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It is a time for reflection, a time for us to open up to our inner self and to honor the teachings and traditions of our ancestors. In ancient Celtic belief we had two distinct seasons, one of light and one of dark. Four holy days broke up the year with the onsets of Summer and Winter, further with Midsummer and Midwinter festivals. As we enter into the dark season we are reminded by the turning leaves and the dying sun of our own intrinsic mortality. It is part of our nature to recognize these signs of decay and hibernation as parallels to our own existence. We are born in the spring of life, we grow, thrive, and multiply, and then we age and slow down, finally to die and be reclaimed by the earth for our energy to be recycled, where we will begin the cycle anew.
Many people will celebrate the holidays this winter with little to no knowledge of the historical reason for these celebrations. Western culture today has a plethora of gluttonous feasts during the winter. First, they gorge themselves with sweets on Halloween, then stuff themselves with turkey on Thanksgiving, followed by that masterpiece of materialistic gluttony that is Christmas, a week later they inebriate themselves thoroughly for New Years Eve, and many do not realize that each of these days were instituted for the celebration of community, ancestry, and tradition, not for the voracious over-indulgence that they have become. They all have historical and spiritual significance that has been summarily disintegrated from our collective consciousness. As enlightened Beings we seek to reclaim these histories by learning all we can about our true cultural origins. Let us begin with a brief history of the first day of Winter, Samhain.
Samhain is believed by many scholars to symbolize the Celtic New Year, which offers us a unique perspective about our "beginnings." The ancient Celts started each day with the sunset of the night before. Their day started with the dying of the sun, just as their year began with shorter days and falling leaves. The allegory of death being a beginning is apparent in this cultural practice.
The western Christian calendar moved its "All Saint's Day" to November first when Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St Peter's Basilica to all the Catholic Saints in the late sixth century. His action fixed the date for this Christian holiday for all dioceses under his purview, and by extension usurped the Pagan holiday as part of his burgeoning edicts regarding the Christianization of all Pagan deities, celebrations, and customs. It was at this time that Samhain became the “evening” of “All Hallows” (“hallowed” meaning “saint”) and this was eventually shortened into “Hallow-e’en” or the modern “Halloween.” All Saints Day was meant to replace Samhain completely, but the Celtic people were not so easy to reform as the missionaries would have liked, and the Druid priests went into hiding to continue their traditions even as the outside Christian world branded them"witches." Druids are to thank for many aspects of this celebration surviving somewhat intact throughout the centuries.
The Christian Church adopted Pagan holidays into their calendar mainly because they could not get the Pagans to stop celebrating them. The old adage "if you can't beat em, join 'em," is somewhat bastardized by their manner of incorporating Pagan beliefs into Christianity with "if you can't beat em, convert 'em." The subterfuge of co-opting the sacred Pagan days into their own calendar and calling them by a different name allowed them to convert millions over the course of history. Regardless of Christian influence, however, the beginning of November in the Northern Hemisphere has always been and forever will be the time of final harvest, butchering livestock, and preparation for the cold months ahead. Celebrating the turn of the seasons is part of our shared cultural heritage around the world. It is part of human history going back to the time before time.
Samhain is the official beginning of Winter for Pagans, the Dark Half of the Year, whereas Beltane is the beginning of the Light Half of the Year. On the day before Samhain, at sunset, we say goodbye to summer, goodbye to the Old Year, and the day after Samhain we embrace the first day of winter, the New Year. Because it is a day "between” the old and new years, Samhain is considered to be a most magical time, when the dead walk amongst us and the veil between our world and the ethereal world becomes thin and permeable. It is that aspect that we celebrate on this special day, when we can interact with our honored dead, who came before us, who gave us life and knowledge, and entrusted us with their memory and progeny.
This festival was originally celebrated over three days, from October 31st to November 2nd. Ancient Celtic society was extremely structured and demanding. Their feasts were such that every person involved could be released of obligations and boundaries, allowing that orderly society to become a bit chaotic for the sake of remaining peaceful during the rest of the year. Ancient Celtic wisdom allowed that without a little chaos, we would go mad with boredom. Because the ordinary laws of the land were abolished during the three day feast, people did all manner of silly things. Men and women dressed up in each others clothes, front gates were torn down, and children went knocking on neighbor's doors to beg for treats, just as they still do today.
Spiritual practices during these three days were centered around making contact with the spirits of the dead, who were looked upon as sources of truth and enlightenment, rather than feared as harbingers of doom. Facing and even rejoicing in our mortality is something that has been lost over the centuries, and is a healthy method of interacting with your fellow man and your forgotten lineage. When you prepare for Samhain this year, remember that the spirits being celebrated on this day were not scary creatures who prey upon the fears of the living. Ancestors were honored as the basis for our collected knowledge; as living spirits in the faces of our loved ones who would not be alive today had it not been for those who came before them.
Briefly I would like to touch on that purely American feast of Thanksgiving, which comes next on our Gregorian calendar. (Different Pope Gregory, this one is Gregory the XIII, who reformed the Julian calendar in 1582.) The modern tradition of Thanksgiving is well-intentioned and meaningful to most American families. It seems almost unfair to remind people of its foul beginnings. The Great Sachem of the Wampanoags was Chief Massasoit, who started this illustrious tradition with honorable intentions. In the early part of the 17th century, plagues of European-borne diseases decimated the Native people, reducing their numbers by around 75%. When the pilgrims came in 1621, Massasoit saw an opportunity to reunite and strengthen his depleted peoples, and signed a treaty of mutual support and protection with the Pilgrims. His people taught the Pilgrims agricultural techniques to help them survive, without which they surely would have perished in the winter months. That fall, he brought a number of his people to Plymouth to enjoy a traditional harvest feast with their new friends. The Wampanoag provided deer, turkey, geese, and ducks, along with eel and shellfish, cornbread, vegetables, fruits, and maple sugar. The "First Thanksgiving" was a bountiful one, based in mutual benefit and harmony among two very different peoples.
