archive-name: paganism-faq
Last-modified: Febuary 2002
Version: 4.01
URL: http://www.dmcom.net/bard/altpag.txt
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR ALT.PAGAN
Authors: Susan Harwood Kaczmarczik; Br'an Arthur Davis-Howe; T. O.
Radzykewycz; Ailsa N.T. Murphy; Cecilia Henningsson
Acknowledgements to Jack Coyote, Robert Pearson, Chris Carlisle and
Izzy, and a special thanks to Janis Maria Cortese.
**Disclaimer**
Throughout this FAQ you will find the words "usually," often," and other
disclaimers; this is because Paganism is not a rigid, structured belief
system. We have tried to present as many faces of the neopagan
sub-culture as possible in the FAQ, but realize we can't possibly cover
it all. Many people, no doubt, will object to every part of this FAQ
(and have done, over everything from specific etymologies to the order
of the questions), but we stand by it as our best attempt.
*First version completed 25 January 1993*
Questions:
1) What is this group for?
2) What is paganism/a pagan?
2b) What is Paganism? How is it different from paganism?
3) What are different types of paganism?
4) What is Witchcraft/Wicca?
4b) Why do some of you use the word Witch? Wiccan?
5) What are some different traditions in the Craft?
6) Are pagans Witches?
7) Are you Satanists?
8) What kinds of people are pagans?
9) What holidays do you celebrate?
9b) How do I pronounce...? What does this name mean?
10) What god(s) do you believe in?
11) Can one be both Christian and pagan?
12) What were the Burning Times?
13) How many pagans/Witches are there today?
14) What are the related newsgroups?
15) Two pagan newsgroups? Why soc.religion.paganism *and* alt.pagan?
16) Is brutal honesty or polite conversation the preferred tone of
conversation around here?
17) I'm not a pagan; should I post here?
18) How does one/do I become a pagan?
19) What books/magazines should I read?
20) How do I find pagans/Witches/covens/teachers in my area?
21) What's a coven really like?
22) How do I form a coven?
23) What does Dianic mean?
24) Aren't women-only circles discriminatory?
25) Can/will you cast me a love spell/curse my enemies?
26) Sometimes I see "magic" spelled with a "k". Do real pagans spell it
a certain way?
27) Is it okay if I...? Will I still be a pagan if I...?
28) I am a pagan and I think I am being discriminated against because of
my religion. What should I do?
29) Hey, I heard that [insert name of famous rock singer or famous
fantasy-novel writer here] was a witch/pagan. Is that true?
30) What one thing would most pagans probably want the world to know
about them?
1) What is this group for?
This newsgroup is for the discussion of paganism and Witchcraft in
their various forms and traditions; for sharing ideas for ritual and
completed liturgy; for networking with others of a like mind and those
who are not; for answering questions and disseminating information about
paganism and Witchcraft (and, occasionally, for dispelling the
misconceptions about same). It's also for sharing within a larger
community than one might find at home. While we are interested in
traditional pagan practices, the alt.pagan community is fundamentally
neopagan -- our practices are modern, though they are based on ancient
ideas or images.
2) What is paganism/a pagan?
The words paganism and pagan come from the Latin "paganus," meaning
"country dweller." Neopagans hold a reverence for the Earth and all its
creatures, generally see all life as interconnected, and tend to strive
to attune one's self to the manifestation of this belief as seen in the
cycles of nature. Pagans are usually polytheistic (believing in more
than one god), and they usually believe in immanance, or the concept of
divinity residing in all things. Many pagans, though polytheistic, see
all things as being part of one Great Mystery. The apparent
contradiction of being both polytheistic and monotheistic can be
resolved by seeing the God/desses as masks worn by the Great Mystery.
Other pagans are simply monotheistic or polytheistic, and still others
are atheistic.
Some people believe paganism to be a religion within itself; others
see it as a belief system (such as monotheism) that can be incor****ated
into religions like Wicca or Druidism; others see it as a broad category
including many religions. The fact that we are re-creating religion for
ourselves after centuries of suppression makes us very eclectic and very
concerned with the "rightness" of a particular thing for the individual.
So when you see some people calling it a religion and others not, when
you see it capitalized in some instances and not in others, don't be
confused -- we're all still basically talking about the same thing.
2b) What is Paganism? How is it different from paganism?
