Usenet Newsgroup: soc.religion.paganism
Throughout this FAQ you will find the words "usually," often," and other disclaimers; this is because Paganism is not a rigid, structured belief system .... it has -no- central authority. We have tried to present as many faces of the neopagan sub-culture as possible in the FAQ, but realize we can't possibly cover it all, and please be aware we are NOT some kind of "ultimate authority" on what is or is not "pagan." Many people, no doubt, will object to every part of this FAQ, but we stand by it as our best attempt.
First of all, let's start with this:
This is taken from Margot Adler's excellent book _Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers and Other Pagans in America Today_ (the revised edition). If after reading this FAQ, you want to learn even more about modern paganism, we highly recommend this book. It is available in most bookstores and in many libraries.
"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you -- to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think."
-- Margot Adler, _Drawing Down the Moon_, p.453.
Most of us believe that it is wrong to use magical power to coerce someone into doing something against his or her free will. Curses and love spells are the most prevalent examples of manipulative magic. Some Witches and pagans do believe that using one's powers in defense (say, to assure a rapist's getting caught) is all right; others do not. Those who do choose to work that kind of magic do so knowing that it will come back to them, and are making an informed choice when they decide to do so.
This makes it sound as if we spend our lives deciding whether to curse or hex someone, when that's not true. Most of the time, our spells and magical workings are for such things as healing the planet, getting a job (or otherwise bringing prosperity into our lives), healing (both ourselves and others), and spiritual empowerment. Spells are really quite similar to prayer -- they just have more Hollywood hoopla attached to them.
Besides, anything you do for yourself will work much better than a spell or working done by someone else.
And no, we can't/won't build you a transfer portal, change you to a Handsome Prince/ess, send you back to Darkover, or anything like that. That's silly.
There are several books on the market purporting to be the "real" _Necronomicon_, but they are fictional too. Don't waste your time and/or money.
Well, the quick and dirty answer is: we don't know; why not ask them?
Seriously, this question is asked most frequently about those artists/writers who use occult or magical imagery in their work (Stevie Nicks and Mercedes Lackey being the most commonly-asked-about people, with Cybill Shepherd having suddenly leapt to a strong third after the 1996 Golden Globe Awards). Just because artists use that imagery in their work --even if it's in a positive, pro-paganism way -- does not mean that they are pagan themselves. The vast wealth of material provided by myth, folklore and occult knowledge is a tempting and lucrative well of inspiration for creative artists. But its use does not automatically link the user to the Craft or paganism. And that's okay. They don't have to be pagans to write about pagans, or about pagan ideas. They are creating art. That is their collective job. If the art reflects your life, well and good. Just don't expect it to also be a mirror image of the artist.
In short, unless the artists in question have unequivocally stated that they are pagan (e.g., Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, a Celtic high priestess and author of the _Keltiad_ fantasy series), you can't assume that they are pagan. (Even then, they could change their minds and convert, like Gael Baudino did, or give different answers at different times, like Marion Zimmer Bradley kept doing.) Does it really make that book or song or painting less meaningful to you if you don't know the religion of its creator?
Neopagans tend to hold a reverence for the Earth and all its creatures, generally see all life as interconnected, and tend to strive to attune themselves to the manifestations of this belief as seen in the cycles of nature. Pagans are generally polytheistic (believing in more than one god), and they usually believe in "immanence," or the concept of divinity residing in all things. Many pagans, though polytheistic, see all things as being part of one Great Mystery. The apparent contradiction of being both polytheistic and monotheistic can be resolved by seeing the God/desses as masks worn by (Aspects of) the Great Mystery. Other pagans are simply monotheistic or polytheistic, and still others are atheistic.
Some people regard paganism as a religion within itself; others see it as a belief system/mythos (such as monotheism) that can be incorporated into religions like Wicca or Druidism; others see it as a broad category including many religions. The fact that we are re-creating religion for ourselves after centuries of suppression makes us very eclectic and very concerned with the "rightness" of a particular thing for the individual. So when you see some people calling it a religion and others not, when you see it capitalized in some instances and not in others, don't be confused -- we're all still basically talking about the same thing.
We have not defined many of these groups due to space limitations. You can find more information about them either on the Net, or at your local new age or pagan bookstore, or in the new age section of most major booksellers. Check the references in the resources FAQ.
