This page is devoted to providing some information on basic "Pagan Principles" to anyone not familiar with what it means to be Pagan.
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"Before Time Was" is an alternate Genesis concept, by Scott Cunningham. This appears in his book, "Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner", in the "Standing Stones" Book of Shadows. Although this book focuses primarily on the Wiccan sector of Paganism, this piece is arguably pagan by definition.For more information on this wonderful book, check out the On-Line Store.
"What is a Pagan?" is a lovely quote by Edain McCoy, that embodies the basic ideology that defines those of the Pagan community.
"Real World vs. Webster's" is an article by your truly that serves as a friendly reminderto be careful where you get your information from, and to ALWAYS consider the source.
OrionHawk 12/24/98
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Before
Time Was
What is a Pagan?
Real
World Vs.Webster's
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Before time was,
there was The One;
The One was all, and all was The One.
And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One, all-wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing. And space moved. The One molded energy into twin forms, equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from The One and of the One.
The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save for The One. So They formed energy into gasses and gasses into suns and planets and moons; They sprinkled the universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God.
Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns. And the Goddess and God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were one. From their union sprang the seeds of all life, and the the human race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.
The Goddess chose the Moon as Her symbol, and the God the Sun as His symbol, to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their fashioners. All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Sun and Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of The One, as has been the way of existence before time was.
by Scott Cunningham
("Standing Stones" Book of Shadows)
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"When one defines oneself as Pagan...
...it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all creation. The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners and teachers. We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother Goddess and father God, who together created all that is, was, and will be. We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation. "
by Edain McCoy
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Well, well... SOMEBODY at Webster's needs to get out more.
I recently picked up a copy of Webster's New World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus* to use as a desk reference, in the hopes that "The Name You Can Trust" --as it appears at the bottom of the front cover-- could aid me in my writing. Man, what a book! It's an impressive two inches thick, weighing in at just over two pounds, 718 pages chock-full of useful information. Perhaps the most appealing feature is the "first-time-ever" combination of Dictionary and Thesaurus in one handy reference, with the Thesaurus running along the bottom of the Dictionary pages, concurrent and comprehensive.
With anticipation, I licked my fingers and began to thumb through the 'tome of knowlege'. I was out to test this "New World" claim to its fullest. Much to my dismay, this is what I discovered:
(The following are exerpts from Webster's New World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus*, as they appear, except for some of the more obscure phonetic symbology.)
* Webster's New
World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus
Copyright © 1996 by Simon and Shuster, Inc.
Dictionary Entry:
pa· gan (pa´gen) n. [ < L
paganus, peasant ] 1 a heathen 2
one who has no religion -adj. of pagans
- pa´gan· ism´
n.
Thesaurus Entries:
pagan a. unchristian,
idolatrous, hea-
thenish.
pagan n.
pantheist, heathen,
doubter, scoffer, unbeliever, atheist,
infidel.
Well, oooookay, so the term "pagan" has primarily negative connotations according to Webster's New World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus*. I "DOUBT" they did any sympathetic research on paganism, so I "SCOFF" at their literary irresponsibilty. (Gee, I guess they got me there...)
No entry for "neo-pagan", and even though I personally don't equate myself with that term, I was surprised not to find it in the Webster's New World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus*.
(I'm not alone in the thinking that there was anything wrong with the "old" pagans.) Oops, getting off the subject...
"Heathen", hmmm..... Isn't that someone who doesn't believe in God at all? An atheist? Colloquial terminology for addressing disruptive children? As in : "Hey! Quit actin' like a bunch of heathens! "
Let's look it up, shall we?
Dictionary Entry:
hea· then (he´then) n.
pl. -thens or -then
[OE hæthen ]
1 anyone not a Jew, Christian or Muslim. 2
a person
regarded as irreligious, uncivilized, etc. -adj.
1 pagan 2
irreligious, uncivilized, etc. - hea´then· ish
adj.
Thesaurus Entry:
heathen n. infidel,
non-Christian,
atheist; see BARBARIAN.
Oh, I see, a heathen is someone who isn't a Jew, Christian or Muslim. Apparently, all others are irreligious and uncivilized. (The Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Confucianists and and ... A LOT of people are gonna be upset when they find out!) Of course, pagans were diligently cross-referenced, and the term "atheist" is used in the thesaurus. Does one assume that if you don't worship God in the Judeo-Christian "way", this makes one an atheist? A barbarian?
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It is true that a lot of pagans acknowledge, and even honor many different dieties, but this is only because of the divine attributes and aspects of God/Goddess that they possess, not that they actually ARE God. Pagans aren't the only sector of the spiritual community that embraces the alignment with an alternate spiritual persona; it is no different than kissing a St. Thomas medallion as a Catholic, or rubbing the rotund belly of the beloved Buddha. We still believe in "The One True God." (Or Goddess, or both... as most pagans including myself do.) More on the Mother-Father Sister-Brother Woman-Man concept later... :)
Also, pagans believe that ALL cosmic forces, manifestations, and creations of the Universe are God's own. This ideology, coupled with the acknowledgement of the many aspects or "likenesses"of God, makes pagans pantheists, as WELL as polytheistic. (There is a difference in these two terms, just look 'em up! heh heh.) But, as you can see, we're NOT the only ones. Hey, it's ok.
