| NATURE WORSHIP: - Wicca and witchcraft or other | | | | Divine Unity. {This seems more 'open' and less than the |
| shamanic attunements akin to the kind of ethic and | | | | kind of anthropomorphing that ego often |
| awe the great and beautiful (FREE) North American | | | | does.}Shaman: an adept who serves as healer and |
| Indians had before the arrival of the 'civilized' men from | | | | spirit world communicator for her/his tribe or |
| the Old World."A Guide to Nature Spirituality Terms | | | | community. Sometimes known as a 'Medicine person'. |
| Selena FoxFounder and leader of Circle Sanctuary, | | | | This role is tribal culture/community defined.Shamanic |
| an internationally linked Nature Spirituality resource | | | | Practitioner: someone learning and working with |
| center and Shamanic Wiccan church based in Mt. | | | | shamanistic healing practices for self-development, and |
| Horeb, Wisconsin. Animism: ancient philosophy that | | | | in some cases, also for helping others. Sometimes |
| views everything in Nature as having an indwelling spirit | | | | known as a 'Medicine worker'. This role is |
| soul, including the plants, rocks, waters, winds, t tires, | | | | self-defined.Shamanism: animistic spiritual healing |
| animals, humans, and other life forms.Animism is the | | | | practices usually involving trance (ecstatic) and spirit |
| foundation of shamanism and has been considered the | | | | world journeys by adepts. Forms of shamanism |
| earliest form of human religion on planet Earth. {Sorry, | | | | include 'Traditional', which are rooted in specific |
| philosophy students, who are often told Aristotle and | | | | indigenous tribal people's cultures, and 'Multicultural', |
| his work 'Anima' is original, these same students aren't | | | | which are contemporary forms that integrate old and |
| told about his Secretum Secretorum which is an | | | | new spirit wisdom from more than one culture. {Does |
| alchemic treatise covering what he was taught that he | | | | this seem to be an 'open' and positively ecumenical |
| sent to his pupil Alexander the Great.}Earth-Centered | | | | spirituality? Why would there be any problem if anyone |
| Spirituality: honoring the spiritual interconnectedness of | | | | and indeed everyone started to learn all |
| life on planet Earth, often as Mother Earth or Gaia, but | | | | wisdom?}Wiccan Spirituality: contemporary paths |
| sometimes as a gender neutral Earth Spirit. Sometimes | | | | rooted in one or more nature folk religions of old |
| called 'Earth religion' and 'Gaian' (Gaean) religion. | | | | Europe. Also known as the Old Religion, the Craft, |
| Related Eco-Christian form is Creation- Centered | | | | Wicca, Wicce, Ways of the Wise, Neo-Pagan |
| Spirituality.Ecofeminism: feminist environmental | | | | Witchcraft, and Benevolent Witchcraft.Witch: some |
| philosophy that draws parallels between the | | | | Wiccan practitioners use the word "Witch" for |
| oppression of women and the oppression of Nature | | | | themselves in connection with their spirituality to bring |
| by patriarchy and which advocates the spiritual and | | | | back its pre-Inquisition use in Europe as a term of |
| political liberation of both. Goddess Spirituality: revering | | | | honor and respect, meaning "medicine person/medicine |
| Nature and honoring the Great Goddess in one or | | | | worker," "shaman/Shamanic practitioner," "wise woman |
| more of Her many forms. Usually polytheistic and | | | | man," "priestess/priest of the Old Religion." Other |
| sometimes multicultural in practice. Usually incorporates | | | | Wiccans refuse to use the word "Witch" because of |
| feminist perspectives. Heathen: Another name for | | | | later negative definitions of the word which led to its |
| Pagan. Many contemporary practitioners of Teutonic | | | | use as a tool of Pagan genocide and religious |
| nature religions prefer this term for themselves and | | | | oppression in Europe and North America for hundreds |
| their spirituality.Nature Religions: religions that include an | | | | of years. {Do you know when it ended? Did it end |
| honoring of the Divine as immanent in Nature. May be | | | | when Blasphemy Laws were overturned in England in |
| premodern, modern, or postmodern in philosophical | | | | 1951? Some would like you to believe it ended when |