It did not take long for Chief Massasoit to become disenchanted with the English. Over the next few years, he battled with the other tribes and with his own illness only to discover repeatedly that the alliance he had forged with the English was no benefit to his people. They hungered incessantly for land, and more and more Wampanoag land was forcibly taken from them. Each time there was an incursion by the colonists, the English courts pronounced the Natives trespassers on their own ancestral grounds and created laws to evict them. When Chief Massasoit died in 1661, his son Wamsutta became Chief, but only briefly. Colonial soldiers were ordered to bring Wamsutta at gunpoint to Plymouth where he immediately became ill and died. The Wampanoags were enraged at this, and Wamsutta's brother, Metacom, (who would later be called King Philip) then became leader. He would lead his people into war against the colonies in 1675 to attempt to preserve their way of life, which was being eradicated by the invaders. He led a brutal war for just about a year before his people were driven back by overwhelming forces, and he was killed at Mount Hope in 1676, effectively ending his campaign against the Colonists.
So in retrospect, although Thanksgiving was conceived within the bonds of friendship, hope, and mutual accord, the Native tradition was usurped by the Puritans, while they proceeded to stamp out of existence the Native beliefs, lands, and culture. It is a tradition that was begun with hope and ended with the massacre of an entire nation. Whole tribes are now extinct, the remaining tribal numbers are minuscule in comparison to before the white man invaded their shores. So celebrate Thanksgiving if you want, but do so with the understanding that it was brought to you by Native traditions, celebrating the harvest which they taught to the people of this country, and for which they died en masse.
There is much to be said about our next Pagan Holy Day, Yule, now known as Christmas. Norse "Jól" or Yule predates the Christian version of the holiday by thousands of years, and falls on the day of the Winter Solstice. Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night, which means that every day after it the Sun gets more time in the sky. For this reason, the celebration centers around the return of the Sun. The Midwinter feast of our Nordic ancestors typically lasted for twelve days, (the 12 days of Christmas,) but their manner of celebrating varied greatly from region to region. Across Northern Europe the Yuletide ceremonies honored the God Odin, "Master of Ecstasy" and Father to all the Gods. Many rites included the exuberant consumption of intoxicating brews, fierce and joyful singing and dancing, the cherished burning of the yule log, representing the importance of hearth and home, and the feasting of gathered families coupled with the exaltation of ancestors. Food and drink was left out on the tables specifically for the wandering spirits of those who were among the honored dead. (Sort of like leaving a cookie for Santa.)
Christianization of this holiday occurred around the mid-4th century A.D. when the rise of Christianity first took hold in Europe, thanks mostly to Emperor Constantine of Rome. There are many scholars who have studied the historical Jesus, who concur that His birth was most likely in the Spring, not the Winter. The date coincided with the Roman "Natalis Solis Invicti" ("Birth of the Unconquered Sun"), the birth of Mithra, and Saturnalia celebrations. This was also the date the Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice, or "Bruma." All of Europe's Pagan peoples celebrated the rebirth of the Sun during this time, so when Constantine proclaimed the new religion of the empire to be Christianity, he used the rituals already in practice in the inculcation of the Pagans in order to convert them. Constantine was a cruel, ruthless, cunning leader, and enacted many of the Christian edicts that wiped out the ancient Pagan beliefs and customs through the use of financial penalties, torture, and execution for non-obeyance. He also persecuted other Christians to wipe out competition to his imperialist governmental sect of Judaic Christianity. Over the coming centuries, Christmas was adopted throughout the Western world in place of Midwinter, or Yule celebrations. Curiously however, in America, it wasn't until 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday, because in the early days of this country, the Puritan colonists shunned the Pagan customs of gift-giving and the decorating of trees and considered those customs to be anti-Christian.
Virtually every single Christmas tradition is rooted in our Pagan past. Much of the decoration we put up is rooted in Viking custom. For instance, the Christmas ham comes from the sacrifice of a wild boar to the Viking God Frey, God of Fertility and Harvest, to ensure a good growing season. The wreaths we commonly hang up on our doors comes from the Viking Sun Wheel, which was a large four-spoked wheel set ablaze and rolled down a hill to entice the return of the Sun. The Yule Log, which nowadays is usually a fruitcake or nut roll, was originally a real oak log, decorated with holly, yew, and sprigs of fragrant firs, carved with sacred runes, and ceremonially burned during the celebration. A piece of the Yule Log was generally saved to light the next year's fire, kept as protection for the home. Mistletoe has its roots in Nordic and Celtic lore. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that holds its green color throughout the year, and therefore is thought to have magical properties. The Druids would cut mistletoe with a golden sickle from a sacred oak tree, catching it before it hit the ground. They gave it out to the people to hang over their doors for protection against evil. In Norse mythology, Frigg, goddess of marriage and wife to Odin, made all things in the world promise not to hurt her son Baldur. Mistletoe would not take the vow, and Loki tricked Baldur's blind brother Hod into thrusting a spear made of mistletoe straight through his heart. Baldur "the Invulnerable" was then killed, and Frigg's tears became the berries of the mistletoe. When Baldur was restored to life, Frigg proclaimed the plant to be the symbol of love. Which is why we kiss under the mistletoe for longevity in our unions.
Finally, Father Christmas or Old Man Winter, and the Christmas tree. Both of these traditions are steeped in Pagan symbolism. The modern Santa Claus riding his sleigh across the night sky driven by reindeer is commonly believed to have originated from the myths of the Norse God Thor, the son of Odin, who rode his chariot across the sky driven by two white goats, waging a war against the snow and ice. In pre-Christian times, the custom of an elder dressing as Old Man Winter, to be welcomed into the village homes and share in the celebration, was commonly practiced. He would dress in a thick fur cloak, would likely have a long beard, and travel by foot or by horse. Village folk welcomed him symbolically to welcome the Winter itself as part of the Solstice celebration. The gilding of an evergreen tree also predates Christianity by thousands of years. The Vikings, Romans, Druids, even the ancient Egyptians would fill their homes with plants that remained green in the winter to remind them of the Sun's eventual return. The Vikings believed the evergreens symbolized Frigg's indestructible son Baldur, the Romans used firs in their homes to remind themselves that the solstice meant the return of plush fields and green bounty, the Druids decorated their temples with evergreens as symbols of everlasting life. Even the ancient Egyptians used palm fronds to decorate during the winter which for them symbolized the triumph of life over death. The modern Christmas tree as we know it today was invented in Germany around the 16th century. Their Nordic blood remained strong even within the confines of Christian theology, and they began the practice of bringing fir trees into their homes to be decorated with shiny tinsel, (also invented in Germany, made of real silver,) baubles, candies, fruits, and of course lights, brought about by Protestant reformer Martin Luther, a German monk, who was said to have first put lighted candles in a tree to show his children what it was like to see the stars sparkling through them at night. From Germany, it filtered into English tradition, and eventually to America in the 1840's with Queen Victoria advertising her tree in the illustrated London Press, inspiring many English-besotted Americans to follow suit.
