Neopaganism

“Umbrella” term for the religious movement that includes Wicca, Druidism, Ásatrú, Hellenism, and various other modern revivalist faiths. In general, Neopagan religions are re-constructed from the remains of pre-Christian religions, generally European. Prominent aspects of Neopagan belief are:

• Immanence: Deity is present and incarnate within the physical world, not remote or separated from it. Divine essence is often seen as inhabiting all living things, leading easily to...
• Pantheism: The belief that everything (or possibly just “everything living”) is divine. This is a major tenet of the Church of All Worlds (CAW), expressed in their common greeting, “Thou art God(dess)”. Those Neopagans who don’t subscribe to pantheism usually at least agree with...
• Polytheism: The Divine is not a single, unitary creature, but rather manifests as a diverse variety of deities, each with different attributes and personality. The existence and value of one deity are no reason not to honor others, as well.
• Polarity/Duality: Dichotomies such as male/female, light/dark, and winter/summer are not seen as competing opposites, but rather as complementary pairs, both necessary to balance. Things like darkness, winter and even death are valued in ways that are alien to mainstream culture and monotheist religions.
• Feminism: A natural outgrowth of the belief in duality: Divinity is seen as both female and male, sometimes with female more important than male. Accordingly, women are seen as having equal value with men.
• Pleasure: Pleasure, including sexuality, is seen as positive, desirable, and even sacred. Sexuality in particular is often viewed as a sacrament or other manifestation of holiness.
• Nature: Another result of the belief in immanence – if nature contains the Divine, then it is sacred and valuable in its own right. Neopagan rituals are often held in outdoor, natural locations, and timed to coincide with natural cycles such as the seasons or the phases of the Moon. This often leads to an interest in environmentalism, as well.
• Reincarnation: Souls are reborn in various circumstances, allowing for a greater diversity of experience and echoing the cyclical nature of the seasons. Not all Neopagans believe in reincarnation; many openly admit that they have no idea what happens after death. However, many agree that it makes “more sense,” from a Neopagan perspective, than the idea of just living one life and then going on to some afterworld.

Neopagans may also refer to themselves simply as “Pagans”, for brevity. Few believe that they are actually practicing the authentic, original forms of their religions – most openly admit (and even adamantly insist) that their religions are reconstructed: updated and revised for the modern era.

The Neopagan revival can be traced fairly directly to the publication of Gerald Gardner’s Witchcraft Today in 1954; this started the Neopagan movement as we know it today, starting with Gardnerian Wicca, then branching out to other Wiccan traditions and eventually other Pagan religions entirely.

Additional impetus was supplied by the occult revival of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Not only did this bring with it a surge of interest in mysticism, occultism, and alternative religions; it also saw the beginnings of the experimentation that would lead to the formation of groups such as Discordianism, modern Druidry, and the resurgence of Ásatrú.