Is America Surrounded by Paganism? Newt Thinks So

Thank you, Rabbi, for giving us Pagans a chance to speak some of our own definitions of Paganism.

As you are probably beginning to realize, the variety of Pagan beliefs is wide, and we are in no wise ignorant of deep theology. I have been reading the definitions presented with interest, enjoying the different viewpoints.

I am not at all sure it is possible to make an inclusionary definition which covers all of Paganism. Outside the documented doctrines of the Organized Religions the number of different belief-sets practiced and transmitted by enough people to call them religious traditions (as opposed to simple Freethinking) is impossible to count or document, as many of those religions must remain occult to survive. (Where Theocracies rule, Pagans often must hide.)

But every country on this planet contains remnants of old or ancient indigenous belief-systems, and it would be foolish to think that all of their practitioners discarded them because of oppression or the import of other belief-systems. Add the newly created or the re-created traditions of Neopaganism, and "Paganism is..." becomes too many different ways of thinking and being to count, much less define.

I would like to add a couple of concepts from my own Pagan tradition.

I am in no way saying these conceps/beliefs are common in all Pagan traditions, only that they are part of the core beliefs in my own tradition. They have not been clearly stated here yet, so I thought to try and add them to the list of "Paganism is..."

The first is in response to your concern about idolatry. I keep a brass image of a golden calf on my altar...not to worship, but to humourously remind myself to avoid worshipping symbols.

In my tradition we also have a law about idolatry, it's called "The Law of Shadows". It is stated roughly like this; "All books, all images, all idols, all chants, all words, all callings, are shadows. The shadows point to the darkness, the shadows point to the light. Look beyond the shadows."

We have no proscription against *using* idols, but we are taught to remember that they are idols, and refriain from being distracted by them from percieving what they indicate. I find this to be a common belief-set in many other Pagan traditions. Some traditions call their books of rituals and teachings a "Book of Shadows".

The second is the concept of Celebratory, interactive worship. This involves the idea that the Gods and Goddesses are not only around us, they are also *in* us, that we all are part of the Great Dance, in which They Dance the Universe into being. This is derived from the belief that the Gods and Goddesses are the fundamental Powers which underlie the Universe, that Creation involves many Powers acting together in harmony rather than one Power acting in domination.

So truly honoring and worshpping The Gods and Goddesses involves living our lives as a dance of celebration. ("Honor the gift of Life by taking pleasure into it"). In deeper practice, this involves treating both our bodies and the Earth as Temples, and treating religious rites as celebrations in which we seek to open ourselves to being aware of Them and Their Dance. Spiritually, it involves learning to see and feel what They are doing and feeling, so that we can ourselves dance in step and harmony with Their Dance.

In ritual, this is sometimes expressed as "We Dance in You, You Dance in us", or "We are the Dancers, We are the Dancing, and We are the Dance.", with "We" meaning both the God/esses and the Celebrants. In long-term practice, for me and others of my tradition, this opens an ongoing dialogue with what we worship which goes far beyond what words or other symbols can possibly communicate. This is one way, in practice, to "look beyond the shadows."

Our major holidays are centered around the cycles of the seasons, as they are regarded as part of the pattern of the Great Dance.

If you wanted to use modern terms to describe my tradition, it would be something like "Celebratory Polytheistic Animism."

Thermal

Dear Mr. Hirschfield,

As a pagan, I was a bit concerned about Newt Gingrich's statement, at least initially. I feel that the word was intentionally misused, and was designed to evoke the most powerful emotions for the least amount of meaning. Did he define paganism after he used the word? I don't read or hear that he did, though the video feed is blocked by my internet access here at work. I think he used the word because it creates an image in people's minds, an image that can be custom-tailored to suit the needs and desires of the listener. An image that might mean any or all of the various suggestions already posted by other commenters.

Defining paganism is not easy, as anyone who has read Margot Adler's "Drawing Down the Moon" can attest. Pagans are currently more of a subculture than a religious body, a subculture nonetheless tied by certain similar ideas which are religious in nature and address religion as a subject matter. These ideas themselves, however, can differ wildly, even within certain branches of paganism such as Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF).

Since it is difficult to define what pagans in general believe, allow me to define how I view my religious experience and practice. Take it as one pagan's view.