In the end, it all comes down to the old familiar practice of revering nature. The customs may now be Christianized, but their origins are firmly rooted in the turning of the seasons, the coming and going of the sun, and the planting and harvesting seasons. Since the advent of agricultural society, our lives have revolved around our sustenance, the food we grow and the animals we tend. Ancient religions have always watched the heavens to predict the seasons, and have always rejoiced at the return of the Sun. There is a pronounced resurgence in Pagan rites and rituals being observed during the winter holidays and throughout the year to honor our ancient beliefs, but if you choose to celebrate any of these holidays with your religious friends, you can be assured that you are all celebrating the same things, even perhaps for different reasons.
Finally, we come to our oldest human tradition, celebrating the New Year. The first recorded New Year's celebration was around the vernal equinox in ancient Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago. All over the world the New Year was and still is celebrated at different times. Some cultures, like the Phoenicians and the Egyptians, started their year at the autumnal equinox, some with the vernal equinox, like the Romans and the Persians. The Celts, as we know, welcomed the new year on November first at the end of summer. Modern Chinese New Year is the first day of the first lunar month. and is different every year, because of the lunar cycles, but falls between the end of January and mid-February. The Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah in September or October, honoring the 10 days they believe God opened the Book of Life. Many other cultures observe different days of the Gregorian calendar as New Years Day, for many different reasons. One thing is quite certain though about New Years. It is a celebration of life. A festival to honor our very existence. Each year that we remain alive to welcome another is a reason to celebrate. It is a visceral, carnal need in our human psyche to cling to life in all its beauty, splendor, and riches. For this reason, it is thought of by most cultures to be unabashedly Pagan. It is the one holiday on our list that has been celebrated in all the cultures of the world throughout all of human history in much the same way as it still is today. With comradery, fire and lights, abundant food and drink, singing, dancing, and staying up all night to welcome the dawn of a new day in a new year. So the only admonishment I have left to give you about this last gala of the year is that it is indeed a celebration of life, so don't do anything that would cost you yours for the sake of a good time.
Many people will celebrate the holidays this winter with little to no knowledge of the historical reason for these celebrations. Western culture today has a plethora of gluttonous feasts during the winter. First, they gorge themselves with sweets on Halloween, then stuff themselves with turkey on Thanksgiving, followed by that masterpiece of materialistic gluttony that is Christmas, a week later they inebriate themselves thoroughly for New Years Eve, and many do not realize that each of these days were instituted for the celebration of community, ancestry, and tradition, not for the voracious over-indulgence that they have become. They all have historical and spiritual significance that has been summarily disintegrated from our collective consciousness. As enlightened Beings we seek to reclaim these histories by learning all we can about our true cultural origins. Let us begin with a brief history of the first day of Winter, Samhain.
Samhain is believed by many scholars to symbolize the Celtic New Year, which offers us a unique perspective about our "beginnings." The ancient Celts started each day with the sunset of the night before. Their day started with the dying of the sun, just as their year began with shorter days and falling leaves. The allegory of death being a beginning is apparent in this cultural practice.
The western Christian calendar moved its "All Saint's Day" to November first when Pope Gregory III consecrated a chapel in St Peter's Basilica to all the Catholic Saints in the late sixth century. His action fixed the date for this Christian holiday for all dioceses under his purview, and by extension usurped the Pagan holiday as part of his burgeoning edicts regarding the Christianization of all Pagan deities, celebrations, and customs. It was at this time that Samhain became the “evening” of “All Hallows” (“hallowed” meaning “saint”) and this was eventually shortened into “Hallow-e’en” or the modern “Halloween.” All Saints Day was meant to replace Samhain completely, but the Celtic people were not so easy to reform as the missionaries would have liked, and the Druid priests went into hiding to continue their traditions even as the outside Christian world branded them"witches." Druids are to thank for many aspects of this celebration surviving somewhat intact throughout the centuries.
The Christian Church adopted Pagan holidays into their calendar mainly because they could not get the Pagans to stop celebrating them. The old adage "if you can't beat em, join 'em," is somewhat bastardized by their manner of incorporating Pagan beliefs into Christianity with "if you can't beat em, convert 'em." The subterfuge of co-opting the sacred Pagan days into their own calendar and calling them by a different name allowed them to convert millions over the course of history. Regardless of Christian influence, however, the beginning of November in the Northern Hemisphere has always been and forever will be the time of final harvest, butchering livestock, and preparation for the cold months ahead. Celebrating the turn of the seasons is part of our shared cultural heritage around the world. It is part of human history going back to the time before time.
Samhain is the official beginning of Winter for Pagans, the Dark Half of the Year, whereas Beltane is the beginning of the Light Half of the Year. On the day before Samhain, at sunset, we say goodbye to summer, goodbye to the Old Year, and the day after Samhain we embrace the first day of winter, the New Year. Because it is a day "between” the old and new years, Samhain is considered to be a most magical time, when the dead walk amongst us and the veil between our world and the ethereal world becomes thin and permeable. It is that aspect that we celebrate on this special day, when we can interact with our honored dead, who came before us, who gave us life and knowledge, and entrusted us with their memory and progeny.
This festival was originally celebrated over three days, from October 31st to November 2nd. Ancient Celtic society was extremely structured and demanding. Their feasts were such that every person involved could be released of obligations and boundaries, allowing that orderly society to become a bit chaotic for the sake of remaining peaceful during the rest of the year. Ancient Celtic wisdom allowed that without a little chaos, we would go mad with boredom. Because the ordinary laws of the land were abolished during the three day feast, people did all manner of silly things. Men and women dressed up in each others clothes, front gates were torn down, and children went knocking on neighbor's doors to beg for treats, just as they still do today.
Spiritual practices during these three days were centered around making contact with the spirits of the dead, who were looked upon as sources of truth and enlightenment, rather than feared as harbingers of doom. Facing and even rejoicing in our mortality is something that has been lost over the centuries, and is a healthy method of interacting with your fellow man and your forgotten lineage. When you prepare for Samhain this year, remember that the spirits being celebrated on this day were not scary creatures who prey upon the fears of the living. Ancestors were honored as the basis for our collected knowledge; as living spirits in the faces of our loved ones who would not be alive today had it not been for those who came before them.
