What Is Paganism?

What is Paganism?

The term Paganism has been evolving for almost two millennia, so there is understandable confusion about what Paganism means. It has always been an umbrella term that includes within it many different faiths and practices. In this post, we are going to talk about what Paganism is (and isn’t) and explore some of the most important branches of modern Paganism (also known as Neopaganism).

Origins of the Term Paganism

The term Paganism was coined in the fourth century by Christians living in the Roman Empire for anyone who did not follow Christianity or Judaism. It comes from the Latin word paganus, which means country dweller. The implication was that these were “country bumpkins” stuck in old ways and not yet “wise” to the modern religion of Christianity. The Roman Empire officially converted to Christianity in 313 CE.

In the Middle Ages, while Islam was also viewed as a non-Pagan religion, the term Paganism continued to be used to refer to anyone who did not follow a religion based on a biblical god. It carried the derogatory connotation that Pagans worship false gods and are barbarians.

But in the 20th century, the term Paganism was reclaimed by various groups that follow religious beliefs or practices associated with pre-Christian religions. The group includes polytheists that continue to worship non-biblical pantheons, animists, magical practitioners, nature worshippers, and more.

The term Neopaganism is often used to distinguish these modern Pagans from our ancestors, who would have never referred to themselves as Pagans. Christians created the term Pagan to create “us” (biblical religions) and “them” (non-biblical religions) categories. This would not have been meaningful to our pre-Christian ancestors or to Norse warriors and Egyptian priests for whom Christianity was just one more religion.

It is worth noting that while Medieval Christians would have referred to religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism as Pagan, they aren’t included in the modern definition. These organized religions, which are dominant in many countries, fall into a class of their own.

Definition of Neopaganism

It is difficult to define Neopaganism because so many different people today identify with the term Paganism. It is possible to identify some characteristics that are common to most Neopagans, but don’t necessarily apply universally.

Pagan religions tend to be non-organized in that they are followed by an individual practitioner or small community rather than being a hierarchical institution like the Catholic church. But there are exceptions; for example, Hermetic orders tend to be small but very hierarchical organizations.

Pagan religions are often polytheistic, either drawing on ancient divine pantheons or following an animistic approach, which recognizes divinity in action within the world without necessarily naming it. Pagans can believe in these gods in a literal sense or as a metaphorical tool for relating to powers that are beyond our comprehension.

Pagans tend to believe that everything is sacred, especially nature, and that we can tap into the spiritual energy of the universe through meditation, invocation, rituals, witchcraft, and various other practices.

In most cases, it is an individualistic path. You choose which deities and beliefs speak to you personally, and you are responsible for creating and following your spiritual path. This very often links to a strong moral code, as you are responsible for your actions and their consequences. Pagans often identify with the idea that you can feed the universe with positive energy or diminish it with negative energy. You attract the kind of energy that you project, and what you receive mirrors what you give.

As we have already said, these characteristics do not hold true for all Pagans, but they are ideas that most Neopagans will identify with.

Branches of Neopaganism

So, if there are various branches of Neopaganism, what are they?

It is impossible to provide a complete and comprehensive list, first because we would be here forever, and second, since it is a personal and individualistic belief system, there is no limit to the number of variations that can exist.

But below, we will look at some of the most popular forms of Paganism that are most widely recognized in the Neopagan community today.

Reconstructionist Religions

Reconstructionist religions attempt to reconstruct ancient religions in the modern world. Pagans of this brand might choose to worship the Greek gods, follow the ritual practices of Egyptian priests, or walk in the footsteps of Druids.

Probably the most well-known reconstruction religion is Norse paganism, also known as Heathenry, which is the belief in the old Norse gods, including Odin, Thor, and Freyja. While exactly how this is done is individualistic, enough people identified with this type of Paganism that Asatru was created in Iceland in the 1970s to provide a common banner under which they could identify as an interest group. It is now recognized around the world.

Magic working is not a necessary part of modern Norse paganism, just as it was not in ancient times when only a few people were Volva (Seidr witches) or runemasters (workers of rune magic). But runic divination is a popular practice in modern Heathenry.

Wicca

Wicca is probably the type of Paganism most represented in pop culture (think The Craft and Charmed). It is a modern witchcraft practice, often but not always associated with the veneration of a great mother goddess and her consort, often but not always portrayed as a horned god. It can be followed by sole practitioners or coven groups led by a high priest or priestess.

