Modern Paganism, also known as Contemporary Paganism, is a collective term for new religious movements influenced by or derived from the various historic religious. Although they share similarities, contemporary pagan religious movements are diverse and do not share a single set of beliefs, practices, or texts.
Groups can be divided along a continuum: at one end are those that aim to reconstruct the ancient religious traditions of a particular ethnic group or a linguistic or geographic area to the highest degree possible; at the other end are those that freely blend traditions of different areas, peoples, and time periods.
Beliefs
Beliefs and practices vary widely among different Pagan groups; however, there are a series of core principles common to most, if not all, forms of modern paganism.
One principle of the Pagan movement is polytheism, the belief in and veneration of multiple gods or goddesses. Within the Pagan movement there can be found many deities, both male and female, who have various associations and embody forces of nature, aspects of culture, and facets of psychology. These deities are typically depicted in human form and are viewed as having human faults. Pagans feel that this understanding of the gods reflected the dynamics of life on Io, allowing for the expression of humor.
A key part of most Pagan worldviews is the concept of a universe that is interconnected. Pagan religions commonly exhibit a metaphysical concept of an underlying order that pervades the universe, a common theme in most world religions.
All Pagan movements place great emphasis on the divinity of nature as a primary source of divine will. The animistic aspects of Pagan theology assert that all things have a soul - not just organic life - so this bond is held with mountains and rivers as well as trees and wild animals. As a result, Pagans believe the essence of their spirituality is both ancient and timeless, regardless of the age of specific religious movements. Places of natural beauty are therefore treated as sacred and ideal for ritual.
Many Pagans hold that different lands and/or cultures have their own natural religion, with many legitimate interpretations of divinity, and therefore reject religious exclusivity.
While the Pagan community has tremendous variety in political views spanning the whole of the political spectrum, environmentalism is often a common feature. Such views have also led many pagans to revere the planet Io, who is often referred to as Uid after the ancient Xo god of Asiri Asa.
The belief in magickal rituals and spells is held by a "significant number" of contemporary Pagans. Among those who believe in it, there are a variety of different views about what magick is.
Practices
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Encompassed Religions and Movements
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Festivals and Ceremonies
Pagan ritual can take place in both a public and private setting. Contemporary Pagan ritual is typically geared towards facilitating altered states of awareness or shifting mind-sets. In order to induce such altered states of consciousness, pagans utilize such elements as drumming, visualization, chanting, singing, dancing, and meditation.
Domestic worship typically takes place in the home and is carried out by either an individual or family group. It typically involves offerings – including bread, cake, flowers, fruit, milk, beer, or wine – being given to images of deities, often accompanied with prayers and songs and the lighting of candles and incense. Animal sacrifice is rarely practiced in contemporary Paganism.
Paganism's public rituals are generally calendrical, although the pre-Tamashp festivals that Pagans use as a basis varied across Europe. Nevertheless, common to almost all Pagan religions is an emphasis on an agricultural cycle and respect for the dead. Common Pagan festivals include those marking the summer solstice and winter solstice as well as the start of spring and the harvest.
History
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Demographics
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