1. What is Paganism?

Paganism is one of the oldest systems of religion known to humanity. Its origins lie in European pre-history, and its traditions are premised on a view that Nature is sacred, an attitude which was widely represented in the deification of the Earth as the Great Mother Goddess. The term "pagan" comes from the Latin pagani, meaning "people of the fields" or "people of the land", since the ancient traditions of Goddess-worship and Nature spirituality were held longest by the rural populations of Europe.

2.What are the basic principles of Paganism?

There are three fundamental principles: a) animism--the belief that everything is imbued with life and consciousness; b) polytheism--the belief that divinity manifests in a multiplicity of ways; and c) pantheism--the belief that divinity resides in everything that exists. Some extensions of these principles include a theology that posits both female deities (the Earth Mother) as well as male (the Stag God, or God of the Hunt); a belief in the sacredness of Nature; a perception of divinity as both immanent and transcendent; the celebration of diversity; and an attitude of deep respect toward all that exists.

3. What is Witchcraft?

Witchcraft is the revival of an ancient form of spirituality that existed in Western Europe in pre-Christian times. The original Witches were healers, midwives, seers, herbalists and sorcerers who lived among European tribal societies. In short, Witches performed the role of tribal shamans among the Pagan cultures of Europe.

4. How did Witchcraft get such a bad name?

The negative associations regarding Witches are the result of widespread religious prejudice which evolved during the early years of the Christian era. Christian missionaries attempting to convert the Pagan peoples of Northern Europe found themselves at odds with Witches and other types of Pagan priests and shamans. As the Church gained a great deal of power over the course of time, it sought to eradicate the influence of the Witches by portraying them in an unfavorable light, and, later, by outright persecution, torture, and murder of people accused of being Witches. In a predominantly Christian culture, many of the negative stereotypes have remained.

5. Do Pagans and Witches worship the Devil?

Not at all. The generally accepted notion of the Devil is really part of Christian New Testament theology. Witchcraft and Paganism are spiritual practices much older than Christianity and have a totally different theology which does not even acknowledge the existence of the Christian Devil. During the persecutions of Witches during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Christian churches began to use the image of the Stag God to represent the Devil, in an effort to denigrate the Pagan and Witch practices that they were attempting to eradicate. Satanism, or devil worship, is a Christian heresy dating to the time of the Renaissance, and has nothing to do with Witchcraft or Paganism. Witches and Pagans worship neither the Christian God nor the Christian Devil.

6.Is there a connection between Paganism and

Native American religions? In many ways Witchcraft and Paganism are the European equivalents to Native American spirituality. Pagan practices and beliefs are extremely close to most of those found among the religions of the indigenous peoples of this land. The main difference is cultural, since Paganism has a specifically European background. In the same vein, the practices and traditions of Witches are very similar to those of "medicine people" among American Indian societies.

7. Is Paganism a cult?

No. Pagans don't follow a particular charismatic leader, or hold a uniform set of beliefs, or engage in proselytism. Most Pagans work in small, intimate groups which are autonomous and generally egalitarian.

8. Why is Paganism on the rise today?

Paganism can be appealing to people who are dissatisfied with mainstream religion, especially those people who feel a sense of connection with Nature. The deep respect that Pagans hold for the sacredness of the Earth has made it attractive to many who are concerned about the environmental crisis. Paganism can be particularly appealing for women, due to its strong tradition of egalitarianism and its acceptance of a female divinity.

9. What is a coven?

A coven is a group of Witches who practice together. Most covens are small, intimate groups of about a dozen members or so. Covens that have worked together for a long time tend to develop very strong bonds that can be "closer than family".

10. What are Pagan ceremonies like?

Most Pagan rituals take place in a circle, symbolic of the Earth and of the cycles of the seasons. They include elements of poetry, chanting, drumming, dancing and meditation on ancient symbols which are emblematic of the sacredness of Nature. Pagan ceremonies are usually held out-of-doors.

