Good and evil in paganry

In today’s society these terms are used everywhere.  We see them on billboards, in our literature, our movies, and in our decision making processes.  It’s natural to put things in terms of good and bad.  We teach our children that when they are good, they get good things and vice versa.  When it comes to religion and spirituality, these lines get blurred.  “Don’t touch the stove or you will burn yourself” is a clear cut case of good or bad.  Touching a hot stove is bad.  “Don’t tell a lie” is not a clear cut case of what is evil however.  How many times have we told “little white lies” because it is kinder than the truth?  Does saving the feelings of our eighty- two year old great-aunt outweigh the benefit of the truth?  If that is so, what about the tooth fairy?  Where is the line?  How does Paganism define right or wrong?

Yes, Paganism does have social values.  Like any religion, Paganism has a code of ethics that guides people down a path of morality.  The Wiccan have the Wiccan Rede “An’ it harm none, do as thou wilt.”  (Buckland, pg 9) The Druids have the Virtues. (www.adf.org/training/action.html)  Many believe in Karma where, good or bad, your actions are returned three fold.

Does Paganism have a hell? No.  Hel is Loki’s daughter and the Goddess of the Inglorious Dead, if you follow the Norse Hearth.  (www.pantheon.org/articles/h/helheim.html) Hades rules the underworld in Greek mythology.  It is a place where the Ancestors dwell.  The list is endless.  Where the dead go when they die depends on the hearth.  Each hearth has its own myth on how it works.  It is a place for reflection and return.  Good or evil are usually not involved; however there are always exceptions in paganism, such as the Hindu in their 21 Hells. (http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hell.html)

Some people will see “blood on the moon” (Practical Magic, 1998) or other such omens and interpret them to be bad or good.  This is usually a personal preference.   There have been debates about this topic within the community.  The ability to see omens and know if something bad is coming gives people an advantage.  Time to prepare or change tactics so that the upcoming event can be weathered and learned from can be seen as both a good opportunity and a bad omen.  Calling things good or evil allows an individual to determine their course of action while at the same time can also jade them to the lesson life is providing. 

To those outside our path, good and evil are useful concepts whose meanings change with the individual using the term.  Most pagans will agree that evil is something people are capable of, but doesn’t truly exist within our religious and spiritual beliefs.
 

Photos: Dante and Virgil in Hell - Bouguereau (above right) and Macbeth and the Banquo meeting with the Witches - Chasseriau (left)

For Further Reading: Karma: home.pacbell.net/amsec/karm1a.html.  The Prose Eddas: www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/index.htm.  Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft.  Raymond Buckland, Llewellyn Publications, 1997.