| orientation. Usually polytheistic, animistic, and pantheistic. | | | | the last person was burned at the stake in Seville, |
| Include traditional ways of various native peoples of | | | | Spain in the early 19th century. It still exists in career |
| the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, Polynesia, Europe, | | | | and government as well as social situations. |
| and elsewhere; religions of ancient Pagan cultures, | | | | Therapeutae like Jesus and Pythagoras or other |
| such as Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Minoan, Assyrian, | | | | syncretic religions are definitely the real models of |
| Celtic, Teutonic, and others; and contemporary | | | | discipline that are "Witches"!} During the "Burning |
| Paganism.Nature Spirituality: honoring the spiritual | | | | Times" of the Middle Ages, bigots in power changed |
| interconnectedness of life not only on planet Earth but | | | | its definition, making it a term linked with evil, and used it |
| throughout the Universe/Cosmos; ,ore encompassing | | | | as a brand to mark and exterminate folk healers, {The |
| term than Earth-Centered Spirituality because it also | | | | supposed one god church actually believed illness was |
| includes Celestial religions; used by some as | | | | created by "sins and demons". The guilt trips are more |
| synonymous with contemporary Paganism and by | | | | refined as time allows more control and programming |
| others as also including interfaith blends, such as those | | | | through the destruction of open discussion and |
| that combine Paganism and Eco-Christianity or | | | | free-thinking.} those who refused to convert to |
| Eco-Buddhism. {Is nature worship doing the | | | | state-sanctioned forms of Christianity, political rivals, |
| denominational rag and differentiating itself with real | | | | and others. Contemporary usage of the word "Witch" |
| intent to discriminate of claim special | | | | by non-Wiccans is diverse but in recent years has |
| status?}Neo-Pagan: Contemporary Pagan.Pagan: | | | | been changing in academia and elsewhere {IT is the |
| pertains to a nature religion or a practitioner of an | | | | position of the American Psychiatric Association that |
| ancient and/or contemporary nature religion; also used | | | | trances, and possessions, are mental illness. They do |
| to refer to a Nature Spirituality, Earth-Centered | | | | not study or deal with the soul and most avoid |
| Spirituality, and/or Goddess Spirituality group or | | | | discussion of it, but when pressed are only acting out |
| practitioner.Pantheism: the Divine as immanent; the | | | | the old propaganda and prejudice still. Anthropologists |
| Divine is in everything and everything has a Divine | | | | seek to make Trances an area of specialized study |
| aspect.Panentheism: Pantheism that also includes a | | | | and these scientists (?) want to create a legal and |
| transcendent component conceptualized as the | | | | druggable disorder called 'Trance Possession Disorder |
| Sacred Whole or Divine Unity. {Use and misuse of | | | | Syndrome'. Real disorders including hallucinations do |
| language allows epithets and degrading remarks to | | | | exist, and are treatable by witches and shamans. |
| minimalize or depreciate very similar concepts. Is it not | | | | Vitamin B is often a missing ingredient in the nutritional |
| better to say religion is 'what you DO?' and not what | | | | intake and stresses or coping skills must be learned. |
| rationalistic construct that might move your thought at | | | | Compassion is better than drugs and even massage |
| some moment?}Polytheism: honoring Divinity in two or | | | | or acupuncture work better in many studies such as |
| more forms. {Does that include the three as one or | | | | one done at the U of Toronto in 2000. This author |
| one in three 'Trinity' originally taken from the Triune | | | | may be right when she says there is a "growing |
| Nature of Man?} Can be belief in/worship of multiple | | | | awareness" but that awareness may be managed to |
| aspects of a particular deity; of the Divine as Goddess | | | | a degree she does not know.} to reflect the growing |
| and God; or of many Goddesses, Gods, Nature Spirits, | | | | public awareness and understanding of Wiccan |
| and/or other Divine forms. Some, but not all, polytheistic | | | | Spirituality's reclaiming of the word. |
| nature religions acknowledge an all- encompassing | | | | |