Faith at a glance:

Paganism

Background

Paganism describes a group of contemporary religions based on a reverence for nature. Paganism is polytheistic or pantheistic, and draws on the traditional beliefs of indigenous peoples throughout the world, ancient and modern.

• Paganism encompasses a diverse community.
• Wiccans, Druids, Shamans, Sacred Ecologists, Asatru and Heathens may all be included within  the Pagan community.
• Some groups concentrate on specific traditions or practices such as ecology, witchcraft, Celtic traditions, Nordic traditions, or certain gods.
• Most Pagans share an ecological vision that comes from the Pagan belief in the organic vitality and spiritual integrity of the natural world.
• The Pagan Federation of Great Britain have no precise figures but estimate that there may be as many as 200,000 (2002) Pagans in the UK.

What do Pagans believe ?

Pagans revere the natural world as divine.

Although Paganism covers a wide spectrum of ideas, these elements sum up the beliefs of the majority:

Nature

The recognition of the divine in nature is at the heart of Pagan belief. Pagans are deeply aware of the natural world and see the power of the divine in the ongoing cycle of life and death. Most Pagans are eco-friendly, seeking to live in a way that does not harm the natural environment.

Concepts of the divine

Pagans may be polytheists and worship the divine in many different forms, through feminine as well as masculine imagery and also as without gender. The most important and widely recognised of these forms are the God and Goddess (or pantheons of Gods and Goddesses) whose annual cycle of procreation, giving birth and dying defines the Pagan year. Paganism strongly emphasises equality of the sexes. Women play a prominent role in the modern Pagan movement, and Goddess worship features in most Pagan ceremonies.

Pagans may also be pantheists and understand nature itself as divine.

Paganism is not based on doctrine or liturgy. Many pagans believe 'if it harms none, do what you will'. Following this code, Pagan wisdom is based primarily on experience, and the aim of Pagan ritual is to make contact with the divine in the world that surrounds them.

Festivals and the cycle of the year

Most Pagans celebrate a cycle of festivals marking the turning of the year.

The Solar festivals follow the course of the Sun and are celebrated at Midsummer and Midwinter (Yule), and at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes.

The Celtic festivals fall on the dates of the year’s four quarters. Each festival begins at dusk on the evening of the previous day:

Lammas           1st August

Samhain           1st November

Imbolc                1st February

Beltane             1st May