Briefly I would like to touch on that purely American feast of Thanksgiving, which comes next on our Gregorian calendar. (Different Pope Gregory, this one is Gregory the XIII, who reformed the Julian calendar in 1582.) The modern tradition of Thanksgiving is well-intentioned and meaningful to most American families. It seems almost unfair to remind people of its foul beginnings. The Great Sachem of the Wampanoags was Chief Massasoit, who started this illustrious tradition with honorable intentions. In the early part of the 17th century, plagues of European-borne diseases decimated the Native people, reducing their numbers by around 75%. When the pilgrims came in 1621, Massasoit saw an opportunity to reunite and strengthen his depleted peoples, and signed a treaty of mutual support and protection with the Pilgrims. His people taught the Pilgrims agricultural techniques to help them survive, without which they surely would have perished in the winter months. That fall, he brought a number of his people to Plymouth to enjoy a traditional harvest feast with their new friends. The Wampanoag provided deer, turkey, geese, and ducks, along with eel and shellfish, cornbread, vegetables, fruits, and maple sugar. The "First Thanksgiving" was a bountiful one, based in mutual benefit and harmony among two very different peoples.
It did not take long for Chief Massasoit to become disenchanted with the English. Over the next few years, he battled with the other tribes and with his own illness only to discover repeatedly that the alliance he had forged with the English was no benefit to his people. They hungered incessantly for land, and more and more Wampanoag land was forcibly taken from them. Each time there was an incursion by the colonists, the English courts pronounced the Natives trespassers on their own ancestral grounds and created laws to evict them. When Chief Massasoit died in 1661, his son Wamsutta became Chief, but only briefly. Colonial soldiers were ordered to bring Wamsutta at gunpoint to Plymouth where he immediately became ill and died. The Wampanoags were enraged at this, and Wamsutta's brother, Metacom, (who would later be called King Philip) then became leader. He would lead his people into war against the colonies in 1675 to attempt to preserve their way of life, which was being eradicated by the invaders. He led a brutal war for just about a year before his people were driven back by overwhelming forces, and he was killed at Mount Hope in 1676, effectively ending his campaign against the Colonists.
So in retrospect, although Thanksgiving was conceived within the bonds of friendship, hope, and mutual accord, the Native tradition was usurped by the Puritans, while they proceeded to stamp out of existence the Native beliefs, lands, and culture. It is a tradition that was begun with hope and ended with the massacre of an entire nation. Whole tribes are now extinct, the remaining tribal numbers are minuscule in comparison to before the white man invaded their shores. So celebrate Thanksgiving if you want, but do so with the understanding that it was brought to you by Native traditions, celebrating the harvest which they taught to the people of this country, and for which they died en masse.
There is much to be said about our next Pagan Holy Day, Yule, now known as Christmas. Norse "Jól" or Yule predates the Christian version of the holiday by thousands of years, and falls on the day of the Winter Solstice. Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night, which means that every day after it the Sun gets more time in the sky. For this reason, the celebration centers around the return of the Sun. The Midwinter feast of our Nordic ancestors typically lasted for twelve days, (the 12 days of Christmas,) but their manner of celebrating varied greatly from region to region. Across Northern Europe the Yuletide ceremonies honored the God Odin, "Master of Ecstasy" and Father to all the Gods. Many rites included the exuberant consumption of intoxicating brews, fierce and joyful singing and dancing, the cherished burning of the yule log, representing the importance of hearth and home, and the feasting of gathered families coupled with the exaltation of ancestors. Food and drink was left out on the tables specifically for the wandering spirits of those who were among the honored dead. (Sort of like leaving a cookie for Santa.)
Christianization of this holiday occurred around the mid-4th century A.D. when the rise of Christianity first took hold in Europe, thanks mostly to Emperor Constantine of Rome. There are many scholars who have studied the historical Jesus, who concur that His birth was most likely in the Spring, not the Winter. The date coincided with the Roman "Natalis Solis Invicti" ("Birth of the Unconquered Sun"), the birth of Mithra, and Saturnalia celebrations. This was also the date the Romans celebrated the Winter Solstice, or "Bruma." All of Europe's Pagan peoples celebrated the rebirth of the Sun during this time, so when Constantine proclaimed the new religion of the empire to be Christianity, he used the rituals already in practice in the inculcation of the Pagans in order to convert them. Constantine was a cruel, ruthless, cunning leader, and enacted many of the Christian edicts that wiped out the ancient Pagan beliefs and customs through the use of financial penalties, torture, and execution for non-obeyance. He also persecuted other Christians to wipe out competition to his imperialist governmental sect of Judaic Christianity. Over the coming centuries, Christmas was adopted throughout the Western world in place of Midwinter, or Yule celebrations. Curiously however, in America, it wasn't until 1870 that Christmas became a federal holiday, because in the early days of this country, the Puritan colonists shunned the Pagan customs of gift-giving and the decorating of trees and considered those customs to be anti-Christian.
Virtually every single Christmas tradition is rooted in our Pagan past. Much of the decoration we put up is rooted in Viking custom. For instance, the Christmas ham comes from the sacrifice of a wild boar to the Viking God Frey, God of Fertility and Harvest, to ensure a good growing season. The wreaths we commonly hang up on our doors comes from the Viking Sun Wheel, which was a large four-spoked wheel set ablaze and rolled down a hill to entice the return of the Sun. The Yule Log, which nowadays is usually a fruitcake or nut roll, was originally a real oak log, decorated with holly, yew, and sprigs of fragrant firs, carved with sacred runes, and ceremonially burned during the celebration. A piece of the Yule Log was generally saved to light the next year's fire, kept as protection for the home. Mistletoe has its roots in Nordic and Celtic lore. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that holds its green color throughout the year, and therefore is thought to have magical properties. The Druids would cut mistletoe with a golden sickle from a sacred oak tree, catching it before it hit the ground. They gave it out to the people to hang over their doors for protection against evil. In Norse mythology, Frigg, goddess of marriage and wife to Odin, made all things in the world promise not to hurt her son Baldur. Mistletoe would not take the vow, and Loki tricked Baldur's blind brother Hod into thrusting a spear made of mistletoe straight through his heart. Baldur "the Invulnerable" was then killed, and Frigg's tears became the berries of the mistletoe. When Baldur was restored to life, Frigg proclaimed the plant to be the symbol of love. Which is why we kiss under the mistletoe for longevity in our unions.
