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Neo Paganism
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Paganism is a broad, eclectic,
contemporary religious movement that encompasses ecstatic, polytheistic
and magical religions. Today, it is termed ‘Neo-paganism’
to illustrate its connection to and difference from the pre-Christian
pagan religions. There are several forms of Neo-paganism, including
Wicca, Neo-Druidism and Astrau. Neo-paganism is a broad term
which encompasses many diverse and differing religions, but
most have several common themes which identifies them as Neo-pagan.
Neo-pagans are usually polytheistic or
duo theistic. That is, they believe in two or many gods. Wiccans
are duo theistic and worship the Goddess and the God, also known
as the 'huntress' and the 'horned one.' The Druids, on the other
hand, are polytheistic and worship aspects of nature such ‘the
river’, ‘the sky’, and ‘the sun.’
Most are nature centred worshipping pre-Christian deities. Many
of these pre-Christian religions have been changed and revived
so that they have a greater relevance to contemporary lifestyles.
Neo-pagans have introduced various new concepts to these ancient
religions as well as changing and modifying pre existing traditions.
New concepts include; dynamic and diverse personal beliefs,
lack of institutionalization, a search for spiritual fulfilment
and encouragement and acceptance of diversity.
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Many Neo-pagan religions have previously
been wiped out and have been reconstructed from ancient sources.
Neo-pagans (like ancient pagans) have a deep respect for nature.
This stems from their belief that The Gods are immanent. Neo-pagans
believe that the Divine is everywhere, not only above us, but
all around us and within us. Their religion centres around the
earth and her seasonal cycles.
The most prevalent Neo-pagan religion
is Wicca.. This is a revived form of pre-Christian Goddess worship.
Wiccans, as do most Neo-pagans observe four main seasonal days
which celebrate the miracle of nature and give thanks to the
Goddess for her gifts. As a result of their love of nature Wiccans,
and many other Neo-pagans, prefer to worship whilst they are
immersed in nature, so they are closer to the Goddess.
Many Neo-pagans such as Wiccans and Druids
practice magic. Magic played an important role in these religions
and was seen as a conscious direction of ones will to create
change. Wiccans practice magic in ‘magic circles’
during certain powerful phases of the moon. Many Neo-pagans
believe in and are governed by the ‘Wiccan Rede,’
that is, "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." This
Rede, was in essence a code of practice, which effectively prevents
practitioners of magic from harming anyone.
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The recent resurgence in
Neo-pagan religions can be attributed to several factors. With
the major upheavals of the 1960s many people found themselves
becoming disillusioned with the present mainstream religions.
Through reviving the basic practices of Paganism [ now called
Neo- paganism], many people found a spiritual outlet by returning
to nature based religions. These ancient religions had sustained
the world for centuries before the appearance of Christianity
and with the world becoming increasingly complicated and stressful,
modern people found a much needed and sought after spiritual
path.
Ancient pagan religions provided simple
folk with a release from pressures and today it provides a tolerant
setting, which encourages diversity and a quest for spiritual
fulfilment that the materialistic twentieth century lacks. |
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Courtesy of the Pagan
Federation Website. |
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