Pagan
So.. you might have heard this word before and you might even be part of the Pagan community. That’s awesome! But if you aren’t familiar with what a “Pagan” is, then here it is in a nutshell for you.
The word “Pagan” is very old and originally referred to anyone who wasn’t Christian. In that context, Pagan is a very broad and very vague word.
Today, it has come to refer to many different nature-based religions or those who have been revived from ancient, pre-Christian cultures, such as Egyptian, Mayan, and Nordic traditions.
Among Pagans, there is a ton of variety – there are several codified traditions, which means that all the members share the same beliefs and practices, such as Dianic, Wiccan, and Santeria. But a majority of Pagans are “Ecclectic” – meaning they choose what they believe and no two people share the exact same beliefs. These beliefs may include:
- Belief in nature spirits (fairies, elementals, etc.)
- Worship of the Earth as Mother
- Belief in a specific diety, pantheon of dieties, or other divine elements
- Belief in life after death
- Belief in a soul separate from the body
- Belief in the 4 (5) elements as building blocks of the Universe
- Celebration of the seasons
- Traditional farming practices
- Celebration of the moon cycles
- Practice of Magic and spells
- Energy work
- Healing work
- Work with spirits, the deceased, and our ancestors
- Work with animals and animal spirits
- Chakra work
- Study of other religions, practices, and beliefs
- Connection to the land
- Stewards of the environment
This is by no means an exhaustive list – just a quick list of what is out there.
I talk about this stuff a LOT around here, so if you hang around, you’ll find and discover more and more fascets and features of Paganism.