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Now that the Examiner.com has several official state "Pagan examiners" (1) and now that the Examiner is featuring a national column about "Pagan travel," (2) both the Pagan and non-Pagan communities are starting to notice. Such mainstream media attention is a major and exciting step forward for American journalism. Paganism is growing and it is growing rapidly. The population of Pagans roughly doubles about every 18 months in the United States, Canada and Europe, according to the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. (3-4) Defining the word Pagan is a very difficult task. The umbrella term “Paganism” encompasses 100s of different spiritual paths. Pagans are more carefully defined (5) by what they are not, than by what they are. Most often, they are not Christians, Satanists, Jews, Muslims or any of the so-called “people of the book” (the Bible, the Koran, and others). (Author’s note-even this has its exceptions.) (6) Most often, Pagans follow a polytheistic, rather than monotheistic, spirituality meaning they believe in more than one God or Goddess. Some follow a spiritual path that sees the Divine as both male and female, or sometimes, emphasizes the Feminine Divine. (7) And to make it all the more complex, this is rarely the same from Pagan group A to Pagan group B. There is little or no standardization. 
Interest in Pagan travel grows as the number of Pagans doubles about every 18 months
Now that the Examiner.com has several official state "Pagan examiners" (1) and now that the Examiner is featuring a national column about "Pagan travel," (2) both the Pagan and non-Pagan communities are starting to notice. Such mainstream media attention is a major and exciting step forward for American journalism. Paganism is growing and it is growing rapidly. The population of Pagans roughly doubles about every 18 months in the United States, Canada and Europe, according to the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. (3-4) Defining the word Pagan is a very difficult task. The umbrella term “Paganism” encompasses 100s of different spiritual paths. Pagans are more carefully defined (5) by what they are not, than by what they are. Most often, they are not Christians, Satanists, Jews, Muslims or any of the so-called “people of the book” (the Bible, the Koran, and others). (Author’s note-even this has its exceptions.) (6) Most often, Pagans follow a polytheistic, rather than monotheistic, spirituality meaning they believe in more than one God or Goddess. Some follow a spiritual path that sees the Divine as both male and female, or sometimes, emphasizes the Feminine Divine. (7) And to make it all the more complex, this is rarely the same from Pagan group A to Pagan group B. There is little or no standardization. Pagan paths can vary from a careful reconstruction of ancient practices (8) to a completely modern interpretation of ancient Pagan lore. No matter how you define it, Paganism is now among the fastest-growing religions in the USA, Canada and Great Britain. Paganism is even experiencing a rebirth in Russia. (9) According to the the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance: Many people, especially teens, are rejecting what they see as the "autocracy, paternalism, sexism, homophobia and insensitivity to the environment" of some more traditional religions.
Whether we see Paganism as organized or disorganized, the pagan revival today is stronger than ever. In America, the Pagan movement exploded along with the 1960s hippie counterculture and was revitalized by the New Age movement in the 1980s. There is “no ultimate leader and no one sacred text,” according to Carl McColman, author of several books on witchcraft and paganism. (10) This appeals to many in our modern culture.
According to a brochure put out by the organization PEN, Pagan Education Network, some Pagan systems and religions include:
· Eclectic: Most American Pagans practice a blend of different traditions, the most popular of which are Celtic, Greco-Roman, Native American, ancient Egyptian, and Norse.
· Asatru: Norse Pagan religion celebrating the principles of courage, truth, honor, fidelity, discipline, hospitality, industriousness, self-reliance, and perseverance.
· Church of All Worlds: Promotes celebration and honoring of all life and the planet as a living, divine organism: Gaea. Combination of worldwide Goddess traditions.
· Discordianism: Honors the Chaos principle and the humor of chance.
· Druidism: Many varieties of Druidism are practiced, with varying emphasis on scholarly research into the original Druids, who were the priest/ess and judicial class of the ancient Celts.
· Egyptian: Draws on the four thousand years of complex spiritual and magical systems of pharaonic Egypt.
· Kabbalah: Jewish mystical and magical system developed since the Middle Ages. The most influential magical system in the development of the Western magical tradition.
· Magic (sometimes spelled "magick"): Most Pagan religions practice some form of magic, which can be defined as getting results through the application of will. Magic falls into two very general categories; "practical" or "folk" magic pertains to everyday life and is performed with common implements like stones or candles, while "high" or "ceremonial" magic often requires rigorous training, utilizes ancient languages, and concerns the mystical development of the self to its greatest potential.
· Shamanism: Practiced by Native peoples worldwide. Shamanic techniques such as drumming are used in many different Pagan systems. In traditional societies, shamans travel to the spirit realm to gain information pertaining to the community's needs, such as healing or spiritual growth.
· Wicca: Honoring of Goddess and God (some traditions honor the Goddess alone), use of magic, and healing, all within the context of "If it harm none, do what you will." Pagan Witchcraft has nothing to do with and is antithetical to Satanism. (11)
PR Web released a press release on April 21, 2005 entitled, "Christians and Pagans Agree, Wicca Emerging as America's Third Religion." The article stated: "Christians and Pagans agree that the Wiccan community is growing at an exceptional rate, and is projected to be the third largest religion (in America) by 2012." (12) Wicca, the largest sub-group of Paganism, originated in England in the 1950s and was popularized by Englishman Gerald Gardner. With the attendance at this year's Stonehenge Summer Solstice celebration at over 36,000, Paganism continues to grow exponentially in Britain. In a June 22, 2009 article by Cole Morton in the Guardian UK, a 29 year old Pagan by the name of Bantu is quoted; "What we believe is suddenly everywhere," He started to worship Gaia, the earth goddess, after going to a workshop at a climate camp. "Everyone's a pagan now." he concludes. (13)
https://www.examiner.com/x-12870-Southeast-Michigan-Pagan-Examiner
Electa Draper “Paganism Growing Quickly” The Denver Post 06/26/2008 edraper@denverpost.com http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_9695062
Michael York is a Research Fellow with the Department for the Study of Religion at BathSpaUniversityCollege in Great Britain. He coordinates both the Bath Archive for Contemporary Religious Affairs and the New Age and Pagan Studies Programme in Bath and co-directs the Academy for Cultural and Educational Studies in London. His book, Pagan Theology (NYU Press, 2003), is an essential benchmark of contemporary Pagan thought. This article was originally published in The Pomegranate, Issue #11, pp. 4-9. www.proteuscoven.org/proteus/Pagndef.htm
Ronald Hutton The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles: Their Nature and Legacy Wiley-Blackwell (1993
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Paganism (Paperback) by Carl McColman
http://www.bloomington.in.us/~pen/mpagan.html This information is available from PEN as a professionally-produced brochure, suitable for a broad range of educational activities. Information was compiled from a variety of sources, including "The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft" by Rosemary Ellen Guiley, various books from our recommended reading list, and PEN's ongoing surveys of Pagan practices.
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/22/paganism-stonehenge-environmentalism-witchcraft
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