There is a lot of confusion regarding Pagan beliefs nowadays.
Many groups offer their versions, interpretations, and agendas.
My agenda is simple – to stick to the organic & natural heathen 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 I am after different things. Those related to 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 is off the table.
“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 also a good definition because it emphasizes the blood. 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 matter as actors, they 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.
Although the elites have adopted Christianity some 900-700 years ago, that was done only for political reasons and was superficial and limited to official procedures.
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 spirits, 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.
Recommended reading?
Too much Pagan “theology” is focused on meaningless questions that ultimately won’t matter and wandering between them won’t serve you well.
Classical Greece had the same issue when useless and even harmful philosophies emerged with pointless questions like “are the Gods good”, “who created the first Gods” while at the same time the heroic Homeric mindset faded away.
A lot of these philosophies were mind viruses purposely planted by external enemies. Christianity is the ultimate expression of pointless philosophizing over a collection of controversies and absurdities that were lumped together to keep people scared, doubtful hopeful and their minds too cluttered to win.
Paganism fixes that.
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 bodily 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 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 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 free will is the divine spark that drives you forward and connects you to the Gods and their inexhaustible energies. Will changes circumstances; the Gods favor the bold, the active, the happy.
- 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 faith is not a universalist religion, rather, it is a set of local traditions unified by the same worldview framework.
Style matters
Aesthetics are your friend, but not the end goal.
Local styles (architecture, ornaments, rituals) are the gateways to the pure Pagan mindset, but there are too many people stopping at the superficial level.
Still better than nothing, but be wary of those that push the toxic monotheistic ideas disguised with Pagan styles.
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 catering to the weak and the traumatized, 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.
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