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nature and worship of gods and goddesses. Some people seek teachers and have a sort of apprenticeship to learn more than the basics. Most people who practice paganism, however, are either self-taught or have learned from someone close to them. "I like that I can tailor it to myself," says Anne Burton, Olathe junior and WPA member.
The lack of a definitive text or doctrine may lead to some fragmentation within paganism, but it also allows followers to adapt the religion to their beliefs and heritage. Some followers recognize Greek gods, while others worship Norse or Egyptian gods. Burton, who is of Irish background, worships Celtic gods.
The word "pagan" is derived from the Latin *paganus*, which means villager. Medieval Christians used it as a slang term. Later the word changed to mean an outsider who practiced folk religion. Little is known about ancient pagan practices because religious crusaders destroyed many of their texts. We do know that pagans in different areas practiced different rituals and that the religion was diverse, Miller says. Historically, outsiders believed pagans were witches and Satan worshipers who conducted animal sacrifices. The Salem with trials of 1692 oppressed pagans. Because there are no surviving ancient pagan texts, it's unsure whether ancient pagans worshipped Satan and performed animal sacrifices, but contemporary pagans say they detest both of these practices. In fact, pagans do not recognize the Devil; he is a Judeo-Christian creation.
Pagans celebrate the divine with rituals related to different seasons in nature. There are eight sabbats, which are the major pagan holidays. Each sabbat celebrates a different aspect of nature and the relationship between the worshiper and gods. Each sabbat occurs about every 45 days.
Imbolc is part of the pagan calendar and signifies the first growth of the new year and is meant to get pagans out of their houses and meet up. Ritual dates are determined by the seasons. Imbolc
always falls
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between winter and spring. Over winter people stay inside, so Imbolc represents a time to come outside and wake up, says Buffy
SABRATS
McKinley, Lawrence resident and WPA member. "The ritual helps pagans become renewed and refreshed," she says. "It helps to mentally clear out the bad stuff in your house such as negative thoughts and energy," she says.
The group is small tonight. There are 12 WPA members in attendance.Most of the group wears jeans and T-shirts or sweaters,but four members have on medieval-looking clothing.McKinley wears a
Chelsa, a Lawrence paganist, pours die into a bowl for the Ostara celebration of Spring Equinox.
white peasant top with ruffles, a blue knitted corset and a wine-colored tiered skirt. Burton wears a green cotton dress with embroidered Celtic symbols as a way to honor her gods and ancestors.
Near the midpoint of the 45-minute ritual, each person performs a charm offering protection for his or her home. A charm is similar to what outsiders might call a spell. A pagan asks his god or goddess for a special request such as help losing weight or relieving stress in his life. Sean Manning, Overland Park junior and WPA member, describes a charm as a "prayer with glitz added to it." It's more specific than a general request although he recognizes that not all charms work. "We know that Harry Potter's not real, we don't do stuff like that and we don't think
we can," he says. "That's not what it's about."
tian thought." Charms and spells are dangerous experiments that could lead people down a non-Christian path he says.
Major religions, especially Christianity, tend to regard paganism as a false religion. "It is a deviant form of worship,
says Bill Hurlbutt, senior pastor at Christ Community Church. "We look at the first commandment and it says there should be no other gods. Anything that places itself in front of that is contrary to Chrisother's beliefs. "I don't think a supreme being needs an advertisement," Burton says.
Although Hurlbutt doesn't view paganism as a threat to Christianity, he is aware that an increasing number of Americans are becoming pagan.
Mainstream religions' evangelical missions are part of the reason some followers have turned towards paganism. Paganism is not an evangelical religion, meaning that it doesn't actively seek converts. Burton, who was baptized Christian, appreciates that pagans do not actively try to influence
Johnson says she was raised Protestant but her parents stopped going to church when she was young. She remained Christian but didn't practice or pray. Her boyfriend turned her onto Wicca, a form of paganism. She learned the basics from him and read books to round out her understanding of the religion. She says that her parents are OK with her choice to practice paganism, but she hasn't told her other relatives because they are more devout Christians and she doesn't want to offend them.
