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Temple of the Sacred Spiral
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This is a personal statement of the Pagan beliefs of Quenten and Kim. It is NOT meant as a binding statement of the Temple of PanGaia, or Church of All Worlds; and may even change from time to time as our wisdom in the ways of the Goddess and God grows. Blessed be and never thirst (BB&NT).
I am Pagan.
I draw on the ancient wisdoms and folkways of my ancestors, and live as part of the intuitive Nature mysticism that has been since the dawn of human existence.
I am Divine.
I am one with the embracing and universal force, unknowable and unlimited, that is both outside of me, my world and universe, and within me, all living beings, all matter and energy of this world and universe, transcendent and immanent. Therefore all things are sacred and holy and require their individual honour.
I am God, I am Goddess.
I honour both the feminine and masculine nature of the divine, both within and without. I see the multiple forms of divinity all around and above in the spiritual world both indwelling in all things and beyond all things. All Gods are but one God, all Goddesses are but one Goddess, and one force unifies us all. Yet as I am one with all creation, so am I also individual, so are the Goddesses and Gods one with me and each other, yet remain individual.
I am Pan, I am Gaia.
I am the Untamed wild burst of creature energy, of alive-ness and joyous strength, of dark things and the sting of death, the miracle of rebirth, the eternal promise. I am the Maid that walks free and proud, I am the Mother that nurtures and comforts, I am the Crone of the wise ways and the gateway to death and rebirth. I therefore honour the Great Goddess Gaia, who holds the world in Her belly, the sun in Her left hand, the moon in Her right, with the stars encircling Her head and within Her is encompassed the whole Universe. She is the rhythm of Nature, the ever-repeating cycle of Life, the unifying force that binds us all as One. I honour the Great God Pan, the boundless energies that enliven us, that bring beauty and joy, darkness and sorrow, tears and compassion, laughter and music, imagination unlimited, creativity directed. he shows us the way of joyful sacrifice for the greater gain, the Quest for the Grail of Life. He is eternally reborn with new life, He is eternally the sacred sacrifice to gain deeper understanding and fuller life.
I am both Darkness and Light.
I needs must have all experiences, all attributes, all forms to truly become One with the universe and my True Self, which is God and Goddess. For these are not opposing poles but complementary attributes required for wholeness. Balance, not dualistic opposition, is the key to the universe. For more than one, more than two, more than three forces interplay eternally to show me the way of Balanced living and keep me on the questing path to my True Self.
I am Reborn
My True Self, my soul, my essence is immortal. Through the cycle of Life - Death and Rebirth, I spiral upwards along the path of reincarnation, learning the lessons and living the experiences necessary for my ultimate union with the all-encompassing Divine rapture.For there are three great events in the life of any person - Love, Death and Resurrection in the new body, and magic controls them all. To fulfil love, I must return again and I must love again. But to be reborn I must die and be ready for a new body; and to die I must be born; and without love I may not be born; and this is all the magic.Without Birth, there is no Life, without Life, there is no Death; without Death, there is no Rebirth and without Love, there is nothing.
I am Alive.
I live fully and enjoy diverse experiences. Enjoyment of Life and pleasure in living are the true rituals honouring Gaia and Pan. Spiritual ascetism is not balanced - materialistic comfort is not balanced. Neither leads to living fully. The spirit and the material are not separated in this world of form, but always interlaced. I unite both the material and spiritual, physical and mental, in living. Both and all are necessary, and are of equal importance. Life starved of one of its aspects is not True Life.
I am Sexual.
Sex is the sacrament uniting physical pleasure with spiritual joy, the coming together of two as one, the experience of one-ness with others outside myself. It is the act of spiritual and physical creation, a re-affirmation of Life, and a union with the wild energies of the God and the eternal cycling of the Goddess. Sex is not to be hedged with taboos or restrictions, but given and received freely in joy and love. Nor is it to be forced upon another against their desire or understanding. The perversion of Sex to the unbalanced criminal acts of rape and paedophilia is the primal sin and unacceptable always. To use the sacrament of joyous union and love as an instrument of hatred, domination and greivous hurt will bring the curses of all creation and the gods upon you.
I am Pagan.
I am grounded in nature Life. I abide by the eternal seasons both universal and earthbased. I see the divine forces of life, death and rebirth in the unending cycle of seasons. I see the unexpected wild forces in the changes to each season, and the evolution of life. I see immortality in the unending and timeless bounds of the Infinite universe. I honour the Lady and Lord, myself and all life especially at the eight Sabbats - the Feasts of the equinoxes and solstices, the Feasts of the commencement of each season. I seek to live in harmony with others in the family of Nature, neither dominant nor subservient, neither isolated nor a numbered cog.
I am Gaian
I walk the hills and gullies, I seek out the bushland and creeks, the golden beaches and the red desert, the rainforests and reefs, the cliffs and the wild places. I am part of the web of life, of the eagle, the dolphin, the snake and the kangaroo, dependent on even the bacteria in the soil for my life. I return to this web of life my protection of the balanced ecology of Nature, and stand against the despoilation of this world. I take only according to my needs, and return according to my abilities. I honour all living things. I destroy no life without need. No living sacrifice is required for the Gods require it not. I am one with the Goddess and God, and to them I will return as a drop of water flowing to the ocean.
I am Magickal
Magick is my right and natural to the Earth. i can use my will to bend my inner, unconsciuos energies to effect change in probabilities. By symbolism and rituals, I speak to my unconscious forces and send the energy into the object of my will, replenishing my magickal forces from the spiritual energies of the Universe. Yrt this power must not be misused, for as all is in balance, so what is sent forth surely returns in kind - ill for ill, good for good. I therefore carfully consider the consequences of my actions and reslove to harm none, including myself. I use not the power for frivolous ends but for necessaties and reasonable desires, an it harm none. Doing my Will is the whole law of magick, yet as true will is Love, Love is the Law and is therefore honourable and harms not.
I am Responsible
I have been given freedom of action and will, with full responsibility for my actions and life. I live by the Wiccan Rede - do as ye will an it harm none, for what goes forth, returns. Evil is imbalance to be corrected - it is greed and intolerance. It does not come from without, nor is there a supernatural evil force, Satan or any other. The Gods contain all aspects, creation and destruction, Life and Death, yet are not evil. Evil is within and results from, and perpetuates, destructive imbalance. It can be corrected. Guilt without efforts to rectify the imbalance is pointless. We learn from mistakes, and are not to be crippled by them. Responsibility is accepting the consequences of our actions and resolving to rectify errors. Forgiveness of self is essential to establish Balance. I was not born with evil inherent - it is a path I can choose or reject. I hereby resolve to aim for balance in all.
I am Evolving
The ways to growth are constantly revealing themselves and so I seek out wisdom in books and art, in the simple stones and fragile herbs and cries of the wild animals. I listen to the wind's whispers and ocean's roar for it is here that the secrets of the world are preserved. Books contain precious words; trees contain energies and wisdom books cannot contain. The mysteries remain forever secret for they are mystical experiences that are felt and result in expanded consciousness. True knowledge lies within, for those that seek will never find unless it is within. For there are Goddess and God, with me from the beginning. That which is unchanging outlives its spirit; therefore I bend as the river willow bends and sways with the wind, for that which evolves and grows will shine through the ages and so reach spiritual one-ness with all that is.
