Church of Eclectic Pagan Fellowship

     "Paganism is an umbrella term that describes a variety of denominations -- known to Pagans as traditions -- which for the most part organize themselves and operate without a centralized religious body or a standardized dogma." (Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions, Joyce and River Higginbotham, Pg.1)

     The term Pagan usually refers back to someone who does not follow a mainstream religion (ie. Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, ect.). Many Pagans, though certainly not all, are polytheistic. Many worship some form of the God and Goddess, often drawing on deities from ancient pantheons such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Pagans can view Deity as immanent, or present in all things, rather than transcendant, or outside of nature, or they can view it as a mix of both. They can even take a monist view and follow the belief that all things are one.

     Many Pagans believe in the concept of reincarnation, that their essence, or soul, will be reborn many times before finally moving on to the next plane of existence, be it to the Summerlands or rejoining with the Creator. Pagans do not hold beliefs of salvation and heaven or hell and acknowledge no entity known as the Devil. Instead, many hold to the belief of Karma, and this is no where more evident than in the Threefold Law of Return. This Law basically states that whatever one sends, good or bad, will return to them threefold, or three times more powerful than when they sent it. Not all of the different traditions encompassed under the term Paganism adhere to the Threefold Law, but most do have some form of "Golden Rule" which basically does boil down to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The phrasing may change, but the sentiment remains the same.

     It is impossible to list all the traditions that can fall into the category of Paganism. Some of the different traditions included are Wicca (this may well be the largest tradition, and it has many traditions within itself), Witchcraft, Druidism, Shamanism, Asatru, and Blended Traditions such as Christopaganism or Judeopaganism. Also included would be Santeria, Voudon, Ceremonial Magick, and the Solitary and Eclectic Paths.

     Paganism is an ever growing and expanding thing, and, quite probably, no one will ever be able to say exactly what it is.

1.) You are responsible for the beliefs you choose to adopt. You are in control of what you choose to believe, especially when it comes to ideas about spirituality, ethics, values, the nature of the Divine, the nature and purpose of the physical world, and your place in it. The power to choose your beliefs resides in you - not in an institution, church, or government. It is important that you take responsibility for the beliefs you adopt because beliefs act as templates around which you build your reality. You will tend to interpret experience and information to fit what your beliefs tell you to expect, while filtering out information that does not fit. To a great extent, your beliefs shape both the interior and exterior world you create for yourself. Regardless of the beliefs impressed on you in the past, you are in control of what you choose to adopt as your beliefs now. Pagans accept their responsibility to become more self-aware, identify the beliefs they are allowing to operate in their lives, and then to examine the merits of those beliefs periodically.

2.) You are responsible for your own actions and your spiritual and personal development. The development of a conscience, or personal ethic, and then the application of that ethic to everyday life is the responsibility of every person. Any resource, teacher, practice, or holy writing that helps you move toward your goal of spiritual maturity can and should be used. Resources, must give to his or her own growth, however since growth is a muscle you must exercise yourself. Spiritual muscles don't get strong by letting other people do your work for you. Pagans strive to become spiritually mature and to take responsibility for their beliefs, actions, and spiritual growth.

3.) You are responsible for deciding who or what Deity is for you, and forming a relationship with that Deity. Someone who joins a particular faith has gone through the process of deciding what Deity is for them and that the faith they are joining is a good match. Pagans openly acknowledge this process and are open to a variety of ideas about Deity. Pagans have many images of Deity, including multiple images, male, female, animal, energy or spirit images, or no images at all.

4.) Everything contains the spark of intelligence. From the smallest atom to the largest planetary system, each part of the world contains a form of consciousness or spark of intelligence. In the physical realm, consciousness exhibits as awareness, personality, energetic vibrations, or other characteristics that are in keeping with the particular physical form. Science and mysticism both suggest that consciousness is multidimensional, that it folds and unfolds into physical reality from unseen realms, and its expression in the physical world is only a part of its greater reality.

5.) Everything is sacred. Sacredness means different things to different Pagans. To some it means that all parts of the universe are precious, and worthy of respect and careful handling. To others it implies a feeling of kinship, of connection, a kind of cosmic brother- or sisterhood. To others sacredness means that something is holy, having been created, blessed, or approved by a Deity. For some Pagans, this principle also relates to how Deity is involved with the physical and nonphysical universes, and whether by its nature the universe is good or evil. Many Pagans see Deity as penetrating the universe in one way or another. The result of this particular view, however, is that if Deity permeates everything, then everything is sacred. Nothing is cut off or isolated from the Divine Ground. The dualism that says that the physical is bad and the spiritual is good has no meaning to a Pagan. This brings us naturally to the second point, then, since if nothing is cut off from the Divine Ground, then neither are you. Your human nature is not inherently flawed. Do not confuse this issue with one of behavior. People can choose to act in ways that are destructive, but Pagans tend to treat behavior as a separate issue from the question of whether or not human nature is corrupt.

6.) Each part of the universe can communicate with each other part, and these parts often cooperate for specific ends. Here is the crux of magick. Magick is a completely natural process, which, in its simplest form, is the communication and cooperation of many consciousnesses. Other religions call this same process prayer, meditiation, inspiration, synchronicity, or miracles.

7.) Consciousness survives death. Consciousness, as was earlier suggested, exists on multiple levels simultaneously, and physical reality is only one expression of it. Physical existence can be seen as the intrusion of consciousness into the world of matter, and death as the withdrawing, or enfolding, of it back into other dimensions. Pagans hold a variety of views of what happens after death, and most, though not all, believe in an afterlife.

(This excerpt was taken from Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions by Joyce and River Higginbotham, pgs. 39-41)