Ten Things Pagans Wished You Knew About Us
Paganism is among the most misunderstood spiritual practices in existence. We could blame Hollywood for giving people an image of crooked nosed, ugly witches, and robe wearing evildoers sacrificing humans, but it’s not like we pagans are going out proselytizing with pamphlets explaining what we’re all about either.
Many of the reactions I have received from stating that I am a Wiccan (one of many pagan religions) have been quite shocking. Many of these interactions have even been downright insulting, hateful, or based on misinformation. It has made me think that people need to know the basics about paganism; if only to stop them from regurgitating the fallacious, misguided prejudices they have about us. So here are ten things pagans wished you knew about us.
All pagans are not witches or Wiccans.
Pagan is a broad term that covers many spiritual practices including Asatru, Buddhism, Druidry, goddess worship, Santeria, shamanic practices, Wicca, and Voodoo. This list doesn’t even start to touch the vast number of pagan faiths that exist. Pagan simply means we do not follow a well-organized religion that expects us to base our faith on other people’s spiritual experiences, such as prophets, saints, or preachers. We prefer our own unique experiences to gain a personal sense of spirituality.
Paganism is counter-cultural.
What makes paganism such a threat to established religions is that it does not follow the cultural norms one would expect from religion. There is no organized, worldwide hierarchy. We govern ourselves whether in a coven, a group, or on our own. There are guidelines for each tradition. Some are similar from one spiritual path to the next, but there’s no one set dogma that we must adhere.
Many pagan traditions also celebrate the divine feminine. Goddess worship and respect for the female being and spirit is a huge part of our practice. Because we believe in balance, many traditions also worship the god and masculine energies. This masculine-feminine balance is contrary to many other mainstream religious beliefs that women are equal but in a separate way, or not as important as men
We are also an all-inclusive group. We have no problem with people who are gay or of another race. We don’t care what your previous religious background is because we have all come to our path from different faiths. We also believe that if you are comfortable in your current religion, good for you. We have no desire to hunt you down and convert you.
We Do Not Proselytize
We believe that people are drawn to “the path,” meaning people come to find their spiritual path on their own. There’s something in their soul, their life, or a personal experience that brings them to the spirituality they are seeking.
Male practitioners are not warlocks.
We love our male practitioners, but we do not love the title “warlock”. Warlock has negative connotations in our faith. It’s Scottish for the betrayer. Our men are not betrayers. Many of them are peace loving and extremely supportive of the women with whom they practice.
We Do Not Worship the Devil
The devil is a Christian concept. Most pagan religions worship a pantheon of gods and goddesses. There is no devil because each deity represents a unique trait(s). Some are good, such as Odin and some reveal a darker more sinister side of nature, such as Loki. We do not need a devil and never have.
What about Satanists? Yes, some people think Satanism should be considered pagan, but it takes a bit of logical twisting to consider them not Christian. If the devil is a Christian concept, and you are worshipping Satan; then the basis of your worship is a skewed Christian bastardization of pagan practices.
Rituals and sex.
Yes, most of us do rituals; as do Mormons who do temple work, Catholics who pray the rosary, and anyone who participates in a wedding ceremony, or takes the sacrament. These are all rituals.
Thanks to Christian dogma, Hollywood, and some pretty creative writers; some people think our rituals are a naked sex filled orgies. Wow! Gross. I would never attend anything like that. Pagans believe that sex has a sacred power. That doesn’t mean we’re having sex as part of our ritual. Like Christianity and polygamy, sex during ritual sometimes happens; but it’s not a widespread practice, and it’s certainly not condoned.
We have symbolic representations for sacred acts. One of which is the athame and chalice to signify the coupling of the God and Goddess. There’s no need to act it out.
Spells are prayers.
Spells are not a mystical conjuring using fancifully worded poetry, weird ingredients, and large cauldrons of nuclear green goo that will make someone fall head over heels in love with us or turn our nemesis into a hideous croaking toad. Maybe you’re a person who goes to church, sings some songs, lights a few candles, and prays to God; or you might kneel by your bedside with a rosary when you need guidance or assistance from a higher power. We pretty much do the same thing, in a setting of our choosing, with candles, crystals, and other items we feel have complimentary energies to our goal. So, we may rhyme our prayers. We’re a crafty people.
Skyclad, it’s a thing, but not for everyone.
I will not deny there are those wonderfully free-spirits for whom the idea of dancing skyclad under the full moon is a cherished activity. There are also those who prefer ritual robes, plain black clothes, hippie clothes, a specific historical period fashion, or plain old street clothes when they perform a ritual. That’s the beauty of pagan practices. We get to be individuals and choose what is best, and most comfortable for us. To steal a cheesy phrase from a Jermain Stewart song, “We don’t have to take our clothes off,” and most of us don’t.
Please don’t touch our stuff.
I know it’s tempting to touch items when you walk into someone’s house and see something interesting. In a pagan home, this is a huge no, no. We believe in the power of energy and spend more time than we care to admit cleansing negative energies from our home and spiritual objects. We then charge them with very specific and positive energies. When you touch our spiritual items and altars your energy transfers into them, which messes up our spiritual mojo. We don’t wreak havoc on your stuff; so please hands off.
Halloween is not a pagan holiday.
Trigger warning: Halloween is a Christian holiday. All Hallows Eve was the feast day before All Saints Day. Christians originally celebrated All Saints Day in May, but it’s believed that Pope Gregory III moved All Saints Day to November 1st. It was a customary practice in Europe during the growth of Christianity to move Christian holidays to coincide with Pagan ones, to attract and retain more converts.
From October 31st until November 1st, many Pagans celebrate a holiday called Samhain (pronounced Sow-wen). Simply put, it’s a combination of a holiday to honor the passing of the season/harvest, as well as a chance to connect with those who have passed on before us. The specific details of how this holiday is practiced can be slightly different from one pagan tradition to the next.
If you’re curious about something pagan, ask a pagan.
As I mentioned at the start of this article, we don’t seek out people for conversion. We’re not going to knock on your door and ask if we can share the drunken history of our Lord and party god Dionysus. You need to ask us what you want to know.
We are also human and don’t appreciate uninformed accusations about our beliefs and practices. So please, don’t be a pretentious know it all. We’re more than willing to answer any questions you ask.
