Neopaganism

reasonable, exclusive Neopagan movements, many of which define themselves as ‘tribal’ or ‘folkish’, are in many cases hostile to other faith traditions. Chiefly, many forms of revived European polytheism are overtly hostile to both Judaism and Christianity. This disdain often includes conspiratorial canards, often recycling those historically held by Christians against Jews, Protestants against Catholics, etc. In at least one case such hostility has led to acts of domestic terrorism; in … Norwegian black-metal musician and convicted murderer Varg Vikarnes bombed a historic Cathedral in the name of Odin. For the non-folkish forms of Modern Paganism, questions of ethnicity are less important than those of morality. Many forms of Modern Neopaganism have an earthy focus on open sexual expression, and indeed quite a libertine worldview. While it is rare to find a Neopagan opposed to sexual expression outside marriage,…

The Witch's Hammer In 1559, Pope Paul IV had The Witch's Hammer published as kinda a manual on how to hunt, capture, and torture Witches. They would use the common things from having weird birthmarks, to having a simple medical herb garden as signs as one being a witch. In this essay, I will explain the meaning of the Witch's Hammer, and what it means to me. I will also discuss how it is used in the Pagan and Wiccan community and if I would use it in my own practice. I will be discussing why it…

Witchcraft in Europe Witchcraft lore has been around for thousands of years. One would be able to assume this since their overall knowledge wasn’t as advanced as we have become. We know how things work, what helps our plants grow, and how to heal people through medicine. The previous were all things the early people in Europe new little about, thus anyone that seemed able to do these things were considered a witch. The reason they were considered witches was because if they were able to help…

Wicca frequently uses the god and goddess to perform magical acts. Wicca is one of the true forms where witchcraft is practiced by the ancients. Wicca is where it honors both the god and goddess and the changing of the seasons also known as the Wheel of the Year. They believe in a law that they call the Wiccan Rede where Harm None is their belief. Witches are concerned folk healers as well as mediators who do practice folk magic. They sometimes use magic to manipulate the energy to…

The chapter three on The Twilight of Paganism: Magic in Norse and Irish Culture describes the mythology of Irish culture. One of the Irish literature involves a man named Conle that is tempted by a seductive female fairy. As the fairy invites Conle to partake in paradise with her at Fairy Hill where there are never ending feasts and no death. However, Conle uses a charm that was given to him by a Druid to fend off the fairy’s allurement. Although, this only lasts temporally and the fairy…

The word Hex is one that has permeated much of common literature and culture often being seen as a word that detonates an evil spell or some sort of curse upon the recipient. Curse and hex are two words that are frequently misused or confused together within the context of Paganism. However, after researching the word hex, I have found that a hex spell isn't necessarily a spell designed with evil intent. What a hex essentially is revolves around manipulation of somebody else's will. This…

Research Paper What are the similarities between witchcraft and witch doctors you might ask? Lets find out. In the first paragraph I will discuss what witchcraft (Satanism) is, then what the Salem witch trials. “The word witchcraft is used in many different ways. The word witch is derived from Old English wicca (masc., "wizard") and wicce (fem., "witch").” (Ciekawy). Sorcerers were and still thought to have powers unique to Satanism or in other words Witchcraft. Is the total…

Witches and Warlocks have been around for centuries all over the world. Everyone has different ideas about them, whether it’s the way they imagine witches would look or if they believe they’re real or not. The definition of a witch, along with the belief in them, has been widely debated. From their first discovery, to modern day there is still no true definition of a witch. As of now, witches are still believed to exist. They have been described in many different forms among cultures and…

Lecturing to a freshman-year college religion class, a professor posed the above question to the students. While the majority of the class scoffed and immediately responded with a resounding “no, of course not,” one of the students, Scarlet Decker, hesitantly agreed. She did not necessarily believe in the corporeal manifestation of Witches in the physical world, but rather approached the concept in the context of her belief in the power of thoughts. In the case of magical manifestations, if…

Paganism is a very ancient religion the word paganism comes from the word "pagus” which means a "country dweller or villager" This is not a christian religion it is stated that paganism is older than Christianity. Paganism is a polytheistic or pantheistic nature-base religion. Pagans worship many Gods and Goddess or they just chose one or the other to work with Pagans are not set in stone type of people there are many different traditions throughout paganism. Most pagans do not tell everyone…