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: 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)

DREAM GLOSSARY - notebook to jot down dreams and symbols (NAD)

(See also: DREAM GLOSSARY, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Paganism: A modern religious movement that encompasses traditions which are generally earth-centered; magickal; indigenous; stress a connection to and respect for the natural world; recognize both male and female deities; encourage diversity in spiritual beliefs, practices, and lifestyles; do not operate under a centralized hierarchy; have no official or standardized dogma that extends beyond the particular tradition; and stresses personal responsibility in matters of belief, ethics, and spiritual practice.

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

PAGAN:

1) the word Pagan is derived from the Latin Paganus, "peasant,"  "from the fields" and "hut dweller", deriving, in turn, from the Latin pagus, "village."

2) They are also many groups of Priests and Priestesses practicing what we call "Paganism" or "Neo (from the Greek word for new) Paganism".

3) Pagan religions are "natural" religions both in origin and in mode of expression as opposed to artificially created ideological religions.

4) General term for magic embracing religions, such as Wicca, Druid, Shaman. Sometimes used interchangably with NeoPagan.

(See also: PAGAN, Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

PAGANING a term for the exercise of 'presenting' a newborn to one's Circle or Coven...see WICCANING or SAINING.

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

PAGAN - One who is not Christian, Islamic or Jewish. From the latin,

(See also: PAGAN, Wiccan, Wicca, Witchery, Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

PAGANING - Presentation of an infant to the Circle and to the Gods. Similar in aspect to the Christian Christening.

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

PAGAN/NEOPAGAN -

1. Nature based Religion. (TRASB)

2. movement devoted to nature, worship, polytheism, Goddess worship ancient tribal religions. (NAD)

3. a generic term for anyone who practice an earth or nature religion. (CMM)

(See also: PAGAN, NEOPAGAN, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

PAGAN REDE - this is the basic tenet of witchcraft. “As ye harm none, do what thou will” The Rede prohibits Pagan from harming any other living thing, or from violating any one’s free will. Exactly when this tenet became a conscious part of Paganism is unknown. Also seen as “Threefold Law’ and “Law of Responsibility” (CMM)

(See also: PAGAN REDE, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

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

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

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

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

PAGANS/NEOPAGANS: Follower of a nature-based religion. The term Neopagan means "new Pagan" and is not a popular term. It seems to be a direct result of the New Age lingo.

(See also: PAGANS/NEOPAGANS, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

PAGAN/NEOPAGAN: General term for followers of Wicca and other magickal, shamanistic, and polytheistic Earth-based religions. Also used to refer to pre-Christian religious and magickal systems.

(See also: PAGAN/NEOPAGAN, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

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)

PAGANISM (Latin,  paganus, "a peasant, rustic"): Roman soldiers used the word in the pejorative sense of "hick, yokel, country bumpkin"; and this usage was continued by the early Roman Christians - who were mainly city-dwellers - to refer to everyone who preferred to continue to worship pre-Christian divinities. Hence "Paganism" refers to the worship of Pagan Deities: the Gods and Goddesses of the Old Religions that predate Judaism, Islam, or Christianity.

As such, "Paganism" is actually an umbrella term covering a broad family of religions, which may be divided into three broad sub-categories:

• survivalist - those whose religious practice has continued unbroken from their ancestors;
• revivalist - those whose religious practice attempts to revive that of their ancestors, whether by actual descent or by personal spiritual affinity and inclination;
• reconstructionist - those whose religious practice is an adaptation and reinterpretation of what they regard as the best of pre-Christian Pagan religions, adjusted to modern contemporary religious thought.

(See also: PAGANISM, Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca, )

PAGAN FEDERATION: Founded in 1971 and formerly called the Pagan Front, Pagan Federation is a London-based organization that seeks to provide contact between the Craft of the Wise and “genuine seekers of the Old Ways”, and to promote harmony among the various European Pagan religions. It works with institutions, governmental bodies and the public to present accurate information on Pagan religious views and rights.

(See also: PAGAN FEDERATION, Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca, )

PAGAN WAY: Initially a movement responding to the high demand for applicants to covens in the 1970’s. Pagan Way provided an alternative to the traditional intensive screening programs, and year-and-a-day probationary periods with an open, nature-oriented system that emphasized celebration of nature over magick.

Although the Pagan Way organization fell apart in the 1980’s, the rituals survived. Some covens run Pagan Way groups as training circles for interested persons and potential initiates. Those who aren’t initiated into the coven can remain in the Pagan Way group indefinitely, become solitaries, or form their own Pagan Way group.

(See also: PAGAN WAY, Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca, )

PAGAN, OCCULT, WITCHCRAFT SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP OF MENSA: A special interest group (SIG) of Mensa, the organization for persons scoring in the top two percentile on IQ testing. Only Mensa members can be full members of the SIG but non-Mensans may join as associate members. Their newsletter, Pagana, is considered to be one of the best Pagan journals.

(See also: PAGAN, OCCULT, Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca, )

Paleopaganism or Paleo-Paganism:

A general term for the original polytheistic, nature-centered faiths of tribal Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania and Australia, when they were (or in some rare cases, still are) practiced as intact belief systems.

Of the so-called “Great Religions of the World,” Hinduism (prior to the influx of Islam into India), Taoism and Shinto, for example, fall under this category, though many members of these faiths might be reluctant to use the term.

Some Paleopagan belief systems may be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. There are billions of Paleopagans living and worshiping their deities today.

See Mesopaganism and Neopaganism.

(See also: Paleopaganism, Paleo-Paganism, Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)