Finally, Father Christmas or Old Man Winter, and the Christmas tree. Both of these traditions are steeped in Pagan symbolism. The modern Santa Claus riding his sleigh across the night sky driven by reindeer is commonly believed to have originated from the myths of the Norse God Thor, the son of Odin, who rode his chariot across the sky driven by two white goats, waging a war against the snow and ice. In pre-Christian times, the custom of an elder dressing as Old Man Winter, to be welcomed into the village homes and share in the celebration, was commonly practiced. He would dress in a thick fur cloak, would likely have a long beard, and travel by foot or by horse. Village folk welcomed him symbolically to welcome the Winter itself as part of the Solstice celebration. The gilding of an evergreen tree also predates Christianity by thousands of years. The Vikings, Romans, Druids, even the ancient Egyptians would fill their homes with plants that remained green in the winter to remind them of the Sun's eventual return. The Vikings believed the evergreens symbolized Frigg's indestructible son Baldur, the Romans used firs in their homes to remind themselves that the solstice meant the return of plush fields and green bounty, the Druids decorated their temples with evergreens as symbols of everlasting life. Even the ancient Egyptians used palm fronds to decorate during the winter which for them symbolized the triumph of life over death. The modern Christmas tree as we know it today was invented in Germany around the 16th century. Their Nordic blood remained strong even within the confines of Christian theology, and they began the practice of bringing fir trees into their homes to be decorated with shiny tinsel, (also invented in Germany, made of real silver,) baubles, candies, fruits, and of course lights, brought about by Protestant reformer Martin Luther, a German monk, who was said to have first put lighted candles in a tree to show his children what it was like to see the stars sparkling through them at night. From Germany, it filtered into English tradition, and eventually to America in the 1840's with Queen Victoria advertising her tree in the illustrated London Press, inspiring many English-besotted Americans to follow suit.
In the end, it all comes down to the old familiar practice of revering nature. The customs may now be Christianized, but their origins are firmly rooted in the turning of the seasons, the coming and going of the sun, and the planting and harvesting seasons. Since the advent of agricultural society, our lives have revolved around our sustenance, the food we grow and the animals we tend. Ancient religions have always watched the heavens to predict the seasons, and have always rejoiced at the return of the Sun. There is a pronounced resurgence in Pagan rites and rituals being observed during the winter holidays and throughout the year to honor our ancient beliefs, but if you choose to celebrate any of these holidays with your religious friends, you can be assured that you are all celebrating the same things, even perhaps for different reasons.
Finally, we come to our oldest human tradition, celebrating the New Year. The first recorded New Year's celebration was around the vernal equinox in ancient Mesopotamia over 4,000 years ago. All over the world the New Year was and still is celebrated at different times. Some cultures, like the Phoenicians and the Egyptians, started their year at the autumnal equinox, some with the vernal equinox, like the Romans and the Persians. The Celts, as we know, welcomed the new year on November first at the end of summer. Modern Chinese New Year is the first day of the first lunar month. and is different every year, because of the lunar cycles, but falls between the end of January and mid-February. The Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah in September or October, honoring the 10 days they believe God opened the Book of Life. Many other cultures observe different days of the Gregorian calendar as New Years Day, for many different reasons. One thing is quite certain though about New Years. It is a celebration of life. A festival to honor our very existence. Each year that we remain alive to welcome another is a reason to celebrate. It is a visceral, carnal need in our human psyche to cling to life in all its beauty, splendor, and riches. For this reason, it is thought of by most cultures to be unabashedly Pagan. It is the one holiday on our list that has been celebrated in all the cultures of the world throughout all of human history in much the same way as it still is today. With comradery, fire and lights, abundant food and drink, singing, dancing, and staying up all night to welcome the dawn of a new day in a new year. So the only admonishment I have left to give you about this last gala of the year is that it is indeed a celebration of life, so don't do anything that would cost you yours for the sake of a good time.
Pagan Fundamentals
The foremost fundamental aspect of being Pagan is an affirmation of our symbiosis with Nature. Pagans co-exist with the planet Earth, we do not have dominion over it. From our ancient beginnings Mankind has foraged the Earth to satisfy our three basic necessities of life: Food, Water, and Shelter. Without these things, we would perish. This is a basic truth we must never forget. Without Mother Nature we would not exist. We are a part of Her, and She is a part of us. In order to survive as a species we must appreciate and revere the bounty She provides. We must not destroy that which we need to exist.
Paganism offers us the opportunity to recognize the very essence of our Being as it relates to our environment. What we are today is a result of many millennia of symbiotic evolution with the plants and animals that we consume, utilize for our clothing and shelter, and then replenish with our advances in agriculture, farming, and the raising of livestock. That very word "livestock" indicates our need for living creatures and our need to keep them in supply. When we mistreat those creatures, we are essentially mistreating ourselves. Currently, the non-organic farming culture that has developed in America and elsewhere piles thousands of pounds of flesh into meager accommodations, then injects dangerous chemicals into every flank in order to mass produce dubiously nutritious meat for our consumption. We also have Monsanto creating new and frightening breeds of hybridized plant life for that same mass consumption. This is all due to an overly large population that relies not on themselves and their communities for sustenance, but instead on multinational corporations protected by a corrupt government, whose sole consideration is the accumulation of wealth. This malignant hoarding has caused a huge diversity in economic status among human beings, where many live in abject poverty while those who ravage the planet live comfortably in draconian castles of their own design. The true wealth on this planet is Her resources, which are being raped and squandered by this desire for paper money that intrinsically has no value at all.
The Pagan way of life and an honest, healthy response to this pillaging of resources is to always buy Organic whenever possible, support your local farmers and local businesses, and to boycott GMO plant foods and modified livestock. This is not an easy task for those impoverished by the corporate jungle, the monetary costs of health are rising dramatically while the cost of simply obeying the law of the land is minuscule in comparison. An organic apple costs as much or more than a McDonald's cheeseburger. The corporations have engineered agronomics this way to prevent us from leading healthy, fulfilling lives. As Pagans, we must fight this biological tyranny, because the long-term cost to our collective soul is far greater than any immediate monetary concern. Therefore, we must all strive to do whatever is in our powers to do to prevent the loss of our natural way of life.
Another Pagan fundamental is the merging of Science with Religion. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. Understanding the science of the soul, and the theology of physics are part of most Pagan's lives. For instance, all of our rituals are methodical and based on an elemental science. The five elements known to exist by all Pagans are Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Spirit. Applying the laws of physics to our daily Pagan lives is a matter of course, because we are simply obeying the laws of Nature.
