A woman presses a staff to her forehead during the autumn equinox at Stonehenge, in the United Kingdom, while a crowd gathers to watch the sunrise.

A woman presses a staff to her forehead during the autumn equinox at Stonehenge, in the United Kingdom, while a crowd gathers to watch the sunrise.© Photograph by Alice Zoo, National Geographic

 

 

A preface to the article below written by Christine MacIntyre of National Geographic to clear up erroneous information, thus misinformation. While also emphasizing aspects of what is written below.

First will be discovered the massive increase in people identifying as pagans in America since 2001.

Then a leading pagan author and sociologist will clearly state the elements of the resurgence of paganism in America.

A move away from organized religion. Translated, turning from God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Bible, Christianity to what replaces — “spirituality” — which translated is anything a person believes and where they place their faith, whatever a person believes in and places their faith replacing God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Let’s no longer make excuses or mince words. Or fear. Or lie. Anything that is not of God, of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the Holy Spirit, and of the Word of God is of the world. A world in which throughout history the majority of people have worshipped creation rather than the Creator and the people have been fallen, awash in sin, worshipping the sun, moon, stars, every creeping thing and animal.

Rather than God.

The author openly states that the rise of feminism, “female empowerment” and homosexual rights movements, climate change, and selfish “religions” devoid of God and whatever makes an individual feel good as they worship the earth and self are all part of the resurgence of paganism. And its widespread acceptance.

Feminism and environmentalism are direct branches of the pagan root.  As is the rise of homosexuality which is focused on lust and immoral, sinful, against God and nature sexual pleasures rather than rights and just wanting to be accepted and equal as is the lie told and believed by many.

The people approve of it. The people approve of all the lies, wickedness, and rebellion against God.

Later in the article poor Sarah Pike, an author and professor at a college in California is confused and wrong when she states, “It’s very difficult to sum up what Paganism ‘is’ since there is so much diversity.”

No, Sarah, it isn’t difficult. Paganism is the worship of anything in creation and not worshipping the Creator. Paganism is selfish. Seeking pleasure. Paganism is all that is alien and opposed to God, acknowledging God, and worshipping God alone. Paganism is the religion and worship created by Satan to distract, seduce, and enslave people away from the truth of God.

Paganism is darkness and evil and leads to death. Eternal death unless a person caught in its snare comes to see and know and believe and thus become changed within how evil paganism is and they come to see the light, truth, and way only God, only Jesus, only the Holy Spirit, only what is contained in the Bible is true enlightenment, true spirituality leading to life.

Yes, people flock to the deception, the lies, and the darkness. Drawn to it ironically like a moth to a bug zapping light on a front porch.

Where to find it?

Everywhere at this time. Just turn on the TV. Turn on a computer. Turn on a tablet. A mobile phone. Paganism — the rebellion against God, the worshipping of creation, the earth, the relentless effort to remove the patriarchy and replace it with the “goddess” matriarchy, Satanism, witchcraft, yoga, New Age cures, and things such as Reiki, tarot cards, readings, astrology and myriad other seemingly harmless things people shrug at are all part and parcel of paganism.

Just as your weather person, or you, saying “Mother Nature” is.

Mother Nature has its roots deep and firmly in paganism. Goddess worship. Earth worship. Removing God the Creator.

Every time your weather person, or you, or anyone you know utters the words, “Mother Nature” they are furthering paganism and removed from God.

Not according to me. How it really is.

Perhaps it’s time folks began paying much closer attention to words, practices, and what is taking place, and understand its true origins and what it really is working towards…

You don’t need to be in costume dancing around Stonehedge wearing animal horns or antlers and chanting to be a pagan. Most of the people of this world are true pagans. Many that even profess to be Christian. Believe it or not.

It’s why there are constant reminders and instructions in the Holy Bible to avoid such practices, such people and ways and not to let them mingle, become part of life, part of the church. Because it quickly, subtly, and easily creeps in. Not appearing as a giant dark demon at the door with flame-red eyes, but appearing as a pleasing and good idea. Something benign. No big deal.

Beware.

Always.

I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jude 1:3b-4

Romans 1

 

Ken Pullen, A CROOKED PATH, Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023

 

Paganism is on the rise—here’s where to discover its traditions

 

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

By Christine MacIntyre

Reprinted from National Geographic

 

Centuries ago, Wiccans traveled windy moors to worship the Horned God. Ancient Egyptians crossed deserts to invoke the protection of Isis. Druids journeyed to a forest clearing to perform rituals under the moon. But over time, such deities faded into myth; the rituals went underground.

Recently, however, a resurgence of interest in Pagan practices—crystals and tarot cards, astrology, and herbal magic—has brought Paganism from the fringes back to the center of pop culture, or at least to the top of your TikTok feed.

At least 1.5 million people in the United States identify as Pagans—up from 134,000 in 2001. They range from Wiccans and Kemetics to TikTok witches and heathens. (See explainer of these groups below.)

