Paganism translates literally as "country dweller" and is the umbrella term for the polytheistic pre Christian religious and magic paths.
Paganism is a general term and many Witches, Shamans, Druids and Wiccans can and do identify as Pagan.
However it is possible to follow any of these individual paths without being considered to be a Pagan.
Witchcraft in particular is a secular path and many witches do not like being associated with Paganism due to its connection with deity.
Paganism has no single defined belief system and as such many different paths and traditions are celebrated within the Pagan culture.
The most commonly held beliefs held include worship of dual or multiple deities and an emphasis and affinity with nature and the natural world.
Modern Pagans follow in the footsteps of their pre Christian ancestors and observe ritual and practise believed to have been adopted by Pagans of old.
A good example of this would be the observance of the wheel of the year using the change of seasons as inspiration for magical and spiritual work.
Many modern Pagans celebrate the eight sabbats which, although not strictly derived from olden times, do mark the seasonal changes our ancestors would have observed.
Modern Scientific, Theosophic and Philosophical thinking are incorporated into NeoPaganism, blending ancient wisdom with modern thought.
A modern Pagan seeks to interpret the wisdom of ancestors within a modern lifestyle.
For example a modern Pagan is likely to be less reliant on the land but will still look to bring the influence of changing nature into everything they do.
Harvest time for the Pagans of old would have been about physically reaping the grain from the land but for the modern Pagan it is a time to reflect on a more metaphorical interpretation of reaping what has been sown in relation to their own lives.
The traditions inherent in mythology play a big part in the practise of the modern Pagan.
In Europe the Celtic and Norse mythologies are perhaps the most closely linked to Paganism though many pantheons including Greek, Egyptian and African are worshipped by modern Pagans.
The choice of pantheon is often connected to personal history but Neo Pagans often choose deities to whom they feel a spiritual rather than a historical connection.
In the modern world with the easy exchange of information, Pagans have more
freedom to explore their own spiritual leanings and it is not unusual to find an individual worshipping deities from a different part of the world to their own.
freedom to explore their own spiritual leanings and it is not unusual to find an individual worshipping deities from a different part of the world to their own.
Paganism often suffers a bad press for alleged associations with Occultism, Satanic worship and Dark Magic.
None of these are elements of Paganism.
Satanism in particular is not a Pagan path as Satanism (depending on the tradition) is either an Athiest or a Monotheistic faith.
Neither fits with the multi Gods of Old and NeoPaganism.
Paganism can also be defined more widely as any religious path not following the Christian Bible.
This is unsurprisingly more of a Christian definition than one widely accepted by the Pagan communities.