Paganism (with a capital "P") is one strand of neopaganism which
strives to allow each person to draw from whatever religious and
cultural traditions are meaningful for the individual. The practices of
Paganism derive from those of Wicca, but are not identical with those of
Wicca. Some people view Paganism as a non-initiatory form of Wicca, or
Wicca as an initiatory form of Paganism. Some say that Witches are the
clergy of Paganism. (On the other hand, some Witches violently disagree
with that viewpoint. As with most things in this FAQ, there is no
answer with which everyone can completely agree.)
3) What are different types of paganism?
Paleo-paganism: the standard of paganism, a pagan culture which has
not been disrupted by "civilization" by another culture -- Australian
Bushmen modern (who are probably becoming meso-pagans), ancient Celtic
religion (Druidism), the religions of the pre-patriarchal cultures of
Old Europe, Norse religion, pre-Columbian Native American religions,
etc.
Civilo-paganism: the religions of "civilized" communities which
evolved in paleo-pagan cultures -- Classical Greco-Roman religion,
Egyptian religion, Middle-Eastern paganism, Aztec religion, etc.
Meso-paganism: a group, which may or may not still constitute a
separate culture, which has been influenced by a conquering culture, but
has been able to maintain an independence of religious practice -- many
Native American nations, etc.
Syncreto-paganism: similar to meso-pagan, but having had to submerge
itself into the dominant culture, and adopt the external practices and
symbols of the other religion -- the various Afro-dias****ic traditions
(Voudoun, Santeria, etc.), Culdee Christianity, etc.
Neopaganism: attempts of modern people to reconnect with nature,
using imagery and forms from other types of pagans, but adjusting them
to the needs of modern people. Since this category is the focus of
alt.pagan, the listing here is more comprehensive (though no listing
could be completely comprehensive):
Wicca -- in all its many forms
neo-Shamanism
neo-Druidism
Asatru and other forms of Norse neopaganism
neo-Native American practices
the range of things labeled "Women's Spirituality"
the Sabaean Religious Order
Church of All Worlds
Discordianism
Radical Faeries and other "Men's Spirituality" movements
certain people within Thelema and hedonistic Satanism
some of eco-feminism
and last, but not least, Paganism
4) What is Witchcraft/Wicca?
Wicca was the first (or at least one of the first) of the neopagan
religions. As a result, it is the best known, and tends to overshadow
its younger, smaller siblings. This bias appears in the postings in
alt.pagan and in this FAQ. This does not mean that Wicca is more valid
than other neopagan religions -- just larger and louder.
Wicca, however, is only one of the things called W/witchcraft (or
sometimes, the Craft, a term also applied to Masonry). There are a
whole range of styles of folk-magic around the world which are called
witchcraft in English. If the word Witch is capitalized, it indicates
that it is being used to refer to a member of a pagan religion, not just
to a practitioner of folk-magic. There are also Witches who practice
religions called Witchcraft which are not Wicca. These religions tend
to be more folk-pagan than Wicca, drawing on the heritage of a specific
culture or region.
Wicca itself is a new religion, drawing strongly on the practices of
Ceremonial Magic. While there are claims that Wicca goes back into the
mists of pre-history, honest examination of the practices and history of
the Wicca will make it clear that Wicca is new. (Actually, the word
"Wicca" itself is recently coined, at least in its present usage. The
OE "wicca" was pronounced "witch-ah" and meant male magician. The new
word "Wicca" is pronounced "wick-uh", capitalized as a religion, and
means a religion, not a person.) However, Wicca has developed in many
directions and should not be seen as a unified whole, even though it is
fairly new.
Rituals and beliefs vary widely among Witches.
Unlike most of the neopagan religions, Wicca is an initiatory
religion, that is, people who choose to practice Wicca believe that the
commitment to this path set changes in motion in their lives. Many
Traditions (sects) of Wicca formalize this with a ritual (or series of
rituals) of initiation. Others, especially Solitary Witches, trust that
the Gods will do the initiating of the Witch.
4b) Why do some of you use the word Witch? Wiccan?
First, not everyone in alt.pagan is Wiccan/Witchy, so this question
only applies to some of the people. Witch is a very old word meaning
"magic-maker", from a root which meant "bending" and "shaping". For
many of us, the word Witch is a powerful reclaiming of that inherent
human power to make changes around us. For others, including some of
the people within Wicca, that word is not their word. Some people
within Wicca take the adjective "Wiccan" and use it as a noun.
(Some people question the authenticity of the etymology that says
"witch" means "to bend or shape." They believe that the word is simply
from the Old English for "wise one" and has no relation to the root
mentioned above -- which gives us the modern word "wicker," for
instance. However, this definition is a good way to think of how a
modern Witch might see him/herself.)