I am Understanding
I have no monoploy on Truth, nor do I see clearly but as in a glass, darkly. All paths lead eventually to the same Goddess and God, and Truth is diverse. I therefore show tolerance for the beliefs of others. I seek for the best in all paths and so am eclectic and syncretic - striving always for the way of excellence. I seek for power within myself and abhor power over others. I will oppose those who seek power over me and honour those who aid and teach me. I share of my pagan craft with those who seek in order to grow in love and understanding, but hide mystic lore from those who are destructive. I am wary of those who proclaim the only truth, those who seek to dominate, control and manipulate rituals and reverences, but to those suffused with love, I give the two passwords of perfect love and perfect trust; to these I add the third, the Fivefold Kiss, to those who are nearest my heart.
I am Pagan. I choose this way in joy and love and dedication to Life itself.
So Mote it Be!
Comment is encouraged on this Creed - just email us.
The sacred missionof the Church of All Worlds is to evolve a network of information, mythology and experience to awaken the divine within and to provide a context and stimulus for reawkening Gaia and reuniting Her children through tribal community dedicated to responsible stewardship and the evolution of consciousness.
CAW offers philosophical alternatives to present "life-negating" paradigms which produce war, profiteering, racism, sexism, exploitation and desecration of our natural resources. Instead we concentrate on healing the separarions between mind and body, men and women, civilization and nature, heaven and earth.
CAW is an organisation of individuals who regard the Earth and life on it as sacred. We consider living in harmony and understanding with life's myriad forms as a religious act. While we prescribe no particular dogma or creed, our commonality lies in our reverence and connection with Nature and mother Earth, seeing Her as a Conscious, living entity. We are not only Her children, but evolving cells in Her vast organic body. We embrace philosophical concepts of immanent divinity and emergent evolution. With roots deep in the earth and branches reaching towards the stars, we evoke and create myths of the Golden age to come, to save the present world as well as working to actualize a visionary future. The purpose of our life is "to become what we potentially are". We affirm the ultimate freedom and responsibility appropriate to conscious entities, expressed as "Thou art Goddess, Thou art God".
In dedication to the celebration of Life in its many forms, we hereby declare our commitment to a way of life that is ethical, benevolent, humanistic, life-affirming, ecstatic and ecologically sane. We subscribe to means and methods that are creative rather than destructive, tolerant rather than authoritarian, gentle rather than violent, inclusive rather than exclusive. We pledge ourselves to harmonious eco-psychic awareness with the total biosphere of holy Mother Earth.
Like an ancient tree, we would have our roots deep in the Earth and my branches reaching for the stars.
We acknowledge our personal responsibility for ourselves, to our fellow humans, and to the whole of Nature; and we recognize this total responsibility, in each of us, as the source of our infinite freedom to become who we are and do what we will. We dedicate ourselves to our own inner growth and development that we may be of greater service to ourselves and the world around us. For these reasons we recognize Divinity both within and without, and we say to ourselves and others: THOU ART GODDESS; THOU ART GOD.
We wish to unite with others upon a spiritual path that encompasses,both the Heavens and the Earth, and hereby make application to join the membership of the Church of All Worlds, in order that we may learn together and teach each other ways to bring about these ends.
Now listen to the words of the Great Mother, who was of old also called among men and women Gaia, Rhiannon, Holy Sophia, Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Brighid and Olwen the fair, and also by many other names. At her altars, the youth of the ancient world made due obeisance.
Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place, and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all witches.
There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are as yet unknown.
And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings.
Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it, letting naught stop you or turn you aside; for mine is the secret door which opens upon the land of youth, and mine is the cup of wine of life, and the Cauldron of the Goddess, which is the Holy Grail of immortality.
I am gracious Gaia, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of woman and man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death , I give peace, and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before.
Nor do I demand sacrifice; for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.
Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, whose body encircles the universe.
I am the beauty of the green earth, and the white moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man. I am within all Creation yet am more than all.
Call unto thy soul; arise, and come unto me; for I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of the Gods and of men and women, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite.
Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within thee.
And thou who thinkest to seek me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery: that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou will never find it without thee. For behold, My name is Immanence for I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
Listen to the words of the Great Father, who of old was called Pan, Iesu, SunLord, Osiris, Adonis, Zeus, Thor, Cernunnos, Herne, Lugh and by many other names:
My Law is Harmony with all things.
Mine is the secret that opens the gates of life
And mine is the dish of salt of the earth that is the body of Pan
That is the eternal circle of rebirth.
I give the knowledge of life everlasting,
And beyond death I give the promise of regeneration and renewal.
I am the sacrifice, the father of all that might be,
Of the unseen, of soaring imagination and dreams of the soul,
And my protection blankets the earth.
Hear the words of dancing Pan, the music of whose laughter stirs the winds, whose voice calls the seasons:
I who am the Lord of the Hunt and the Power of the Light,
Sun among the clouds and the secret of the flame,
I call upon your bodies to arise and come unto me.
For I am the energy of Life and all beings.
Through me all things must die and with me are reborn.
Let my worship be in the body that sings,
For behold all acts of willing sacrifice are my rituals.
Let there be desire and fear, anger and weakness,
Joy and peace, awe and longing within you.
For these too are part of the mysteries found within yourself;
I am the spark within the soul of every being, the giver of Life.
Yet is the knowledge of me the knowledge of death, the Lord within yourself.
My name is Transcendence for within me, all beginnings have endings
And all endings have beginnings.
Bide ye wiccan laws you must
For the circle thrice about,
Soft of eye and light of touch,
When ye Lady's moon is new,
Heed the north winds mighty gale,
When the wind blows from the east,
Elder be ye Lady's tree,
When the wheel hath turned a Yule,
Where the rippling waters go,
With a fool no season spend,
Mind ye threefold law ye should,
True in love may ye ever be,
In 1974, the Council of American Witches in their Spring Witchmeet held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, adopted the "Principals of Wiccan Belief" in an effort to inform and educate the general public, and fledgling Witches.
Although the Council disbanded in that same year, other groups and organizations have formed that have adopted these beliefs. Many Witches try to practice these Principals in all affairs - in Spell Craft, and in daily living.
The Council of American Witches finds it necessary to define modern Witchcraft in terms of the American experience and needs.
We are not bound by traditions from other times and other cultures, and owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being.
As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share our learning within our Council.
It is in the spirit of welcome and cooperation that we adopt these few principles of Wiccan belief. In seeking to be inclusive, we do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of our group by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to these principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.
We therefore ask only that those who seek to identify with us accept these few basic principles:
Peace eludes us...the planet is being destroyed...neighbors live in fear...women and men are estranged from each other...children die!
This is abhorrent!
We condemn the abuses of Earth's ecosystems.
We condemn the poverty that stifles life's potential; the hunger that weakens the human body; the economic disparities that threaten so many families with ruin.
We condemn the social disarray of the nations; the disregard for justice which pushes citizens to the margin; the anarchy overtaking our communities; and the insane death of children from violence. In particular we condemn aggression and hatred in the name of religion.
But this agony need not be.
It need not be because the basis for an ethic already exists. The ethic offers the possibility of a better individual and global order, and leads individuals away from despair and societies away from chaos.
