What is a Pagan?  

So, what is a Pagan? I’m assuming that since you’re here, you are trying to find out what a Pagan is. I’m not going to go fully in-depth into everything a Pagan is. Still, I am going to give an overview of Paganism. I’ll also discuss some of the reasons and practices of a Pagan. By definition, a Pagan is a person that holds a religious belief other than those of the main world’s religions. For example, someone that practices something other than Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism. Which to me personally is only partly true. My favorite part about being Pagan is that it can be a melting pot of all different religious practices. Actually, the term Pagan has been used since the 4^th century. Early Christians used it to label the Roman people who practiced polytheism. This means the belief in more than one god. They used the term as a derogatory name. They attempted to convert the Romans into pursuing Christianity. If we’re being honest, this hasn’t really changed with some Christians. What’s entertaining about the situation is that Paganism wasn’t technically a religion at the time. Yet, those early Christians labeling the Romans led to the birth of the Paganism we know today. It now covers a multitude of different paths, some of which will be covered in later posts.  

Before we go into this next part, I want to make it very clear. Nothing I am about to say will fit every person’s faith. It should never be considered mandatory for anyone that is Pagan to have to do any of these things. One of the best parts about this way of life is that there are no rules. You get to decide how and why you live your faith. With that said, let’s talk about what Pagans do.  

Many people who practice Paganism follow a nature-based faith. They worship the Earth, Moon, and Sun. Some Pagans will follow a polytheistic path. They follow and worship more than one deity. Others won’t follow a deity at all. Instead, they focus on personal divinity and take full responsibility for their own destinies. Several aspects of magic and Paganism can follow the moon phases, but again, it doesn’t have to. Just like several types of Pagans follow the 8 holidays or sabbats. (Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon, and Samhain. Dedicated posts will be coming…) I would say that most practitioners have some form of rituals they carry out, whether it’s actual high-power magic or not. Simply waking up and projecting a good blessing for the day is considered a ritual. Which is considered a form of magic, but again, doesn’t have to be. Have you caught on to how this is working yet? Lol Everything with this faith is strictly based on how you feel and how you want it to work.  

Personally, I haven’t quite figured out what specific path I follow. When I first started, I was fully committed to being a Wiccan. I loved the aspect of doing rituals and magic. At that point, I was fully convinced that I never wanted to do darker magic. It was all love and light. Now… not so much. Lol. I guess with age I realized that sometimes, darker magic is justified. That being said, you need to know what you are doing. While actual magic doesn’t work quite like it does in the movies, you can still do some damage unintentionally. That’s not to say you should run the other way when it comes to magic or rituals. If you take the time to learn, magic and rituals can be a wonderful resource. Make sure that you are doing it properly.  

So, after all that, why would anyone want to be a pagan? Well, there are several reasons. The person is raised in the faith. They are seeking a more hands-on belief. Alternatively, they simply want to feel like they have more “power” in their lives. No matter the reason behind the decision to be Pagan, it could relate to anything under the umbrella of Paganism. Their decision is valid and should be respected, regardless of what your personal beliefs are.