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For example:
Pagans know that the same God that made the clouds is the same God that made the rain, is the same God that unleashed the storm, is the same God that sent down the bolt of lightning, that struck the tree, that fell on the house that Jack built.
If Jack were a pagan, he might be somewhat perturbed at the destruction of his humble abode, as he is human. However, Jack would not blame his misfortune on the workings of Satan, God's evil twin. Jack realizes that the lightning bolt is not an EVIL omen, that it is just another demonstration of the divine force of Nature; another symbol of God's awesome power to Create, Preserve and Destroy.
If Jack begins to curse, rant and rave about his troubles, he would later reflect on them, and realize that he chose to project those images of himself. No "Devil" MADE him do it. (Perhaps Zeus, "The God of Thunder", was just having a bad hair day as well...)
(Not all Christians or peoples of monotheistic faiths blame EVIL for everything "negative" in their lives, but many do. I am merely attempting to make a point with the "Jack" scenario. Pagans subscribe to the understanding that ALL is created by ONE. Evil incarnate has no place in pagan ideology, and is a monotheistic hypothesis. So, if the "shoe" of the analogy fits, then wear it. If it does not, then by all means, don't.)
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None of the pagans I know possess any of the other pagan "attributes" as mentioned in Webster's New World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus*, save for a decided lack of belief in the Christian dogma that implies that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, and the ONLY way to Deity is through him. This attitude led to the wide-spread intolerance for other religions, and the need to convert. More on the "Burning Times" later...
(Not to pick on the honorable Christians of the world, but the term "unchristian" was used, not "unbuddhist", or "unhindu"...) :)
In fact MOST pagans, as well as I, believe that Jesus of Nazareth (the Christ or "Divinely Anointed") was a teacher like Siddhartha Gautama (the Budda, or "Enlightened One"), or Mohandas Gandhi (the Mahatma, or "Great Soul".) All of these teachers had a positive message, but certainly aren't the "Only Game in Town".
There are many more fascinating and noteworthy men and women throughout history who deserve mention among these three. And yes, among them there be pagans.
(Author's Note: I would like to devote some space on this site for a comparison of different religious systems, as I have found that therein exists some strong similarities in doctrine.)
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My goal with this article is not to deface or otherwise mar the good name of Webster, after all I myself will continue to use the Webster's New World™ Dictionary and Thesaurus* as a reference. I only wish that the Staff at Webster would reconsider the source from which some of their entries are derived.
To be a pagan is a very positive, humble yet powerful thing, as we choose to work directly with Deity to effect change in our lives. Thus, there is no need for a "middle man." We accept that there are many paths to Deity, and know that what works for one, may or may not work for another. Because of this there is no need, or even desire, to "convert." You see, the bond that exists between pagans is not necessarily similar spiritual preference of belief, but more the tolerance and support of each other's individualism. We all acknowledge "The One" in our own unique way, save for a few basic principles that are practiced by all pagans. (See the above quote by Edain McCoy, as it is a wonderful summation of the basic core of pagan Truth.)
The Earth is sacred, and is our closest connection with God, not a mere stepping stone, or interim existence to be discounted as "illusion." God exists in everything that exists. As is above, so is below. The tiniest cell contains the building blocks of the Universe, so the "lifeforce" energy that drives the Universe is in the tiniest cell that exists. The microcosm contains the macrocosm, and vice-versa. The understanding that this "lifeforce" can be harnessed and manipulated is the cornerstone of what most pagans call "Magick". (Which is NOT to be confused with "Magic." IE: Illusion, or pulling a rabbit out of a hat.)
There will be more on "Magick" and the "The Laws of Magick" in upcoming articles, I merely wanted to point out that David Copperfield performs "Magic", pagans perform "Magick." There is a distinct difference.
For now, suffice it to say that paganism is a natural way of life, not supernatural "hocus-pocus."
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If you want to know about gardening, ask a gardener. If you want to know what a Christian is, ask a Christian. If you want to know what a pagan is, don't ask a gardener or a Christian, ask a pagan. And then ask another.
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( I personally feel that the term pagan, or paganism, when used in a religious context deserves to be capitalized as in Pagan... Paganism, or Christian... Christianity, etc. I have purposely used the terms in lower case in this article to further illustrate what I consider to be the monotheistic non-Pagan way of thinking: that Paganism is not a recognized "religion", but merely a term used to typify those of a polytheistic "false religion", so NO CAPS for THEM. pagans? We'll just put them over here, in the non-capitalized section, along with heathens, atheists, and barbarians...)
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© OrionHawk 12/24/98
tol· er· ate
(täl´er at´) vt. -at´ed,
-at´ing [< L tolerare, to
bear ] 1 to allow 2 to respect
(others' beliefs, practices,
etc.) without sharing them...
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