So, you're kid's a pagan. And you're not. Have no fear, because being a Pagan is a lot different than you might think. The word Pagan is not a dirty word. It actually comes from the latin word paganus, meaning "country dweller", emphasizing the natural aspects of Pagan belief. The word "Pagan" is often used as a sort of umbrella term for all nature religions, including Wicca. What's the gist of it? Read on:

Paganism is a polytheistic (more than one deity) religion based on the reverance of natural things and the worship of a God and Goddess. Some pagans will tell you that the God and Goddess are actually two halves of one supreme being, sometimes called Spirit or The All. Some Pagans focus only on Goddess worship, to the exclusion of worshipping the God. And still others worship a whole bunch of gods from different pantheons (Greek, Norse, etc.) This is a matter of preference.

Most pagans perform magick; however, some choose not to. It doesn't really make a difference. Magick is really not an integral part of Paganism. A lot of them choose to be healers in some way or another. They might use herbs, stones, colors, their own energies, etc. to make people better. What are herbs and stones for? Well, pagans and other performers of magick believe that these items vibrate at different frequencies (kind of like radio waves) and have different properties helpful to different magickal practices. Colors are the same way. Candles are also a main part of pagan ritual for similar reasons. They also sometimes perform divinations, which simply means seeing into the future, looking at the past, or discovering what's in the present. They can do this with tarot cards, crystal balls (forget those weird gypsy ladies who charge too much for fortune telling at carnivals), runes, the I Ching (it's a Chinese divination practice), etc.

You're probably wondering why pagans spell magick with a "k" at the end. No, it's not because they failed 1st grade english. Most Pagans will do this to differentiate from illusionary "magic" that you see on TV, like David Copperfield or something similar. Some also spell it as magik, while still others spell it majik. Some just don't care and spell it normally. It doesn't matter.

A very important Pagan law called The Rule of Three or the Threefold Law. What this is, in simple terms, is that a person who does good will be greatly rewarded, and a person who does evil will be greatly punished. The three comes in because it is said that whatever energies you send out into the universe will eventually come back to you times three (kind of like "What goes around comes around"). The reward and punishment doesn't come from a deity, but rather just from the forces of the Universe. So, any smart Pagan knows that black magick performed will come back later and kick them in the butt. This whole thing is similar to karma, a belief present in the Hindu belief system. It's the same principle. If you're a good person who does good, you'll be reincarnated as a priest or something like that. If you act like a rat your whole life, you'll come back as-well, a rat.

Pagans also perform rituals every now and then, usually about two a month. Some fall on the night of a Full Moon and are called esbats. This word comes from an old french word, s'esbattre, meaning "to celebrate". What exactly goes on at these things anyway? Well, basically the Pagan honors the Goddess at the height of her power (because the Moon is the symbol of the Goddess). What does that mean? Well, if you ever watch the Discovery Channel, you might know that in places where there is no artificial light, women's " monthly cycles" are attuned with the lunar cycles. Pretty cool, huh? So, during a Full Moon, the Goddess is at the peak of her menstrual cycle. It sounds icky, but menstruation is an integral part in Goddess worship. If you menstruate, that means that you're fertile and able to create new life. As the Moon goes from one cycle to the next, Pagans believe that its powers and magickal properties change. For example, one month, the Moon might have power over legal matters and money, while the next month's Moon might have control over love and luck. These are just examples. Then he/she can perform some magick, or just sit and meditate for awhile. Then they share a meal of bread and wine (or grape juice, whatever works for them) with the Goddess and the creatures of the earth. Why grape juice and bread? Well, if you're familiar with the Christian belief system, the juice or wine represents the blood of Christ, while the bread is His body. Similar thing in Paganism. The juice is the Goddess' blood (menstrual blood) and the bread is her body (sometimes people think of it as her womb). That's the basics, but it's different for everyone, according to personal preference.

There are also things called sabbats, which are seasonal celebrations. As esbats follow the Moon, sabbats are dependent on the Sun, the symbol of the God. They usually occur during changes in seasons and things like that. These are celebrated according to tradition, preference, and what the celebration commemerates according to Pagan teachings. For example, Pagans celebrate the changing of the seasons, and harvest times. These rituals are all different. Check them out on the sabbats page.

Pagans can also perform spontaneous rituals, which can include prayer, spells outside of ritual, etc. As its name implies, it's spontaneous! Pagan prayer can be anything from an elaborate ritual to sitting before the altar, lighting a candle, and talking to the deities.