5) What are some different traditions in the Craft?
Different traditions in the Craft include Gardnerian Wicca,
Alexandrian Wicca, Dianic Wicca, the Faery tradition, many branches of
Celtic-based Wicca, and many other forms of Wicca often called eclectic,
since they draw their practices and liturgy from many different sources.
There is no way to include all traditions because new ones are being
created every day by the practitioners themselves.
6) Are pagans Witches?
We've mentioned that even among pagans and Witches, there is dispute
about just how specific these terms are. But the majority opinion seems
to be that the question, "Are pagans Witches?" is about the same as the
question, "Are Christians Catholics?" (or Methodists, Baptists or
whatever). Most Witches are pagans, but not all pagans are Witches.
7) Are you Satanists?
This is a bit of a loaded question, since there are several different
conceptions of what Satanism really is. Most pagans do not wor****p
Satan or practice Satanic rites. Some pagans practice something called
Satanism, but it is a far cry from the Hollywood image of Satanism.
These people tend to value pleasure as a primary motivation, or to find
meaning in images which the repressive Christian churches attacked. For
some of these folk, reclaiming the word "Satanist" is an act of
resistance against oppression. For more information on Satanism as a
religion, please check out alt.satanism.
If what you're really wanting to know is do we sacrifice babies and
wor****p evil incarnate, the answer's no.
8) What kinds of people are pagans?
People from all walks of life are pagans -- computer programmers,
artists, police officers, journalists, university professors -- the list
is endless. Many people, no matter what their mundane occupation, find
solace in the life-affirming aspects of paganism.
9) What holidays do you celebrate?
Because neopaganism follows so many traditions from many different
parts of the world, there is no single set of holidays that all
neopagans celebrate. Several calendars are available which list many
different holidays, one or more for every day of the year. Most of
these holidays are either dedicated to particular deities (e.g. Brighid,
Diana, Thor), or mark seasonal changes in the environment (e.g. the
solstices and equinoxes).
What specific holidays are celebrated is something decided within a
certain tradition, or by the individual.
9b) How do I pronounce...? What does this name mean?
The names that are generally used to denote the Wiccan sabbats (as
well as festivals of many pagan traditions) come from Gaelic (both Scots
and Irish), Welsh, Norse, and Anglo-Saxon. There are variations of
pronunciations for each one. We are not trying to say that if you don't
say it like we tell you to, that you'll be wrong or anything like that.
But since so many people have asked, here is a list that can give you a
good start in trying to sound like the languages from which these words
came.
Just remember, this is not some kind of Sekrit Pagan Language (TM);
many of these words are in use in Europe today by pagans and non-pagans
alike to denote these days. And yes, this shows a European bias, but
then so do the commonly-used names for Wiccan holy days. These seem to
be the names most frequently asked about in alt.pagan.
Samhain (31 Oct) -- Irish Gaelic for "summer's end." The standard
Irish pronunciation is either "SOW-in" with the "ow" like in "cow", or
"SAH-win". Other pronunciations that follow with the many Gaelic
dialects include"sow-een" "shahvin" "sowin" (with "ow" like in "glow").
The Scots Gaelic spelling is "Samhuin" or "Samhuinn." There is no
linguistic foundation for saying this word "samhane" the way it might
look if it were English. (To be really untechnical about it, the "mh"
is a little linguistic gadget that tells you not to pronounce the "m"
like, well, an "m".) When in doubt, just say "Hallows" or even
"Hallowe'en."
Yule (@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dec) -- Norse for "wheel." It's pretty much pronounced
just like it looks, although if you want to make a stab at a
Scandinavian sound, it'll be more like "yool" and less like "yewl." This
is the winter solstice.
Imbolg/Imbolc (1 Feb) -- Irish Gaelic for "in the belly." Pronounce
this one "IM-bullug" or "IM-bulk" with a guttural "k" on the end. Other
names include Candlemas; Brighid (pronounced "breed"), who is the Irish
goddess whose festival this is; and Oimelc (pronounced EE-mulk), which
means "ewe's milk" in Scots Gaelic.
Ostara (@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Mar) -- Saxon name for a maiden goddess of spring,
loosely connected to Astarte and Ishtar. This one's easy --
"o-STAHR-uh." Other names include Eostre (say "OHS-truh" or "EST-truh")
.. This is the spring equinox.
