Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Pagan, Myanmar Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan (Ultima), the world in which the Ultima VIII:Pagan computer game takes place Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagan, the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan A member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club Pagan - People. There are also numerous people for whom Pagan is eithe ...

Including:

• Pagan - People

Read more here: » Pagan: Encyclopedia - Pagan

Including:

• Paganism - Etymology
• Paganism - Pagan
• Paganism - Heathen
• Paganism - Terminology
• Paganism - Common Word Usage
• Paganism - Heathenry
• Paganism - Pagan classifications
• Paganism - Pagan religions
• Paganism - Neo-pagan religions
• Paganism - Neopaganism
• Paganism - Modern nature religion
• Paganism - Notes

Read more here: » Paganism: Encyclopedia - Paganism

PAGANING: Presentation of an infant to the Circle and to the Gods.

(See also: PAGANING, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

Paganism & Pornography

At times my political views seem to lead me into contradictions. Last month saw me writing a furious letter to Penthouse magazine concerning their misinformed story on Witchcraft. Within two weeks I was writing to the head of the QuickTrip Corporation protesting the removal of Penthouse from their stores. You'd think I would have been happy at a blow struck against a magazine that maligned my religion. Not so. At stake is the free expression of ideas. Misinformation and censorship are both threats to that freedom. Of the two, I judge censorship to be the greater threat. As long as publishing continues unimpeded, retraction of misinformation is possible. When publishing is censored, even that becomes impossible.

Read more here: » Paganism: Paganism Pornography

Reflections on OLD GUARD PAGANISM

'Old Guard Paganism'. The phrase started out as a joke, but then caught on. This tells us something. It tells us there is a NEED for such a term. It also implies its own antithesis, 'New Guard Paganism'. And it indicates that there is some difference between the two -- a 'difference that makes a difference' -- and thus requires differentiating labels. (It should perhaps be noted that the word 'Paganism' is used in the present context -- however inaccurately -- to refer to modern Neo-Pagan Witchcraft, or Wicca. With grave misgivings, I have adopted this usage here.)

Read more here: » Paganism: Reflections on OLD GUARD PAGANISM

SEXUAL COME-ONS AT PAGAN FESTIVALS - An Open Letter to the Web of Oz

Like many another Neo-Pagan, I began life under the heavy indoctrination of Christian precepts. Like many others, I found this upbringing to be not only painful, but psychologically damaging, as well. It has taken years of disciplined work to shrug off the feelings of guilt and self-recrimination foisted upon me during those years. Especially, I remember the pain of being taught to feel shame and remorse over each and every thought I had of a sexual nature. And any overt sexual act (other than narrowly defined exceptions) was anathema -- a cause for eternal damnation. 

Read more here: » Paganism: SEXUAL COME-ONS AT PAGAN FESTIVALS - An Open Letter to the Web of Oz

The first time I noticed conflicting ritual elements was when I was invited as a guest to attend another Coven's esbat celebration. When the time came to 'invoke the Watchtowers' (a ritual salutation to the four directions), I was amazed to learn that this group associated the element of Earth with the North. My own Coven equated North with Air. How odd, I thought. Where'd they get that? The High Priestess told me it had been copied out of a number of published sources. Further, she said she had never seen it listed any other way. I raced home and began tearing books from my own library shelves. And sure enough! Practically every book I consulted gave the following assoications as standard: North = Earth, East = Air, South = Fire, West = Water.

Then where the heck did I get the idea that Air belonged in the North?

Read more here: » Paganism: RE-THINKING THE WATCHTOWERS or 13 Reasons Air Should Be In The North

Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

There are many out there who believe that Wicca and its related forms of NeoPagism are a type of Celtic Paganism (and vice versa),  but this is simply not true. The following article is meant to be a comparison of Wicca and Celtic Paganism in order to demonstrate this, and to educate the public about Celtic Paganism. While Wicca certainly contains elements of Celtic mythology, folk magic and religious belief, its basic tenets and beliefs are radically different from those of Celtic Pagans.

