Modern Paganism and New Age Movements
Introduction
Modern Paganism, also known as Neopaganism, is a collective term for new religious movements influenced by or derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe. The New Age movement is a range of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices that developed in Western nations during the late 20th century. While both movements have distinct characteristics, they share similarities in their emphasis on individual spirituality and a return to ancient or indigenous religious practices.
Modern Paganism
Modern Paganism, or Neopaganism, encompasses a wide range of religious groups and individuals. These may include old polytheistic faiths like Wicca, Druidry, and Heathenry, as well as more recent syncretic or eclectic efforts like the Church of All Worlds, the Federation of Damanhur, and various forms of Witchcraft.
Beliefs and Practices
Modern Pagans often practice a form of polytheism, often focused on the worship of nature or the earth, a concept known as nature worship. Many Modern Pagans see the divine as immanent in the world, leading to a focus on the physical and sensual aspects of worship. Rituals often take place in outdoor settings and involve the use of natural objects like stones, herbs, and animal bones.
Modern Pagan Movements
There are many different movements within Modern Paganism, each with its own beliefs and practices. Some of the most well-known include Wicca, Druidry, and Heathenry.
Wicca
Wicca is a modern Pagan, witchcraft religion. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant.
Druidry
Druidry, sometimes termed Druidism, is a spiritual or religious movement that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment.
Heathenry
Heathenry, also termed Heathenism or Germanic Neopaganism, is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religious studies classify Heathenry as a new religious movement.
New Age Movement
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational psychology".
Beliefs and Practices
New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Sufi Islam, Judaism (especially Kabbalah), Sikhism; with strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism.
New Age Movements
The New Age movement includes several subgroups, such as Channeling, Holistic Health, and Astrology.
Channeling
Channeling is a method of trying to communicate with the spirit world or non-physical entities such as angels or gods.
Holistic Health
Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, physical, social, and mental, should be taken into account and seen as a whole.
Astrology
Astrology is a pseudoscience that claims to divine information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the movements and relative positions of celestial objects.
See Also
