Help! I'm Clueless About Paganism
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Pagan
Lingo Here's
a look at some of the terminology used by Pagans,
which may be unfamiliar or misleading to the
meophyte. Ásatru.
The modern reconstruction of ancient Norse
Paganism. Followers of Ásatru are called
Ásatruar. Ásatru is a legally
recognized religion in Iceland. Coven.
A small group of Pagans (usually Wiccan) who
perform ritual and magic together. Covens are often
careful in selecting members, offering
dedication (provisional membership
contingent on study) and initiation (full
entry into the priesthood and spiritual traditions
of the group). Divination.
The art of acquiring information or wisdom
through spiritual means. You might think of it as a
fancy word for "fortune telling", although modern
divination practices emphasize insight about
one's life situation over prediction of
future events. Divination can be done using a
traditional oracle tool, such as a tarot deck, I
Ching coins, or a pouch of rune stones. However,
the term also includes more free-form methods of
spiritual learning, such as scrying (gazing into a
mirror or crystal), speaking with plants, animals,
or nature spirits, dream interpretation, or
receiving wisdom in connection with a larger
activity, such as shamanic journeying. Druidry.
Any of several modern Pagan practices inspired
by the druids of ancient Brittain. Some druidic
paths are carefully reconstructionist; others are
more eclectic. Eclectic.
Borrowing from a variety of disparate sources;
a practice criticized by some and embraced by
others. Energy.
The word is used in both the Pagan and
metaphysical communities, meaning something rather
different from the word as used by scientists and
engineers. Energy in the Pagan context is partly
physical, partly psychological, and thoroughly
spiritual. It signifies the vitalizing power of
spirit that flows through all things, and can be
sensed, directed, and shaped by anyone who is
sensitive to it and open to its use. Esbat.
A Wiccan Moon ritual (usually a Full
Moon), often an occasion for serious magical
work. Goddess.
Many modern Pagans feel a special affinity with
the concept of the Goddess, deity imaged as
feminine. For some, connecting with Goddess
represents a valued alternative to Judeo-Christian
religions, which derive from patriarchal God
concepts. Goddess is usually seen as different from
God-with-a-different-gender. The female principle
is seen as connected with Earth, birthing,
interpersonal wisdom, and physicality, in contrast
with the austere law-giver image of a male
God. Horned
God. A figure who appears in several
pre-Christian pantheons (Pan among the Greeks,
Cernunnos for the Celts), signifying wild nature
and the hunt. His imagery was used by the medieval
Christian church to represent the Devil, thus
branding the pagan as anti-Christian. In Wicca, the
Horned God was taken as the archetype of the
masculine face of deity, representing a wild,
dynamic spirit as consort to the enduring,
Earth-mother figure of the Goddess. Magic.
Magic has been defined many ways, and this is
not the place to tease apart all possible
definitions. For Pagans, magic is a way of creating
change in our lives that evokes the image of
witches, wizards, sorcerors, and spellcasters of
legend. It is a technique for manifesting desired
changes which relies on activating the imagination
and channeling energy into a desired
outcome. Meditation.
Many Pagans meditate as part of their spiritual
practice. In the Pagan context, "meditation" may
refer to something different from Buddhist
meditations or other similar practices that attempt
to clear the mind. A Pagan meditation is often
a guided or spontaneous visualization, in which the
meditating person encounters people, places, and
situations of spiritual signifigance and receives
whatever wisdom they provide. Pentagram.
A five-pointed star, representing the element
of Earth and also the five elements of air, fire,
water, earth, and spirit. This is the primary
symbol of Wicca, and is used in other Pagan
traditions as well. Reconstructionist.
The practice of reviving an ancient Pagan
religion by close adherence to historical fact and
reasonable inference. Ritual.
A Pagan ceremony intended to create (or mark)
some change in the external or internal world of
its participants. Magic is usually performed in the
context of a ritual, but not all rituals involve
magical work. Sabbat.
One of the eight seasonal rituals or holidays
constituting the Wheel of the Year. These are
typically a time of Pagan gathering and
community-building. See Page
Two
for a run-down of the eight traditional
sabbats. Solitary.
A Pagan or Wiccan who practices alone,
rather than as a member of a coven or other group.
This term has become less meaningful with the
passage of time, since people can now learn about
Paganism through books or on the
internet. Tools.
Wiccans and many other Pagans use sacred tools
for ritual and magic. The athame
(ah-THAH-may) is a ritual knife, usually
representing fire, will, and passion, and use to
focus energy. The wand is similar, but is usually
associated with air, and thus provides a softer,
more fluid energy. The chalice is a ritual cup or
goblet, associated with water, the womb, and the
feminine principle. The pentacle is a disk with a
pentagram (five-pointed star) carved or painted on
it. It represents Earth and the grounding energy of
life and stability. Wicca.
A modern Pagan religion developed early in
the 20th century in England, and drawing
inspiration from the idea of witchcraft being a
secret pagan fertility cult preserved through
centuries of Christian persecution. Witch.
See the sidebar on Page Three. A witch can
mean either a practitioner of practical magic, or a
follower of Wicca (often, the two meanings
overlap). The concept of witches receiving power
from making a pact with Satan is a Christian
concept, largely irrelevant in the context of
Paganism. In Pagan parlance, a witch is a nature
magician, a healer, and a wise woman (or
man). Next
Steps For
some, the idea of religion is inextricably tied
with ethics and morality. Does Paganism have any
ethics? Or is it just a cool way of satisfying
personal spiritual needs? On Page
Five,
I offer a few closing thoughts on this important
subject. Copyright © 2008 Tom Waters |
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