Types of Pagans?

[carmenmaria]

I was just off in another forum when I saw a post asking what kind of pagan are you? and i realized i barely know what any of these are!

Now, i'm new to everything here - i dont very much call myself a wiccan or have any other specific belief system, but I'm interested in all of it. I was wondering if you could help me get some clarity on the different types of pagans. (the ones listed in the poll were wiccan, Druid, Shaman, Voodoo, Dianic, Faery, Nordic, and Psychic.)

thanks much, in advance

carmen

[IvyWitch]

I was just off in another forum when I saw a post asking what kind of pagan are you? and i realized i barely know what any of these are!

Now, i'm new to everything here - i dont very much call myself a wiccan or have any other specific belief system, but I'm interested in all of it. I was wondering if you could help me get some clarity on the different types of pagans. (the ones listed in the poll were wiccan, Druid, Shaman, Voodoo, Dianic, Faery, Nordic, and Psychic.)

thanks much, in advance

carmen

REally, like the old saying goes, ask 10 Pagans about thier beliefs and you'll get 11 different answers. It really depends on whether you want to choose a specific tradition or be eclectic
Was there something in particular you wanted to know about? (I'm not too good on specific subject, I'm a bit of a hodge-podge pagan ^^;)

[Galaxia]

Ω

[Sommerfugl]

I'd have a search through 'PATHS' if I were you :)
Jezxx

[carmenmaria]

somethin' tells me this is more complicated than i thought :eyez:

[NivekDrgnMage]

Pagans come in as many varieties as there are varieties of diseases. ^.^;;; (Weird analogy... I know.) Since its not that organized, theres no one solid definition. :) Clear as mud, isn't it?

Oh Great! now I'm the flu! :) couldn't we have pick something better then Diseases? LOL

[equinox2]

OK, a better analogy than diseases – how about trees? There are as many different kinds of Pagans as there are different kinds of trees. Trees are still quite distinct from, say, mosses, or grasses, or animals, but there is a lot of variety in there, from the old Oak tree (Gardnerian) to the olive tree (Greek). The also have brances and roots, like roots = ancient practices, like Stonehenge, while branches = offshoots and smaller groups. Better?

Carmenmaria-

It need not be complicated. First of all, read over the paths forum to get an idea about a few. http://www.paganforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=86

The Garnderian tradition is an old one, with lots of long rituals. The Dianic tradition is more focused on the female aspect of divinity. Naturalistic Pagans (like me) have a scientific worldview (we don’t see magic or the gods as real, just as useful stories :ghostie: ). Also, a lot of traditions are pretty much just different because of the set of gods they choose to follow, such as Egyptian – just follows the Egyptian gods like Set, Ra, Bast, etc.

May the galaxies light you path, whatever path you choose-

[Faeawyn]

somethin' tells me this is more complicated than i though :eyez:
That's when you just call yourself "Ecclectic" :hehehehe:
Try looking here:
http://www.pathcom.com/~newmoon/diff.htm
It breaks down the different paths for you :)

[DebLipp]

In broad strokes:

There is Wicca, which could be broken down as
British Traditional Wicca (Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Kingstone, etc.)
Eclectic Wicca
Radical Fairy Wicca
Dianic Wicca
Radical "Starhawkian" Wicca
others

There is Pagan Witchcraft that rejects the label of "Wicca," and may or may not be family-based (fam trad) or derived from the work of Robert Cochrane, or "other."

There are Reconstructionist paths, such as
Hellenic (Greek) Reconstruction
Roman Reconstruction
Egyptian Reconstruction
Some forms of Asatru
Some forms of Druidry
etc.
There are paths that blend Reconstructionism and modern sensibilities, or are wholly modern but with a primary ethnic focus, such as
Egyptian Wicca
Some forms of Asatru
Some forms of Druidry
etc.
There are wholly modern creations, such as
Feraferia
Church of All Worlds
Discordianism
etc.
There are non-Pagan magical paths, such as
OTO
Chaos Magick
etc. (I'm not an expert on this area)

There are New Age/Pagan crossovers.

There are Women's Spirituality/Pagan crossovers.

There's CUUPs (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans).

There are Pagan paths that aren't necessarily part of the Neopagan community and aren't necessarily calling themselves Pagan, but that have made strong alliances with the Neopagan community, such as
Native Americans
Voudon
Santeria
etc.
There's Eclectic Paganism, which may borrow from any or all of the above.