Wicca, however, is only one of the things called W/witchcraft (or sometimes, the Craft, a term also applied to Masonry). There are a whole range of styles of folk-magic around the world which are called witchcraft in English. If the word Witch is capitalized, it usually tends to indicate that it is being used to refer to a member of a pagan religion, not just to a practitioner of folk- magic. There are also Witches who practice religions called Witchcraft which are not Wicca. These religions tend to be more folk-pagan than Wicca, drawing on the heritage of a specific culture or region.
Wicca itself is a new religion, drawing strongly on the practices of Ceremonial Magic. While there are claims that Wicca goes back into the mists of pre-history, honest examination of the practices and history of the Wicca will make it clear that Wicca is new. (Actually, the word "Wicca" itself is recently coined, at least in its present usage. The OE "wicca" was pronounced "witch-ah" and meant male magician. The new word "Wicca" is pronounced "wick- uh", capitalized as a religion, and means a religion, not a person.) However, Wicca has developed in many directions and should not be seen as a unified whole, even though it is fairly new. Rituals and beliefs vary widely among Witches; there is no single governing body of Wicca.
Unlike most of the neopagan religions, Wicca is an initiatory religion, that is, people who choose to practice Wicca believe that the commitment to this path set changes in motion in their lives. Many Traditions (aka "Trads," or sects) of Wicca formalize this with a ritual (or series of rituals) of initiation. Others, especially Solitary Witches, trust that the Gods will do the initiating of the Witch.
Thus, our emphasis tends to be on personal ethics as opposed to a culturally imposed morality. The Rede is a workable expression of this, and is used by many, but not all, pagan groups. (Go back to the Index)
Witch is a very old word meaning "magic-maker", from a root which meant "bending" and "shaping". For many of us, the word Witch is a powerful reclaiming of that inherent human power to make changes around us. For others, including some of the people within Wicca, that word is not their word. Some people within Wicca take the adjective "Wiccan" and use it as a noun.
(Some people question the authenticity of the etymology that says "witch" means "to bend or shape." They believe that the word is simply from the Old English for "wise one" and has no relation to the root mentioned above -- which gives us the modern word "wicker," for instance. However, this definition is a good way to think of how modern Witches might see themselves.)
The "classic" form of it requires an acceptance of the Christian mythos (to a greater or lesser degree) and a belief in, and worship of, Satan as the Adversary of the Judeo-Christian God. Thus, it seems to be more of a Christian heresy than neopaganism.
Most pagans do not worship Satan or practice Satanic rites, and most pagans react very strongly against association with "Satanists." As a whole, we do not believe in, worship or honor the Christian anti-god.
Some pagans practice something that might be seen as Satanism, but it is a far cry from the Hollywood image. These people tend to value pleasure as a primary motivation, or to find meaning in images which the Christian churches attacked.
For more information on Satanism as a religion, please go to alt.satanism.
If what you're really wanting to know is do we sacrifice babies and worship evil incarnate, the answer's "No."
No. There are a number of neoFascists and other hatemongers, both on and off the net, who try to assert this, a view which is vigorously opposed by the vast majority of those following that family of traditions. A look at the FAQ from alt.religion.asatru might be suggested.
Generally, homosexuals are accepted within neopaganism. As for the other buzzwords, that remains an individual matter of concience. We tend to believe in freedom of choice as much as possible for as many as possible and by as many as possible. We also believe in individual responsibility. Once again, it's your call and your Karma.
Just remember, this is not some kind of Sekrit Pagan Language (TM); many of these words are in use in Europe today by pagans and non-pagans alike to denote these days. And yes, this shows a European bias, but then so do the commonly-used names for Wiccan holy days. Wicca is, after all, Western European based. These seem to be the names most frequently asked about:
SAMHAIN (31 Oct) -- Erse (Irish Gaelic) for "summer's end." The standard Irish
pronunciation is "sow-in" with the "ow" like in "cow." Other pronunciations
that follow with the many Gaelic dialects include "sow-een" "shahvin" "sowin"
(with "ow" like in "glow"). The Scots Gaelic spelling is "Samhuin" or
"Samhuinn," and has been pronounced there as "SAHV-im." There is no
linguistic foundation for saying this word "samhane" the way it might look if
it were English. When in doubt, just say "Hallows" or even "Hallowe'en."
YULE (21 Dec) -- Norse for "wheel." It's pretty much pronounced just like it
looks, although if you want to make a stab at a Scandinavian sound, it'll be
more like "yool" and less like "yewl." This is the winter solstice.
