Paganism Today (part 5)

There are certain practices that are very commonly associated with Neo-pagans. The problem is that while the majority of us believe in them and many practice them, some do not do so as a part of their religious practice, and others simply do not do so at all. I am talking of magic, divination, and rituals. Magic is believed in and practiced by nearly all Neo-pagans, at least those I have had the pleasure of meeting. And most practice it as a part of their religion. However, there are some who, like me, practice such things as a nonreligious craft. Just as many people practice quilting, or woodcarving, we practice magic. To some it is religious, to others it is nothing more than something we do to better our lives, or to keep us healthy and safe. There are even some Neo-pagans who do not believe in the existence of magic.

Divination is another thing that can be done or not, with or without religious overtones. It too is simply a craft, to some of us. Others feel it is a worshipful thing, and ask the aid of their deities in giving them insight. Again, I am one of those who do not perform such things as a part of my religion, but as a craft. Not all Neo-pagans practice divination, in fact there is a smaller number than you might think that actually believe it works, and even those who do, for the most part, tend to believe that it is limited to some degree or another.

Ritual is a part of everyone's life whether we realize it or not. When you set yourself a schedule, you are ritualizing your life. Ritual is simply doing the same thing, the same way, every time, in order to get the desired result. This can be to achieve a connection to your deity, or just the schedules we keep for meetings, work, school, and other activities. Something becomes ritualized when you do it automatically, every time. If you do things sporadically or on the spur of the moment with no planning, and never the same way twice, then it is not ritual. I do not have a set way in which I pray to my deities, I do however have a fairly set schedule for my days. This is to keep chaos at a minimum in my household, however I know many people do as they please, with no worry about the time, the day, or the fact that they only decided to do something less than five minutes ago. As with much that is considered Pagan or Neo-pagan, I tend not to use this in my worship of my deities. In fact, many Christians practice ritual in their own prayers, by kneeling, bowing their heads, starting with the same few words, and ending each prayer with the same phrase. It may be as simple as just making sure you say Amen at the end of every prayer. There is nothing that can truly be called a Pagan or Neo-pagan practice.

All three of the practices I mentioned above, are actually in practice by sects of just about every religion in the world, including Christianity and Judaism. Christian Mysticism, Jewish Cabala, Enochian Magic, and Gnosticism are very good examples of so-called Pagan practices being used by these religions. It does not make such people any less worshippers of their god, it only means that they worship in a different way, and possibly see their god in a somewhat different light.