The Pluralism Project at Harvard University
What Do Pagans Do?
by Grove Harris, reprinted from On Common Ground: World Religions in America, Columbia University Press, 2002 and 1997.
Paganism is a lively ritual tradition, celebrating life and expressing reverence for the Earth through dancing, drumming, singing and chanting. Its ritual vocabulary includes terms such as "casting a circle" to create a sacred space, "raising energy" to invoke spiritual power, "grounding" to connect individual energy to the Earth, and "making magic" to achieve spiritual transformation. Wiccans often meet in small groups called covens, but ritual can also be done alone. Most rituals have at least one altar, and some large ceremonies may have altars for each of the four directions and the center.
Building an altar for oneself--a place for the Divine, and a sacred workplace for performing rituals--is one of the first ways a Pagan can begin spiritual practice. Many Pagans have an altar in their homes, perhaps in a corner of the bedroom. Pagans with yards, or those who live in rural settings, often build altars outside. The altar may contain natural objects, crystals, photographs of the beloved dead, ritual tools, and objects of beauty, or personal power. At the altar one might invoke the Goddess, enter into meditation, create an herbal charm, or undertake a personal cleansing or healing ritual. Gazing at an altar is a reminder of one's spiritual life, and contemplating beauty at an altar can lead to spiritual insight.
Pagans perform a wide variety of spiritual exercises on a daily basis, though probably no two Pagans practice their faith exactly the same way. As is the case in all religious traditions, some people have a more active ritual life than others--some take part only in the great seasonal festivals, such as the summer solstice, most though realize that its meaning is immensely enhanced by regular daily spiritual practice. One's personal practice can be simple as lighting a candle at the dark of the moon and looking for visions on the surface of a bowl of water. Spoken intention is understood to be very powerful: Pagans believe that honoring the power of the spoken word must be maintained in daily life and not only in the ritual context. Respect for this principle leads many Pagans to chose their words carefully.
Among the important forms of daily practice is "grounding" meditation, which connects the individual with the energy of the Earth and helps to maintain balance and prevent exhaustion. Another is the practice of divination, which may take the simple form of asking about the day ahead, or inquiring about a specific question. Some Pagans consult astrology, others use Tarot cards, Norse runes, and pendulums as forms of divination. As a daily practice, some Pagans simply meditate on the sacred objects on the altar. In general, Pagans are attentive to nature throughout the course of the day. Since the Divine is embodied in all of nature, there are many ways for the Goddess to reveal herself.
Many Pagans wear sacred jewelry. To encircle oneself with a chain of gold or silver or a colored cord is viewed as an act of self protection. Pagan symbols of spiritual significance include the pentacle, an interlaced five-pointed star used for meditation, generally made out of silver and worn on a chain around the neck. The five-pointed star is pointed up so that it aligns with an upright human body, with points for the head, arms and legs. This symbol is life-affirming, not to be confused with the inverted pentacle favored by Satanists.
Pagan High Holidays are concerned with turning the wheel of the year, and there are many occasions for rituals. Pagans attune themselves to the processes of nature involved with each season, whether by celebrating springtime at Beltane with the Maypole dance or grieving the loss of loved ones at Samhain in October. There are wedding rituals called handfastings, and other rites of passage, such as initiations, namings, houseblessings, cronings, divorces, and funerals. Many of these rites involve purification, grounding, casting a sacred circle, invoking spiritual powers and deities, and raising energy. The energy raised in ritual may be celebratory, or more specifically focused upon the work of healing or transformation. At the end of a rite there is a formal thanking of the powers, usually followed by the sharing of food.
Most Pagans do not celebrate within a specific temple or building, though there are a few Pagan temple buildings in the United States. On the whole, they prefer to worship out of doors, or else in private homes and rented halls. Wherever they gather, they create sacred space by "casting a circle." This might be a physical circle drawn on the ground or floor, but more often is a spiritual circle drawn with a tool such as a ritual knife (athame), a wand, or a feather. Circles heighten the sense of sacredness and invite partipants into a new space and a new consciousness. The circle also serves as boundary and container within which the spiritual energy will be generated.
Chanting is another important part of ritual. In Wiccan tradition, a large repertoire of short verses are sung or chanted in rituals and celebrations, that are easy for all to learn and join in on. The singing of rounds and verses often takes on a life of its own. Chanting is one way that energy is raised to seal the work of the ritual, and allows participants to enter a trance state that offers increased spiritual awareness.
The term "magic" is often associated with Wiccan ritual, and many Pagan forms of ritual and prayer are called magic both by outsiders and practictioners. While outsiders might associate magic with the dazzling or mysterious work of a magician or with the manipulation of powers for malevolent ends, Pagans tend to see it as the ritualization of one's religious intentions, for some similar to prayer. It is not about cultivating supernatural powers as much as aligning oneself with the powers that already exist. Phyllis Curott of the Covenant of the Goddess puts it this way, "Wiccan spiritual practices, often referred to as 'magic,' are in fact ancient techniques for changing consciousness at will in order to better perceive and participate in Divine reality."
The making of herbal charms is an example of the spiritual intention of magic. A solo practitioner might select a group of small objects and herbs to express his or her specific intentions for transformation or healing. Meditating upon the contribution of each item, the practitioner will tie the objects and herbs into a piece of cloth or a leaf, paying attention to all aspects of the charm, including the contents, the color of material and thread, the decorations, and of course the intention. The charm will be then ritually charged. Wiccans are bound by what they call the "Law of Three," meaning that any energy they direct outwards will return back to them threefold. This has the effect of eliminating abuses of power. Some practitioners of Wicca also believe that magic has a psychological component. For instance, a practitioner who has made an herbal charm to attract love will be open and receptive to a loving relationship. Making the charm helps her gain clarity about what she wants and what her own barriers may be.
In ritual, Pagans work with the directions of the compass--North, East, South, West, and Center--corresponding in to the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. In contemporary Witchcraft, the North corresponds to the Earth, the physical body, and the power of deep healing, while the East corresponds to the powers of air, the power of mind, inspiration, communication, and the dawn of new beginnings. The South corresponds to the power of fire, the power of courage, passion, and transformation, and the West to water and the emotions. The Center represents spirit, or a unifying still point. The basic tools linked with each direction and element are the pentacle, the ritual knife or athame, the wand, the chalice, and the cauldron, all used in varying ways to concentrate, focus, and direct energy.
Ritual involves the use of all senses. Through movement, dance and rhythm participants are encouraged to move energy through their bodies. Smell is engaged through garlands of flowers, oils and essences. Hearing and sight are engaged through chanting or drumming, and through the beauty of the altars, the beauty of nature, and the beauty of the participants. While some Pagans wear black, many have brightly colored ritual garb, usually loose, flowing, and comfortable, and embroidered or painted with magical symbols. Most rituals end with a feast that is both pragmatic and celebratory. Whether honoring the Earth's gifts in the form of fruit, bread, cake, or lasagna, Pagans are also grounding themselves to the Earth after the work of the ritual.
Glossary: Goddess; Wiccans; meditation; High Holidays; temple; Witchcraft; Samhain; magic; Beltane