Burton was also raised in a Christian home but became disenchanted with the religion in her early teens. She says she
was looking for meaning and a relationship with the creator, which she felt she didn't find with Christianity. Manning had a less idealistic reason for converting: to impress a girl in high school that was a practicing pagan. Johnson
says that a majority of people who criticize her beliefs do so in order to convert her to Christianity. Johnson wishes that she could practice her religion peacefully without people condemning her to "the
Sabbats are the eight major pagan celebrations, which honor gods and goddess and celebrate different qualities in nature.
Samhain: Regarded as the pagan New Year, Samhain generally falls near Halloween. The festival marks the beginning of the winter months. Most pagans prefer to reflect on the past year in hopes of learning lessons and look ahead to the New Year.
Yule: Also known as the winter solstice, this festival marks the shortest day and longest night. The ritual is usually held near December 21 as pagans mediate on their hopes and aspirations for the future months. A yule log is usually burned as part of the ritual.
imbolic: Pagans celebrate the return of light and the beginning of spring. The festival usually occurs near February 2. New goals and projects are created for the upcoming year.
Lithe: Also known as Midsummer, this ritual takes place on the longest day of the year, June 21. It marks the point when crops and the goals created at earlier rituals are becoming mature and are nearing completion.
Lughnasadh: Referred to as the pagan Thənksgiving, this ritual occurs near August 1. Pagans celebrate the harvesting of crops and the end of their goals. They give thanks for the abundance of the Earth and their experiences throughout the year.
Ostara: The pagan name for spring or the vernal equinox. Usually celebrated near March 21, when day and night are equal lengths. Pagans begin to act upon the goals created at Imbolc.
Mabon: Also known as autumn equinox, this ritual is celebrated around September 21. It signifies the end of the harvest and the return to darkness, which pagans must now prepare for.
Beltane: Marks the beginning of summer and is celebrated on either April 30 or May 1, also known as May Day. The festival marks the union of the god and goddess and serves as a time for pagans to check the progress of their goals.
fiery pits of hell."
Manning had one incident with a motorist that he believes was related to his religion. He used to have a bumper sticker on his car with a drawing of a pentagram — a pagan symbol illustrated by a star inside a circle. Another driver followed him around Johnson County for about an hour, Manning says. When Manning finally got out of his car, the other man also got out and began to preach to Manning. The two exchanged angry words, but ended up leaving peacefully in their cars.
Before the ritual is over, the group connects hands and concentrates on pushing their energy through one another's hands in the circle. It's like a game of spiritual telephone. Members say they feel the energy cycle through each person about three times. After passing their energy, the group jumps around with smiles on their faces, but one guy sits quietly with a slight smile on his face. He says that he could feel the energy throughout his entire body. It felt good, he says — almost orgasmic. The group finishes the ritual and ends the night eating and drinking while engaged in friendly conversations. They won't all meet again for another 45 days.
mhendrix@kansan.com
FORMS OF PAGANISM
Like most major religions, paganism has different strands.
Heathenism: Focuses on Norse and Germanic gods and goddesses. Asatru is a popular denomination in North America. It has a list of nine noble virtues; courage, truth, honor, discipline, fidelity, hospitality, self-reliance, preservation and industriousness, which guide followers' actions and beliefs. The family structure holds great value. Most followers of this strand prefer to be called heathens rather than pagans.
Wicca: The most popular strand within paganism, this Earth-based religion relies on personal fulfilment from the development of psyche and magical abilities. Traditionally called witchcraft. Wiccans honor the god and gods as all ritual celebrations. Englishman Garrod and Grusher created modern Wicca in the 1940s. Gerusalemian Witchcraft, Celtic divines, symbols and celebrations.
Dairy: The ancient religion originated in Ice Celtic and Dark areas of Britain, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. An ancient tribe, the Valean was framed with wisteria, practices associated with herding, vulture trapping was used for the burial, which of what we now know to be intergration by modern Druids. There is a plea contest within Celtic virtues or other traits like loyalty, practice, morality and community.