IMBOLG/IMBOLC (1 Feb) -- Erse for "in the belly." Pronounce this one
"IM- bullug" or "IM-bulk" with a guttural "k" on the end. Other names include
Candlemas; Brighid (Erse "Bride" - pronounced "breed"), who is the Irish
goddess whose festival this is; and Oimelc (pronounced EE-mulk), which means
"ewe's milk" in Scots Gaelic.
OSTARA (21 Mar) -- Saxon name for a maiden goddess of spring, loosely
connected to Astarte and Ishtar. This one's easy --"o-STAHR-uh." Other names
include Eostre (say "OHS-truh" or "EST-truh"). This is the spring equinox.
BELTANE/BEALTAINE (30 April) -- Erse for either "fires of Bel" or
"bright fires." If you want to try it in Gaelic, you can say "bee-YAWL-tinnuh"
or "BELL-tinnuh." Unlike Samhain, this word can within the linguistic
structure of its language of origin be pronounced like it looks --
"BELL-tane" -- without totally abandoning its original construction. Other
names are Walpurgisnacht (vawl-PUR-gis-nahkt) (though this might have
connotations of a more satanic orientation in the minds of some .... it is
quite non-satanic as used in Asatru) and May Day.
LITHA (21 Jun) -- Norse or Anglo-Saxon for "longest day." You can say this
one just like it looks, or you can try for a Scandinavian sound and say
"leetha" with the "th" more like a "t." This is the summer solstice.
LUGHNASADH/LUNASA or LAMMAS (1 Aug) -- The first is Erse for "festival of
Lugh" (a major Irish deity); the second is Anglo-Saxon for "festival of the
loaves" ("hlaf-mass"). Don't panic at that spelling; the second (which is
modern Erse as opposed to old Erse) tells you all you need to know. Say
"LOO- nah-sah." (Some people maintain that the Scots Gaelic says it
"LOO-nah-soo.") Lammas is just like it looks, "LAH-mus."
MABON (21 Sep) -- This is believed to be a form of the Welsh word for "son."
Therefore, it would probably be pronounced "MA-bon" with the "a" like in
"mass." However, most Wiccans and pagans say "MAY-bon." This is the autumn
equinox.
There are some other terms in common use that you should know about:
TRAD: Shorthand for "tradition," as in "Faerie-trad" or "Fam-trad."
HP/HPS: "HP" is shorthand for "high priest," while "HPS" is shorthand for
"high priestess." One can perform these functions either semi-permanently as
the titular leader of a coven/circle, or temporarily in a specific ritual.
SKYCLAD: Ritual nudity. Note that this is NOT required in all Trads. We don't
go naked a lot.
ATHAME: (AH-tha-may) A ritual knife used in many Trads.
OATHBOUND: Something that is considered "secret" to a greater or lesser
degree within the Trad. Not all Trads do it.
COWAN: An oathbreaker; a non-pagan
MUNDANE: a non-pagan
FUNDIE: Usually means a Christian Fundamentalist. There are neopagan Fundies,
too.
XIAN/XTIAN: Shorthand for Christian. Some feel this is defamatory.
BTW: Shorthand for "by the way." This is common net usage. nb: it can also
mean "British Tradition Wicca." You should be able to tell which is which
from the context.
IMHO: Shorthand for "in my humble opinion." Also common net usage.
YMMV: Shorthand for "your mileage may vary," meaning the writer does not
expect you to agree with their statement. Also common net usage.
There is much dissention on this particular topic, with both pagans and Christians taking both stances. There are many brands of Christian mysticism, some more similar to the aspects of paganism than others. But some pagans who dance outside to the light of the moon and praise the Goddess in Her aspect of Diana see and feel no contradiction to going inside and lighting candles to Mary, the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God, the next day. And those same pagans see the same sacrificial king motif in Jesus as they do in Osiris. (These people are sometimes termed "Christo-pagans.") Many people might find it difficult to reconcile the two paths; others see a successful integration as being possible. It depends on what is right for the individual.
Soc.religion.paganism was formed to control, as much as humanly possible, these off-topic and annoying messages.
See the charter for more details.
People tend to get a little rowdy around here sometimes, so don't let it get to you. One of the disadvantages to this type of communication is the ease of instant response. It's often a good idea to wait a little before responding to a post.
a) Don't come on to witness/proselytize to us. We're really not interested in being converted (or worse, saved). It's not a tenet of our path to proselytize, and so we are particularly unhappy with the idea. We are already aware of your theology and beliefs, since many of us came to paganism from the prevailing Judeo-Christian belief systems, and likely know just as much about your belief system as you do. Hell-fire sermons will NOT be appreciated .... they will be killed by the bot (the robot moderator) and/or the modkin (the human moderators).
