Many Questions about Paganism.

[VolcanAvenger]

Alright lemme fill you in,
I am new to paganism, and can't find out ANYTHING, and have barely any resources because of my young age and . I searched for answers all over this forum and the questions already asked weren't EXACTLY what I wanted to ask.
I know, about the history of pagans in the world, and the basic idea of paganism, but I still have many questions:

1. Tell me the basic beliefs, and guidelines in Paganism.
2. What is the most widely practiced Pagan Religion outside of Wiccan?
3. The 5 elements, what do they mean, and what part do they play in this?
4. What traditions are widely practiced in Pagan Religion.
5. What do I do to become a active Pagan.


Please explain in much detail.
:whatgives

[Amethyst Rose]

Hmm... these are really broad questions, so I'm not surprized that you havent' found the exact answers you're looking for...I'm not sure there really is a straight answer for these questions, but I'll try.

1. In general, many pagan religions worship either a patheon of gods, or a god and a goddess....not many are monotheistic, but it does happen. Also, many pagan religions are nature and spirit oriented...that is to say that all things in nature have a spirit (I think that's called animism???), or they revere nature. Again, there are a lot that don't believe these. A lot of pagan religions also believe in energy manipulation, or magick, others don't. You don't have to be pagan to practice magick.

2. Eh....I hesitate to say Druidism or Shaminism. That's just my personal opinion, but I really don't know for sure.

3. To mean, the five elements are all that make up the universe, and as such they play a large part in my religion, because I worship the universe (or rather, universal energy) as deity. I can't speak for other people though...I'm sure it's different for everyone.

4. Beyond holidays, I can't think of any 'tradition' that is common for many pagan religions.

5. Read as much as you can get your hands on, and put what you learn into practice. Start researching deities you're drawn to, celebrating holidays, meditating, communing with nature.... whatever draws you towards paganism. It's not so much what you do that makes you pagan, it's what's in your heart.

[VolcanAvenger]

Thanks so much, I need to know all that I can, The Questions are so broad, because to tell the truth, I basically am clueless, I grew up a baptized Catholic, and just don't feel right being a christian. at the moment I am exploring many other Religions at this moment. Paganism seemed to be the one I took most Intrest in, but in this christian world its hard to find many pagan resources, but i need all the answers i can get, Im really starting to get in to this. TELL ME EVERYTHING.

[Pandoras]

OK, I'll give it a shot.

Tell me the basic beliefs, and guidelines in Paganism.
Ask three Pagans, get six answers.

Neo-Paganism (or just Paganism for short), is a general term for the modern practice of some form of old polytheistic religion. However, there are monotheistic Pagans. Pagans often follow an animistic, spirits-and-essences filled belief system based upon direct perception of the forces of nature. You'll find that Pagans are very varied and often define themselves.

Some of what I consider the core beliefs of Paganism (and many will disagree with me) include the idea that divinity is both immanent and transcendent, that divinity manifests in a female form and in a male form, that we do not believe in any figure of ultimate evil (like Satan), and that it is necessary to respect and love Nature as divine, that we are part of it and do not hold dominion over it.

What is the most widely practiced Pagan Religion outside of Wiccan?
I would guess Druidism, but that's just a guess. Or perhaps just eclecticism.

The 5 elements, what do they mean, and what part do they play in this?
The elements represent everything in the universe bound by spirit.

What traditions are widely practiced in Pagan Religion.
The Sabbats and Esbats are widely practiced.

What do I do to become a active Pagan.
Learn and deepen your connection to the earth and the Divine.

There are many wonderful resources both on and off the web. The Well-Read Witch: Essential Books for Your Magickal Library by Carl McColman will give you some ideas about which books to look into.

As for the web, try:
The Witches Voice (http://www.witchvox.com)
Isaac Bonewits' Homepage (http://www.neopagan.net)
I Am A Witch (http://www.iamawitch.com)

[bshore]

Greetings, Volcan, and welcome to MW!!!

Your questions are very general, but very common for newcomers to the study of Paganism. Amethyst and Pandoras have done a great job of answering because, as Pandoras pointed out, every Paganism has a different idea of what Paganism is. That's usually a big pill to swallow especially for someone coming from a formally structured religion like Catholicism where everything is so clearly defined.

The best advice I've ever gotten (and have given out repeatedly) is study, learn, ask, and explore your butt off, and then decide what feels right for you. Then, you'll have your definition of Paganism.

One thing I'd like to point out is that Paganism isn't really a religion. Now, some people may disagree on this, but Paganism is really more of a blanket term for a number of different religions, spiritualities, and philosophies that don't fall under any other heading. Some will even go so far as to define Paganism as anything that isn't Judeo-Christian. The term Pagan originally meant something like "country dweller".

So, I've been studying this stuff for a few years now, and if you have any other questions, feel free to pm me.

Oh, and another thing: check out your local bookstore. Most "New Age" sections will cary several books which many Pagans consider essential reading. Start with anything by the Farrars, Starhawk, Cunningham, and Buckland. They'll give you a pretty good overview. Also, be sure to check out the Books and Pagan Authors section of this site, since we have a fount of knowledge available to us from the fabulous, generous writers that frequent this site. Just remember, nobody has the one true answer, and always read with a critical eye and ask yourself if it really feels right to you.

Blessings on your path!

[Neptune496]

"The term Pagan originally meant something like "country dweller"."

Well kindof, it was a term for those Roman citizens who kept the old ways as opposed to the new and uprising criticism of christian scholarship.

There really is no one "religion" of paganism my friend, it's just a term to describe certain types of old religion from the more monotheistic belief systems in the world. But it is not a "negative" term or something invented by the Catholic Church.

There are all types of pagan religions. There's the New Age (or Neopagan) spiritual beliefs of Wicca, Celtic Wicca, Neo Druidism, Satanism, etc. This is where you'll find most people claiming to be "pagan"...

Then there's the other side, the revivals of certain cultural religions such as Ancient Egypt, Ugarit (Canaanites, Natab Qodesh) Gaelic traditionalism (old Irish spirituality), Norse, Classical Greece and Rome (Hellenismos and the Religio Romana), Mesopotamia, Palmyrian (the cults of Bel Marduk, Iahribol, Atargatis) etc. The more cultural oriented pagans focus more on traditional beliefs and ways of life from a certain culture, as opposed to New Age beliefs such as Wicca. Hardcore Polytheism is a major belief as opposed to a transcendant Divine Spirit.

[Neptune496]

then there's all those secret closed-in societies out there but I don't know much about those folks. Don't even know if they're considered to be "pagan"

[bshore]

"The term Pagan originally meant something like "country dweller"."

Well kindof, it was a term for those Roman citizens who kept the old ways as opposed to the new and uprising criticism of christian scholarship.

Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunatly, I'm too tired to look up sources and stuff, so I was generalizing what i'd heard previously. :weirdsmil

[VolcanAvenger]

Well, Thanks, I guess all my questions were answered, I guess I need to get a library card or something. :-P

[Romani Vixen]

There are a couple of threads defining paganism.

Read through all the threads, and ask questions as they come to you. Broad questions are a little hard to answer.