Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions established as a revival of mainly European Paganism, which was once largely extinct. It is called Neopaganism by academics and many adherents to distinguish it from earlier forms of Paganism, from which it differs in many significant ways. Some Pagans detest the term neo-Pagan, finding it deeply insulting, while some see it as representing the living, changing, vital nature of Paganism.
Paganism is a very diverse belief system. It has been said that there are as many Pagan belief systems as there are Pagans, and there is some truth to that. However, while Pagans do establish their own personal belief system, they also share some common precepts, although the younger generation of Pagans especially can be highly resistant to such profiling. Common themes include the reverence for nature or active ecology, Goddess veneration, use of ancient mythologies, the belief in magick, and often the belief in reincarnation.
The late 19th century saw a renewal of interest in various forms of Western occultism, particularly in England. During this period several occultist societies were formed such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Ordo Templi Orientis. Several prominent writers and artists were involved in these organizations, including William Butler Yeats and Arthur Edward Waite, and Aleister Crowley.
Along with these occult organizations, there were other social phenomena such as the interest in mediumship, which suggest that interest in magic and other supernatural beliefs were at an all time high in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Some evidence suggests that returning colonials and missionaries brought ideas from native traditions home to Britain. In particular the anthropologist Sir James George Frazer's The Golden Bough (1900) was influential.
In the 1920s Margaret Murray theorized that a witchcraft religion existed underground and in secret, and had survived through the religious persecutions and Inquisitions of the medieval Church. Most historians reject Murray's theory, while accepting some parts of it. Although there were undoubtedly still some pockets of Pagan worship, it is highly unlikely to have existed on as wide a scale as Murray proposed.
This sparked interest reflected in novels by Mitchison ("The Corn King and the Spring Queen") and covens were created along Murrayite lines.
It is likely that this general atmosphere created the circumstances which were necessary for the rise of Wicca. At the very least, it was fertile ground for its introduction.
In the 1940s Gerald Gardner initiated into a New Forest coven led by ex-colonial women returned from India. Gardner had already written about Malay native customs and now wrote books about Wicca. The term "Wicca" is still used to refer to the traditions of Neopaganism that adhere closely to Gardner's teachings, or direct offshoots such as the teachings of Alex Sanders. In the USA Wicca is used loosely to equate with any form of Paganism, but British based Paganism uses Wicca much more narrowly, as Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca.
Wicca has been arguably the most well organised and influential form of Neopaganism until the mid '80s, perhaps justifying an arrogant tendency by some Wiccans to claim to be the priesthood of the Pagan community. Other Pagan traditions do not see it so.
The sources from whence most pagan recronstructionists adapt their beliefs and practices are usually well known ancient mythologies. Wicca in particular is sometimes referred to as the "Old Religion", a term popularised by Margaret Murray in the 1920s. Its use until the 90s drew on a dreamtime of underground European Paganism, and ancient Goddess religions. These models are now largely discredited, notably by Ronald Hutton, Bristol, UK, and claims are now more cautiously made to local folk healers/ small groups, and a plurality of ancient Goddess traditions among others, that served many social aims. However, while Pagans draw enthusiastically from old religious traditions, they also adapt them. The mythologies of the ancient civilizations are not generally considered to be literally factual or historical in the sense that the Bible is claimed historical by fundamentalists. Nor are they considered to be scripture, as Paganism specifically rejects the concept of scripture: they are not "People of the Book," and value oral and custom-based traditions.
The mythological sources of Paganism are many, including Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Sumerian and others. There is probably no significant mythology or religious tradition that has not been used as a source by some group at some time. Some groups focus on one tradition; others draw from several or many. All mythologies are believed to contain truth, seen from different perspectives, ecclectic Pagans feel free to borrow or adapt from any tradition where they find it useful. For example, the Charge of the Goddess, a widely loved inspirational text by Doreen Valiente used materials from the Gospel of Aradia' by Charles Leland (1901) , and Aleister Crowley's writings. It is commonly used to invoke the Goddess, beginning with the words: "Listen to the words of the Great Mother, Who of old was called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arionrhod, Brigid, and by many other names", showing a glimpse of Pagan eclectism.
Some ecclectic Pagans also draw inspiration from external traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism and others. Since Paganism does not demand absolute loyalty or exclusivity, Pagans can and do practice other faiths in parallel.
Paganism is considered an "Earth-based" or "Nature-based" religion because it holds the Earth and all of Nature to be sacred. Some Neopagans draw on more current religions that are also nature-based such as those of Native Americans and Africans.
The Divine nature of the Earth is recognized in the form of the Goddess by many names, among them Gaia ref. the Gaia Hypothesis, and the Great Mother of classical anthropology.
Witchcraft is one specific Pagan tradition often referred to by its members simply as The Craft. Both women and men are titled as witches. Confusingly, the American usage makes Paganism and Wicca witchcraft broadly similar. British usage restricts Wicca to one form of witchcraft, the Craft as one among many forms of Paganism.
Adherents.com estimates there are one million Pagans. It is necessary to define clearly who is included in any estimate, as Pagan could mean active initiates, or anyone who likes Tarot! Also there is a difference between Western (Neo) Paganism, technically a New Religious Movement (NRM), and worldwide traditional pagan faiths. Some have an idea that these varied and diverse indigenous religions generically refered to as pagan by monotheistic faiths might have enough in common to warrent grouping them together as a single denomination. This would raise the number of adherants to many millions, the majority of peoples, especially as it is only in Western and monotheist cultures that priests insist on an exclusive loyalty so multiple practice is elsewhere commonplace. Of course this concept of grouping religions from such divergent cultures together is rejected by all prominent authorities.
