About the Pagan Religion

when I feel a bit less ill I'll come back to this.

I don't know too much about Pagans and their religion, I am hoping you get many responses to be able to learn. I do know xParanoiax has always come through with precise and very well thought out responses, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading her response here on the subject !!

I am impressed at how well this topic was covered. The Gods, and Goddesses that are most popular depends on Which Pagan, Trad/Tradition,Path,culture,heritage,tribe,band,or nation ... all a person is. Pagan refers to any religion that is Non Judaism, Non Christian, Non Muslim.. or Non Abrahamic stemming, although if you look closely to many traditions you can see the Links between Pagan and non Pagan... etc. However you need to really study deeply to see this. - DNatureofDTrain

Paganism is an umbrella term, which basically refers to any religion which is non-Christian, except Judaism. Most pagan religions are to do with nature, and the natural balance within the Universe. Many new pagan religions are very modern, and claim to represent ancient knowledge, though are no more than collections of misinterpretations of historical activities. Wicca was invented in Victorian England, where interest in Egyptian finds, and exploration kindled a romantic dream to live in ancient ways, especially if leading to longer life. This aspect is reflected in the story of 'Summerisle' off the West coast of Scotland, and is the basis for the original 'Wicker Man' film (with Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt & Christopher Lee, not the modern Nicholas Cage version). Other Pagan faiths are based on such ancient religions as Southern French Isis worship, the stories of English Queen Mab, the Welsh Druidic tradition and other ancient rites and rituals passed down throughout the ages, by word of mouth (through song by the Trobadours, poems by Olwen, and the plays and Punch and Judy shows of England). Many of these religions do not require God/Goddesses, and most preach that a good act gives its own reward, and that evil acts will return to the doer tenfold. This lack of self aggrandisement, and lack of ulterior motives, has led to a revival, especially amongst people who have lost faith in the Christian Religious Leaders. It often contains reference to, and might even be the original basis for, the ancient chivalric movement, which lives on the hearts of the non-Catholic alligned societies today. Historically, these codes of chivalry developed through the Knights of the Dark Ages, to bring peace and accord among the people after the Roman collapse. Such orders as the Teutonic Knights of Northern Germany, Arthurian Tales of England, and the Templar influence on Southern France, Malta and Portugal. Pagans tend to be forgiving and tolerant people, who would rather die than commit evil. An example to all other societies.

See, the reason xParanoiax's (very good by the way) description was somewhat different from mine is that "paganism" is really an umbrella term. Inside it, there are many religions which in ancient times came from completely different parts of the world, with different Gods, different stories, and totally different practices. In modern days, Pagans are people who follow any of (or some combination of) these originally seperate religions. My description in your other post was about the Celtic religion, and more specifically, my own practice of it. I'll elaborate more on the other things you asked in a bit, but my baby needs me.

As some people said... the gods and goddesses are who you like... personally I worship Gaia Gaia (pronounced /'ge?.?/ or /'ga?.?/) ("land" or "earth", from the Greek Ga?a; also Gaea or Ge (Greek G?) is a Greek goddess personifying the Earth. and paganism has Karma Many current Pagans in industrial societies base their beliefs and practices on a connection to Nature, and a divinity within all living things, but this may not hold true for all forms of Paganism, past or present. Some believe that there are many deities, while some believe that the combined subconscious spirit of all living things forms the universal deity. ]]. Ancient Greek Paganism, which tended in many cases to be a deification of the local deity, as Athena in Athens, saw each local emanation as an aspect of an Olympian deity during the Classical period and then after Alexander to syncretize the deity with the political process, with "state divinities" increasingly assigned to various localities, as Roma personified Rome. Many ancient regimes would claim to be the representative on earth of these gods, and would depend on more or less elaborate bureaucracies of state-supported priests and scribes to lend public support to their claims.

whoohoo. better-ish. enough to think straight, anyway. okay sooooo.... my take on it. Paganism is an umbrella term which covers a wide variety of different religions, and some non-religious spiritualities. it's hard to pin down exactly what they have in common that puts them under that umbrella together. my opinion is, that what they have in common is honouring the forces in nature, and/or the spirits of the ancestors. this can be in the form of A God, A Goddess, a Goddess and a God, many Gods (as faces of the same force, Soft Polytheism) or many Gods (as separate and distinct entities (Hard Polytheism) or no Gods at all. my PERSONAL variety of Paganism is this. Traditional, Hereditary Witchcraft, with a loosely religious basis. not saying that my religion is loose, but my religion is very personal. it has nothing much to do with me being a Witch. when I work Magic it isn't an interaction with the Gods, it's an interaction with the wider universe, but not the Gods themselves. my Gods are The Old Girl and The Old Boy. both appear shall we say, more mature to me. because they are older than language, they have no names. and who are we to put a name to them. to me, they are seen as a fairly fierce looking old woman. I suppose the word Battleaxe will give the best mental image. old, but quite hard, quite tough and sinewy and weathered. she's pretty stern. he's probably younger. late middle age. very tall. antlered. he wears skins and furs, and has a distinct smell. Oakmoss, leafmold, woodsmoke and animal muskiness. this isn't a physical form. they are much vaster than that. they are the incredible creative and destructive forces of nature. CONSEQUENCES. okay, no Rede, no threefold return etc. simple physics. every action has an equal and opposite reaction. whatever you do will affect you. not in a higher force dealing out Karmic retribution and reward, but in the person you are. the only person you have to answer to is yourself. can you really face every action you take and look yourself in the eye, and say "that was the right thing to do" if not, you'll never be happy.