The words Paganism and Pagan come from the Latin "paganus," meaning "country dweller." In this sense one of the common threads of all religions that fall under the Pagan umbrella is the reverence for the earth, it's creatures, and inhabitants.

Though many people claim no particular denomination, sufficing to call themselves simply Pagans... there are many different 'denominations' of Paganism. Wicca - which in itself holds countless denominations. There is also Druidism, Shamanism, the Qabalah, and many, many more.

A basic and generalized belief system for all of Paganism would go as follows (and this is by no means inclusive, or engraved in stone): The belief in one main spiritual deity that is incumbent throughout the entire universe, therefore making the entire universe and everything within it divine. This may sound contradictory of what you have heard, as most people hear of a God and a Goddess that is worshipped in Pagan religions. Such as Mother Earth and Father Sky in the Native American Religions. However even in the Native American religions there is one Great Spirit. In this aspect the God and Goddess present in almost all Pagan religions are personifications of one deity. Why do Pagans use a duel personification of one deity? Because we can divide the one deity into a masculine and a feminine form, as all things in nature are both masculine and feminine.

However, there are many pagans that would completely disagree with everything that is written on this page. That is perfectly fine! Paganism is personal, it is not a mass commercial religion. We base our beliefs on tradition that has been handed down from family to family, or on personal experience or perhaps even on what we might learn in a group of like minds. Whatever is our doctrine, suffice to say that particular doctrine is a personal one for all that follow it. The point is.. there aren't set rules, but for each Pagan there is however, a central nexus of learning. One does not become a Pagan on a whim, there is countless hours of studying involved, and this learning never, ever ends. The path of a Pagan is one that, once begun, lasts a lifetime. Perhaps even more than one lifetime.

For further answers to Frequent Asked Questions about Paganism and Wicca, you may wish to visit Arachne's Web FAQ’s.
*Please note* - Any websites visited through links on this page or other pages throughout the P.A.S.T. website are not necessarily affiliated with the P.A.S.T. in any form. The P.A.S.T. does not necessarily support any of the content found on said pages.

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