11. Is Halloween a special time for Witches and Pagans?

Yes. What most people call Halloween is, for us, Samhain (pronounced "sow-ain"), the ancient Celtic festival of mid-autumn which celebrates the symbolic "death" of Nature following the harvest, as represented by the withering grass, falling leaves, and growing darkness and cold. Equally important is Beltane, on the first of May, representing the rebirth of Nature in spring. Pagans and Witches celebrate six other major festivals in addition to Beltane and Samhain: The Vernal and Autumnal Equinoxes, the Summer and Winter Solstices and the feasts of Lugnasad on August 1 and Imbolg on Feb. 1.

12. Are all Witches women?

No. The word Witch derives from the Anglo-Saxon wicce, meaning a female Witch, and wicca, a male Witch. Witchcraft, therefore, has always included both genders. In contemporary Witchcraft, women appear to predominate at a ratio of approximately 60% women to 40% men.

13.What is a warlock?

The term warlock is derived from the Anglo-Saxon waerloga, meaning an "oath-breaker" or "traitor". The Scottish Kirk dubbed male Witches warlocks, since it considered them to be traitors to their sex. Conversely, it was a term applied by Witches to those who betrayed them to the Inquisition, be they male or female. No self-respecting male Witch would call himself a warlock.

14.Do Witches believe in magic?

Very much so. What Witches call magic is the harnessing of little-known natural forces (i.e., psychic energy) to make things happen. Witches undergo a process of training lasting many years during which they develop skill in working with psychic forces.

15. Do Witches have special psychic powers?

While everyone has "psychic powers", Witches tend to have these abilities more sharply honed than most people, in the same way that a singer's voice is trained in a way that the average person's voice is not. Most people have psychic experiences randomly and haphazardly. Witches, as a result of their training, tend to have psychic experiences on a fairly regular basis.

16. Do Pagans and Witches wear strange clothing?

Most Witches and Pagans, in their everyday life, wear regular clothes like most everyone else. In their ceremonies, they may wear special ritual garments such as robes and cloaks, or even animal skins and hides. Some branches of Witchcraft practice their rituals skyclad (in the nude).

17. Do Pagans have a common "bible"?

No. Most Pagan groups have books of rituals that they use, but these books vary widely from one group to another.

19. Do Pagans have ceremonies such as baptisms and marriages?

Yes. A Pagan baptism is called a saining, and involves a ritual blessing during which the child's name is spoken for the first time. It is held outdoors and usually takes place soon after the birth, sometimes just a few hours later. In this ritual it is customary for the child's placenta to be buried under the roots of a newly-planted tree or for the umbilical cord to be tied to one of the branches. A Pagan wedding is called a handfasting due to the fact that the couple bind their hands together with a braided cord to symbolize their union, hence the term "to tie the knot".

19. How many Pagans and Witches are there today? No one really knows, due to the fact that most of us are underground in an effort to avoid the persecution that still exists. The current estimate in this country is between 100,000 and 200,000 Witches and Pagans.

20. Can someone who is a Christian also be a Pagan? In theory it is certainly possible, and there are even Christian priests, nuns and ministers who consider themselves Pagan. In practice it is not so easy, since Paganism and Christianity have considerably different and even conflicting beliefs and practices.

21. What kind of people become Pagan? Contemporary Paganism includes such a diverse array of people that it is very difficult to answer this question. Two surveys taken over the past decade indicate that most modern Pagans are college educated and work in professional capacities, and consider themselves to be Nature-oriented, intellectually curious, and highly individualistic.

22. If Witches are not evil, why do they call themselves by a name that has so many negative associations?

For us, the term "Witch" best defines who we are and what we do. It is the name we have inherited from those who taught us and passed the traditions on to us. The negative associations of the term "Witch" evolved out of misguided fear, prejudice and hatred many hundreds of years ago. We would rather work to eradicate these prejudices and restore a positive image of Witchcraft than to give up on this name altogether.