation. Neopaganism proper begins only with 18th century Romanticism, and the surge of interest in Germ ...

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Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - History

During Christianization, Christianity became itself suffused by pagan elements, but it was not until the High Middle Ages that interest of the scholastic in the culture and religion of Classical Antiquity began to revive. Thomas Aquinas attempted to fuse concepts of Graeco-Roman philosophy and cosmology with Christianity. With the Renaissance, Graeco-Roman mythology became omnipresent in Europe, but it was still clad in a Christian interpretation. Neopaganism proper begins only with 18th century Romanticism, and the surge of interest in Germ ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - History

Many Neopagan movements overlap with occultism, witchcraft and magic. Wicca in particular emphasizes the role of witchcraft and ritual. Most Neopagan religions celebrate the cycles and seasons of nature through a festival calendar that honors these changes. The festival calendar can change from climate to climate, and can also depend upon one's religious path of choice. ...

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Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual

While today's Neopaganism does continue many beliefs and practices of previous forms of Paganism, including many gods and goddesses, it is in many ways claimed to be very different. Especially syncretistic Neopagans have concepts of deities and the divine that vary widely. Belief systems self-describing as Pagan may include elements of dualism, panentheism, pantheism and animism, and it is sometimes difficult to draw an ex ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity

The term "Neopagan" is used by academics and adherents alike to denote those Pagan traditions which are largely modern in origin, or which are conceived as reconstructions of ancient practices. Some critics claim that Neopagans cannot legitimately be considered practitioners of any "true" Pagan religion, citing that in the history of ideas it is understood that revivals are not identical to their models: e.g., Roman sculpture compared to the neoclassicism of, for example, Antonio Canova. Furthermore, a revival or reconstruction can on ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Most Neopagan traditions are polytheistic, but the interpretation of the concept of deity may vary widely, including pantheistic, deist, henotheistic, psychological and mystical interpretations. In Wicca, the concept of an Earth or Mother Goddess similar to Greek Gaia is emphasized, but male counterparts are also evoked, like the Green Man and the Horned God, loosely based on Celtic Cernunnos. ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Pantheon

A sect within Neopaganism is sometimes referred to as a "tradition," although this term is more properly used to define a sect within a particular Neopagan religion, such as Wicca, Hellenism, Ásatrú, Druidry, Dianics etc. There are many traditions within the larger world of Neopaganism, most of which are identified according to the pantheon they work with, or the founder of the tradition. The main distinction between the branches is between reconstructionism, the attempt to base a modern approach to paganism on a particular h ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Traditions

Many Neopagan movements overlap with occultism, witchcraft and magic. Wicca in particular emphasizes the role of witchcraft and ritual. Most Neopagan religions celebrate the cycles and seasons of nature through a festival calendar that honors these changes. The festival calendar can change from climate to climate, and can also depend upon one's religious path of choice. ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual

While today's Neopaganism does continue many beliefs and practices of previous forms of Paganism, including many gods and goddesses, it is in many ways claimed to be very different. Especially syncretistic Neopagans have concepts of deities and the divine that vary widely. Belief systems self-describing as Pagan may include elements of dualism, panentheism, pantheism and animism, and it is sometimes difficult to draw an ex ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity

The term "Neopagan" is used by academics and adherents alike to denote those Pagan traditions which are largely modern in origin, or which are conceived as reconstructions of ancient practices. Some critics claim that Neopagans cannot legitimately be considered practitioners of any "true" Pagan religion, citing that in the history of ideas it is understood that revivals are not identical to their models: e.g., Roman sculpture compared to the neoclassicism of, for example, Antonio Canova. Furthermore, a revival or reconstruction can on ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Adherents.com estimates there are one million Neopagans. It is necessary to define clearly who is included in any estimate, as Neopagan could mean active initiates, or anyone who likes Tarot! Also there is a difference between Western (Neo) Paganism, (technically a New Religious Movement), and worldwide traditional Neopagan faiths. It is possible, however, to consider these varied and diverse indigenous religions, generically referred to as "pagan" by monotheistic faiths, as having enough in common to warrant grouping them together as a single religious movement. Th ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan', Neopaganism - Sources

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Number of adherents

Most Neopagan traditions are polytheistic, but the interpretation of the concept of deity may vary widely, including pantheistic, deist, henotheistic, psychological and mystical interpretations. In Wicca, the concept of an Earth or Mother Goddess similar to Greek Gaia is emphasized, but male counterparts are also evoked, like the Green Man and the Horned God, loosely based on Celtic Cernunnos. ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Pantheon

Adherents.com estimates there are one million Neopagans. It is necessary to define clearly who is included in any estimate, as Neopagan could mean active initiates, or anyone who likes Tarot! Also there is a difference between Western (Neo) Paganism, (technically a New Religious Movement), and worldwide traditional Neopagan faiths. It is possible, however, to consider these varied and diverse indigenous religions, generically referred to as "pagan" by monotheistic faiths, as having enough in common to warrant grouping them together as a single religious movement. Th ...

See also:

Neopaganism, Neopaganism - History, Neopaganism - Historical sources, Neopaganism - Ecological and mystical currents, Neopaganism - Pantheon, Neopaganism - Worship and Ritual, Neopaganism - Number of adherents, Neopaganism - Concepts of divinity, Neopaganism - Neopagan views of gods and gender, Neopaganism - Traditions, Neopaganism - Reconstructionist, Neopaganism - Syncretist and eclectic, Neopaganism - Related theological concepts, Neopaganism - Usage of the term 'Neopagan'

Read more here: » Neopaganism: Encyclopedia II - Neopaganism - Number of adherents