Paganism

Joyce and River have taught Paganism classes throughout the past decade. They have planned and organized local and national Pagan gatherings, written articles for Pagan publications, appeared on radio and television broadcasts, spoken at Christian and Unitarian churches, and attended interfaith councils. They also helped found the Council for Alternative Spiritual Traditions, which hosts public Pagan and alternative events in the Midwest.Joyce and River have taught Paganism classes throughout the past decade. They have planned and organized local and national Pagan gatherings, written articles for Pagan publications, appeared on radio and television broadcasts, spoken at Christian and Unitarian churches, and attended interfaith councils. They also helped found the Council for Alternative Spiritual Traditions, which hosts public Pagan and alternative events in the Midwest.~

• ContentsAcknowledgments / xiIntroduction / xiii1 What is Paganism? 1General Characteristics of Paganism / 3What Does "Pagan" Mean? / 6Who Is a Pagan? / 7How Many Pagans Are There? / 12Where Pagans Come From and What They're Like / 13What Pagans Do and When They Do It / 15An Earth-Centered Religion / 16The Wheel of the Year / 16Rites of Passage / 25What Is a Ritual? / 30What Happens in a Ritual? / 30Ritual Tools and Symbols / 33Is Ritual All Pagans Do? / 38What Do Pagans Believe? / 38Principles of Paganism / 392 You Are What You Believe 45How Do Beliefs Work? / 46What Is a Belief System? / 54Claiming the Power to Choose Your Beliefs / 58Search: Paganism's Spiritual Foundation / 663 A Pagan View of deity 75Concepts of Deity / 78What Do Pagans Believe About Deity? / 79The God Map / 80A God Map Story / 924 What About Satan? 101How Do Pagans View Satan? / 102Pagans, Witches, and Bad Reputations / 103Why Witch-hunts? / 106What Happened to the Accused? / 108A Look at the Biblical Witch Bias / 108A Fabricated Image / 109The Social Roles of Satan / 111The Mythological Roles of Satan / 113Who Is a Satanist? / 120Can a Satanist Be a Pagan? / 1215 The Living Universe 131The Current Western Mindset / 132Unbroken Wholeness: Science and a Magickal Universe / 135The Ground of Being: Mysticism and a Magickal Universe / 145The Universe as a Cosmic TV / 155Personal Experience and a Magickal Universe / 1616 Magick 163The Mechanics of Magick / 165The Iceberg / 172The Applications of Magick / 179The Limitations of Magick / 184Your Magickal Pager / 1877 Ethics and Personal Responsibility 197Who Are You? / 197The Multidimensional Self / 199The Afterlife / 201Ethics: What Are They? / 206The Western Religious Ethic / 207Ethics: The Pagan Approach / 210Pagan Ethical Systems / 214Notes / 225Glossary / 231Bibliography / 235Recommended Reading / 239Index / 245