Speaking of matter, what we define as "Matter" is anything that takes up space and has a measurable mass. Matter has three states of existence, solid, liquid, and gas. Earth, Water, and Air. All matter is made up of energy, which also comes in many states of existence. Kinetic energy, and Potential energy. Reactions that give off energy are called exothermic, and our fourth element, Fire, is an exothermic chemical reaction among compatible elements.
The law of conservation of energy states that energy can not be created, or destroyed. So the final element we have yet to discuss, Spirit, or the human Soul, can be scientifically defined as a potential energy, called stored mechanical energy, which is energy stored in an object by the application of force. The force is our kinetic energy, the electrical impulses of our brains and endocrine systems, our ability to make motion and sound waves, our internal thermal core. The force that binds us all together is the other forms of energy combined to make up our physical corporeal being. Therefore it begs to reason that when the trappings of that physicality are no more, our stored mechanical energy is released, yet still held together by the shared electrons, protons, and neutrons, free to seek out another vessel within which it can be stored again.
To put it another way, humans exist by way of a complex neuronetwork of electrical impulses and stored mechanical energy, our molecules held together by an unseen force which keeps our heart pumping and our brain activating. Schrödinger used the term "negative entropy" to describe the physics behind this integrated energy. Negative entropy states that in an open system, energy can be drawn from outside that system, like the Earth drawing energy from the Sun, and will form matter that integrates into increasingly complex arrangements. Essentially, all life on Earth evolved from this integration of matter, energy drawn from the Sun, therefore our every molecule is infused with the energy of the Earth, and the energy of all things in our Universe. Our bodies are also "open systems." The energy we incorporate from outside that system forms the complex interplay that occurs in our synapses and also inspires the release of chemical impulses in our endocrine systems.
This all leads into our next fundamental truth, Duality. Balance. The masculine and feminine in Nature and in Deity. We are borne into a world where there are two separate and distinct aspects of Creation. The Male, the giver of life, personified by the Sun, and the Female, the receiver of the seed, which is the Earth. Life forms have evolved on this planet due to the interactions between those two forces, exemplifying this fundamental law of Duality. Hence why there are two sexes in most all living creatures. Wherever asexual reproduction has occurred, as in some lizards, sharks, snails, a few insects, and various single-celled organisms, an imbalance transpired long ago during their evolution which prompted the organisms to adapt themselves to survive. Balance was still achieved, albeit in a unique way. Survival is an instinct all living creatures share in abundance, and every living organism spends its life attempting to insure its continued existence.
We know also that physics decrees "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," which indicates that both kinetic and potential energy is somehow always in balance. This balance of action/reaction can be found evidenced in every life form, every shape, every element, and every interaction among them. When an imbalance occurs, there is a responding force aimed at correcting it. Achieving that balance is crucial to the success of any species.
This brings us to the final and most controversial of fundamental beliefs. When we try to define "Good" and "Evil" we come into a lot of theology. Take a step back and look at this objectively. Someone is "good" when they do good things, when they empathize with their fellow beings, and show compassion and composure in their interactions. Someone is "evil" when they do evil things, when they are unscrupulous, are bereft of feeling, and show no mercy. Goodness is intrinsic to the natural order of mankind, to be communal, to be symbiotic with each other and our environment. Love is the binding force in all of Nature.
Evil is created by an imbalance in that natural order. A person who perpetrates evil does so because they become the responding force to correct an imbalance in their own environment. The imbalance occurs in thought, word, and deed. More and more evil exists because this imbalance on our planet has been increasing exponentially for centuries. The human brain is made up of billions of interconnected neurons, and every interaction between these neurons creates a miniscule electrical discharge. Electrical energy is a kinetic energy, meaning it is not stored, it is released. Brain waves can be measured by their frequency or their amplitude. If you picture thought as having mass, (it can be measured, and it takes up space,) you can allow for the possibility that evil thoughts are released into our atmosphere, accumulating in frequency and amplitude, and being reabsorbed by vessels which are open to those frequencies.
Much of our planet is afflicted with a buildup of this negative energy, which accounts for a lot of the evil perpetrated in this latest century. It is a fact that all electronic devices emit a certain level of ambient "noise," which has the distinct ability to interrupt brain waves. As more technology is created and more electronic devices in use - and not just cell phones and computers, but the thousands of satellites that orbit our planet - the more that our brain waves are interrupted and scrambled. Our ability to interpret the good from the bad is vastly diminished by the advents in technology in recent history. Not only have our ancient instincts been virtually snuffed out, but our ability for creative sentient thought has also fallen victim to technological progress. For aeons mankind has done evil to itself, and to its Creator, the Goddess Earth. This lengthy trail of darkness has its consequences. We cannot correct this imbalance of evil in this world without a profundity of goodness, love, compassion, and empathy, and a reduction in the electrical impulses we are currently subjected to. First there needs to be a paradigm shift in our collective consciousness to provide for the possibility of global change. Then the application of that change may mean a return to more simple practices, or it may even mean technological advances which prevent our minds being affected by the electrically charged atmosphere.
To review, the Fundamentals of Paganism are as follows: respect for Mother Nature, a scientific spiritual understanding, duality of all things, and a perception of the balance or imbalance present in our world. If we start from these basic tenets of our consciousness, we can reestablish our symbiosis with our environment, and perhaps heal the vast rift that has developed between us.
Paganism offers us the opportunity to recognize the very essence of our Being as it relates to our environment. What we are today is a result of many millennia of symbiotic evolution with the plants and animals that we consume, utilize for our clothing and shelter, and then replenish with our advances in agriculture, farming, and the raising of livestock. That very word "livestock" indicates our need for living creatures and our need to keep them in supply. When we mistreat those creatures, we are essentially mistreating ourselves. Currently, the non-organic farming culture that has developed in America and elsewhere piles thousands of pounds of flesh into meager accommodations, then injects dangerous chemicals into every flank in order to mass produce dubiously nutritious meat for our consumption. We also have Monsanto creating new and frightening breeds of hybridized plant life for that same mass consumption. This is all due to an overly large population that relies not on themselves and their communities for sustenance, but instead on multinational corporations protected by a corrupt government, whose sole consideration is the accumulation of wealth. This malignant hoarding has caused a huge diversity in economic status among human beings, where many live in abject poverty while those who ravage the planet live comfortably in draconian castles of their own design. The true wealth on this planet is Her resources, which are being raped and squandered by this desire for paper money that intrinsically has no value at all.