(This doesn't mean we don't want to discuss aspects of other religions as they relate to paganism, however. Discussion we like. Argument, even. But *not* witness attempts. We don't much care for proselytutes.)
b) If you're new to News, then you might want to check out news.announce.newusers for the posting protocol. And you might want to read some articles for a while -- get the feel of things -- before you post.
And remember, Usenet and Internet provide you with (among other things) the opportunity to make a total fool of yourself in front of thousands of people worldwide, *and* include the bonus of having it preserved on CD-ROM for many years afterwards.
A second good look would be _The Pagan Path_ by Stewart and Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone. It is an excellent introduction to neopaganism, warts and all.
Also, to get started contacting other pagans, some of the best places to write are:
Circle Network, P.O. Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI, 53572. Circle is the largest pagan network in the US and publishes a guide to pagan groups around the United States, Canada, and overseas, tho they tend to be Wicca-centric. They might be able to get you in touch with pagans in your area if you can't find them yourself.
The Secretary, The Pagan Federation, BM Box 7097, London, WC1N 3XX, England. also email Secretary@paganfed.demon.co.uk or visit http://www.paganfed.demon.co.uk
If you start with that, then you will generally find pointers to other sources and resources.
If you have access to the World Wide Web, you can use one of the common search engines (Yahoo, Lycos, etc.) to find information. Good keywords are pagan, neo-pagan, neopagan, druid, wicca and asatru.
Some of your best contacts may come from your local new age, pagan or occult bookstores. Check their bulletin boards for notices, or ask the staff. Also, many periodicals frequently allow people to advertise for contacts in their particular area. Circle Network, based in Wisconsin, has recently come out with an updated guide to pagan groups; it is available by mail-order or through certain new age bookstores.
Don't be in a hurry to find a teacher. "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear" is a popular saying in most pagan and Craft communities. Frustrating as that may sound, it's really a sensible way to think. Neopaganism, like any esoteric movement, attracts its share of unsavory characters. When you do meet people, USE YOUR INTUITION. If they seem somehow "off" to you, then they're probably not for you. If they require something from you that you are uncomfortable with, LEAVE. No reputable pagan will fault you for doing so.
If no one seems like someone you think you'd like to be with, then you're probably better off working solitary, at least until you can find compatible people.
And by no means should you infer from this that all solitaries are "pagans-in- waiting". Many people are quite happy to work alone, and in fact prefer it. There is nothing wrong with working on your own as long as you like -- even if that turns out to be a lifetime.
In fact, there are several people who highly recommend that you study on your own for a while before looking for others to work with. This gives you the chance to get started figuring out what feels right for you without having pressure from others to conform to their beliefs and dogmas.
Remember also, that one of the Good Things To Do is "QUESTION EVERYTHING!" That includes your teachers, mentors, gurus, reading material .... EVERYTHING! Even this FAQ :-)
Another kind of group for like-minded pagans to gather in is called a circle. The ties between coven members are as close as those between members of a family, and in some cases, closer. A circle is similar to a group of friends -- you like to do things together, but the bonds between members are sometimes not as serious as between coven-members.
There are other names used for similar groups in the various Trads, such as "kindred" and "hof" in Asatru, "nest" in the Church of All Worlds, "grove" in ADF, and so forth.
Forming a circle, or a magical study group, is perhaps a better first step. It can be on a relatively informal basis, and you and the other participants can get to know each other while learning about the Craft together (as a matter of fact, many covens are formed from study groups). The fun of this is that you can meet more people who are interested in what you're interested in, and you can all learn together, and maybe even develop a tradition from the results of your studies. (You can do this as a solitary, of course, but some people do take more enjoyment in working with others. Once again, do what's right for you.)
The steps for contacting people to form a coven are much the same as finding other pagans and Witches in your area. A word of advice, though: You may want to leave your last name off, or get a P.O. box. Don't give out your number (unless you have an answering machine). Advertising yourself as being interested in this sort of thing might attract, shall we say, undesirables. Try writing such a notice so that those who are probably interested in similar ideals will know what you're talking about without attracting the attention of people who aren't. Even though *we* know that we're perfectly ethical and legitimate, not everyone else does.
