Basic Beliefs of Pagans and Wiccans
by snlash on 2007-09-23
Believe it or not, it is exceptionally difficult to write a page on "basic beliefs" for pagans. The main reason is because there are such a wide variety of individual beliefs in paganism, and so many different paths, that it is difficult to write a page on specific beliefs. However there are a few certain universal pagan beliefs that I will attempt to cover on this page.
As far as diety is concerned, most pagans believe in A Goddess, and a God. Instead of the Christian belief where there is only ONE supreme being and that he is male, pagans choose to believe that everything in nature has a duality...a male and female side, and therefore so should Spirit. Although believing in both a Goddess and God are central to pagan beliefs, it should be noted that there are feminist pagan groups who only believe in a Goddess, and other groups that believe that there are many Gods and many Goddesses (representing different aspects of nature).
Another belief that is universal to paganism is called "The Wiccan Rede", and it goes like this:
"Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
An' it harm none,
Do what ye will.
Blessed Be to thee ."
That is actually the shortened version, however you can look up the full version on nearly any search engine. Since pagans do not have a long list of rules to live by like many other mainstream religions, this one rede is universally accepted by pagans as a "moral code". In essence, it means "As long as you harm NO ONE (including yourself, other people, animals, plants, or anything living), then you may do what you like." Pagans take this creed to heart. For instance, most pagans will not do love spells, because it intereferes with free will, which harms someone.
Another part of the full version of the Wiccan Rede talks about the threefold law. This is another belief that is almost universally recognized by pagans. The threefold law states that whatever your actions are, they will come back to you threefold. In otherwords, if you do a bad deed, it will be visited back upon you three times (or three times as bad!). If you do a good deed, it will likewise be returned to you threefold.
Those are the main universal beliefs of paganism. Individual pagans may include additional beliefs and ways to worship, but these 3 main points are the essence of paganism. All pagans also hold a universal high respect for nature, and everything in it. We believe that the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, are very powerful, and are to be respected and honored.
As stated before, individual pagans may have beliefs specific to them, such as: belief in fairies, doing rituals only in skyclad (naked!), focus on herbal magick, and many others.
As far as diety is concerned, most pagans believe in A Goddess, and a God. Instead of the Christian belief where there is only ONE supreme being and that he is male, pagans choose to believe that everything in nature has a duality...a male and female side, and therefore so should Spirit. Although believing in both a Goddess and God are central to pagan beliefs, it should be noted that there are feminist pagan groups who only believe in a Goddess, and other groups that believe that there are many Gods and many Goddesses (representing different aspects of nature).
Another belief that is universal to paganism is called "The Wiccan Rede", and it goes like this:
"Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
An' it harm none,
Do what ye will.
Blessed Be to thee ."
That is actually the shortened version, however you can look up the full version on nearly any search engine. Since pagans do not have a long list of rules to live by like many other mainstream religions, this one rede is universally accepted by pagans as a "moral code". In essence, it means "As long as you harm NO ONE (including yourself, other people, animals, plants, or anything living), then you may do what you like." Pagans take this creed to heart. For instance, most pagans will not do love spells, because it intereferes with free will, which harms someone.
Another part of the full version of the Wiccan Rede talks about the threefold law. This is another belief that is almost universally recognized by pagans. The threefold law states that whatever your actions are, they will come back to you threefold. In otherwords, if you do a bad deed, it will be visited back upon you three times (or three times as bad!). If you do a good deed, it will likewise be returned to you threefold.
Those are the main universal beliefs of paganism. Individual pagans may include additional beliefs and ways to worship, but these 3 main points are the essence of paganism. All pagans also hold a universal high respect for nature, and everything in it. We believe that the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, are very powerful, and are to be respected and honored.
As stated before, individual pagans may have beliefs specific to them, such as: belief in fairies, doing rituals only in skyclad (naked!), focus on herbal magick, and many others.
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