Modern Wicca is credited as being founded by Gerald Gardner in the 1930s, and followers of his teachings are known as Gardnerian Wiccans. But today there are many different branches, both formal and informal.

Modern Wicca draws on what is known from historic witchcraft and magic rituals. But it is a thriving and evolving practice in which invention and following your intuition are encouraged.

Non-Wiccan Witchcraft

Not all Pagans who identify themselves as practitioners of witchcraft consider themselves Wiccan. Many follow a more shamanistic or nature-based approach to witchcraft without reference to organized elements such as covens or priests. These, usually sole practitioners, are often referred to as hedge witches.

These practitioners have a lot in common with Wiccans in their use of certain symbols and elements and closely following the cycle of the year and the phases of the moon. Grimoires and Books and Shadows are often used to record knowledge.

Hermeticism

The term Hermeticism originally referred to a religio-philosophical system based on a small number of writings known as Hermetica which gave birth to scientific approaches to magic in the form of practices such as alchemy. But Hermeticism has since become a term for those who engage in “high magic” or ritual magic, usually within a body or organization with specific teaching and hierarchies.

Probably the most famous example of these is the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization dedicated to the study of the occult, metaphysical, and paranormal. It is a spin-off of Freemasonry and incorporates the hierarchies and secrecy of that order. There are tests to enter new parts of the order and learn new secrets. For a number of years, the famous occultist Aleister Crowley was associated with the order.

Animism

Animism differs from other types of polytheistic paganism in that it does not necessarily feel the need to name or identify deities. Animism accepts that there is a divine or spiritual force at work in the world and it can be seen in aspects of life. But they can appreciate and be thankful for these forces without anthropomorphizing them into deities.

Animists often believe that the gods of polytheistic religions are cultural constructions designed to help humans better understand and engage with these forces. They may choose to engage with certain traditional polytheistic gods as a way of engaging with the elements of the world they consider most important.

Secular Paganism

Secular paganism could also be called a nature-based religion. Secular pagans do not necessarily believe in certain deities and could be Polytheists, Christians, Atheists, or anything in between. The core belief is that we are part of nature, rather than masters of it, and that we should live our lives with an abiding love and respect for nature.

Secular Paganism often mixes meditative and ritual practices designed to better understand and control the self with a world view based on science.

Eclectic Paganism

Eclectic Paganism is kind of a “catch-all” term for those who don’t fit into other types of Paganism. This is for people who identify with the general principles of Paganism but haven’t tied themselves to a single belief system or set or practices.

For example, they might believe in the mother goddess, but not practice witchcraft. They may feel a deep spiritual connection with the universe, witch manifests in practices such as reading Tarot cards, and cleansing spaces with incense and herbs, but may not necessarily consider these practices linked with any kind of divinity.

Eclectic Pagans often have broad interests in terms of researching different new age practices and approaches. They may also identify with Paganism aesthetically through gothic-style fashion.

Meso-Paganism

Meso-Paganism is a term used for practices that are a result of mixing non-Christian religions with Christianity imposed by conquerors, missionaries, or both. Haitian Voodoo and Candomblé in Brazil are probably the best examples, in which African deities are syncretized with Christian Saints and elements of Christian religion are incorporated into traditional rituals.

While many of the characteristics of Neopaganism apply to Meso-Paganism, followers and practitioners are less likely to identify with the broader Pagan community. These are traditional religions passed down through communities, rather than sought out by individuals. So, while they may not be the dominant religion in a certain place, they have this in common with religions such as Hinduism.

What kind of Pagan are You?

While this whole post has been dedicated to trying to define and categorize Paganism, what it really equates to is following your own spiritual path outside of the biblical context. There are no rules about what you have to believe and practices that you have to engage in. It is all about finding your own spirituality and expressing it in a way that works for you.

But we would still love to know what Paganism means to you! Let us know in the comments section below.

[Full blog post here]

An Easy Job Search Spell

Ingredients:

A yellow candle

A piece of paper

A pen

A four-leaf clover

A pinch of salt

A pinch of sugar

Instructions:

Write down on the piece of paper what you are hoping to achieve with this spell. For example, you might write “I want to have more luck in my job search.”

Fold the piece of paper in half and place it under the candle.

Place the four-leaf clover on top of the paper.

Sprinkle the salt and sugar around the candle.

Light the yellow candle.

Close your eyes and focus on your intention.