We are women and men who have embraced the precepts and practices of the world's religions.
We affirm that a common set of core values is found in the teachings of the religions, and that these form the basis of a global ethic.
We affirm that this truth is already known, but yet to be lived in heart and action.
We affirm that there is an irrevocable, unconditional norm for all areas of life, for families and communities, for races, nations, and religions. There already exist ancient guidelines for human behavior which are found in the teachings of the religions of the world and which are the conditions for a sustainable world order.
We are interdependent. Each of us depends on the well-being of the whole, and so we have respect for the community of living beings, for people, animals, and plants, and for the preservation of Earth, the air, water, and soil.
We take individual responsibility for all we do. All our decisions, actions, and failures to act have consequences.
We must treat others as we wish others to treat us. We make a commitment to respect life and dignity, individuality and diversity, so that every person is treated humanely, without exception. We must have patience and acceptance. We must be able to forgive, learning from the past but never allowing ourselves to be enslaved by memories of hate. Opening our hearts to one another, we must sink our narrow differences for the cause of the world community, practicing a culture of solidarity and relatedness.
We consider humankind our family. We must strive to be kind and generous. We must not live for ourselves alone, but should also serve others, never forgetting the children, the aged, the poor, the suffering, the disabled, the refugees, and the lonely. No person should ever be considered or treated as a second-class citizen, or be exploited in any way whatsoever. There should be equal partnership between men and women. We must not commit any kind of sexual immorality. We must put behind us all forms of domination or abuse.
We commit ourselves to a culture of non-violence, respect, justice, and peace. We shall not oppress, injure, torture, or kill other human beings, forsaking violence as a means of settling differences.
We must strive for a just social and economic order, in which everyone has an equal chance to reach full potential as a human being. We must speak and act truthfully and with compassion, dealing fairly with all, and avoiding prejudice and hatred. We must not steal. We must move beyond the dominance of greed for power, prestige, money, and consumption to make a just and peaceful world.
Earth cannot be changed for the better unless the consciousness of individuals is changed first. We pledge to increase our awareness by disciplining our minds, by meditation, by prayer, or by positive thinking. Without risk and readiness to sacrifice there can be no fundamental change in our situation. Therefore, we commit ourselves to this global ethic, to understanding one another, and to socially-beneficial, peace-fostering, and nature-friendly ways of life.
We invite all people, whether religious or not, to do the same.
Given at the 1993 Parliament of the World's Religions
September 4, 1993,
in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?
Every part of this earth is sacred to my people.
Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man.
The white man's dead forget the country of their birth when they go to walk among the stars. Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man.
We are part of the Earth and it is part of us.
The perfumed flowers are our sisters; the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers.
The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony, and man - all belong to the same family.
So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land, he asks much of us. The Great Chief sends word he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably to ourselves.
He will be our father and we will be his children. So we will consider your offer to buy our land.
But it will not be easy. For this land is sacred to us.
This shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water but the blood of our ancestors.
If we sell you land, you must remember that it is sacred, and you must teach your children that it is sacred and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people.
The water's murmur is the voice of my father's father.
The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The rivers carry our canoes, and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children, that the rivers are our brothers, and yours, and you must henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give any brother.
We know that the white man does not understand our ways. One portion of land is the same to him as the next, for he is a stranger who comes in the night and takes from the land whatever he needs.
The earth is not his brother, but his enemy, and when he has conquered it, he moves on.
He leaves his fathers' graves behind, and he does not care. He kidnaps the earth from his children, and he does not care.
His father's grave, and his children's birthright, are forgotten. He treats his mother, the earth, and his brother, the sky, as things to be bought, plundered, sold like sheep or bright beads.
His appetite will devour the earth and leave only a desert.
I do not know. Our ways are different from your ways.
The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the red man. But perhaps it is because the red man is a savage and does not understand.
There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to hear the unfurling of leaves in spring, or the rustle of an insect's wings.
But perhaps it is because I am a savage and do not understand.
The clatter only seems to insult the ears. And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lonely cry of the whippoorwill or the arguments of the frogs around a pond at night? I am a red man and do not understand.
The Indian prefers the soft sound of the wind darting over the face of a pond, and the smell of the wind itself, cleaned by a midday rain, or scented with the pinon pine.
The air is precious to the red man, for all things share the same breath - the beast, the tree, the man, they all share the same breath.
The white man does not seem to notice the air he breathes. Like a man dying for many days, he is numb to the stench.
But if we sell you our land, you must remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh.
And if we sell you our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where even the white man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow's flowers.
So we will consider your offer to buy our land. If we decide to accept, I will make one condition: the white man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers.
I am a savage and I do not understand any other way.
I have seen a thousand rotting buffaloes on the prairie, left by the white man who shot them from a passing train.
I am a savage and I do not understand how the smoking iron horse can be more important than the buffalo that we kill only to stay alive.
What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die of a great loneliness of spirit.
For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.
You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin.
Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If menspit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.
This we know: the earth does nor belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know.
All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.
Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life: he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
Even the white man, whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny.
We may be brothers after all.
We shall see.
One thing we know, which the white man may one day discover - our God is the same God.
You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His compassion is equal for the red man and the white.
This earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator.
The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all the other tribes. Contaminate your bed, and you will one night suffocate inyour own waste.
But in your perishing you will shine brightly, fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land and for some special purpose gave you dominion over this land and over the red man.
That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills blotted out by talking wires.
Where is the thicket? Gone.
Where is the eagle? Gone.
The end of living and the beginning of survival.
Introductory Warnings
I have rewritten this essay many times over the last twenty-three years or so, both as "What Neopagans Believe" and as "What Neopagan Druids Believe" (the latter title because I wanted my tradition of Druidism to be rooted in those opinions held by most other Neopagans). While fully aware that there are some in the Neopagan community who resist vigorously any attempt to codify Neopagan beliefs, and that some Neopagans -- and many Mesopagans -- may disagree strongly with one or more of the following statements, I think it is an accurate synthesis of the majority view in the Neopagan movement. I am also, for the first time, making clear in this version what ideas Neopagans generally don't believe, an increasingly important element in our interfaith dialogues with non-Pagans.
Clarifying our doctrines (the things we do and don't believe) without descending into dogma (the things we are ordered to believe or disbelieve by someone in a position of power over us) is a vital step in the growth of any new religious movement. True, I'm something of an "authority figure" within the Neopagan community, yet I have no ability to force anyone to believe or disbelieve anything. Neither do those antagonists who seek to disrupt our community from within by loudly demanding that we draw no lines that might ever exclude anyone, for any reason. The Neopagan community has the right and the duty to define itself and such definitions are made by the majority of our membership and leadership -- and have been over the last thirty years.
Not everyone in the Neopagan community will use the term "belief" in reference to these concepts and many of these concepts have a wide variety of accepted interpretations within Neopaganism. Even so, it's reasonably easy to list those ideas with which a majority of Neopagans usually agree or disagree, and thus sketch the outlines of our doctrines, just as the members of their faiths could for the Evangelical Christians, Mahayana Buddhists, Sikhs, or Taoists. Do such declarations create "reality" or reflect it? Yes.
