Editorial - What is Paganism Anyway?

So, it’s the start of (yet another) new academic year (and you know you’ve been in education far too long when the prospect of going through that damned enrolment every September suddenly makes a bottle of absinthe and the nearest bridge look friendly.)  For those of you who are just starting at Cardiff University – welcome!  Good luck!  Commiserations!  My deepest sympathies…  For those of you who are back for another year, I salute your bravery. 

Anybody who has been a Pagan Fresher in university will understand what I’m going to write about in this Editorial however.  You move away from home, move into student digs with other students, and get ready to make a new, improved, free life for yourself as a Pagan.  But first you’ve got to stumble over the first block: telling your new friends what Paganism is (and therefore a large part of who you are).

“Well, it’s an earth-religion…” 

“Um…  We worship the Goddess…”

“No, we don’t roast babies.”

“Or virgins.”

“The broom’s just for decoration.”

“It’s hard to explain really…”

“Please, don’t play poker with my Tarot cards guys.  Yes, even strip poker is out.  But they’re a sacred tool!  What? You have alcohol?  Hell yes!”

“Just…  Look, I’m Pagan okay, and that’s all there is to it!”

And thus you completely fail to explain Paganism in a satisfactory way to everybody who is non-Pagan, in turn making everybody think you’re just doing it to be ‘cool’ in a weird, goth way, yet giving all your new housemates the pleasure of being able to sound ‘cool’ by saying “my friend’s a witch/druid/satanist!”

The really tragic thing about all this is that you probably joined Cardiff Uni Pagan Society in order to gain some answers to “what is Paganism anyway?”  And we sure as hell don’t know!  We can give you talks and workshops about various aspects of Paganism – candle magic, Tarot, Druidry, various deities, Aleister Crowley (and all that other really important stuff you just couldn’t get through life without knowing about) – but I’m afraid we can’t get you any closer to defining Paganism.

Why?  Because neo-Pagans are a bloody-minded, fiercely independent, individualistic bunch of people who often have absolutely nothing in common.  Okay, so they call themselves Pagan (in some form or another), but their practices differ, their Gods are from different countries and times, their ethics are often completely opposed to each other, and they can’t agree on definitions of themselves – let alone definitions of Paganism itself!  Ever wondered why there is no Pagan church or congregation?  Ever theorized as to why so many Pagan groups crumble before a few years are out?  It’s because we’re so diverse.  One person’s God is another person’s demon, and whilst Witches do it in circles, solitaries do it by themselves and druids do it in sacred groves.  Some Pagans don’t worship any Gods at all, whilst others don’t figure Mother Nature anywhere in their theology. 

The debate could continue for years and years as to what, then, links all Pagans to each other.  (So far, I think the link is that they all want to call themselves ‘Pagan’.)  In the meantime, all we can do is learn more about the many different aspects of Paganism – including the diverse individuals who class themselves as Pagan.  Whilst some religions would see the absence of a unified, universal ‘code of morality’ and ‘statement of belief’ as a degrading factor, we should instead pray that nobody ever tries to do this to Paganism.  Can you imagine the arguments?!  In fact, we might say that the individuality of neo-Pagans is Paganism’s strongest feature – it means the answers aren’t handed to us on a plate, but instead we are encouraged to look for them ourselves.  It means we have to learn tolerance and how to interact with those who believe differently to ourselves, and how to see the spiritual validity in ways other than our own. 

So, you want to try and define Paganism?  Good luck – you’re going to need it.  By all means, explain to people what you believe and how you worship your deities, but don’t expect this to follow on to the next Pagan your friends speak to.  In the end, do we really care about creating a universal definition which all Pagans must adhere to, lest they be judged ‘not-Pagan-enough’?  I doubt it. 

That all being said, this is one thing the Pagan Society will never do – tell you what Paganism is; judge you as ‘Pagan enough’ or ‘not Pagan enough’; or exclude you based on what kind of Paganism you work with.  This may seem to other religions like we don’t care (and maybe we really don’t!) but I prefer to see it more as a self-preservation mechanism.

Welcome to Cardiff University Pagan Society!  Enjoy the ride!

Blessings,

Kim Huggens