Defining Paganism

by Sara Sutterfield Winn

Paganism is by definition difficult to define, which makes for great fun in academic circles (academics love to argue about seemingly unimportant details), great strife in Pagan circles (the Pagani love to argue almost as much as academics, and sometimes without the help of silly things like research), and great consternation for non-Pagan folks - referred to in some circles as muggles thanks to J.K. Rowling (or sometimes as cowans, though this term is rarely used in my experience). It's a risky enterprise to attempt to categorize or simplify the situation. In order to get anywhere, however, it is necessary to make some generalizations – peppered liberally with caveats. Anyone giving introductory workshops on Paganism swiftly becomes a real champ at the caveat-dance (for instance - I'll make the one that says that this mini-essay is merely my own hodge-podge definition based on my own readings and experiences...I'll leave it to you to decide if there really is ever such a thing as an undisputed fact, particularly in the case of the Pagani). Cha cha cha!

To begin, Contemporary Western Paganism (or simply, Paganism) is an umbrella term for a variety of contemporary, living religions most frequently found in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and Europe (though there are Pagans in many other countries as well). The term Pagan in this context is not intended as a catch-all for any religion that does not fit an Abrahamic (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) framework, but rather as a term specifically used to identify a particular set of religions. Some prefer the term "Neo-Pagan" to delineate contemporary practitioners of Pagan religions from pagans in the historical record, though this essay will utilize the simpler term "Pagan," due to my own personal preferences and because this term is used more often in the community at large. The term Pagan, as is oft repeated in countless sources, derives from the Latin paganus (plural: pagani), which is commonly translated as "country dweller, villager, rustic, civilian" and was most likely originally an insult. As much of contemporary Paganism is based on folk custom/mythology/ritual, this term, originally used to describe those outside the civic boundaries of Roman cities who probably practiced a variety of folk customs, is appropriate as a descriptor for contemporary Pagans. Though it may have been an originally derogatory term and has been used as such in recorded history, the term has been effectively "reclaimed" by the Pagan community at large.

But what does it mean to be a Pagan? What is Paganism, exactly? Ha ha! There isn't really a clear answer for that. But just for kicks, let's give it a go anyways, yeah? You with me? Woo! Get psyched!

For our intents and purposes, let's say the following four rules generally apply to many (but not all!) folks who claim the term Pagan:

1. Pagans are not generally monotheists. Of course, I'm sure there are Pagan monotheists out there (ah, Akhenaten). But for the most part, Pagans run the gamut of other isms, from duotheism, polytheism, pantheism, panentheism, henotheism, animism, and any and all combinations and subsets thereof - for example, there are “hard” polytheists (belief in multiple individual gods), and “soft” polytheists (belief that multiple gods are faces/aspects of one or two gods/Spirit). For instance, I am a hard-ish (soft-boiled?) polytheist and animist who also identifies as a pantheist and a henotheist when the situation calls for it. We Pagani tend to embrace multiplicity, diversity, and mess (this is, in fact, the way the natural world operates - to be organic is to be complex). It’s breathtakingly beautiful, occasionally confusing, and spectacularly fun (Oh - you don’t think religion should be fun? Well, let me briefly respond with: Wheeeeeee!). Given this smorgasbord of religions, isms and gods/goddesses, it is often more useful to refer to Pagan polythea/ologies than Pagan theology.

2. Pagans often follow an earth-centered ethic/theology/praxis. For many Pagans and Witches, religion is organic, revealed in natural rhythms and cycles, follows agricultural or seasonal calendars, and is rooted in an ecopolythea/ological ethic that supports sustainable living and ecological activism as authentic, natural expressions of their faith systems. However, again, this is not always true. Some Pagan reconstructionists, for instance, may tell you that their faith is deity-centered or community-centered, etc., not earth-centered, and that they do not predominately participate in a theology of a sentient/divine earth, or a strictly seasonal calendar. Hellenic Pagans, for one example, might follow various civic religious calendars adapted from the historical record, which may include festivals that honor the earth, but are not related to the "wheel of the year" calendar that is recognized by many in the Pagan community (this is absolutely NOT to say that these groups are not concerned for the planet and/or aren't interested in sustainability and ecological activism, merely that they may not identify as practicing an "earth-based" religion).

3. Pagans generally acknowledge a female divine principle. Whether this is evidenced in multiple female deities of varying personalities that are particular to a specific culture, the worship of a Great Mother Goddess (often including the worship of particular cultural goddesses as "aspects" or "faces" of this Goddess), a Maiden-Mother-Crone Triple Goddess (originating, many believe, in the works of Robert Graves), etc., one can usually find reference to at least one if not several/many divine females in Pagan circles. While I'm sure there are Pagans that worship only male gods, I have not encountered many of them (while some certainly have specific gods or goddesses that they are dedicated to or that function as their Patron/Matron gods, most still acknowledge the existence of a variety of gendered deities even if they do not give all these gods their specific devotion, in my experience). Note, of course, that this does not automatically make Pagans feminists. The feminist spirituality movement, a widespread movement within and outside of Paganism, has received a lot of press, and has led many non-Pagans to perceive all Pagani as feminist Goddess-worshippers. While feminists, Goddess-worshippers, and combinations thereof certainly do exist in good numbers under the Pagan umbrella (hello! feminist me right here!), there are plenty of others who do not identify in that manner and some who are vocally resentful of feminism and its prominent face in contemporary Paganism. Yep, we’ve got anti-feminists of various stripes among our ranks, too. Lucky, lucky us.

4. Pagans acknowledge the existence of magic and magical practice. While not all Pagans practice magic, most will acknowledge its existence in some form. For some reconstructionists, for example, the focus may be on worship and devotion rather than magical practice. Some Pagans might believe that those who are chosen to walk a magical path as a seer, shaman*, priest, magus, holy person etc., are, like contemporary clergy, responding to a particular call - a call that does not come to everyone, and that magical practice is best left to those who have this talent/gift/calling. Other Pagan folks, and Witches in particular, participate in a wide range of magical practice as a critical aspect of their religiosity, and many Witchcraft traditions tend to be “religions of clergy,” where the role of formal clergy is underplayed in favor of individual mysticism and direct spiritual gnosis. Other approaches abound. What magic is, whether and how it works, and the ethics involved vary from Pagan to Pagan, and these questions are the subject of ongoing discussion in various communities.

Aside from these few highly qualified statements, Pagans tend to resist any other type of theological categorization. Pagans can be pre-Christian and post-Christian. They can be New-Agers and folks angrily opposed to New-Agey principles (please note that while there is considerable cross-over between movements, Paganism and the New Age movement are not synonymous). Some participate in several different Pagan traditions at once, while others are adamantly opposed to doing so. Some are eclectic and/or syncretic (mixing elements of traditions together), some are staunchly “traditional,” and some fall in between. Some combine Pagan religious practices with more mainstream religions (“blended traditions”), resulting in Christo-Pagans and Christian Witches, Jewitches and Judeo-Pagans, Pagan Buddhists, Taoist Druids, etc. Given all this variety, it has become increasingly useful to refer not to Paganism, but rather Paganisms, plural.  

So there you go. My overly verbose "definition(s)" of Paganism in a nutshell (help! help! I’m in a nutshell!). A cramped, convoluted nutshell, with which no doubt many will take umbrage. But that’s my best shot at it anyway...for the moment. Always an evolving process, that whole learnin' thang.

*I absolutely acknowledge that "shaman" is a problematic term at best for a number of reasons, but am including it here because it has become an extremely popular term in both Pagan and New Age movements.