By the way, if you're completely unfamiliar with the terms "Paleopaganism," "Mesopaganism," and "Neopaganism," you can read "Defining Paganism: Paleo-, Meso- and Neo-" for a quick overview. My own interpretations of, and extensions to, the basic Neopagan beliefs listed in this essay will be found in my other writings on this website as well as in future books.
Thou Art God/dess
Neopagans believe that divinity is both immanent (internal) and transcendent (external), with immanence being far more important for us to pay attention to right now. This principle of immanence is frequently phrased as, "Thou art God" or "Thou art Goddess." Deities can manifest at any point in space or time which They might choose, whether externally (through apparent "visitations") or internally (through the processes known as "inspiration," "conversation," "channeling," and "possession"). This belief often develops among Neopagans into pantheism ("the physical world is divine"), panentheism ("the Gods are everywhere"), animism ("everything is alive"), or monism ("everything that exists is one being") all of which are concepts accepted by some Neopagans.
Original Sanctity
Neopagans believe that children are born holy, since they have no barriers of consciousness between them and their indwelling deities. So the concept of "original sin" -- the idea that all children are born innately evil and have to be cleansed by a magical ceremony before they can become good -- is alien to us. Babies arrive in a morally and ethically neutral state, although the reincarnationists among us would claim that tendencies towards certain types of behavior may be carried from previous lifetimes. Because of this reverence for children, Neopagans do not approve of any form of child abuse. Some members of our community may perpetuate the abuse they received growing up in a dysfunctional mainstream culture, but unlike in many other faith communities, such mistreatment is not religiously justified.
Goddesses and Gods
Neopagans believe that divinity is as likely to manifest in a female form as it is in a male form, and that the word "Goddess" makes just as much sense as "God." Women and men are spiritually equal, and "masculine" and "feminine" attitudes, values, and roles are of equal importance, regardless of the physical gender of those exercising them. Many Neopagans believe that feminine energies and values are more needed to balance masculine excesses of current cultures. Hence, the common emphasis on Goddesses in our myths and rites.
Polytheism
Neopagans believe in a multiplicity of gods and goddesses, as well as "lesser" beings, many of Whom are worthy of respect, love and worship. We have a wide variety of nonexclusive concepts as to the nature of these entities. While some of us believe in a "Supreme Being," Neopaganism as a whole is polytheistic. Much Neopaganism is "duotheistic" (with female deities seen as aspects of a single Goddess, and male deities of a single God). A significant minority of Neopagans worship only female deities and do not worship or acknowledge male ones.
No Gods of Evil
Neopagans do not believe in, respect, or worship any divine or semidivine figure of ultimate Evil, leaving such concepts to the dualistic monotheists. "The Devil" is a character in Christian and Islamic mythology, a slanderous parody of ancient Paleopagan deities, and an entity we have not the least bit of interest in. Those who insist that our beloved deities are "really demons in disguise," are (and have been for centuries) simply exhibiting their ignorance, their dualism, and their bigotry. Thus our community says to both the conservative Christian community and its shadow side, the modern Satanist movement,"One cannot be a Satanist and a Neopagan at the same time."
Nature Worship
Most Neopagans believe it is necessary to respect and love Nature as divine in Her own right, and to accept ourselves as part of Nature and not Her "rulers." Many of us accept what has come to be known as "the Gaia hypothesis." As first articulated by Neopagan polytheologian Oberon (then Tim) Zell, it states that the biosphere of our planet is a living being who is due all the love and support that we, Her children, can give Her. Ecological awareness is a sacred duty and human desires and convenience are not more important than the needs of every other species on our planet.
Cautious Technophilia
Most Neopagans believe in accepting the positive aspects of Western science and technology -- most of us love our computers! -- but also in maintaining an attitude of wariness towards the supposed ethical neutrality of that science and technology. We consider it important that scientists and engineers (like everyone else) pay as much attention to their methods as they do to their goals. Just because it's possible to do something doesn't mean we should do it. We have in the Neopagan community significant minorities of anti-technology neo-Luddites and back-to-the-landers, as well as pro-technology science fiction fans and space exploration supporters.
Positive Ethics
Neopagans believe that ethics and morality should be based upon joy, love, self-esteem, mutual respect, the avoidance of actual harm to ourselves and others -- human or nonhuman -- and the increase of public benefit. Most Neopagans believe in some variant or another of the principles of "karma," and many Neopagans will affirm that the results of their actions will always return to them, sooner or later. This belief that "what goes around, comes around" has a major influence on the ethical choices made by most Neopagans. Thus we try to balance individual needs for personal autonomy and growth with the necessity of paying attention to the impact of our actions on the lives and welfare of others, including other living beings and the environment as a whole (Gaia). This does not deter us from fighting for justice, freedom, and the rights of those who cannot fight for themselves, but it does require us to practice rigorous self-honesty before, during and after we are engaged in such fighting. These beliefs have led many Neopagans to become vegetarians, animal rights activists, pacifists and/or environmental activists.
The Good Life
Neopagans believe that human beings were meant to lead lives filled with joy, love, pleasure, beauty and humor. Most Neopagans are fond of food, drink, music, sex, and bad puns, and consider all of these (except possibly the puns) to be of spiritual value, at least when not taken to excess. Many Neopagans consider sexual ecstacy, especially, as a major source of (adult) spiritual growth and enlightenment, though we vary widely in how, with whom, and under what circumstances we seek such ecstacy.
Magic and Mystery
Neopagans believe that with proper training, art, discipline and intent, human minds and hearts are fully capable of performing most of the magic and miracles they are ever likely to need. Magical and/or miraculous acts are done through the use of what most of us perceive as natural (some say "divinely granted") psychic talents, or occasional divine intervention. Most Neopagans seem to accept the laws of magic, outlined in my book "Real Magic," as accurate descriptions of the way magical phenomena usually behave, though they might not say that they "believe" in these laws any more than a physicist "believes" in the laws of thermodynamics.
Ceremonial Art and Science
Most Neopagans believe that there is an art and/or a science to creating, preparing and performing magical and religious rituals. Our ceremonies are continually evolving as we search for the most intellectually satisfying, artistically beautiful, spiritually powerful, and magically effective rites possible. The use of human or animal sacrifice, though a common accusation, is not part of Neopagan worship, though some meat-eaters may say a blessing over their animals before preparing them for cooking.
Connecting to the Cosmos
Neopagans believe in the importance of celebrating the solar, lunar and other cycles of our lives. We consciously observe the solstices, equinoxes and the points in between, as well as the phases of the moon. Such "rites of intensification" are human universals, as are the various ceremonies known as "rites of passage" -- celebrations of birth, puberty, personal dedication to a given deity or group, marriage, ordination, death, etc. Together these various sorts of observations help us to find ourselves in space and time.
Born Again Paganism
Most Neopagans believe in some sort of afterlife, usually involving rest and recovery in the Otherworld before reincarnating. There is a common belief that we grow spiritually through each lifetime and will continue reincarnating until we have learned all we need to. This aspect of Neopagan polytheology has not been developed very far, perhaps because of Neopaganism's emphasis on the joys and duties of one's present life. We have no concept of "eternal" punishment or damnation, and do not accept the "right" of other faith communities to impose their opinions on the topic.