“There is, in general, a move away from organized religions and toward spirituality,” says Helen Berger, an author and sociologist of contemporary Paganism and witchcraft. Female empowerment and homosexual rights movements, the climate crisis, and a desire for a more life-affirming religion have fueled interest in the growing spiritual community, she adds.

Witch Brian Cain addresses a gathering of the Witches’ Magic Circle in Salem, Massachusetts, on October 31, 2021. The ceremony honors friends and family members who have died.

Witch Brian Cain addresses a gathering of the Witches’ Magic Circle in Salem, Massachusetts, on October 31, 2021. The ceremony honors friends and family members who have died.© Photograph by Joseph Prezioso, AFP/Getty

From spellcasting in Salem, Massachusetts, to full moon rituals in Asheville, North Carolina, to transcending the metaphysical plane in Sedona, Arizona, here’s how to immerse yourself in the cultural traditions of Pagan communities.

The return to mainstream

“It’s very difficult to sum up what Paganism ‘is’ since there is so much diversity,” says Sarah Pike, author and professor of comparative religion at California State University, Chico. “Pagans view the natural world as sacred. They celebrate the interconnectedness of all things, seeing humans, nature, and spiritual beings as part of a web of life.”

Historically, the term pagan referred to anyone who didn’t believe in Judeo-Christian principles, often belonging to ancient cultures in countries such as GreeceRomeEgypt, Scandinavia, and Ireland. “Most ancient Pagans did not use the term Pagan themselves or see themselves as belonging to a distinct group,” says Edward Watts, professor of history at the University of California, San Diego.

After centuries of persecution, Paganism remained mainly a fringe practice until the 1960s. It became an attractive religion to follow for those rebelling against restrictive social norms. In the past decade, the rise of TikTok—#witchtok has more than 35 billion views—and popular TV shows like the Chilling Adventures of SabrinaVikingsSupernatural, and American Horror Story: Coven are helping drive increased interest in the spiritual movement.

Where to experience Pagan culture 

Attending a ritual event is one way to learn about Pagan practices. Samhain, celebrated from the evening of October 31 into November 1, marks the end of harvest season and the start of winter. In Salem, Pagans observe the holiday with festivals, dancing, nature walks, and honoring their ancestors. Visitors can attend the Official Salem Witches’ Halloween Ball to witness ceremonial dances, spellcasting, and other rituals.

Dixie “Queen Lady Passion” Deerman, founder and high priestess of Coven Oldenwilde in Asheville says that to experience rituals firsthand is transformational, as participants experience an ecstatic state, creating a feeling of oneness with other participants. “Immersion in ritual is akin to floating in soul-soothing water,” Deerman says. “Anyone can be swept up in a liberating rite that encourages unbridled passion.”

Travelers can visit Mother Grove Goddess Temple, near downtown Asheville, to join in public rituals during the ancient holy days (and Earth Day) and participate in full moon ceremonies. During other key Pagan holidays like Yule (winter solstice), Ostara (spring equinox), and Litha (midsummer solstice), Salem’s Witch House, the only standing structure in town with direct ties to the Salem witch trials of 1692, offers live demonstrations and activities that teach about Pagan traditions.

(Witch hunt tourism is lucrative. It also obscures a tragic history.)

Roger Herson, a practicing wizard, says Salem’s New England Magic and Pentagram are great starting places for people exploring Paganism since they’re both a “shop and school of witchcraft and wizardry,” he says.

“There are many witches in Salem who still practice and teach ‘magick’ in an authentic way, as opposed to those who are more into the glitz and glam,” Herson says.

Salem and Asheville aren’t the only towns known for pagan gatherings. In Southern CaliforniaPacific Circle Revival hosts a community retreat where campers unplug and connect with the earth through spiritual rituals and educational workshops. Every July, during the midsummer solstice, WitchsFest USA—one of the most visible Pagan festivals in the U.S.—draws thousands into the streets of Manhattan for dance circles, 60 different “magickal” workshops, and guest lectures from global Pagan leaders.

Pagan-friendly communities teeming with psychic shops, astrology classes, natural healers, and metaphysical supply stores appeal to the physical components of Paganism. But in Sedona, a city known for its vortexes and sites of spiraling energy, it’s the spiritual activities that draw thousands of tourists to the Red Rocks annually.

“Tourist guides there will say there are four specific vortexes around the town—Airport Mesa, Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, and Boynton Canyon—but local lore has it that the whole area is a vortex that enhances spiritual practices such as meditation, clairvoyance, and yoga,” says Susannah Crockford, an anthropologist and author.

For transformative experiences, Sedonya Conscious Living Retreat allows guests to experience a New Moon Activation and Intention Ceremony and Ritual to Rise retreat at nature’s doorstep. Green Witch Creations, an apothecary in Sedona, provides workshops on spiritual empowerment, chakra alignment, and aura healing. It also sells chakra jewelry and crystal wands, and offers tarot card readings and Reiki energy sessions.

Deerman says people curious about Paganism should search for ways to experience the culture firsthand and be ready to learn. “Tourists flock to meet us to see if what we write in our books is really true,” she says. “They get to see that we live what we write and are inspired by it.”