There is a lot of confusion regarding Pagan beliefs nowadays.

Many groups offer their versions, interpretations, and agendas. I have an agenda too, and my agenda is simple – to stick to the organic & natural Pagan worldview that’s stripped of all the toxicity of abrahamism and serves us Europeans as a species well.

I’ve ran some “pagan”- and “parenting”-related searches on Google and most of the stuff that comes up is cringey wiccan “buy them a wand and let them pick a color”-type of content.

Wicca is a subculture made up in the 20th century with no real intent of improving the modern world or human condition spoiled by yahwism. It’s extremely consumerist and focuses on the superficial (and even degenerate) things – somewhat of a Harry Potter fan club with people running around shopping for wands and altars.

If you found my blog expecting something similar – welcome, but it is different. What I publish here is based on the actual living traditions native to our blood. Natural, uninterrupted, healthy, constructive, and aimed at making us better people and better societies.

Nomina sunt odiosa

In general, there’s a bit of a problem with names for Paganism.

The term “Pagan” means “rural” as opposed to “urban” and was coined in the failing Roman Empire plagued by christianity. Same way, “heathen” was used to describe anyone not following the abrahamic god (though it may have older roots in heide which means bagpipe, a ritual pagan instrument).

Neo-Paganism is sort of a demeaning term that implies that the tradition has been interrupted, but it has not, so that does not fit.

“Polytheism” is a good term, because the multitude of Gods is obvious and non-negotiable, but this term does not stress the native European aspect of our system. European Polytheism is a good option, though a bit lengthy.

Native faith is a good definition as well because it emphasizes that our beliefs have been there for hundreds of thousands of years, starting from our Neanderthal ancestors.

Animism is also the correct direction to understand Paganism because places and objects also store energy and intentions, they can give or take from us, and they can help and hinder our growth.

Considering all that, I still stick to the placeholder term “Pagan”, but witches and pentagrams have very little to do with it.

The origins of my worldview

I was born and raised in Eastern Europe where Baltic and Slavic native faiths have merged into a native belief system. Our pagan tradition is actually uninterrupted, with christianity simply parasitising on our old Gods, holy places, and pagan morality.

Although the elites have adopted christianity some 900-700 years ago, that was done only for political reasons.

Christianity is a system created to facilitate corruption and double standards to rule and command large societies more easily, which is why it only spread through the already corrupt elites.

However, the way of life of most common people in Eastern Europe has not changed much since Pagan times. Both orthodox and catholic faiths are 90% Paganism, all high festivals are Pagan, the imagery and archetypes of christian saints match our old Gods and druids, and there were even no printed bibles in my region until the 19th century.

As I dwelled deeper into paganism I studied Norse and Hellenic traditions. Thanks to how well-documented they are, from Norse sagas to works like the Odyssey and the Iliad, the two mythologies are a great axis for understanding what European Paganism actually is, and adopting the right mindset.

Homeric Europe mindset plus native local styles & customs could be the best representation of what Paganism is about.

Credo

You and I share roughly the same faith if you agree with the following:

• The gods are above, within, and below us. The Gods are as different as seasons, elements, and the substances the world is made of. They correspond to all parts of our being from our cell structure and the hormones that govern our functions to every other aspect of our lives. Every part of our existence can and should be viewed as divinely sourced. We manifest gods, we address them, and we praise them both in us and outside of us. The Gods are both literal and figurative, and there’s no contradiction there.
• We are our ancestors, we get reborn into ourselves and our blood stores the treasures that thousands and thousands of generations of winners have accumulated.
• Honor matters, it’s the fuel for your growth. Heroism is the ultimate expression of honor.
• Your will is the divine spark that drives you forward and connects you to the Gods and their inexhaustible energies. The will changes the circumstances.
• This world is both paradise and hell depending on how you live your lives. There is no escaping the mess you’ve done. Time is circular. Screw up your kids and you get reborn into a shittier bloodline. Pollute and deplete your land and live in a dumpster as your grandkids.

With this framework, you will see how similar all European Pagan traditions are.

However, there’s little point in trying to match and equate gods from different traditions literally.

There are regional differences, and that’s OK. Sometimes the Sun is male, sometimes female. Nearby villages may be celebrating high festivals with a couple of weeks’ gap. Some areas worship pine trees as male patrons, others have “female” pines. There is no need to unify local traditions because they don’t differ in essence.

Native European Paganism is not a universalist religion, rather, it is a set of local traditions unified by the same worldview framework.

What about the kids

Nothing about Paganism should is confusing or overwhelming.

With the framework I gave above, navigating the world of different belief systems becomes easy. You and your kids can instantly see who is on the same page as you are, and what beliefs will serve you well.

Conan the Barbarian, surprisingly, offers the cleanest way to approach religions. There is Subotai who believes in the Four Winds, there is the witch who relies on magic, there is the shaman who is in touch with the spirits, there is Thulsa Doom’s snake cult, and there is Conan who… well, he acts like Crom rather than believes in him.

In fact, most of the Pagan wisdom lies in doing, not believing. We know what the world is, and we act as Gods expect of us.

By doing things we get to exercise and manifest what we believe in.