I define my own practice as Celto-Norse polytheism following the ritual language and practices of ADF, a Neopagan druidic and scholarly organization. I am pan-polytheistic by belief; that is, I believe that all pantheons that have existed, do exist, coexisting within this world, such that it is not inconceivable that the Celtic pantheon can exist on the same planet as the Christian pantheon of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or the Wiccan pantheon of God and Goddess, or the Hindu pantheon, or any other that might have been discovered or discussed. I believe that these pantheons do not describe archetypes of one being, or even a group of beings, but are rather whole and sentient beings in their own right, having their own personalities, biases, cultural viewpoints, desires, and morality, and that one's experience of these beings are their own and belong to no other. There may be similarities or differences in experiences, the same as someone experiencing any human being on the planet (for example, two people meet with Billy Bob Thornton and come away with unique experiences that may be similar because Thornton is one man, but can still have differences based on the opinions, cultural viewpoints, and outlook of the individuals meeting with him).

I acknowledge the existences of Gods, Goddesses, spirits of the land and nature, spirits of the dead, and creatures outside our realm of existence. I acknowledge the immortality of the soul, and consider as most likely the theory of reincarnation, with the following process: Souls may be born either here or in other worlds, as either human or non-human entities (including animals), following a complicated mix of the desire of the soul, chance, and the will of spiritual entities such as the Gods. I generally follow the Norse model of nine worlds, using the analogy of the World Tree Yggdrasil, but I can also agree with descriptions by other views of the elemental world that consider both a vertical and horizontal axis of spiritual reality, with an axis mundi of some sort, usually a tree or mountain. I accept that not everything in reality conforms to my fairly ordered view of the multiverse, and that some aspects of reality might well be called chaotic or even entropic. However, I feel there is a certain amount of balance to it, whether humanity notices or not.

I recognize the inherent spiritual nature of all things. I consider the Divine to be both immanent and transcendant, that is, both in the world and apart from it. I recognize the holy nature of the Earth, the goodness of life, and reject notions that this life might somehow be wrong or evil. Personally, I consider the spiritual to be more important to me than the physical, but this is not a description of how the world should work, nor a commentary on any inherent corruption that the world might possess.

I believe morality to be primarily a human construction based on the concept of the social contract, in that we choose what is socially acceptable or unacceptable based on what we would have done to us versus what is done to others. I subscribe to a personal ethic that stresses nine virtues: Wisdom, Hospitality, Courage, Moderation, Piety, Vision, Fertility (creative and otherwise), Integrity, and Perseverance. I also feel that it should be considered wrong to assume that my set of virtues should be universally accepted by humanity. I do not believe that most things considered "sins" are actually wrong, but as they violate social contract and cause friction, strife, and discord, I do not find that they support the virtues I desire to possess in all things, and therefore am against them (this list includes murder, theft, and lying).

I recognize the soul as a sum of parts, much like a body is, or a group is, or a nation is. I accept as possible multiple souls living in one body, multiple bodies having one soul, non-human souls (both animal and mythical) inhabiting human bodies, good men, and other strange and difficult concepts. I also recognize that socially, most of this stuff doesn't mean a darn thing.

I feel that people with wildly-differing belief systems can come together to worship and fellowship, as long as they can have some sort of ritual lingua franca among them and as long as they approach such worship with an open mind and heart. One can celebrate with pagans without being a pagan, or celebrate with Christians without following Christ. I believe that one's experiences with divinity should not be overlooked or marginalized when compared to the lore of their culture, but neither should the lore be overlooked or marginalized when it conflicts with unsubstantiated personal gnosis (UPG). I also do not feel that because something is not correct according to lore or tradition, that it is wrong. Many groups have come together with "what works" based on erroneous information, including many Meso-pagan organizations. If it's stupid but works, it isn't stupid.

My personal belief is that most Neopagans, but not all, will subscribe to the ideas of polytheism; virtue; sanctity and holiness of the self, of sex, and of the earth; responsibility to self, community, and the planet; disdain for authoritarian rule; willingness to use representations such as works of art to represent the Divine (I personally do not agree with this one); ritual as a proper means to worship; magic as a natural part of the workings of the world; science and religion having the eventual capability to coexist peacefully; and the existence of things not currently explained by science or mythology.

There. It's not a complete list, but it's all I really can think of off the top of my head.

-Gaarik Daruth

Paganism is remembering and honouring our roots and our forefathers. It's remembering our cultural beginnings as Peoples.