Say a prayer or affirmation to the universe, asking for luck in your endeavors.

Let the candle burn for as long as you like.

Once the candle has burned out, bury the paper and the four-leaf clover in a place where they will not be disturbed.

This spell is a simple way to help in your job search. The yellow candle represents the sun, which is a symbol of luck and abundance. The four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, and salt and sugar are used to attract positive energy. By following these instructions, you can create a powerful spell that will help you achieve your goals.

Note:

This is just one example of a witchcraft spell for luck. There are many other variations that you can find online or in books.

It is important to be respectful of the natural world when casting spells. Always use ethically sourced ingredients and dispose of them properly.

Remember, magic is a tool that can be used for good or evil. Use it wisely and ethically.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you enjoy my posts please consider supporting me HERE

92 notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

What to do when the cards don’t make sense

You know when the cards you pull just make you say “huh?” Yeah, it happens to all of us. So here’s what I do when I’m in that situation

1. Pull a clarifying card

Clarifying cards can be tricky. They can either shed some much needed light on the spread in front of you, or they can make things murkier. I still use them as my first reaction, but we aware that they aren’t an instant problem-solver.

2. Research!

Look up what other people have to say about the cards! Biddytarot online is a great resource, but also any book or website could give you that lightning flash of connection.

3. Meditate

I’ll admit, I’m not the best or most practiced at meditation, but I’ve found that even just taking a moment to step back and just Look can be really helpful. Maybe the connection is in the card next to it, or maybe it’s the colors that are trying to communicate with you. Take a moment and see what sticks out to you, then research it!

4. Come back to it later

Sometimes, the best thing you can do it just write it down and move on. A lot of times the cards are telling you something you don’t want to hear or they’re talking about something that hasn’t happened yet. I always recommend keeping some record of spreads, whether it’s a picture or actually writing it down that way you can come back and see what knew insights you can draw from them.

It’s never fun to feel stuck with a reading or to feel like you’re doing a bad job, so I hope this helps! 🖤

89 notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

🪐Notes about the qualities of planets✨

**I found these observations in my notes from about a year ago when I was researching the qualities of the planets for aspect research. I can’t the source of these just yet but when I do I’ll add it! I think these could be super interesting to analyze in content of ruling planets. Do people take on these properties in a way? Either way I hope you all enjoy them! **

☀️Sun: to radiate, blast or push forward. Create attention or spotlight. Very hot and dry (heat makes more active, dry creates distinctions) Masculine, spirit, intent, will, determination

🌙Moon: to suck, to draw inward, to collect inward with magnetism, creating a vacuum. Cold and wet (cold makes things inactive, wet blurs distinctions and creates sympathy and empathy and unity of feeling). Cold lowers activity levels, makes calm. Feminine, receiver for spiritual info

🗣Mercury: to split and quicken, duality, logic. Goes between dualities and communicates between hot and cold, dry and wet, light and dark, hard and soft. Tends to be slightly dry but mimics prominent energy. Communication, transit, language, mental capacity

🌷Venus: to unify, pacify and smudge with levelling force. Cool and wet (cold creates inactivity and wet blurs creating empathy, sympathy ect). Connects people and blurs distinctions or differences that would separate them. Coolness aids in social harmony. Feminine

🔥Mars: to energize, activate and direct. Hot and dry (hot creates activity, dryness creates distinction). Malefic. Heat creates disturbance and anger. And the dryness creates distinctions and highlights differences, keep opposites apart. Masculine, survival instinct, war, violence, danger, actions, decisions

🌱Jupiter: to expand, to collect and add. Hot and wet (heat creates activity, wet blurs lines creating empathy, sympathy and unity). Hot and wet = ideal growing conditions, things grow under this energy. Shows where prosperity is most likely to happen in a chart. Masculine

🪐Saturn: to contract, jell (crystallize), to form or organize. Super cold and dry (cold creates inactivity, dry creates distinction). Malefic. Dryness makes distinctions which separate and cold nullifies slow activities and togetherness. Can create depression or lack of understanding other perspectives. Coldness allows concentration of ideas (molecules) and the dryness gives structure. Responsibility, achievement, discipline

💥Uranus: entropy, to explode, fracture or split. Very hot and dry (hot creates activity, dry creates distinction) . Electricity. Breakthroughs, sudden insights. Freedom

🌊Neptune: to expand without addition, to dissipate, release, blur, diffusion, to make porous and permeate. Very cold and wet (cold creates inactivity, wet blurs and creates empathy, sympathy, unity). Malefic. Can blue to the extreme. Idealism, very little structure. Feminine

🐍Pluto: to transform, shape shifting, purification. Aversion. Heat and dryness kind of, but not very defined like mercury. Death, regeneration

238 notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

2022 Witch's Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2022 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!

