There's a shotglass of whiskey or tea there. I made the shrine myself, and added several cds and books that are intrinsic to me to it; I often sit in quiet contemplation with them. Odin is my father, Thor my brother, and Loki my namesake. The death goddess I call Mothir; I try not to invoke her. Strength, wisdom, cunning, and persistence are the key words for them, but naturally, there are many more.

I'm aware that there are many writings and discussions about the reasoning and logic behind monotheism, and probably even atheism. But are there articles, books, or just thoughts on why polytheism is rational as well? Or a systematic philosophy of polytheism from a Pagan perspective (Hellenic, Heathen, Wiccan, Celtic, etc.)? I wanted to ask the hive mind about this question since it's been on my mind for a few days. I know that for most of us, some of this just comes down to basic worldview and what we think makes sense intuitively... or personal experience.

I revere Celtic deities as a Druid while also focusing on the Earth and Nature spirits. But personally I also believe that the Universe was birthed from a few Divine forces, which I think of as abstract and beyond personal. I can't fathom why They might have created everything, but consciousness is important for reality. That looks like the Big Bang and quantum fluctuations.

Created this account after being off reddit for forever to ask this specific question cuz I wasn’t having luck asking anybody in my life or in my own research, I keep hitting a wall here.
Feeling a profound frustration as a revivalist/recon leaning pagan who draws from and syncretizes several British Isle traditions (namely Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Anglo Saxon,) with the rationale that 1. these were the traditions of many of my ancestors, 2. these traditions cross pollinated ideas plenty often historically anyway, and 3. had paganism survived as a minority tradition in Europe, it’s highly plausible based on how Christian persecution operated that these peoples would’ve melded traditions in another world anyway, if only for survival as they got squeezed together by the same forces.
My frustration is this - I want to be able to quickly name my tradition in a way people will know what I’m referring to that doesn’t draw on reclaimed slurs like pagan or heathen, or use Latin derived terms like polytheism given that Latin was the tongue of these people’s conquerers. I could just say “the Old Custom” in any of the four languages these traditions use, but I’d leave out the influence of the other three. I could say “The Old Isle Way,” but that risks sounding vague or like it’s from a piece of fantasy media (being seen as a LARPer is probably the most frustrating and patronizing perception I get, I’m sure others feel the same way,) and I could say British Isle Folk Religion, but that risks sounding folkish when I actually relate to all recon paganism as a set of adoptive, revivalist hearth traditions.
Surely someone has wrestled with this specific thing before me and has some thoughts. Any ideas or recommendations or feedback welcome. My non pagan friends say I gotta just get used to giving it a few sentences of explanation but I’m feeling a particular frustration and grief around the fact that these traditions veing broken means we just don’t get quick terms like other religions, and maybe I’ll realize my friends are right after banging my head against the issue for a while, but I gotta bang my head against it first

I’m a former southern baptist/christian that is now pagan.
My grandmother was always very Christian.
She passed recently and gave my older brother her Virgin Mary statue. He has studied many religions and is currently agnostic. He gave it to me for safe keeping as he has nowhere to place it and moved states.
I have kind of an altar. I’m not confident enough to fully call it an altar. I’m still… iffy about if I’m doing any of this correctly. I want to be respectful and don’t want to call it an altar if I haven’t done it right.
It has stones on it as a kind of offering to certain gods. It’s where I keep my incense burner and other offerings.
Is it offensive if I place my Virgin Mary statue there? If it is, would it be offensive if I place her near it?
I ask because Christianity is still a sentimental part of me even though I don’t believe in it or practice it anymore. I don’t want to be offensive or anything. I have gotten mixed answers before.

I identify as a Naturalistic Pagan. I’m Atheist, so I don’t believe in any gods and think there is a scientific reasoning behind the world. If I had to put my belief into a sentence, it would go something like this: “Nature is sacred simply because it exist, not because it was made by god.” It’s what I usually use to explain my beliefs to people. I don’t follow the wheel of year or spell work/witchcraft.