Hope and Action
Although we might not all think of ourselves as "utopians," most Neopagans believe that people have the ability to solve their current problems, both personal and public, and to create a better world. This vision, tempered with common sense, leads us to a strong commitment to personal and global growth, evolution and balance.
Mystic Vision
Neopagans believe that people can progress far towards achieving personal growth, evolution and balance through the carefully planned alteration of our "normal" (culturally defined and limited) states of consciousness. Neopagans use both ancient and modern methods of concentration, meditation, reprogramming and ecstasy, including both shamanic and other trance-inducing techniques practiced by Paleopagan and Mesopagan peoples around the world.
Community Responsibility
Most Neopagans believe that human interdependence implies community service. Some of us are active in political, social, ecological and charitable organizations, while others prefer to work for the public good primarily through spiritual means (and many insist on doing both).
Spiritual Authenticity
Neopagans believe that if we are to achieve any of our goals, we must practice what we preach. Neopaganism, like any other religion, should be a way of life, not merely a weekly or monthly social function. So we must always strive to make our lives consistent with our proclaimed beliefs, difficult as that may be under our particular historical, cultural and economic conditions.
Internal Religious Freedom
Most Neopagans believe that healthy religions should have a minimum amount of rigidity and a maximum amount of flexibility. Neopaganism is an assortment of organic religions, which are growing, changing, and producing offshoots, and (though we do have our "orthodox" types) most of us accept these as natural (if sometimes painful) processes. Neopagans almost all believe that monolithic religious organizations and would-be messiahs are a hinderance to spiritual growth. As a general rule, Neopagan groups score very low on my Cult Danger Evaluation Frame.
External Religious Freedom
Most Neopagans believe that it's difficult for ordinary humans to commit offenses against the Gods and Goddesses, short of major crimes such as ecocide or genocide. Our deities are perfectly capable of defending Their own honor without any need for us to punish people (inside or outside of our community) for "blasphemy" or "heresy." The Deities give us no divine mandates to force our beliefs down other people's throats. Therefore, Neopagans tend to believe in freedom for all religious groups and individuals who are willing to grant us our freedoms in return.
Interfaith Cooperation and Self-Defense
Most Neopagans believe in cooperation and ecumenical activities with those members of other faiths who share all or most of these beliefs. We also believe in resisting efforts by members of dysfunctional religions who seek to either persecute us and suppress our human rights, or to infiltrate us and corrupt our ideals.
Copyright © 1974, 1997 c.e., Isaac Bonewits. This text file may be freely distributed on the Net, provided that no editing is done, the version number is retained and this notice is included. If you would like to be on the author's personal mailing/phone list for upcoming publications, lectures, song albums, and appearances, send your snailmail and/or your email address to him at PO Box 1021, Nyack, NY, USA 10960-1021 or via email to "ibonewits@qed.net".
American Pagan culture today blends together the old and the new, as depicted in the above version of a chant created by Morningfeather at the first Pagan Spirit Gathering in 1981. Our wisdom journey as a people creating culture is ongoing.
We are an Old People because we draw upon the ancient wisdoms and folk ways of our ancestors as part of our cultural experience. In our rituals and festivals, our dreams and trancework, our writings and readings, and our daily life, we discover and keep open the gateways of our ancient human heritage. We experience ourselves not only as individuals living in the late twentieth century, but as part of the intuitive Nature mystic pulse that has been part of "Western Civilization" since antiquity. Our Pagan cultural journey values the past and the timelessness of Nature's rhythms and teachings. Each time we kindle bonfires at Midsummer, honor loved ones in the Spirit World at Samhain, and dance the Maypole at Beltane, we keep alive the Old Ways and we experience ourselves as an Old People.
We are a New People because we are weaving a new form of Pagan culture from the threads of past and present. Our culture, in all of its diversity, is vibrant, changing, growing, and alive. We are creating Pagan culture in ways that fit our present era and global information age context. Greek, Roman, Pictish, Egyptian, Celtic, Teutonic, Minoan, and other ancient Pagan cultures no longer exist as they once did, and it is not possible, nor necessary, to resurrect and replicate old Pagan cultural patterns exactly as they were in order to connect with their wisdoms spiritually. By studying past expressions of Paganism, we can learn ancient teachings that are timeless and can incorporate these into our present culture. The myths, symbols, customs, sites, and other legacies of the ancients can inspire us and enrich our New Paganism in the making.
Contemporary American Paganism not only weaves together threads of the ancient past in its tapestry, but also those of major social movements in the second half of this century. Perhaps the single greatest influence in the development of Pagan culture, as it exists in the United States today, is its integration of the social change legacies of the 1960's and 1970's. The egalitarianism of the civil rights movement and feminism, the emergence of the new environmentalism, and the paradigm shift involving holistic thinking, human potentials, and postmodern philosophy all are components of Pagan culture today. Paganism not only has been influenced by these social movements, but it also has been a strong influence upon them as they continue to be forces at work in dominant culture. Many of PaganismÕs most visible leaders, teachers, writers, and networkers also have been and are active in one or more of these social change movements.
American Paganism is characterized by much diversity, due to its grass roots nature. However, it does have several commonalties which distinguish it from some other religions and cultures. I draw upon my twenty-five years of experience of national networking and priestess service in sharing these overview observations.
Circle. Throughout Paganism today, the predominant ritual and social space form is the circle. As in ancient times, the circle represents many concepts, including wholeness, balance, the cycles of Nature, continuity, partnership, and interconnectedness. The circle is used by individuals in personal rituals as well as by large and small groups for group rituals and festivals. The circle form facilitates shared experience and encourages participation. In contrast, non-interactive rectangular theater patterns predominate in many other religions and cultural settings.
Nature. Attunement to and communion with Nature are central to Paganism today as in the past. Humans are viewed as part of Nature, not as dominators or as owners of Nature as is prevalent in some other cultures. Furthermore, in Paganism, creatures, plants, and other lifeforms in Nature are viewed as allies, not as underlings or subhuman. Nature imagery is prevalent in Pagan households, rituals, and art forms. In addition to connecting with Nature ritually, Pagans care for the environment as part of daily life, and many are active in environmental preservation organizations. Paganism is a strong force in ecospirituality, and ministers and practitioners of other religions often import Pagan symbology, chants, and other practices into their own communities and liturgies in order to make them more ecofriendly.
Divine Diversity. In contrast to the singular worship of a transcendent father God of some religions and cultures, the Divine has a wider range of forms in Paganism today. Most Pagans conceptualize both a unifying Divine force as well as multiple forms. Some Pagans view the Divine unity as an all-Goddess, from which a variety of Goddesses and Gods come, while others view Divine unity as androgynous. Many connect with the Divine unity through honoring both Goddess and God. Some honor multiple aspects, such as in Wiccan spirituality with a Triple Goddess and Dual God. On the other hand, some Pagans do not relate to the Divine in anthropomorphic forms at all, but as a vibratory pattern that is the interconnecting force in Nature. In contrast to transcendence being central to many religions, immanence is central to Paganism. The Divine is viewed as being indwelling within the self, plants, creatures, and all of Nature. Animism, the concept that a soul or spirit is within all life forms, and Pantheism, the view that the Divine is everywhere and everything is imbued with the Divine, are ancient Pagan worldviews that are part of Paganism today.
