by Jesse Potter aka Elkin Vanaeon
On this ninth
day of August in the year of our Lord and
Lady 2005 CE
In the origins of people in this world, all people were Pagan in the forming and developing of their cultural religions, societies, languages, and laws. Early peoples have all been brought together in times of peace and war due to changes of increasing populations, climate, and resources. Pagans have been described as barbarians, godless people, and heathens in texts written by Judeo Christian and Islamic scholars whose writings merely portray their own religious beliefs, dogmas, and doctrines while denying their own pagan origins as well as the religions, cultures, and beliefs of other people. Paganism is found in:
The acknowledgement of Paganism involves the historical identification of the different civilizations and of the many tribes and cultures within them. This includes the evolution of new peoples who merged from them to form their own unique identity of cultural beliefs.
Pagans of today are recognized as peoples of diverse religions and traditions rooted in earth-centered spirituality, many inspired by previous native traditions. While there are no universal doctrines, creeds, holy books, buildings, places to worship, or hierarchy of religious leaders that encompass all the peoples of Paganism. Most Pagan traditions require their members to abide by specific guidelines and principles as creeds or laws established within their tradition.
Almost all of the present day pagan movements have adopted the title of "Neo-Paganism" and refer to themselves as being NeoPagan or having NeoPagan traditions, based on previously established proto-cultural traditions. Many, but not all, Neo-Pagans have especially re-established their traditions of Goddess-worship with Goddesses as a model for ecological balance, which is widespread in the Pagan movement.
The various number of Traditions and Religious beliefs of Pagans are identified through their connection to ancient beliefs, lifestyles and practices, gods, symbols, lands, music, myths, and historical cultures such as:
These are but a few of the names of Pagan traditions, most of whom are NeoPagan, that have been Identified:
Akkadian, Alchemistic, Alexandrian Wicca, Ancient Pictish Gaelic Way, Anglo-Romany Traditon, Anglo-Saxon Tradition, Aquarian Tabernacle Church, American Tradition, Ancient Roman Mysteries Tradition, Ancient Ways, Appalachian Granny Magic Tradition, Arcane Wisdom Tradition, Asatru, Ar nDraiocht Feinn, Authurian, Avalon Tradition, Babylonian, Bardic Tradition, Blue Star Tradition, Brezonek Tradition, Brittanic Tradition, Brythonic Tradition, British Tradition, Cabot Tradition, Caledonii Tradition, Caledonii Grande Tradition, Caodasim, Candomble, Celestial Circle Tradition, Celtiberian, Celtic Bardic Tradition, Celtic Dragonic, Celtic Dryadic Tradition, Celtic Restoration, Celtic Shamanism, Celtic/Saxon Tradition, Celtic Teutonic, Celtic Tradition, Celtic/Welsh Tradition, CelticWicca, Celto-Germanic Old Religion, Ceremonial Magick, Chaos Tradition, Church of Aphrodite, Church of All Worlds, Church of Iron Oak, Church of Wicca, Circle Sanctuary, Continental Tradition of Old Religion, Covenant of the Goddess, Creabh Ruadh Tradition, Cymry Wicca, Dakamonian Wicca, Deborean Tradition, Dianic Wicca, Discordian, Draconian Shamanism, Dragon Magick, Dragonwood, Dreamwalker, Druidiactos, Druse, Earth Spirit, Ecclastic, Eclectic, Eclectic Gnostic, Eckankar, Elemental Tradition, Enochian, Esoteric, European Aradia, Family Traditions, Faerie Faith, Faerie Tradition, Faerie Wicca, Eireannach Tradition, Fennian Tradition, Feminist Dianic Wicca, Feraferia, Gaelic