WOTY Holidays and Solstices

February 1-2 - Imbolc

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

May 1 - Beltane

June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer

August 1 - Lughnasadh

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon

October 31 - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 17 - Wolf Moon ♋️

February 16 - Snow Moon ♌️

March 18 - Worm Moon ♍️

April 16 - Pink Moon ♎️

May 16 - Flower Moon ♏️

June 14 - Strawberry Moon ♐️

July 13 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑️

August 11 - Sturgeon Moon ♒️

September 10 - Harvest Moon ♓️

October 9 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈️

November 8 - Frost Moon ♉️

December 7 - Cold Moon ♊️

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2022, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 2 ♑️

February 1 ♒️

March 2 ♓️

April 1 ♈️

April 30 ♉️

May 30 ♊️

June 29 ♋️

July 28 ♌️

August 27 ♍️

September 25 ♎️

October 25 ♏️

November 23 ♐️

December 23 ♑️

Special Events

April 30 - Black Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse (10:42pm EST)

May 16 - Total Lunar Eclipe (12:11am EST, coinciding with zenith)

June 14 - Supermoon

July 13 - Supermoon

October 25 - Partial Solar Eclipe (11:01am EST)

November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse (5:59am EST, coinciding with zenith)

SOURCES:

Inverse - Full Moon 2022 calendar: Dates, times, schedule, and names for the brightest nights all year

Astroseek - Full Moons 2022 & New Moons

The Pagan Grimoire - The Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar

15K notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

I think people very often oversimplify what shadow-work is and typically don't know what it's for.

The term Shadow in Shadow-work refers to the Jungian archetype. Jung said the Shadow "represents our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities. It can also symbolize our greatest fears and phobias." Exploring the Shadow is inherently uncomfortable and can bring a reaction out of us when we come close to it. For example, we feel anger or hostility to others often because they represent or demonstrate an aspect of our Shadow.

Shadow-work, however, is the practice of acknowledging, identifying, and understanding the contents of our Shadow. So not only are we not ignoring the Shadow, we're deliberately exploring it.

The purpose of Shadow-work is to facilitate personal growth, identify and heal lifelong traumas, promote personal accountability, understand the mind's conditioned responses, add context behind our personal behaviors, to know what our values are and why we hold those values, and to be consciously aware of our actions, their consequences, and why they produced the consequences they had. The Shadow is not some kind of evil programming inside us designed to ruin our lives, but rather parts of ourselves we've chosen to bury as opposed to addressing their needs.

Why is this work important? Becoming adept at Shadow-work turns someone into the orchestrator of their life as opposed to the byproduct of it. We learn act as opposed to react. We happen to life as opposed to life happening to us. This state of sovereignty is essential for magical and spiritual growth, which is why you see many practitioners undertake it.

It's uncomfortable work, but it's work worth doing.

190 notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

104 notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

“Choose to love yourself; choose to respect yourself; and promise with all your heart and soul that you will never leave you.”

— Kimberly Kirberger

6K notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

Hi, I’ve been wanting to study greek religion for quite a time now. Even considering worshipping deities but I don't want to disrespect anyone. What can you suggest to where I can start? If there are reading the most accurate materials, please do tell.

Χαίρε, anon :) Thank you so much for your question!

I actually do have a RECOMMENDED READING FOLDER

If you're only just getting into the study of ancient Greek religion, I would suggest reading the following books/articles:

Jon D. Mikalson's "Ancient Greek Religion"

K.A. Rask's "Devotionalism, Material Culture, and the Personal in Greek Religion"

Mary Depew's "Reading Greek Prayers"

Jennifer Larson's "Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide"

I also suggest reading the following primary texts:

Apostolos N. Athanassakis' translations of "The Homeric Hymns," and Hesiod’s "Theogony, Works and Days, Shield"

And Richmond Lattimore's translations of the Iliad and Odyssey :)

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me!

127 notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

Witchcraft doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s writing a symbol on your sandwich with honey, or painting your nails a specific color to deflect negativity. Try these low key witchcraft ideas to add a little magical energy to your day-to-day.