Practice. In some religions, it is necessary to be a member of a religious institution in order to be considered a practitioner. Not so in Paganism, where there is a range of options. Some Pagans practice independently as "solitaries" and never become members of any group. Other Pagans are part of spiritual support groups, circles, groves, or covens. Some are associated with larger Pagan communities, which range from church communities that meet face-to-face to networks that exist through cyberspace, newsletters, and other ways. Pagans who are part of groups typically also do personal spiritual practice outside of groups. Many solitaries, groups, and communities come together at large festivals, conferences, and other cultural gatherings which bring together Pagans from many paths.
Group Structure. Pagan groups vary greatly in structure and leadership styles. This contrasts with many other religions where a top-down, power-over hierarchy prevails. Pagan groups range from unstructured to structured. Some groups are free-form anarchistic collectives where no one is designated as leader and all decisions are made by consensus. Structured groups vary from informal to formal in form. Leadership in structured groups may be rotating, fixed, or by election, and leadership style ranges from laissez faire to directive. In Pagan groups of many types, majority as well as minority perspectives are valued and generally both kinds of perspectives are considered in decision making.
Some Pagan groups include both females and males, while others are all female or all male in composition. Most structured mixed groups have both a female and a male serving in leadership positions. Like many religions, there are more women than men in Paganism. However, unlike religions in which most, if not all, leaders are men, there are more women in leadership roles than men in Paganism, in part due to the large number of women only groups with rotating leadership.
Paganism differs from most other religions also in leadership function. In contrast to religions that emphasize the role of minister as mediator between deity and congregation, in Paganism, ritual participants serve as their own mediators and ritual leaders serve to facilitate the framework in which this can happen.
Spiritual Calendar. Pagan sacred times are based upon the cycles of Nature, rather than linked to human history, such as events in a prophet's or hero's life, as is common in some religions and cultures. Most contemporary Pagans celebrate eight ancient seasonal holidays: the solstices, the equinoxes, and the midpoints between. Wiccans and some other Pagans also celebrate the lunar cycle, with rituals at full and/or new moon times.
Innovation. The spirit of innovation and creativity is strong within Paganism today. Because of this, Paganism is more flexible than religions that emphasize the use of set prayers and ceremonies. In Paganism, there is an ongoing process of creating new rituals, chants, meditations, and other forms of spiritual practice. Some Pagans never perform the same ritual twice. Many Pagans create their own rituals for celebrating Nature's cycles, often incorporating ancient Pagan folk customs, songs, and poetry. Some adapt rituals created by others, while others draw more on personal inspiration. Many group rituals are created collectively by a group during a planning session and/or during the ritual itself. Pagan rituals designed to encourage creative expression of those that take part can be viewed as forms of participatory performance art.
Music. In some religions, ritual music consists primarily of performances of songs by a choir/soloist, hymn singing by the congregation, and instrumental organ music. In Paganism, there is more diversity in ritual music. Although there may be musical performance by a soloist or chorus during a ritual, the most common practice is music making done by everyone. Singing includes not only songs, but also repetitive chants and free-form toning. Sometimes a new song or chant arises out of free form chanting done in a ritual. In addition, rhythm making may be done instead of chanting or in conjunction with it. Tambourines, drums, sistrums, rattles, and other rhythm instruments may be played. Many outdoor Pagan rituals include periods of human silence during which participants listen to the sounds made by birds, winds, and other parts of Nature around them.
Movement. Pagan rituals usually include different forms of movement. In addition to sitting and standing which are common in other religions, Pagan rituals often feature dancing and an assortment of ritual postures and gestures. Dancing may be ecstatic free style with each participant moving in her/his own way, or it may be a new or traditional group folk dance, with a circle, spiral, or other pattern. Ritual postures and gestures often include the use of the hands and arms to create sacred shapes, such as a crescent, and sometimes involve the entire body, such as lying down on the earth.
Knowledge. Most Pagans are avid readers and have more than a high school education. Many are college educated. Intellectual development and critical thinking are highly valued, while unquestioned blind faith is not. Also, Paganism is more science friendly than many religions. Pagans learn about Paganism through reading books and articles, through classes and workshops, and, most importantly, through direct experience. Paganism is based on Nature wisdom experiences rather than on the teachings of a prophet. There is no standard holy book of doctrine in Paganism as there is in many religions. Instead, Pagans usually create their own. In their spiritual journals, Pagans may include a variety of material such as transcripts of rituals; accounts of dreams, meditations, and inner journeys; chants and songs; information learned from others; and personal observations, thoughts, feelings, insights, and ideas.
Inner Life. Pagans value intuition and most seek to develop their psychic perception skills. Most Pagans do some forms of creative visualization, dreamwork, and meditation. Some do shamanic journeying or astral projection using drumming, guided meditation, and/or ecstatic dance. Many Pagans work with at least one system of divination and use intuitive information obtained from divination in combination with rational analysis in making important life decisions. Spiritual healing work is commonplace in Paganism. Learning to develop magical skills, working with the spiritual powers of the mind, not only is accepted, but typically encouraged in Paganism, but forbidden or discounted by many other philosophies and faith traditions.
Ethics. The Wiccan Rede, "And it harm none, do what you will," is the central ethical code of contemporary Paganism. Related to this is the Law of Return, the concept that whatever you do comes back to you. Pagans seek to live in harmony not only with other humans but with Nature as a whole. Responsibility to care for others, the planet, and oneself is also part of Pagan philosophy and ethics. Diversity is celebrated and personal choice, privacy, integrity, and freedom are valued.
Paganism differs from some religions and cultures on a number of gender and sexuality issues. Although some religions view abortion, sex outside of marriage, divorce, the use of birth control devices, and homosexuality as unethical, this is not the case with Paganism. Sex between consenting adults is considered a personal and private matter by Pagans. While Pagans may have different attitudes about abortion and birth control, the prevalent view is pro-choice and that the government should not be involved in these spiritual matters. Marriage is not a prerequisite for sex, although safety and responsibility in sexual activity is emphasized. Neither celibacy nor marriage is mandated for Pagan group leaders. Many lesbians, gays, and bisexuals are Pagan because there is widespread acceptance of diversity in sexual orientation within Paganism today, just as was the case in some ancient Pagan cultures. Pagan weddings, sometimes known as handfastings, are performed for heterosexual as well as same sex couples. Marriage commitment may be for a year and a day, for life, or for as long as love shall last depending on what a couple chooses to vow to each other. Not only is divorce not forbidden, Pagans have divorce rituals, usually called handpartings. Furthermore, Pagans do not view women as subordinate to men, nor proclaim that wives must obey their husbands as is part of some religio-cultural doctrine. Child abuse, spouse beating, rape, and other forms of domination which are tolerated or ignored, and often shrouded in secrecy, in some patriarchal cultures are not acceptable within contemporary Paganism. Many Pagan leaders, groups, and individuals have taken public stands against such atrocities.