And remember, *they* will also be evaluating *you*. You may end up having to go out for coffee with rather a lot of people before you get any more esoteric invitations.
Some Dianics are feminist Witches, bisexual, lesbian and heterosexual, who often come to the Craft through feminism. Although these women may be involved with men in one way or another, they agree that religion has over- emphasized the male for the last several thousand years, and therefore want to share their women's energy in women's circles. They may or may not also be involved with the mainstream pagan community, and they may or may not participate in magic and ritual with men.
The most visible groups of Dianics are those who are lesbian Dianics. They are generally not interested in revering any sort of male deity or in working with men in circle. They choose to limit their dependence on and acceptance of the male-defined world as much as possible, and they do so not to exclude men but rather to celebrate women and the feminine. For that reason many of them do not interact much with the "mainstream" pagan community.
(There are also those who call themselves Dianic and who are not like those described above, but who practice Witchcraft based on the traditions found books like those of anthropologist Margaret Murray. However, the term is more often meant to designate those practitioners described in the first two paragraphs.)
If you're worried about being discriminatory in your own circle, simply look at the circle as a group of friends. Then, the discrimination is simply a limit on who you'll have as your friends, which is undeniably a good thing.
If you're worried about being discriminated against, then you can form your own circle, and you have the option to make it a men-only circle. Why do you want to intrude into a social space where you're not wanted?
If the participants are discussing business-related things affecting you during their circle, then you have legal rights to be allowed to participate, regardless of whether the discrimination is gender-related or not. It would be good advice to avoid such topics during circle. If you're worried that a circle from which you're excluded is doing so, you can talk to a lawyer to find out what those rights are and whether it will be wise and useful to pursue them.
Ultimately, though, you need to remember that some people feel strongly that some mysteries are gender-related and therefore it is not appropriate to have men (or women, depending) in attendance. It's not a plot to keep you out or to make you feel bad, but rather quite an ancient method of exploring certain mysteries that only apply to one sex (e.g. menstruation).
One of the major advantages of neopaganism, is that it is ultimately defined by you, and that is what makes it so empowering (enabling you to feel your own power). Nobody can tell you that you aren't a true neopagan, because *you* decide what's right for *you*. There are no dogmas (truth defined by an expert) in neopaganism, simply because there couldn't possibly be any expert who knows better than you what feels right for you. Many pagans also appreciate the Discordian catma (related to dog-ma :) "Any Discordian is expressedly forbidden to believe what she reads." We also like the paradox in this cuddly catma.
You are encouraged to share your new ideas and inventions with us, but a statement along with a request for comments will probably give you more informative replies than asking your fellow netters for permission to do what is right for you. A "Am I still okay if I..." question will probably leave you with dozens of responses containing the most frequently given piece of advice on s.r.p.: Do what feels right for you. If what you really want is to hear that you are okay, please turn to alt.support.
First of all, don't panic. Are you really being discriminated against, or are things happening to you that would happen no matter what your religious beliefs were? Not to belittle religious discrimination because of course it happens, but you want to be sure that's what is going on before you take measures based on that assumption.
If, after looking at the situation objectively, you feel that you are being treated the way you are *specifically because of your religion*, then there are groups you can contact who specialize in giving assistance in just this very thing. One is Circle Network, whose address is given above. Another is AMER (Alliance of Magical and Earth Religions), and they can be reached at amer@lectrickblue.com or from addresses on several hobbyist networks including FIDONET as well. In the UK there is the Pagan Federation at http://www.paganfed.demon.co.uk who may be able to help, or ask the newsgroup but please include enough detail, the country or state is probably sufficient.
Check out the following sites for legal aid:
Earth Religions Legal Assistance Network
http://www.conjure.com/ERAL/eral.html
Witches' Anti-Discrimination League
http://members.tripod.com/~Elderpaths/wadlhome.html
American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/
PUBLIC EARTH RELIGION RIGHTS CONTACTS http://journey1.org/rights/contactlist.htm
Like we said, the pagan community is a many and varied one. Wicca is certainly not the be-all and end all of it, despite appearances. Some of the non-Wiccan paths have their own newsgroups. For others, mailing lists are the way to go. Please check our resource list. It should help.
_Drawing Down the Moon_, Margot Adler, Beacon Press.
_The Pagan Path_, Stewart and Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, Phoenix Press.
_Teutonic Religion_, Kveldulf Gundarson, Llewellyn.
_To Know_, Jade, Delphi Press.