My Name is Bruce Denney, "I am a Pagan"
To be a Pagan, you need to believe that
- each of us has the right to follow our own path (as long as it harms no-one else)
- that a higher power (or powers) exists
- that nature is to be venerated.
To some the word Pagan brings up scary images of horror films.
In real life we are relatively normal people much like anyone else. Paganism like Hinduism, is a collection of diverse and different beliefs. We use the term "path" to describe a structured spiritual journey, however, there are plenty of people who make the journey following their own path. Just as with many other faiths, the destination is not the goal, it is the journey.
Our faiths revolves around respect and honour for the earth/nature. As such we honour the natural cycles, the waxing and waning of the moon, the seasons turning, the divinity of both male and female form and in the magic of reproduction, we honour our ancestors and do our best to earn the honour of future generations. We personify "higher power" as both God and Goddess.
Unlike most other faiths we have no organisation, no professional clergy, no central office, and very little written down , we are a broad fragmented church, lots of small groups and many individuals working alone each doing their own thing. You can't be a bad Pagan or do anything "wrong" because it is an instinctive path, one where what is "right" may change with time and where learning (even from from mistakes) is good. We can accept that it is normal that other peoples paths will only occasionally be "in tune" with our own.
I am a modern, eclectic Pagan following my own path,I have been influenced by elements of Druidry, Norse and Celtic Mythology, Hinduism and Hedge Witchcraft, but would not profess myself to have anywhere near enough knowledge to properly represent any path other than my own.
Much of our history got lost when followers of our religion were persecuted into non existence. Ironic as it may seem, it is our persecutors, the Christians, who preserved much of our Pagan history.
Our diversity is just as extreme as any other faith, we have those who follow strict protocols, those who have relaxed approaches and we even have our extremist fringes with people who seek to bring about change through civil disobedience.
I first got involved in Interfaith by attending the Interfaith walk, primarily because at the time, there was an anti-Islamic undertone to media reporting, there were some people in my community expressing views that came from their own ignorance and stupidity, it was becoming clear that there was a great deal of potential for Muslims to feel isolated and by simply going on a walk I could do a little bit to say "you are not alone".
As a faith group, we have an uneasy history with the Christians, indeed there are plenty of Pagans who feel hostile towards Christians and plenty of Christians who think of Pagans as devil worshippers. I hope that by getting more involved in Interfaith I might be able to try and spread a little enlightenment on all sides.
I would encourage anyone with a mind to get involved in Interfaith to do so, regardless of their path/religion.
If there are anyone who feels there is any issue that Reading Interfaith should be considering and would like me to take it up, then they can get in touch with me via RIFG
Devil:- We do not worship the Devil, most Pagans do not even believe in a Devil
Sacrifice:- sacrifice is about giving something you value back to nature/gods/goddesses. Lots of Pagans, like myself, are vegetarians, I have never seen or heard of a modern Pagan a sacrifice involving the slaughter of an animal.
Magic:- is the equivalent, in some ways, to prayer, only instead of getting another entity to bring about change in the world, we believe we are empowered by that entity to bring about the change ourselves, at a physical (natural) and a magical (supernatural) level. Most of the magical work I have been involved in has been to try and bring more peace to the world, it is probably the core focus of mainstream Druidic magic. Sometimes the magic is already there just needs to be noticed, I find it magical that a seeds can become plant and that tiny acorns grow into huge oaks. Being a member of interfaith is a magical thing, it brings about change in the world.
Secrecy:- The element of secrecy varies within Pagan paths, there are covens of witches who guard knowledge very carefully, but in more general Pagan circles, it is not so much secrecy as mystery, we don't have a plan or a schedule because what will happen, will happen all gets reveal in due course and that revelation and not knowing is to be cherished.
Lifestyle Accessory Paganism:- There are quite a few people who get interested in Paganism through, the Goth movement, Teen witches, New Age and so on, for some of them Paganism is a lifestyle accessory and for others it becomes a core belief. We have the rather cruel term "Fluffy Bunnies"to describe "newbies", however we have to remember that many fluffy bunnnies turn into wise moongazy hares.
Bad People:- There are bad people in all walks of life and in all spiritual paths. Paganism tends to attract the individual who does not want a prescriptive path, however, there are some Pagans following prescriptive paths with leaders/guides/teachers. There is always potential for abuse in any position of power, without any central governing body Paganism is an easy target for those seeking to manipulate and build positions of power/abuse. I urge all people of all paths to be sure they understand the motives of those leading should they choose to follow someone else.
Disorganised:- Pagans are renowned for being disorganised and starting when the time is right rather than when the hands on some man made device point to certain points. Whilst much of the UK runs on GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) the Pagan community runs on PGT (Pagan Generous Time). In many parts of life we strive to do things perfectly, within Paganism, we can accept the imperfection, we can even relish the accidents that happen along the way, perhaps to the extent of not really being happy with something unless mother nature has her input and trips us up on something.
If you would like to make contact with other Pagans these links may help you.
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| Reading Familiars - Reading based informal eclectic Pagan group |
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| Pagan Federation - National representative body for Pagans |
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| Druid Cast - A podcast |