Beltane/Bealtaine (30 April) -- Irish Gaelic for either "fires of
Bel" or "bright fires." If you want to try it in Gaelic, you can say
"bee-YAWL-tinnuh" or "BELL-tinnuh." Unlike Samhain, this word can
within the linguistic structure of its language of origin be pronounced
like it looks -- "BELL-tane" -- without totally abandoning its original
construction. Other names are Walpurgisnacht (vahl-PUR-gis-nahkt) and
May Day.
Litha (@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Jun) -- Norse or Anglo-Saxon for "longest day." You can
say this one just like it looks, or you can try for a Scandinavian sound
and say "leetha" with the "th" more like a "t." This is the summer
solstice.
Lughnasadh/Lunasa or Lammas (1 Aug) -- The first is Irish Gaelic for
"festival of Lugh" (a major Irish deity); the second is Anglo-Saxon for
"festival of the loaves" ("hlaf-mass"). Don't panic at that spelling
(it's that pesky "h" acting as a signal instead of a letter again); the
second (which is modern Irish as opposed to old Irish) tells you all you
need to know. Say "LOO-nah-sah." (Some people maintain that the Scots
dialect says it "LOO-nah-soo.") Lammas is just like it looks,
"LAH-mus."
Mabon (@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sep) -- This is believed to be a form of the Welsh word
for "son." Therefore, it would probably be pronounced "MA-bon" with the
"a" like in "mass." However, most Wiccans and pagans say "MAY-bon."
This is the autumn equinox.
10) What god(s) do you believe in?
Neopagans believe in a great many goddesses and gods. However, not
all neopagans believe in the same ones, or even in any at all. Many
neopagans believe in a Goddess and a God that are manifest in all
things. Some follow particular pantheons (e.g. Greek, Irish, Norse,
Yoruban, Welsh), others don't stick to any one culture, and still others
see the Divine in more symbolic terms. Many ascribe certain qualities
to different goddesses, such as Athena as the goddess of wisdom;
Aphrodite as the goddess of love; Artemis as the goddess of the hunt,
and so on. Many pagans and Witches see the Goddess in three aspects,
those of Maiden, Mother and Crone; and the God in two, the Young God and
the Old God. Other pagans do not believe in any gods at all, but
instead honor spirits and/or totems in various forms such as animals or
trees, as in many of the native American religions. As is usually the
case, defining "God" is a very slippery idea. But these are some of the
more common among modern pagans.
11) Can one be both Christian and pagan?
Depends on who you ask. :)
There is much dissention on this particular topic, with both pagans
and Christians taking both stances. There are many brands of Christian
mysticism, some more similar to the aspects of paganism than others.
But some pagans who dance outside to the light of the moon and praise
the Goddess in Her aspect of Diana see and feel no contradiction to
going inside and lighting candles to Mary, the Queen of Heaven and the
Mother of God, the next day. And those same pagans see the same
sacrificial king motif in Jesus as they do in Osiris.
Many people might find it difficult to reconcile the two paths;
others see a successful integration possible. It depends on what is
right for the individual.
12) What were the Burning Times?
The Burning Times is the name used by many modern Witches and pagans
for the era of the Inquisition, and of the other witch hunts (including
Salem) which sprang from it. During that time, many women and some men
were persecuted for practices objectionable to the Church, especially
witchcraft. The _Malleus Maleficarum_ was a guide on how to torture
accused witches into confessing to whatever they were accused of. At
the height of the persecutions, entire towns were left with only one or
two women in them, and to this day no one knows for sure how many people
were brutally murdered during this craze.
As is often the case, this horror sprang from fear and
misinformation -- most of the people who were arrested, tortured and
killed were not Witches (or witches) of any sort, but simply people who
had gotten on the wrong side of someone who had the local magistrate's
ear, or who somehow didn't fit in (particularly beautiful or ugly women,
widows who had wealth or owned land, the handicapped and retarded, and
even overly intelligent people are all examples of those who became
primary targets of this persecution).
Although discrimination still exists against Witches and pagans, we
now enjoy comparative freedom of religious practice after those dark
times. But this time is considered a very im****tant event by most
Witches and pagans (comparable to the atrocities and devastation
perpetrated during the Holocaust ), one that should never be forgotten,
and many do active public education work to assure as best they can that
it will never happen again.
--
news:alt.pagan FAQ at http://www.dmcom.net/bard/altpag.txt
news:alt.religion.wicca FAQ at http://www.dmcom.net/bard/arwfaq2.txt
Want a new group FAQs http://web.presby.edu/~nnqadmin/nnq/ncreate.html
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