The Pagan way of life and an honest, healthy response to this pillaging of resources is to always buy Organic whenever possible, support your local farmers and local businesses, and to boycott GMO plant foods and modified livestock. This is not an easy task for those impoverished by the corporate jungle, the monetary costs of health are rising dramatically while the cost of simply obeying the law of the land is minuscule in comparison. An organic apple costs as much or more than a McDonald's cheeseburger. The corporations have engineered agronomics this way to prevent us from leading healthy, fulfilling lives. As Pagans, we must fight this biological tyranny, because the long-term cost to our collective soul is far greater than any immediate monetary concern. Therefore, we must all strive to do whatever is in our powers to do to prevent the loss of our natural way of life.
Another Pagan fundamental is the merging of Science with Religion. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. Understanding the science of the soul, and the theology of physics are part of most Pagan's lives. For instance, all of our rituals are methodical and based on an elemental science. The five elements known to exist by all Pagans are Earth, Fire, Water, Air, and Spirit. Applying the laws of physics to our daily Pagan lives is a matter of course, because we are simply obeying the laws of Nature.
Speaking of matter, what we define as "Matter" is anything that takes up space and has a measurable mass. Matter has three states of existence, solid, liquid, and gas. Earth, Water, and Air. All matter is made up of energy, which also comes in many states of existence. Kinetic energy, and Potential energy. Reactions that give off energy are called exothermic, and our fourth element, Fire, is an exothermic chemical reaction among compatible elements.
The law of conservation of energy states that energy can not be created, or destroyed. So the final element we have yet to discuss, Spirit, or the human Soul, can be scientifically defined as a potential energy, called stored mechanical energy, which is energy stored in an object by the application of force. The force is our kinetic energy, the electrical impulses of our brains and endocrine systems, our ability to make motion and sound waves, our internal thermal core. The force that binds us all together is the other forms of energy combined to make up our physical corporeal being. Therefore it begs to reason that when the trappings of that physicality are no more, our stored mechanical energy is released, yet still held together by the shared electrons, protons, and neutrons, free to seek out another vessel within which it can be stored again.
To put it another way, humans exist by way of a complex neuronetwork of electrical impulses and stored mechanical energy, our molecules held together by an unseen force which keeps our heart pumping and our brain activating. Schrödinger used the term "negative entropy" to describe the physics behind this integrated energy. Negative entropy states that in an open system, energy can be drawn from outside that system, like the Earth drawing energy from the Sun, and will form matter that integrates into increasingly complex arrangements. Essentially, all life on Earth evolved from this integration of matter, energy drawn from the Sun, therefore our every molecule is infused with the energy of the Earth, and the energy of all things in our Universe. Our bodies are also "open systems." The energy we incorporate from outside that system forms the complex interplay that occurs in our synapses and also inspires the release of chemical impulses in our endocrine systems.
This all leads into our next fundamental truth, Duality. Balance. The masculine and feminine in Nature and in Deity. We are borne into a world where there are two separate and distinct aspects of Creation. The Male, the giver of life, personified by the Sun, and the Female, the receiver of the seed, which is the Earth. Life forms have evolved on this planet due to the interactions between those two forces, exemplifying this fundamental law of Duality. Hence why there are two sexes in most all living creatures. Wherever asexual reproduction has occurred, as in some lizards, sharks, snails, a few insects, and various single-celled organisms, an imbalance transpired long ago during their evolution which prompted the organisms to adapt themselves to survive. Balance was still achieved, albeit in a unique way. Survival is an instinct all living creatures share in abundance, and every living organism spends its life attempting to insure its continued existence.
We know also that physics decrees "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," which indicates that both kinetic and potential energy is somehow always in balance. This balance of action/reaction can be found evidenced in every life form, every shape, every element, and every interaction among them. When an imbalance occurs, there is a responding force aimed at correcting it. Achieving that balance is crucial to the success of any species.
This brings us to the final and most controversial of fundamental beliefs. When we try to define "Good" and "Evil" we come into a lot of theology. Take a step back and look at this objectively. Someone is "good" when they do good things, when they empathize with their fellow beings, and show compassion and composure in their interactions. Someone is "evil" when they do evil things, when they are unscrupulous, are bereft of feeling, and show no mercy. Goodness is intrinsic to the natural order of mankind, to be communal, to be symbiotic with each other and our environment. Love is the binding force in all of Nature.
Evil is created by an imbalance in that natural order. A person who perpetrates evil does so because they become the responding force to correct an imbalance in their own environment. The imbalance occurs in thought, word, and deed. More and more evil exists because this imbalance on our planet has been increasing exponentially for centuries. The human brain is made up of billions of interconnected neurons, and every interaction between these neurons creates a miniscule electrical discharge. Electrical energy is a kinetic energy, meaning it is not stored, it is released. Brain waves can be measured by their frequency or their amplitude. If you picture thought as having mass, (it can be measured, and it takes up space,) you can allow for the possibility that evil thoughts are released into our atmosphere, accumulating in frequency and amplitude, and being reabsorbed by vessels which are open to those frequencies.
Much of our planet is afflicted with a buildup of this negative energy, which accounts for a lot of the evil perpetrated in this latest century. It is a fact that all electronic devices emit a certain level of ambient "noise," which has the distinct ability to interrupt brain waves. As more technology is created and more electronic devices in use - and not just cell phones and computers, but the thousands of satellites that orbit our planet - the more that our brain waves are interrupted and scrambled. Our ability to interpret the good from the bad is vastly diminished by the advents in technology in recent history. Not only have our ancient instincts been virtually snuffed out, but our ability for creative sentient thought has also fallen victim to technological progress. For aeons mankind has done evil to itself, and to its Creator, the Goddess Earth. This lengthy trail of darkness has its consequences. We cannot correct this imbalance of evil in this world without a profundity of goodness, love, compassion, and empathy, and a reduction in the electrical impulses we are currently subjected to. First there needs to be a paradigm shift in our collective consciousness to provide for the possibility of global change. Then the application of that change may mean a return to more simple practices, or it may even mean technological advances which prevent our minds being affected by the electrically charged atmosphere.
To review, the Fundamentals of Paganism are as follows: respect for Mother Nature, a scientific spiritual understanding, duality of all things, and a perception of the balance or imbalance present in our world. If we start from these basic tenets of our consciousness, we can reestablish our symbiosis with our environment, and perhaps heal the vast rift that has developed between us.
