| Pagan images create feelings of freedom, excitement, | | | | religions that are hostile to women and all that is |
| and intimacy. A ring of fires blazing in the night as the | | | | female, paganism embraces both the feminine and |
| moon rises...drums beating as people dry off from a | | | | masculine. Women are accepted within paganism as |
| ritual bath...flesh is bared and a sword is raised...Any | | | | powerful, creative, and beneficial forces. Mother Earth |
| such scenes could come from a pagan ritual, or none | | | | worship and Goddess worship occur throughout |
| of them because paganism summons diversity and | | | | paganism. Women play crucial roles as priestesses or |
| encourages creativity. | | | | witches. Unlike most religions, paganism gives women |
| Paganism as a religion has proven difficult for | | | | a respected place. To put it simply, the feminine is part |
| academics to define in narrow terms. Essentially a | | | | of paganism. Therefore, some women come to this |
| common element among people who practice pagan | | | | religion because of its ability to support feminist thought. |
| rituals is that very little restriction is placed upon | | | | Intellectual Stimulation: Pagans often report that they |
| imagination. Different groups of pagans devise their | | | | find pagan subjects, esoteric knowledge, and ancient |
| own ways of performing rituals according to their | | | | practices interesting and that they like to learn about |
| tastes, region, and ways of thinking about their sacred | | | | many things, especially on spiritual subjects. Because |
| realms. Paganism has no strict rule book or laws laid | | | | they find that paganism is open to learning about new |
| down by prophets that must be obeyed by followers. | | | | subjects, people who crave to continually expand their |
| Because paganism tends to allow its practitioners to | | | | outlook fit in well. This makes sense because |
| explore their own visions of how to worship the | | | | paganism sees sacredness in all of creation and |
| sacred, it can be said to allow people great freedom | | | | learning more simply means knowing more about the |
| within the religion. Pagan religions make spaces where | | | | sacred. |
| their members can be imaginative in their philosophies | | | | Adler noted many times in "Drawing Down the Moon" |
| and rituals. This element of freedom in paganism has | | | | that pagans are avid readers, and this appetite for |
| been identified as a factor that attracts some people | | | | reading was not related to education level or |
| to the religion. Wiccan priestess and NPR | | | | socioeconomic class. Pagans regardless of education |
| correspondent, Margot Adler in her classic book | | | | or profession read books frequently. Some of them |
| "Drawing Down the Moon" described paganism as a | | | | even cited their extensive reading as what led them to |
| "religion without converts" because people decide | | | | accepting paganism as their spiritual guide. |
| individually to seek pagan spirituality. Pagans rarely | | | | Because they read many books, pagans often include |
| proselytize their faith, and, Adler noted, that a pagan | | | | books in the fantasy genre on their shelves. This can |
| group might even be quite selective about accepting | | | | be explained because fantasy books frequently are |
| new members. | | | | set close to Nature. Characters exist within a world |
| During her extensive research about paganism, Adler | | | | that has a low technology level, as in most high |
| conducted interviews with people who identified | | | | fantasy books like "The Lord of the Rings." Another |
| religiously as pagans. When asking people what they | | | | aspect of fantasy fiction that fits in well with pagan |
| liked about it, she discovered several prominent | | | | tastes is the conceptualization of magical powers that |
| reasons. | | | | are derived from realms other than technology. |
| Environmental Alignment: Paganism, whatever its | | | | Although pagan religious groups are decidedly out of |
| methods and philosophies, is always rooted in Nature. | | | | the mainstream, they can be found throughout the |
| Pagans revere Nature, and their attraction to paganism | | | | world in one form or another. Paganism, so often |
| is often motivated by the environmental destruction of | | | | reviled throughout history as large state-allied religions |
| Nature that is going on everywhere. They see that | | | | asserted themselves throughout much of civilization, |
| they need to connect with the natural sacredness of | | | | has never been completely abandoned. People |
| all creation. They want a religious expression of | | | | seeking spiritual expression come to it from many |
| ecological truths that are becoming increasingly | | | | directions and practice pagan rituals in many ways that |
| apparent. | | | | are constantly updating as paganism continues its quiet |
| Feminist Alignment: Unlike the monotheistic patriarchal | | | | existence within larger societies. |