Conversion. Proselytizing is central to many religions, but not to Paganism. In fact, those interested in being part of a Pagan group may actually have to go through a long search process in order to connect, since most groups are private rather than public due to the climate of intolerance toward alternative spiritualities that persists in dominant society. If Pagans speak in public about their religion, it is usually to dispel misconceptions and to build bridges of understanding and peaceful coexistence with those of other viewpoints. Most Pagans did not "convert" to Paganism, but first developed Pagan worldviews on their own and then discovered that there was a whole culture of people that shared their perspectives. The prevalent view within Paganism is that there are many paths to spiritual well-being. This is in sharp contrast to religions and societies that proclaim their way is the only way and that those that do not comply with it are eternally damned. This clash in worldviews between the pluralism of Paganism and the one-wayism of fundamentalism has led to considerable antipathy between them. Despite the lack of recruiting campaigns, the number of Pagans continues to grow, not only in the United States, but elsewhere in the world. This trend has intrigued religious scholars and alarmed chauvinistic fundamentalists.
Religious Freedom. Concern about religious freedom issues is an important dynamic among Pagans today. Although religious freedom is supposed to be guaranteed as part of American society, this is not automatically the case for Pagans. Sometimes Pagans are harassed and experience discrimination because of their spiritual and cultural orientation. Some have been driven from their homes. Others have lost jobs. Lies about Pagans and Paganism have been disseminated under the guises of "education" and "entertainment." Ritual places have been desecrated and rituals disrupted by bigots. Attacks on Pagans have ranged from verbal slurs to physical violence. Some right wing religious extremists have made extermination of Paganism part of their political agenda and are actively engaged in anti-Pagan campaigns. Some left wing extremists also have condemned and ridiculed Paganism because of its value of spirituality and inner life.
Although attacks on Paganism have been on the rise in the past decade as Paganism has grown and become more visible, so has acceptance for Paganism in society as a whole. Both trends are occurring simultaneously. Wiccans and other Pagans are winning religious freedom battles in the courts. More Pagans are willing to be openly Pagan. Accurate, positive images and depictions of Pagans are appearing in the media, which help counter the false, negative ones. Major publishing companies are publishing and distributing a variety of books on Paganism. Wiccans and other Pagans have been included in interfaith groups and conferences. Pagan culture is now being examined as part of multicultural studies at colleges, universities, and other schools. Pagan paintings, music, and other artforms are becoming more visible in the art world. Paganism is increasingly being viewed as a positive spiritual alternative and cultural force.
Although we have experienced much growth in the past thirty years, our new Pagan culture is still in its formative stages. We are in the process of defining ourselves as a people. We are just beginning to establish institutions that will transmit our stories, art, music, teachings, and history to future generations. We continually debate and struggle with cultural process issues, including defining our ethics and values, finding ways to have cohesiveness in the midst of so much diversity, and developing bicultural competence that can allow us to be personally integrated while coexisting in the Pagan world and the larger dominant society. We even debate whether or not we should capitalize "Pagan," our identity word for our religion and culture just as is done for Buddhists, Hmong, Jews, Hispanics, Tsalagi, and other peoples.
What is the future of Paganism? It depends upon the choices we make individually and collectively. May we keep in mind our commonalties and recognize we are part of a growing Pagan culture. May our diversity enrich rather than divide us. May we strengthen our connections with each other and Nature as a whole. May we continue our weaving together of the old and new and our process of growing wiser than before. So Mote It Be.
by Selena Fox
I am Pagan. I am a part of the whole of Nature. The Rocks, the Animals, the Plants, the Elements, and Stars are my relatives. Other humans are my sisters and brothers, whatever their races, colors, genders, sexual orientations, ages, nationalities, religions, lifestyles. Planet Earth is my home. I am a part of this large family of Nature, not the master of it. I have my own special part to play and I seek to discover and play that part to the best of my ability. I seek to live in harmony with others in the family of Nature, treating others with respect.
I am Pagan. I celebrate the changing seasons, the turning of the Wheel of the Year. I celebrate with singing, dancing, feasting, rituals, and in other ways. I celebrate each turn of the Wheel with personal spiritual practices and by taking part in community festivals.
I am Pagan. I also honor the seasons of life within my life's journey -- beginnings, growth, fruition, harvest, endings, rest, and beginnings again. Life is a Circle with many cycles. With every Ending comes a new Beginning. Within Death there is the promise of Rebirth.
I am Pagan. I see circles of change and renewal not only within my own life's journey, but in my heritage. I see my life as a circle that connects with the life circles of my ancestors. They are part of me and my life. The ancient wisdom of Nature's Renewal and Recycling is embodied in the crests of two of my Ancestoral clans. From my German ancestors of my mother's mother's lineage is the totem of the heron, a family emblem signifying perseverance and renewal after difficulties. From my Celtic ancestors of my father's father's lineage is the crest bearing the symbol of a hewn oak tree sprouting new branches and leaves from its stump, enclosed in a circle with the motto, Iterum Viriscit, which means It grows Green again. These symbols and motto remind me not only of my own renewal and the renewal of Nature, but also the renewal of Pagan philosophy on this planet that is part of my life's work as a Pagan priestess.
I am Pagan. Intentional consciousness change, Magic, is part of my spirituality. For every problem there is at least one workable solution as well as opportunity for growth. I create my own reality with my thoughts, feelings, and actions. Whatever I send out always returns. I seek to abide by the Wiccan Rede: "And It Harm None, Do What You Will." When I do magic in rituals, before I raise and direct energy, I seek always to look at the larger picture of which my needs are just a part. I endeavor to work for the best for all as well as to help myself. When problems come my way, I seek to understand their cause and messages as part of my finding a solution. In doing healing work, I seek to address the underlying spiritual causes of disease, rather than only focusing on relief of its symptoms.
I am Pagan. I work magic by the Moon to help and to heal others, myself, and the Planet. The Triple Goddess of the Moon guides me. I activate beginnings in the Waxing, energize manifestations at the Full, and clear away obstructions with the Waning and Dark. I take part in rituals at the New and Full Moons, and I know that my Circles are part of a great web of Circles that meet at these times around Planet Earth.
I am Pagan. I embrace Pantheism, acknowledging that the Divine is everywhere and in everything. I honor the Divine that is within the oak trees in the forest, in the herbs in the garden, in the wild birds singing in the trees, in the rock outcroppings on the hillside, in myself, and yes, even in "things" such as my car, cameras, and computers. I understand that everything with a physical body has a spiritual body, too. The physical and spiritual are deeply intertwined, not separate, in this world of form. I honor the interconnectedness of Creator and Creation.
I am Pagan. I know that Divinity has many facets and I experience this through a variety of Goddesses, Gods, and other spiritual forms. I also honor Divine Oneness, the Unity of All. My personal encounters with Pagan Goddesses, Gods, and other Divine forms have transformed and enriched my life. Hecate appeared at a Death to teach me of release and rebirth. As a young child, Artemis flowed through me and helped me ward off a would-be rapist. Selena of the Full Moon brings me visions and my name. Sacred Sun energizes me. Yemaya of the Ocean cleanses and renews me. I have heard Pan play his pipes in the woods. Dionysius awakens within me the joys of spontaneity and ecstatic bliss and teaches me the mysteries of androgyny. I have experienced the union of Goddess and God while making love with my mate in the garden. Bast has helped me deepen my connections with my Cat friends. Cernunnos has appeared to me in the forest as a Stag. Isis has spoken to me in bursts of radiance in the deep of the Night and in flows of energy through my hands in doing healings. Saturn has given me lessons about discipline, time, and organic agriculture. Lady Liberty protects me as I work for religious freedom for Wiccans and other Pagans. Mother Earth guides my work on behalf of this Planet. I also experience the Divine as totem animals, plant allies, and as other forms in my dreams, in guided inner journeys, and while questing for vision alone in the wilderness.
