The Pagan Path                                                             Osireion Home

July 2004

Long before the birth of religions, temples and dogma, every person understood her relationship with the earth.  Most moderns tend to think of connecting with nature like tying a boat to the dock, or nailing a picture to the wall — after the weekend camping trip, back to real life in the city or suburb.  But for the ancients, the human animal was one more part of creation, no more separate from mother earth than an arm is separate from its body, and this understanding brought with it profound implications.

Many believe that in times when humans lived closer to the earth, relying for sustenance on hunting and gathering, then early agriculture and husbandry, there was a keener awareness of the non-physical, recognition of the unseen forces sharing life on this planet, and an acknowledgment of powers accessible to the seeker or initiate. 

Daily living, migrations of wild herds, and agriculture were closely tied to the seasons, or what is called the wheel of the year.  Seafaring and fishing peoples saw that the phases of the moon exerted a pull on the water, and shepherds learned to expect their animals to give birth when the moon was full.  All living creatures paid heed to the still before a hurricane, tree leaves turned upward just before rain, the silence of birds in the presence of a predator, and the quickening of a breeze as a loved one left this life for the next. 

Those who gave special attention to the ways of the earth became known as shamans, priestesses, medicine men, crones and witches.  The tribe or village looked to them for wisdom on where to pitch camp, when to follow a herd, how to find and remove evil intent among its members, how to heal the sick and injured, bring peace to the troubled, and more. 

While many of these societies still exist throughout the world in places where western civilization has not superseded the local culture, for the most part the wise ones of our village have been displaced by two great forces: modern science and institutionalized religion.  Each of these has driven a wedge between mind and spirit, between human and divine, and between humankind and all other life.  And they have each taught us that we cannot trust our intuition, or accept evidence of phenomenon which cannot be demonstrated using contemporary academic methods.

Institutional religion was already well-entrenched in the ancient world by the time the Romans began to use the Latin word paganus to describe the common folks outside of cities.  In fact, a paganus is a “country person.”  The country people of the Roman Empire tended to adhere to local deities, nature spirits and their own traditional practices, resisting the great drive of the Empire to unite all with one religion, first with the cult of the emperor, then Sol Invictus, and finally, that of the new martyr-deity, Jesus. 

Today we are cresting the swell of a return to at least some of the practices of the ancient pagans. 21st century life and oft-irrelevant religion have nurtured a gnawing hunger of the soul for a different reality. Neo-Paganism (neo- because we are, after all, moderns, and live in our own times) is a syncretistic spiritual path, drawing from so-called earth-based traditions worldwide. The history and development of Neo-Paganism is fascinating and complex, and has been addressed fully by others such as Margot Adler, so we will not belabor the point here.

Unfortunately, as the Roman Empire used Christianity to consolidate its grip on most of the Mediterranean and western European worlds, pagans began to be viewed as a threat, or worse, evil, especially when the Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire (the Catholic Church). Tolerated for a time, it was probably inevitable that the country people not yet converted to Christianity would eventually suffer the wrath of the Inquisition, and centuries of shameful witch trials. Even now, terms like pagan, druid or wiccan, are often used derogatorily, or with fear, keeping too many good pagans hidden from mainstream society, deep in the shadows of the broom closet.

We at Osireion love beauty and see the divine in all of its manifestations— art, dance, song and movement, bounty shared, blessings pronounced, counsel sought and wisdom given, birth and death and rebirth again. Modern Paganism weaves a rich and beautiful tapestry out of the customs handed down to us, added to the new ways we are creating under this large and joyous umbrella.

We also recognize the unseen life forces that may be harnessed through meditation and intention. In the hands of a dedicated practitioner, use of those life forces to achieve specific goals, for the good of all concerned, is called magick. To us, magick is another kind of beauty, a way of taking into one’s own hands the power formerly given away to a clergy gatekeeper.

The Pagan Path is not for all. But for those with a heart for excrutiating self-discovery, a spirit of extravagant joy, trust in their own personal integrity, and the will to use power in a positive and responsible way, Paganism holds deep contentments.