Read more here: » Wicca and Celtic Paganism: Why Wicca is Not Celtic Paganism

Toward a Celtic Numerology

What's in a word? Or a name? What special power resides in a word, connecting it so intimately to the very thing it symbolizes? Does each word or name have its own 'vibration', as is generally believed by those of us who follow the Western occult tradition? And if so, how do we begin to unravel its meaning? Just what, exactly, is in a word? Well, LETTERS are in a word. In fact, letters COMPRISE the word. Which is why Taliesyn's remark had always puzzled me. Why didn't he say he had been a 'letter among words'? That, at least, would seem to make more logical sense than saying he had been a 'word among letters', which seems backwards. Unless...  

Read more here: » Paganism: Toward a Celtic Numerology

pagan: Term used negatively by Semitic faiths to indicate a follower of another religion, or of no religion. Also names the pre-Christian religion of Europe, akin to shamanism and other of the world's indigenous faiths, which have survived to this day despite organized persecution. Pagans are gradually surfacing again, and have acknowledged their kinship with Hinduism.

See: mysticism, shamanism, pagan, paganism.

(See also: Pagan, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Paganism

Historically, paganism has been used as a generic term to describe non-Christian religions and superstitions - primarily, but not limited to, the old religions of Europe and Indo-Europe and ancient mythologies (Celt, Norse, Egyptian, Greek and Roman). Any religion other than Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. The term literally means "country dweller" and was originally used by Romans todescribe religions and philosophies not of Rome.

(See also: Paganism, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Neo-Paganism

The modern revival of paganism, emphasizing witchcraft (see Wicca), goddess worship, and nature worship.

(See also: Neo-Paganism, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism (CR) is a Neopagan religious movement. It is an effort to reconstruct, in a modern context, an ancient Celtic religious framework. Neopagan reconstructionists have been around since the 1970s but little of it has been specifically Celtic. Many of the people who went on to establish CR were involved in Neopagan groups in the seventies and eighties. Often these groups contained many Celtic elements that eventually found their way into core CR practice. This period, and these groups, are often ref ...

Including:

• Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism - First Modern Appearance of the Term and Other Historical Data
• Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism - Celtic Reconstructionism and Neo-Druidry
• Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism - Bibliography

Read more here: » Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism: Encyclopedia - Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism

PAGANING: When a baby is presented in circle to the Goddess and God, and given a craft name which s/he will keep until about 13 and can choose their own at their Coming of Age celebration.

(See also: PAGANING, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

Pagan: As a noun, a person who practices Paganism; as an adjective, something to do with Paganism.

Also See: Pagans

(See also: Pagan, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

pagan

(Latin paganus meaning a "country dweller.") A practitioner of an Earth religion

(See also: Pagan, Body Mind and Soul)

PAGANING - presentation of an infant to the Circle & to the Gods.

(See also: PAGANING, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Pagan, Paganism:

Originally from the Latin “paganus,” meaning “villager,” “country dweller,” or “hick.” The Roman army used it to refer to civilians. Early Roman Christians used “pagan” to refer to everyone who preferred to worship pre-Christian divinities and who were unwilling to enroll in “the Army of the Lord.” Eventually, “pagan” became simply an insult, with the connotation of “a false religion and its followers.”

By the beginning of the twentieth century, the word’s primary meanings became a blend of “atheist,” “agnostic,” “hedonist,” “religionless,” etc., (when referring to an educated, white, male, heterosexual, non-Celtic European) and “ignorant savage and/or pervert” (when referring to everyone else on the planet).

“Paganism” is now a general term for polytheistic, nature-centered religions, old and new, with “Pagan” used as the adjective as well as the membership term. It should always be capitalized just as other religious noun/adjective combinations are, such as “Buddhist,” “Hindu,” “Christian,” etc.

See Paleopaganism, Mesopaganism, Neopaganism.

(See also: Pagan, Paganism, Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Pagan - from Latin paganus a 'country dweller' or villager. Today it' a general term for followers of Wicca and other polytheistic, magic-embracing religions. Some prefer that Wicca are called neo-pagan and that pagan refer to practitioners of ancient polytheistic faiths in their more or less original form , such as Astaru, Odinism, etc... Pagans are not Satanists.

(See also: Pagan, Pagan, Wicca Pagan Dictionary)