I am Pagan. My spiritual practices include self-acceptance and understanding, instead of self-rejection. I share my views with others when I sense it is right, but I do not proselytize, claiming my way is the only true right way for everyone. There are many paths up the mountain of spiritual understanding, not just one path.
I am Pagan. My worship takes the form of Divine communion with Nature. As part of my worship, I founded and caretake a sacred Nature preserve, Circle Sanctuary. I do rituals at special places there, such as in the Stone Circle atop a sacred mound; on Spirit Rock high above the valleys; in the Magic Circle garden; by outdoor shrines; in the indoor Temple room; and in the ancient sandstone rock shelters that housed the ancient ones that lived on this land thousands of years ago. I also do rituals elsewhere on the land and at other places, outdoors and indoors. My worship and rituals can be anywhere since my sacred circle is portable. Wherever I am, I can set up a circle around a sacred sphere with seven invocations: to the four compass point directions, to the Cosmos above, to the Planet below, and to Spiritual Integration in the center.
I am Pagan. I journey to the Otherworld in my dreams, meditations, and rituals. I use sacred tools to aid me in my journeys and my magic making. These include cauldrons, crystals, candles, censors of incense, chalices of water, pentacles of salt, dishes of soil, feathers, bells, brooms, rattles, drums, wands, staffs, blades, mirrors, and a variety of divination tools, including Tarot cards, I Ching yarrow stalks, and Rune stones. I fly with my consciousness through time and space. I explore other dimensions and then I return with insights, knowledge, and power. I go between the worlds for healing, growth and transformation. Intuitive, psychic perception is a natural, not supernatural, part of my daily life.
I am Pagan. I attune myself to the four elements of Nature -- Earth, Air, Fire, Water -- and to the fifth element, Spirit, which is the spiritual force that connects all. I see these Elements in Nature -- the Earth in the soil and rocks; the Air in the winds and atmosphere; the Fire as the lightning, fires, and electricity; the Water in the springs, rivers, oceans, rain, and other waters on the planet; and the Spirit as Divine Unity. I also see these Elements as aspects of Self -- my physical body and physiology is my Earth; my intellect and thoughts my Air; my will and actions my Fire; my emotions and feelings my Water; and my Inner Self, my Soul, is my Spirit. I endeavor to keep myself healthy and in balance in all these parts of Self. I work toward a restoring of balance of the Elements in the environment.
I am Pagan. I hear the cries of Mother Earth who is upset with the harm being done to the environment by humankind. I am dismayed by the pollution of the air, the soil, and the waters, and by the domination games being played by nations with the fire of nuclear missles and other weapons of mass destruction. I also am concerned about spiritual pollution on the Planet -- selfishness, hatred, greed for money and power, addiction, violence, despair. Yet as I perceive these problems, I also perceive cleansing and healing happening on Planet Earth at this time. I know that I can help in at least a small way to bring the Planet into greater balance by seeking balance in my own life, by being a catalyst for restoring balance in the lives of others, and by working for a better environment. I know that my attitudes and my way of living can make a difference. I endeavor to be a channel for healing and balance. I make the practice of environmental responsibility a personal part of my daily life. I endeavor to live in harmony with the other members of the family of Nature.
I am Pagan. Nature Spirituality is my religion and my life's foundation.
Nature is my spiritual teacher and holy book. I am part of Nature and Nature
is part of me. My understanding of Nature's inner mysteries grows as I
journey on this spiritual path.
O daughters and sons of the Earth, adore the Goddess and the God and be blessed with the fullness of life. Know that They have brought you to these writings, for herein lie the ways of Wicca, to serve and fulfil the keepers of wisdom, the tenders of the sacred flame of knowledge. Run the rites with love and joy, and the Goddess and the God will bless you with all that you need. But as for those who practise dark magicks shall know their greatest wrath.
Remember that you are of the Wicca. No more do you tread the ways of doubt. You walk the path of light, ever climbing from shadow to shadow to the highest realm of existence. Yet though we are the bearers of truth, others do not wish to share our knowledge, so we run our rites beneath moon filled skies enwrapped in shadows. Yet lo, we are happy.
Live fully, for that is the purpose of life. Refrain not from earthly existence. From it we learn to grow and understand, until such time as we are born to learn yet more, repeating this cycle until we have spiralled up the path of perfection and can finally call the Goddess and the God our kin.
Walk the fields and forests; be refreshed by the cool winds and the touch of a nodding flower. The Moon and the Sun sing in the ancient wild places: the deserted seashore, the stark desert, the roaring waterfall. We are of the Earth and should revere her, so do Her honour.
Celebrate the rites on the appropriate days and seasons, and call upon the Goddess and the God when the time is meet. Use the Power only when necessary and not for frivolous ends. Know that using the Power for harm is a perversion of Life itself.
But for those who love and magnify love, the richness of life shall be just reward. Nature herself will celebrate. Therefore be charged to love the Goddess and the God and do harm to none!
As often as possible, hold the rites in forests, by the seashore, on deserted mountaintops or near tranquil lakes. If this be not possible, then shall a garden or some chamber suffice, if it is readied with fumes or flowers. But celebrate the Wheel of Life as it revolves through its annual cycle in communion with all Nature and Gaia.
Seek out wisdom in books, rare manuscripts and cryptic poems but also seek it in the simple stones and fragile herbs and in the cries of wild birds. Listen to the whisperings of the winds and the roar of water if magic is to be discovered, for it is here that the old secrets are preserved.
Books contain words; trees contain energies and wisdom books ne'er dreamed of.
Ever remember that the Old Ways are constantly revealing themselves. Therefore be as the river willow that bends and sways with the wind. That which remains changeless shall outlive its spirit, but that which evolves and grows will shine throughout the ages.
There can be no monopoly on wisdom. Therefore share whatever of our ways with others that seek them, but hide mystic lore from the eyes of those who would destroy, for to do otherwise increases their destruction.
Mock not the rituals or spells of another, for who can say whose are greater in wisdom or power?
Ensure that all actions are honourable and hold to the Wiccan Rede, "an it harm none, do as ye will", for the Threefold Law teaches that for all that is done shall be returned three- fold, good or bane.
Be wary of one who would dominate, who would control and manipulate rituals and reverences. True reverence for the Goddess and the God occurs within. Look with suspicion on any who twist worship for their own gain and glory, but welcome those priests and priestesses who are suffused with love. To these give the two passwords of "perfect love and perfect trust" as is given to the Goddess and God.
Honour all living things, for we are of the bird, the fish, the bee. Destroy not life save it be to preserve your own. Do not make a sacrifice of any living thing to the Goddess and God, for They require it not.
And this is the nature of our Way.
It is very instructive to realize how ancient the "Love Thy Neighbour" ethic actually is. Christians seem to take credit for being THE religion that "discovered" this concept", but as Thomas Browne says: "The religion of one seems madness unto another." English Physician, Writer (1605-1682).
Blessed be and Never Thirst from Kim and Quenten.
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