With many rituals, a magick circle is cast to protect the person from negative influences (not demons) that might interfere with their magickal work. Go to the page dealing with magick cirlces for more information on the subject.

If you've ever accidentally stumbled upon your child's altar, you might have seen some things that look strange to you. To get a general idea of what they are, go to the tools page.

Another important thing: some Pagans choose to wear an emblem called a pentacle. Simply, it's a pentagram (star) with a circle around it. Since the meaning is sort of complicated, check out the page on the meaning of the pentagram. Basically, it represents the five elements in unity with the self and everything else.

Alrighty, so that's the basics, really. Anything specific differs according to tradition. Now, here's a list regarding what Paganism is not:

• Satan is not a central figure, a major figure, a minor figure, ANY figure. The popular concept of Satan was created by the Christians and therefore Pagans do not believe in his existance. Simple. It cannot be stressed enough. Pagans could say Satan is non-existent in the Pagan religion until they're blue in the face, and some people will still not believe them. Believe it. Pagans always believe that they are responsible for their own actions, and when they do wrong, it is not due to the influence of an evil entity.
• Pagans don't summon demons or other evil entities. That's scary, dangerous, weird, and unnecessary.
• Pagans do not fly on brooms. They do, however, fly in airplanes. Sometimes, pagans perform out-of-body experiences, which people in the olden days equated to flying. That's probably where the misconception started.
• The only way Pagans can change our hair color at will (you'll be familiar with this reference if you've seen the movie The Craft) is by using Clairol.
• Pagans do not eat babies, nor do they sacrifice animals. True Pagans detest killing anything. A lot of them are vegetarians or vegans. Paganism is a religion which reveres life, and taking life is not part of that reverence. If a ritual does call for blood, it's usually something related to the Pagan dedicating him/herself in some way to the religion. Even then, it's only a drop or two.
• Holy days do not involve devils, demons, evil spirits, heavy drinking, drug taking, black magick, orgies, nakedness, or anything of the sort. Pagans do have a moral system. Pagan holidays are often not elaborate at all, and may include having a feast with other Pagans to celebrate the day.
• Pagans do not condone the abuse of alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. Misusing these harmful substances hurts the body and mind, and makes it almost impossible to perform magick or be a good Pagan in general. Everything in moderation (except for the cigarettes and drugs, or course!).
• The term "Warlock" is an insult to a male Witch. It means "liar" or "oath breaker". They are called Witches too. You can call them Male Witches if you want to avoid confusion.
• Witches are not green, ugly, do not wear all black or pointy hats, and they don't make potions out of the extremities of hapless forest creatures. Enough said. These are "Hollywood Witches" and shouldn't be taken seriously. In fact, you could be looking right at a Witch and never know it. They're regular people.
• Pagan magick does not include turning people into toads, shooting fireballs at people, making anyone you want fall in love with you, or reading people's minds. That's just not very nice. Most Pagans actually will not perform rituals for other people without their permission. Anything that takes away another person's free will is a BIG no-no.
• Paganism is not a cult. The thing in Waco was a cult. Anything evil, manipulative, or just plain screwy can be considered a cult. Pagans are basically normal people. The vast majority of pagans will not go around trying to convert people and tell them that their religion is wrong and things like that. They know that people have their own free wills and are entitled to use them.
• Paganism is not a way for your children to get back at you for not taking them to see Barney when they were three. People grow, evolve, and change: religion is one of those changes. If you have been a devout Christian/Catholic/Protestant/Jew/Muslim/Hindu/Buddhist/Zoroastrian/Taoist/Whatever all your life and all of a sudden, your child directs you to this page, relax and take a deep breath. Your child is not trying to make you feel bad or rebel, he/she just wants to expand his/her horizons and find out what else there is in the world. The more you keep your child away from Paganism, the more he or she will want to explore it. It's basic psychology. Understanding is the best thing to have right now.
• Just as there are evil people in all other religions, so there are evil pagans. It can't be helped, because pagans are human, and some humans are mentally deranged. They don't, however, represent the group as a whole. Remember that.

Feel free to look through the rest of this site if you want. Happy learning!

Some Helpful Links

Link	Information
Background on Sabbats	Gives a brief background on the beliefs and activites for each sabbat, as well as a link to a ritual for each.
Definitions	Gives definitions for common words seen in Pagan and other magickal religions, along with some word histories.
Magick Circles	Explains the uses and casting of magick circles.
Meaning of the Pentagram	Explains the meaning of the pentagram and pentacle. as well as its history.
Tools	Explains the uses for tools used by Pagans, Witches, and Wiccans.

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