There's more, but this covers, I think, just about everyone you're likely to meet.

[carmenmaria]

thanks everybody :D


i've never heard of Asatru, what is this? :whatgives

[Brinclhof]

IThere's more, but this covers, I think, just about everyone you're likely to meet.

One more that might want to be mentioned due to the amount of activity currently on MW is the Christo-pagan/witch paths.

[Crystal_Raye]

The best way to discribe me is Eclectic Pagan. I know thats an extremely broad title but like I said its the best discription of me. I believe in whatever feels right to me to, no matter what religion, culture, or whatever it comes from.

[Faeawyn]

One more that might want to be mentioned due to the amount of activity currently on MW is the Christo-pagan/witch paths.
ya beat me :lol:

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

thanks everybody :D


i've never heard of Asatru, what is this? :whatgives

Asatru is the path followed by those reconstructing the religion of the early Germanic peoples, such as the Norse, Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. In the CoT forum there is a lesson that was started on it. Unfortunately the teacher disappeared somewhere around lesson 4 so it was never completed.

[Merrick]

i know there's so many im getting confused

[Swifthollow_Poe]

I know! Its all so overwhelming!

I am very new to all of this too, and very eager to learn any and all myself. However I've pretty much aligned myself to a certain type of paganism, because of my heritage. I am part Norwegian, and I can't help but feel a closer connection to Norse history than that of, say Egypt. I feel that I honour my ancestors by educating myself in their history, religion, and culture. And that I could offer no higher honour than observing (if not practicing) some of their traditions, even if it does end up being a little "Ecclecticfied"

If you are interested in anything in the way of the Reconstructionist paths, I would suggest the mammoth book Mythologica: A treasury of World Myths and Legends (ISBN: 1551925842) by multiple contributors (2003)

It is a fantastic book! Great for reference, and a great way to wile away the time on a rainy day, as it is in a textbook story form. It covers Classical (Greek and Roman), European (Celtic, Germanic, Finnish, Slavic, Arthurian), Egyptian and African, Middle East and Asian (Mesopotamian, Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan), Oceanic, Australian, and Maori, and of the Americas, North, Mesoamerican, and South.
In the back of the book is a recommended reading lists, if you want to go ahead a read further into a particular area.
I wish I had this book when I was studying mythology in university!

The first book I used was The Encyclopedia of Mythology by Arthur Cotterell (1996) (ISBN:1859671640)
It only covers Classical, Celtic, and Norse, and it is in alphabetical encyclopaedia form. Very useful, but you can’t get lost in it

Those books are a great way to get orientated with ancient world beliefs, if your interests lean that way.

[DebLipp]

Does anybody have any book recommendations for me? something simple/basic but informative?

The recommended reading list is here: http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=3733

For an introduction to the Pagan community, there is no better book than Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler.

[Athena-Nadine]

A quick note from the resident Hellene:

Greek/Roman mythology and religion is not called Classical. Classical refers to a specific period of time in the Greeks' and Romans' history. Reconstructionists of the Greek religion call themselves Hellenics; many Romans use the term as well, though most call themselves just Romans. The mythology and religion, however, is not only restricted to the Classical Era. Much is from Ages preceding Classical Greece and Rome.

[Swifthollow_Poe]

A quick note from the resident Hellene:

Greek/Roman mythology and religion is not called Classical. Classical refers to a specific period of time in the Greeks' and Romans' history. Reconstructionists of the Greek religion call themselves Hellenics; many Romans use the term as well, though most call themselves just Romans. The mythology and religion, however, is not only restricted to the Classical Era. Much is from Ages preceding Classical Greece and Rome.


I used the word Classical because that is the one used in the books. Classical is also the term used in all my mythology classes. Yes, High Classical is but one era in Greece. If I were just taking about just Greece, I could go on into detail of saying Neolithic, Geometric, Archaic, Minoan, Mycenaen, Hellenistic, etc, depending on the era and area. However, Greece's historical timeline is different from Rome's, so it just becomes broad general term meaning ancient Rome and Greece mythologies. I don't like getting nit-picky on terms like that. Like Biblical times. Does that mean when the bible was actually written? Or then the events were to have taken place? Does it really matter? You could argue that Biblical times were the medieval times or even today. Because wouldn't it make more sense if it referred to the time when people read the Bible and believed it teachings, rather then the people who actually experienced it events, who may have thought they were only a series of random events?

[NivekDrgnMage]

:) Trees work :)