My current practices:
I celebrate the seasons and important events in nature. I try to grow most of the veggies I eat myself and am working towards raising and processing my own meats as well. I try to show respect to and honor the animals that I eat. I also like to create altars to represent the season or whatever I’m celebrating. I do my best to reduce my negative impact on the nature around me and help animals when I can. Or I bring the season into my home with decor and natural air fresheners like simmer pots. I try to make things out of natural materials or cook from scratch.

Things I’ve seen other Atheistic Pagans talk about:
I’ve seen those with similar views as me using gods as personifications of things they are worshiping/celebrating instead of working with the god itself as an actual supernatural deity. (Like using Persephone to represent spring but not actually believing in Persephone as being a deity.) -> The issue I have with this is I try my best to separate my practice from any deities/supernatural forces. I don’t think that pathway works for me.

I practice what I do as a way of respecting and showing honor to nature. I am an animal in nature, and I am on this planet because of it. I’ve looked into like the “Mother Earth” stuff, but I still think that’s honoring a deity and not nature itself.

Anyways, I’m trying to look for more to do than what I already do. I feel like most practices I look into are very focused on being directed at a deity of some kind and want any tips on things I can do or look into to expand my practice that don’t involve gods/goddesses. Or things I can take inspiration from to help further my practice. I feel like I’m getting stuck in place and can’t find much that fits my beliefs as I don’t think my belief is particularly common.

Also please let me know if this isn’t a good server to ask in or if this goes against the rules. I understand that a lot of people don’t believe you can be an Atheistic Pagan and I understand that. It’s just what I’ve found to describe myself.

What do you typically consider to be something you would pour for libations? Do you pour yours into a libations bowl at an altar, or straight onto the ground outside? Both? When is is more appropriate to do one over the other? What would not be appropriate to pour as a libation?

I've seen people pour Libations of wine, water, and tea. What else is typically poured? Would you pour juice or expensive soda? Would you pour modern alcohols? Like flavored smirnoff? Domestics? Would you pour lemonade or other fruit extract drinks? Do you burn oil or alcohol that's poured in the libation bowl, or are burnt liquids poured elsewhere? How often do you empty a libations bowl? Immediately after the ritual or a whole day? Maybe once it starts to lose quality?

I've seen both libations poured into a bowl and poured onto the ground. Which do you do and why? What is the etiquette for a libation poured onto the ground?

In general for both: Is it ok to drink from a bottle that still has liquid left in it after it is poured as a libation? Is a verbal hymn, invocation, or promise required or preferred before a libation?

I have a few questions about Corn and how it influences your practice?

I was sacrificing cornbread on my Altars to Aphrodite and Lada, and buried some in the ground for the Corn Mother. While I was singing about the Corn Mother and pouring my libations, the following came to mind:

As we all know, corn originates from the Americas, and Pre-Abrahamic Europeans did not get access to corn, unless they somehow had direct contact with Indigenous Americans. Despite this, some Gods from those communities are associated with corn. For example, Jarilo/Gerovit/Jarowicie in Rodnovery is associated with corn. I have also heard some people say that Isis is associated with corn. I have also heard many Irish folk songs mentioning corn. How are these associationss possible if these communities never had access to corn?

For non-native-anerican prechristian, preislamic, or prejudaic religions, how is corn used? Do you consider using it as an offering? If so, to which Gods? Why? Is there any reason you would avoid sacrificing it to specific Deities? If you were to sacrifice corn, who would it be to?

Hey, so. A while back I came here seeking advice on an issue I was having with a sort of disconnect from my practice due to my circumstances (being new to this, late mother passed before she could teach me anything, physical illness impacting my mental clarity...) and while I'm still struggling with that, it's not actually why I'm here.

Tomorrow and November 10th are both days that could be considered my first anniversary working with my deity, and though they feel absent in my life right now, I'd like to do something to honor their presence in my life and what they've done for me.