"The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, watch the timing."
~ Tao Te Ching ~
The Pagan Creed
"An Ye Harm None, Do what Ye will." All Pagan traditions have a moral code of ethics, and this is the basic principle for all of us. In my online travails I have come across many forms of the Wiccan Rede, but none universal for Pagans that do not practice Wicca. However, I have found a couple that I feel ring true for all of us, and would like to share them here. First, an interpretation of the Wiccan Rede by an eclectic pagan who, much like myself, came into her beliefs in her teens and has adapted her religion to suit her own understanding. Her website: http://paganwayspagandays.blogspot.com/
Pagan's Creed
Bide within the Laws ye must,
in perfect Love and perfect Truth.
Live ye must and let to Live,
fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the Circle thrice about,
to keep unwelcome Spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time,
let the spell be spake in Rhyme.
Soft of eye and light of touch,
speak ye little, listen much.
ever mind the rule of three,
What ye send out comes back to thee.
This Lesson well, thou must learn,
Ye only get what ye do earn.
Deosil go by the Waxing Moon,
Sing and Dance ye symbolic Rune.
Widdershins go by the Waning Moon,
chanting out ye joyful tune.
When the Lady's Moon is New,
kiss thy hand to Her times two.
When the Moon rides at Her peak,
then thy heart's desire seek.
Heed the North Wind's might gale,
lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind comes from the South,
love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the Wind blows from the East,
expect the new and set the feast.
When the Wind blows from the West,
departed souls will have no rest.
Nine Woods beneath the Cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow.
Elder be the Lady's Tree,
burn it not or cursed ye'll be.
When the Wheel begins to turn,
soon the Beltain fires will burn.
When the Wheel has turned to Yule,
light the log the Horned One rules.
Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
by the Lady, Blessed be thee.
Where the rippling waters flow,
cast a stone and the truth ye'll know.
When ye are in dire need,
hearken not to other's greed.
With a fool no season spend,
nor be counted as his friends.
Follow this with mind and heart,
Merry meet and Merry part,
bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
When misfortune is enow,
wear the star upon thy brow.
Tru in love you must ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee.
These eight words the Creed fulfil:
An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.
Another version without the rhyme scheme, but still with great functionality, was found at:
http://people.tribe.net
Pagan Creed
I believe in the Wild:
the raw, untameable cascade of existence.
I believe in strength and beauty, power and grace.
I believe in the effortless unfolding and radiant concrescence of all that is.
I believe in the hidden wells of instinctive thought,
in the mindful patterns of all that is and breathes and moves,
and in the omnipresence of divinity in all that groans, dies, and is reborn:
For joy accompanies the strange, the marvellous and the unexpected;
peace follows on the emergent, the immediate, and the sudden,
And we know ourselves best
in the brilliant flash of the unknown
that casts our reflection
in the mirror of the world.
I believe in the many gods
of leaf and blade, fire and storm, blood and wind.
I believe in the riotous maelstrom of divinity, the chaos of life
and the glorious, omniscient impropriety of existence.
I believe in the shadowed guidance of every soul and every mind
that everything in motion, being invested with an august divinity,
can lead us to the source, the font and the wellspring of all existence.
I raise my eyes to the moon, my face to the sun, and my soul to the stars,
that all beneath me, behind me and before, may see that I stand
unbroken, unbent and unafraid
under the sky, upon the land, and beholding the infinite sea.
Pagan's Creed
Bide within the Laws ye must,
in perfect Love and perfect Truth.
Live ye must and let to Live,
fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the Circle thrice about,
to keep unwelcome Spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time,
let the spell be spake in Rhyme.
Soft of eye and light of touch,
speak ye little, listen much.
ever mind the rule of three,
What ye send out comes back to thee.
This Lesson well, thou must learn,
Ye only get what ye do earn.
Deosil go by the Waxing Moon,
Sing and Dance ye symbolic Rune.
Widdershins go by the Waning Moon,
chanting out ye joyful tune.
When the Lady's Moon is New,
kiss thy hand to Her times two.
When the Moon rides at Her peak,
then thy heart's desire seek.
Heed the North Wind's might gale,
lock the door and trim the sail.
When the Wind comes from the South,
love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the Wind blows from the East,
expect the new and set the feast.
When the Wind blows from the West,
departed souls will have no rest.
Nine Woods beneath the Cauldron go,
burn them fast and burn them slow.
Elder be the Lady's Tree,
burn it not or cursed ye'll be.
When the Wheel begins to turn,
soon the Beltain fires will burn.
When the Wheel has turned to Yule,
light the log the Horned One rules.
Heed ye flower, bush and tree,
by the Lady, Blessed be thee.
Where the rippling waters flow,
cast a stone and the truth ye'll know.
When ye are in dire need,
hearken not to other's greed.
With a fool no season spend,
nor be counted as his friends.
Follow this with mind and heart,
Merry meet and Merry part,
bright the cheeks and warm the heart.
When misfortune is enow,
wear the star upon thy brow.
Tru in love you must ever be,
lest thy love be false to thee.
These eight words the Creed fulfil:
An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will.
Another version without the rhyme scheme, but still with great functionality, was found at:
http://people.tribe.net
Pagan Creed
I believe in the Wild:
the raw, untameable cascade of existence.
I believe in strength and beauty, power and grace.
I believe in the effortless unfolding and radiant concrescence of all that is.
I believe in the hidden wells of instinctive thought,
in the mindful patterns of all that is and breathes and moves,
and in the omnipresence of divinity in all that groans, dies, and is reborn:
For joy accompanies the strange, the marvellous and the unexpected;
peace follows on the emergent, the immediate, and the sudden,
And we know ourselves best
in the brilliant flash of the unknown
that casts our reflection
in the mirror of the world.
I believe in the many gods
of leaf and blade, fire and storm, blood and wind.
I believe in the riotous maelstrom of divinity, the chaos of life
and the glorious, omniscient impropriety of existence.
I believe in the shadowed guidance of every soul and every mind
that everything in motion, being invested with an august divinity,
can lead us to the source, the font and the wellspring of all existence.
I raise my eyes to the moon, my face to the sun, and my soul to the stars,
that all beneath me, behind me and before, may see that I stand
unbroken, unbent and unafraid
under the sky, upon the land, and beholding the infinite sea.