Tradition, Gaelige Tribal Tradition, Gardnerian, Gaurdian Witch, Georgian, Gnostic Wicca, Gnosticism, Goddess Tradition, Goddess Worship, Golden Dawn, Grail Quest, Graeco-Roman Tradition, Greek Mystery Tradition, Green Witch, Hebridean Tradition, Hellenic, Henge of Keltria, Hereditary Traditon, Hermetic Magick, Herne, Hibernian Tradition, Historian Symbolism Humanity, Ifa, Indigenous Spirituality, Irish Wicca, Irish Tradition, Isian, Kabbalist/Qabalah, Kingstone Tradition, Kitchen Witch, Labborian Sckanzie Wicca, Light Workers, Lilliam, Lithuanian Romuva, Lunna Wicca Tradition, Lycian Tradition, Macumba, Maidenhill Tradition, Majestic Tradition, Manx Tradition, Metaphysical Tradition, Minoan Tradition, Mohsian Tradition, Mowahhidoon, Native American Tradition, Native Spirituality, Natural Magick, Neo-Gardenerian Wicca, Necronomicon Magick, Neo-Celtic, New Age Spirituality, New Revised Order of the Golden Dawn (NROOGD), Norse Heathen, Norse Valkyrie, North Country Tradition, North Isles Tradition, Northern Tradition, Northwind Tradition, Oakmist Tradition, Odinism, Odyssian Tradition, Old Welsh, Order of Bard Ovates and Druids, Order of the Illuminati, Order of Selohaar, Ordo Templi Orientis, Osho, Palo Mayombe, Pecti-Wita, PectiWitan, Pictish Tradition, Pow Wow, Protean, Psycological Personal, Pythagorean, Quantum Pantheist, Radical Faeries, Reclaiming Tradition, Red Witch Tradition, Reformed Druids, Reiki, Roebuck Tradition, Rom, Roma, Romani, Romano-Gaulish Tradition, Rroma, Sacred Wheel Tradition, Sangria, Scotia Tradition, Scottish Tradition, Seax-Wicca, Selene Wicca, Shamanic Neo-Faery Tradition, Shambhala, Shaolin, Slavic Tradition, Spitzalodian Wicca, Spiritualist Movement, Starkindler Tradition, Strega, Stregheria, Sumerian, Sybil Leek Tradition/WoCG, Sylvan Tradition, Tantric, Tech Mage, Technopagan, Technomage, The Sabaeab Religious Order, The Church of Eternal Source, Thelema, Theodism, Theosophical Society, Theosophy, Theurgy, Tibetan, Traditional Gwyddonic Order of Wicca, Tetonic Druidic, Tuatha De Danann Tradition, Tuetonic, Umbanda, Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPs), Urban Witch, Urantia Book Traditon, Ueleda Tradition, Ven Antic, Welsh Tradition, West Country Tradition, Wicce, Witan Tradition, Witta, Wittan Tradition, Woodland Celtic Wicca, Western Hermetic Tradition, Western Magickal Tradition, Western Mystery Tradition, Western Spiritual Tradition, Wheel of Wisdom Tradition, Witchcraft, Wodens Gothi Asatru, Wolf Shamanism, Wyld Magick, Y Tywyth Teg, Yoruba, and Zen Druid
If you haven't noticed ... some of the earlier traditions used specific identifying markers which later traditions broadened and expanded upon - simple early titles such as Eclectic, Gnosticism, Wicca, Sumerian, etc...! These pagans are found in all walks of life and recent census records of the Military Pagan Network demonstrate that many Native Americans, Druids, and Wiccans have publicly acknowledged their pagan status within the military who make up the more than 10,000 estimated pagans in the US armed forces. The Pagan Census of 2002 estimated over 1,000,000 pagans in the North America region with an estimate of over twelve hundred Pagan Traditions. These figures are constantly climbing and may be off by more than fifty percent since many pagans refuse to acknowledge their pagan status due to religious intolerance and safety considerations. The larger world Census of pagan populations are still fluctuating in growth in Canada, the northern movements of the Federated Pagans in Europe as well as the Mid-Atlantic and the southern movement of Federated Pagans in Africa, Australia, and South America.