Question For Pagans

[AngelaB]

The Green Man....I love the Green Man. Alot of Christmas "decorations" orginally were Pagan. I am Pagan and my extended family is not. I have Pagan decor through my house, and they are clueless about it.

 

[autumnhearth]

I know this thread is 4 years old and a few of the people on it probably aren't even active on BYC anymore but as the pagan threads were shut down I just wanted to say hi here. The Earth Mother is near and dear to my heart. She is found in almost every culture around the globe. Two of my favorite are the Baltic: Zemyna (Lithuanian)/Zemes Mate (Latvian) she is the daughter of Saule/Mate Saule, Mother Sun. The second is the Slavic: Mate Syra Zemlya (Moist Mother Earth). The Lithuanians and Latvians have many songs about her that survived to the present day. I can share some if anyone is interested. They were the last Europeans to be converted to Christianity and their pagan customs survived in the countryside for hundreds of years after. I just love their spiritual worldview.

I mostly have an affinity for Celtic and Germanic deities (Brighid, Lugh, the Dagda, Thor and Freyja) the gods of my ancestors but honor individual gods from different cultures such as Demeter and Saule. I was raised a UU though I briefly attended Catholic Mass with my father, I found Wicca in my adolescence, shifted to Celtic paganism in my late teens then stumbled across ADF Druidry in college. Below is a pic of one of my shrines to the Earth and Sun Mother.

 

[Gumiho]

Pagan is an umbrella term that refers to any non-Abrahamic, Judaic or Islamic religion.
It covers many, many thousands of religions and different sects of those religions. Many do have deity that in some capacity represent the earth or who are the earth. Some are male, some are female. But they're not all interchangeable and a prayer or offering for one may have no meaning what so ever in regards to another. Kishar, Māra, Gaia, Asase Ya, Tu Di Gong, Geb, ect... All Earth associated deity from different pantheons / religions and different representations and influences.

 

[Torch404]

I would say Paganism developed in to Abramic religion which include Judaism and Islam. All modern religions are based on their ancient fore-barers. Plenty of pagan remnants can still be seen such as x-mas and Easter.

 

[Gumiho]

Paganism didn't develop into Abrahmic religions, as they haven't disappeared and most still exist and are still worshiped. cultural appropriation has occured, particularly in Christianity, due to conversion as the religions spread. The reason for this is mainly that such appropriation of cultural and religious traditions and symbols makes conversion easier. But often aren't accepted in a religious capacity. Yule logs originally held a cultural and religious meaning, but in the context of Christmas as celebrated by Christians is is nothing more than a holiday tradition with none of its original cultural or religious significance. And the actual traditional significance in its original context has been largely lost.

Pagan remnants aren't all that exist. Many have continued even after the introduction of other faiths to their homelands. It covers nearly all ethnic and folk religions like Buddhism, Hindu, Shinto, Satstana Phi, Shenjiao, Mugyo, Tengerism, tribal religions, ect. as well as recon and neo-oagan faiths such as Asatru and Wicca.