Most Pagans do not have distinct temples, usually holding rituals in private homes or sacred groves and other outdoor locations. There are no membership lists to consult, no formal records. Many adherents keep their faith secret for fear of repercussions. Many also practice their faith as "solitaries", and work within no fixed spiritual community.
However a UK study by Prof Hutton, Bristol compared numbers on membership lists of major organisations, attendance at major events, subscriptions to magazines etc and used standard models for extrapolating likely numbers. This has to estimate multiple membership overlap and number of persons represented by each person attending an event. This concluded at adherence of 250,000, roughly equivalent to the national Hindu community.
The Covenant of the Goddess conducted a poll of U.S. and Canadian Pagans in 1999 that estimated the population in those countries at 768,400 (see http://www.cog.org/cogpoll_final.html ). This would seem to support the view that there are at least one million worldwide. This poll was not scientific and represents a self selected subset of all Pagans, but it does provide some interesting insights that confirm what many Pagans have observed anecdotally. Some other statistics from this poll are:
While today's Paganism does continue many beliefs and practices of historical Paganism, including many of their Gods and Goddesses, it is in many ways very different. Many Pagans believe that there is a single Divinity, a life force of the universe, who is immanent in the world. The various names and archetypes which they worship are seen not as truly separate individuals, but as facets, or faces, of something that is far beyond our human abilities to see, know, or understand. Rather than attempt to describe the indescribable, they approach the Divine through one of Her many aspects. This appears to be a genuinely new Pagan theology, as Hutton considers ancient Pagans did not see "All Goddesses as one Goddess; all Gods as one God" and as such some more traditional approches to paganism are polytheistic not pantheistic, and worship their pantheon while acknowledging others that do not affect their lives.
For Wiccans, Divinity is definitely bipolar, Goddess and God, with many lesser aspects. For Heathens, Nordics, Celtics, Egyptians, and Greeks, divinity is polytheistic. For Druids and High Magicians there is an overall One but other divinities are also recognised. For Goddess people there is Goddess, occasionally monotheistic, but often one and many which can be simultaneous.
Different Neopagan groups celebrate different holidays. Wiccans have eight Sabbats which correspond to old Pagan celebrations supposedly appropriated by Christianity (especially Roman Catholicism), Hellenists have multiple observances each month.
A sect within Paganism is referred to as a tradition. There are many traditions within the larger world of Paganism, most of which are identified according to the pantheon they work with, or the founder of the tradition.
Some of the larger traditions of Paganism include:
Since Wicca is so flexible and syncretic (some have gone so far as to be Christian Wiccan) it could be considered a New Age spirituality.
Neopagans claim to have experienced discrimination in the United States based on misunderstanding of their faith, and in some cases this is certainly true. However, the rumor-mill works as well among Neopagans as in any other community, and reports are sometimes exaggerated. Neopagans as a faith community have occasionally retaliated with half serious language games such as the Wiccan terms "cowan" and "mundane"--the latter originally and correctly a term from science fiction fandom--(not to mention growing use of the word "muggle"...) to describe a non-Wiccan. In addition, there is a growing tendency within the Neopagan community to look down upon "fluffy bunny" pagans, who are seen as diluting the faith by making it too "mainstream" and New Age. Terms like "fluffy bunny" or "elves and strawberries Pagan" are used to denote with a certain degree of contempt people whose commitment to their Paganism is seen as shallow and less than serious.
Generally, since the aim of the Neopagan faith is not to displace or destroy others' faith, these attempts to derogate have not been established. It may also fail due to the unpleasant experience many Pagans well know of suffering social discrimination and risk due to the monotheists view of Paganism as evil, and there is little desire to copy that.
Most Pagans worship various Gods and Goddesses; some of them stick to one culture and others are not, while others believe in the deity within. The terms for worship are: animism, dualism, henotheism, monotheism, pantheism, polytheism, and autotheism.
History of Neopaganism
Mythological and Religious Sources
An Earth-Based Religion
Witchcraft
Number of Adherents
Concepts of Divinity
Festivals
Traditions
Wicca
Wicca is a recently created, Neopagan tradition, with various branches of Wicca that can be traced back to Gardnerian Witchcraft which was founded in the UK during the late 1940s. Wicca is based on the symbols, seasonal days of celebration, beliefs and deities of ancient Celtic society. Added to this material were Masonic and ceremonial magickal components from recent centuries. Wicca has several branches, which emphasize polarity, or working with both masculine and feminine forces. See the Wicca article for more details of these.Heathenism
Asatru/Odinism is frequently regarded as one of the Neopagan family of religions. However, many Asatruers prefer the term Heathen to Neopagan and look upon their tradition as "not just a branch on the Neopagan tree" but as a different tree. Unlike Wicca, which has gradually evolved into many different traditions, the reconstruction of Asatru has been based on the surviving historical record; it has been maintained as closely as possible to the original religion of the Norse people. Celtic-Based
Slavic
Most Slavic neopagans follow customs of old Slavic religion, revere Slavic gods and use Book of Veles as their sacred text.Ancient Near East-based
Some folks, especially those from Jewish backgrounds, have Judeo-Paganism, which celebrate the old religions of the ancient Near East, including the Canaanite-Ugarit religion.Modern
'The Ecology Party at prayer' (Hutton) is an active, earth loving ecology network that uses meditation and ritual to sustain conservation projects and eco-politics.
Rather than looking back to ancient mythos, Techno-Pagans are inspired by modern technology, especially computers and rave music.Terms for kinds of Pagan worship
See also Goddess, neopagan views of homosexuality, Charge of the GoddessExternal Links