Use music lyrics to invoke a certain feeling or vibe before you have to do something. (Confidence to take a test for instance)

Stir your tea or soups clockwise to add an increase of abundance of whatever you want.

Paint your nails black to absorb negativity. (or wear black clothes)

Draw symbols (runes or sigils for people who do that) on your foggy mirror after a bath or shower for protection.

Enchant your morning cup of coffee to what your intentions are for the day and drink up.

Use your shower to wash away negativity from the night before.

Practice visualization and see what you want to happen in your life in your mind.

Sprinkle salt over your entrance for protection. (bonus if it’s black salt)

Enchant your mirrors by cleaning them and saying out loud that they will only reflect positivity.

Look up your dream meanings.

Make a pendulum with a necklace and a key. Ask yes/no questions.

Collect witch supplies on walks. (Sticks, leaves, rocks, flowers…dead things)

Charge your witchcraft items with your intents.

Say prayers to your ancestors. Or leave them out offerings of food or whatever they liked when they were alive.

Practice your kitchen witch skills and make a hardy soup for abundance for the year ahead. Or a cake for prosperity and wealth.

Use a random deck of cards laying around the house for divination. (Clubs - Wands / Diamonds - Coins / Hearts - Cups / Spades - Swords)

Wear blue if you’re taking a test or going on a job interview to invoke calmness.

Wear pink makeup to invoke self love.

Enchant your jewelry to have specific meanings to you. A necklace for protection, a ring for clarity, a bracelet for confidence.

Sweep your room or living space. All the corners and sweep everything right out the door for an easy old-fashioned cleanse. If you have carpet just sweep the ‘energy’ metaphorically and open the door boot out the energy.

1K notes View Post

cosmoxsaturn

2 years ago

Bring Money to Your Door Spell

a shiny golden coin (ex. penny, after sitting in coke for a day or two- seriously, have you seen those?! SO SHINY)

mint in any form (leaf, extract, essential oil, etc.)

pinch of cinnamon

bay leaf (should be large enough to completely cover one surface of the coin)

money sigil (you can create your own!! Or just draw a dollar sign, that works too. I also sell mine on my site.)

green or gold wax (literally any kind. Melt down a crayon safely, research how to do it!! Or one of those cheap Ikea tealights.)

So picture this spell as a little package with layers.

Pinch up that pinch of cinnamon and drop it on the shiny coin.

Now add your mint on top of that. If it's in liquid form, just drip it onto the cinnamon. If it's in leaf form, sort of wrap it around that little pinch of cinnamon & the coin, or cover it, depending on how big the leaf is.

Draw your sigil (or dollar sign) on the bay leaf, and wrap the whole thing up like a little package. Try to make sure your final wrapping movement, or fold of the leaf, is aimed inwards toward your body, for drawing things in. If you mess this folding bit up though, don't worry! It's not a must.

Flip your little parcel over and seal up all those edges of the bay leaf with some melted/malleable wax.

Accidentally clicked on the poll option gah & I have no idea how to remove it after you've added one does anyone know? So...

When I seal things up in magic, I like to think of the energy inside fermenting like a jar of pickles until you eventually get that deliciously sour yum. In fact, I don't tend to recharge when things are sealed, I just leave it and picture the spell inside slowly growing stronger the longer it's left like that to "ferment." I do this with my spell jars too.

5. You could further wrap up the whole little package with some twine or string the way you would a present, or add a layer of tin foil (especially if you're worried about it getting damaged or falling apart if the wax isn't secure enough) if you like.

6. Leave it somewhere that could count as your 'doorstep.' It's great if you could leave it on your actual doorstep, but it could easily get stepped on there. You could leave it under your doormat (visitors charge when they step on the mat on their way in), under the pot of your potted plant (especially good when it's something also associated with money, like basil), or just tape it to your door where you'd place a wreath.

Do place it on the outside of your home rather than somewhere inside though, since this spell is meant to attract money from the outside to your doorstep. It's very small so if you're a closeted witch, there's not a high chance of it being discovered, and it looks quite mundane when wrapped in tin foil. Granted, a small wad of tin foil on the ground near your door could be mistaken as trash and thrown away, but you can always make a new one!

I tend to swap mine out when I see it's been displaced; ex. If you taped it to the door, it's fallen off; if you didn't tin-foil-wrap it, you see that the wax has broken and the package has come apart.

97 notes View Post