And it has me curious about how this looks for others! Have you ever done any sort of "anniversary" ritual like this? How did you go about it? Do you even keep that date in mind?

Personally, I'm planning on a smaller celebration tomorrow; reorganizing my altar and leaving them a special offering- October 16 is the day we "met", but I didn't start working with them until November 10th, and I want to save the big stuff for the "real" day so to speak. The real day? I'm not entirely sure what my plan is yet outside of doing something more involved if my health allows.

I'm not sure how to end this post off, this feels awkward and unfinished and it's nagging at me but I can't think of anything I can say to make it feel finished LOL... But yeah, I'd love to hear about your thoughts and experiences with any sort of anniversaries or general special dates for you and your deities!

I am relatively new to Reddit, but not to paganism. Recently I’ve read some online “discussions” on various pagan forums that made my eye twitch. I pulled back from paganism years ago, because I was over the infighting. Out of curiosity, in people’s experience, what types paganism & their communities do you find to have the least amount of bickering?

For context: I am a fairly new Italian folk pagan who is a devotee to Proserphina (Persephone). As someone who is also a witch, I wanted to adopt the practice of having a patron and matron deity at my alter as my two main deities I’m devoted to (only I have two fem deities lol). I originally placed Proserphina and Nox at my alter. I’ve given offerings to both, but have only really built a connection with Proserphina. Recently, I’ve been feeling called to work with Diana instead of Nox. Is that allowed? I don’t want to offend her by essentially replacing her, but I originally made my set up while still first learning about different deities. Also I would probably still work with her and build a relationship with her, just not as much as Proserphina and Diana. Any advise would be appreciated! Note : I have not made any oaths or promises of loyalty to anyone)

Hi! Be for I say anything, I would like to say im currently homeless, which is the root of my problem. I want to be able to worship my gods by making a portable alter. But while im working on that, is there an app I can download or something for that? I do know that I can worship other ways, but the way I show affection and gratitude is creating things.

Lately the feeling of the presence and familiarity with some of the deities I worship has felt distant and quiet. When I remember offerings (I have ADHD so the gods are familiar with my inconsistencies and it hasn't been a problem before) there is a noticeable uptick in good luck, usually in the form of more tips and green lights when I'm late to work. But there's little to no background hum of spirituality in my day to day, which is a new experience for me.

I have stepped away from spirituality and magic on purpose when I noticed myself gaining maladaptive habits around it, but never felt so ... neutral/transactional before when it wasn't on my terms. I went through a very bad relationship and amongst the psychological abuse there were times where religious psychosis set in so I am vigilant about my involvement, but outside of that environment I don't believe I am at risk for developing a problem again, so this feels odd. Even the parts of my belief that are comforting feel distant and quiet in ways they've never done before.

For specificity, my main deity is Brighid, followed closely by Freya and more recently Hecate. The first two feel very distant. Hecate just feels busy, so I'm less worried about my relationship with her and more with the other two. Freya more than anything.

Any suggestions on how to get the spark back? Or should I just continue as I'm going and they will come back when they want to?

So I'm a University Student in Animal Science Major but I've always had a passion for writing. I usually tend to write these fantasy stories but I am writing a sort of Pseudo-Autobiography but through the religious lense of Paganism and how I found it. This is not a promotion I am simply just super proud of myself as I write this! I honestly hope people are interested enough to go to Wattpad and read it though... but im just doing this for fun even though I need a restful night's sleep... WORTH IT (By the way this is a devotional act for my Gods and Goddessess)

Who here worships Augenblicksgötter? They are deities that are instantiated in the moment rather than being gods with specialized, eternal domains.

An example of an Augenblickgott is, for instance, a stream during a drought. Another example would be a lightning flash; The picture above is a real phenomenon, called a red sprite, which was captured incidentally by someone filming storms gathering over Barcelona from Montemaggiore on Corsica. A kind of phenomenon that, once we see it and we realize just how big this flash is in reality (considering the distance between Corsica and Barcelona, it is around 700km tall), makes us realize how small we are.

