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Paganism
Paganism is not a religion, nor a philosophy; it is something else entirely, something more, more important, more integral to humanity than any mere belief system could ever be. And it’s all in the name.
A Pagan is “Of the Heath,” “A Dweller in the Open Fields.” In short, a country person, specifically someone connected to the land and the people who live on it. The bones and blood that fill the soil, the trees planted by their ancestors centuries before. They know the path of the stream, the nature of the trees, the shape of the mountains, the stories of the stones and the valleys. The reason Pagan has become synonymous with the Old Ways, Paganism, or “Ethnic Faith” is because the countryside is where the beliefs, stories, customs, history, and wisdom of the people are best protected. Here, the beliefs of the Church Religion waver and disappear almost as quickly as they arise.
Instead, there are songs sung in the bar, children’s names given to the cheering crowds, readings of the sun and wind to find the storms that might come to take the wheat or sink the fishing fleets. Pagans are like this because they know their land, they know their community; their history, their nature, and how it all interacts. When Pagans pass from this world, they take solace in having lived a life with those they loved most, while their flesh is reunited with their ancestors in the soil and the sea, one once more with the land and the people they cherished so much while they were alive. Whether they believe they are walking toward the embrace of their ancestors or toward oblivion, they find comfort in knowing that they truly lived. This is why Paganism is not a religion, it is much more than that. To be without this most fundamental need of humanity is to continually feel as if something is missing. The embrace of loved ones and the sacred land. This is why, as long as we breathe who we are, our old ways will never die.
Ásaheill ᚨᛚᚢ 🙌🏻
Paganism is not a religion, nor a philosophy; it is something else entirely, something more, more important, more integral to humanity than any mere belief system could ever be. And it’s all in the name.
A Pagan is “Of the Heath,” “A Dweller in the Open Fields.” In short, a country person, specifically someone connected to the land and the people who live on it. The bones and blood that fill the soil, the trees planted by their ancestors centuries before. They know the path of the stream, the nature of the trees, the shape of the mountains, the stories of the stones and the valleys. The reason Pagan has become synonymous with the Old Ways, Paganism, or “Ethnic Faith” is because the countryside is where the beliefs, stories, customs, history, and wisdom of the people are best protected. Here, the beliefs of the Church Religion waver and disappear almost as quickly as they arise.
Instead, there are songs sung in the bar, children’s names given to the cheering crowds, readings of the sun and wind to find the storms that might come to take the wheat or sink the fishing fleets. Pagans are like this because they know their land, they know their community; their history, their nature, and how it all interacts. When Pagans pass from this world, they take solace in having lived a life with those they loved most, while their flesh is reunited with their ancestors in the soil and the sea, one once more with the land and the people they cherished so much while they were alive. Whether they believe they are walking toward the embrace of their ancestors or toward oblivion, they find comfort in knowing that they truly lived. This is why Paganism is not a religion, it is much more than that. To be without this most fundamental need of humanity is to continually feel as if something is missing. The embrace of loved ones and the sacred land. This is why, as long as we breathe who we are, our old ways will never die.
Ásaheill ᚨᛚᚢ 🙌🏻
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