As for me, whenever a truly magnificent storm rages through, it is when I feel most called to worship. I've felt this way ever since I was a child. I feel similarly in certain botanical gardens or indoor zoos. I have paid homage to the various Augenblicksgötter averted lethal traffic accidents many times in my life.

I want this post to remind everyone that paganism is a religion with incredible diversity and weirdness. Deities can be a flash that leave us in awe, or the feeling of home-coming, or the relief of a crisis averted.

Hi all,

I am fairly new to Paganism and I'm trying to understand more about what I have, until this point, been more comfortably calling my "pathway". I feel like this has been a journey I've been led on and I am trying to understand more about the world I'm drawn to.

I have a great affection for nature and I'm trying to understand more about the botanical side. I was wondering if anyone could recommend any books or resources on UK mushroom and herb (ideally medicinal or ritual) identification. Just to be clear, I dont eat mushrooms. I enjoy taking photos of mushrooms and just wanted to be able to identify them. I am in the UK, so I'd be looking for books specifically for this area of the world.

There are many books online, but its hard to know which ones are reputable or accurate.. Unfortunately, where I live there are very few book shops so I've been relying on charity shops and amazon.

Any foraging of mushrooms/herbs/flowers would be for preserving for pressing and rituals.

Thanks!

I have a feeling like this should work since we are all creators.

I’m an Aphrodite devotee and I love her and feel so close to her but I always think of myself as ugly and I think it slightly ruins the relationship between me as a devotee and her as a goddess. Everytime I look in the mirror I think of how much I hate how I look and that’s like the opposite of what an Aphrodite devotee is meant to do. I hate my acne and my paleness and my really frizzy blonde hair and my entire face and I get such bad energy from her everytime I think about it

I've been meditating on and off for years, have occasionally gotten to a state of feeling as if my body is growing heavy while also...floating?? but haven't ever been able to make it further than this point.

As for entering a trance, I'm also unable to enter one. I meditate, light incense, listen to quided neditation, or ust right up drumming beats, and use box breathing, but I typically fall straight asleep instead of going into any form of trance/AP-I'm frustrated.

Any advice?

I consider myself agnostic leaning Wiccan and do my best to observe the Wiccan sabbats, sometimes in only small ways and typically privately. However, Samhain dumb supper has become more of a tradition that my family has embraced. This year, I'm expecting my first child and just as I have with food, medicine, and activities, I thought I should look into the "safety" of having dumb supper while pregnant. Unfortunately, there is no NIH or NHS or ACOG for pagan traditions so I wanted to get some thoughts from the community...

Should I skip it this year? How worried should I be about inviting spirits with new, vulnerable life unavoidably in the room while the veil is so thin? Might there be a less "risky" way to honor those who have passed and of connecting with the particular ancestors I can feel in my bones would only seek to protect my unborn baby?

I'm growing increasingly concerned with how fast christian nationialism is gaining popularity in my community. It's getting scary.

The largest church in town just opened its 4th or 5th campus in my state, and their teachings are explicitly anti pagan, witch, and mental illness.

They are involved in the local government, and have youth groups in all the schools, from elementary to college.

One of their main teachings is "deliverance", which they say involves casting out the demons who "may oppress areas of the soul or flesh when given access through ancestral bondage, willful sin, or unhealed trauma". They have classes on how to combat witchcraft and curses, and how pagansim and witchcraft open the door to demonic posession.

They are even building a new dormitory for "the next generation of leaders".

It's really beginning to scare me. This is a growing cult that is one sermon away from a call to violence, and I don't know how I'm supposed to protect the other pagans in my community or myself for that matter. They think they're in a literal spiritual war with us and they obviously want us gone.

I know it's not a physical war yet, but how long until they make that a reality?

Ps. I don't want to say the name for fear of doxxing myself, but if you google around you can probably figure it out.

hello!

for any pagans who celebrate the wheel of the year calendar, i was wondering, is samhain generally considered the new year? thanks (: happy autumn!