Religion in Ancient Greek

Religion in GREEK (Paganism; Past & Present)

Ancient Drudism

The Druids were an ancient people, originating from Celtic tribes at a time when people had to live close to nature to survive. It is the "revival of the ancient Celtic religions which holds the earth and the environment sacred and promotes a morality based on true honour, strength and justice."  As Druidism was a form of Paganism, it was also earth based, placing an emphasis on the worship of all aspects of nature. The Druids were members of a learned class among the Celts and were an important cohesive force skilled in areas which most people were not. They were marked as a priestly upper class in charge of ritualistic religion. "These priests worshiped some Gods similar to those of the Greek’s and Romans, but under different names."  (The world book dictionary)  They were members of a religious order of priests, prophets and poets. Druids were members of a professional class in Celtic nations, or West Europe and the British Isles.

Druids possessed both political and legal powers and responsibilities to their communities and tribes. They were also capable of magical powers such as divination, prophesying, controlling the weather, levitation, shape-shifting and they possessed healing abilities. The Druids learned to forecast events by interpreting the flight of birds, by reading the markings on livers and other entrails of sacrificed animals. They also held the position of judge, doctor, mage, mystique, clerical scholar and they held the religious insignia of their culture. Druids provided much needed skills and specialties to their tribe.  Through holding these positions, Druids were to be available to people whose "scope of vision was not as wide as theirs."  By nature, Druids were watchful and mindful of different aspects of life. Druids possessed a comprehensive knowledge on such things as poetry, architecture, literature, mythology, languages and folklore. In this fashion, they were incredibly learned, having gone through a rigorous education and were able to provide cultural and intellectual impute to their communities for the mutual benefit of all.

Traits of paganism can be seen through the ancient Druids beliefs about death, worshiping and rites. Although there is little known of the rites that they held, what we do know is that they were held in clearings in the forests, as most Pagan worship was practiced outdoors.  Although the Druids believed in one main God, believing that it possessed the life force of everything, they also worshiped a number of lesser divinities, making them polytheistic in nature. 

 Druidism differed from Greek and Roman religion because they did not have clearly defined images to represent the object of their worship and they did not meet in temples or any other form of building to hold their rites. Instead, Druids had a sacred place consisting of a circle of stones, usually near a stream, under a grove or situated near a widespread oak. They met in woods and glens because they held a high respect for nature, believing that their spirits emerged from the tides, the sea, light, wind, the sun and the oak tree. They participated in two main festivals each year. The first one was named Beltane (Fire God) and the second one was named Samhin (Fire of peace), celebrated on hallow’s Eve. The Druids also worshiped Gods such as the Gods of: sun, animals, war, fertility, the river, smithcraft and sovereignty, as Pagans did. 

The Druids had strong belief’s about sacrifice and the idea of death. As Pagans, they did not believe in Heaven or Hell as Christians did.  Rather they believed in re-incarnation of the soul into another form. They held a principal doctrine stating that the soul was immortal and passed at death from one person to another, thus they did not fear the idea of death. The Druids differed in one aspect in their sacrifices from what the later Pagans did. Similar to Pagans, the Druids held animal sacrifices in order to please the Gods. However, the Druids also sacrificed humans as well. Some sources suggest that the human sacrifices were voluntary, but the main reason was to punish a criminal.

Neo Paganism Paganism is a broad, eclectic, contemporary religious movement that encompasses ecstatic, polytheistic and magical religions. Today, it is termed ‘Neo-paganism’ to illustrate its connection to and difference from the pre-Christian pagan religions. There are several forms of Neo-paganism, including Wicca, Neo-Drudism and Astrau. Neo-paganism is a broad term which encompasses many diverse and differing religions, but most have several common themes which identifies them as Neo-pagan. Neo-pagans are usually polytheistic or duotheistic. That is, they believe in two or many gods. Wiccans are duotheistic and worship the Goddess and the God, also known as the 'huntress' and the 'horned one.'   The Druids, on the other hand, are polytheistic and worship aspects of nature such ‘the river’, ‘the sky’, and ‘the sun.’ Most are nature centered worshipping pre-Christian deities. Many of these pre-Christian religions have been changed and revived so that they have a greater relevance to contemporary lifestyles. Neo-pagans have introduced various new concepts to these ancient religions as well as changing and modifying pre existing traditions. New concepts include; dynamic and diverse personal beliefs, lack of institutionalization, a search for spiritual fulfillment and encouragement and acceptance of diversity. Many Neo-pagan religions have previously been wiped out and have been reconstructed from ancient sources. Neo-pagans (like ancient pagans) have a deep respect for nature. This stems from their belief that The Gods are immanent. Neo-pagans believe that the Divine is everywhere, not only above us, but all around us and within us. Their religion centers around the earth and her seasonal cycles. The most prevalent Neo-pagan religion is Wicca.. This is a revived form of pre-Christian Goddess worship. Wiccans, as do most Neo-pagans observe four main seasonal days which celebrate the miracle of nature and give thanks to the Goddess for her gifts. As a result of their love of nature Wiccans, and many other Neo-pagans, prefer to worship whilst they are immersed in nature, so they are closer to the Goddess.                  Many Neo-pagans such as Wiccans and Druids practice magic. Magic played an important role in these religions and was seen as a conscious direction of ones will to create change. Wiccans practice magic in ‘magic circles’ during certain powerful phases of the moon. Many Neo-pagans believe in and are governed by the ‘Wiccan Rede,’ that is, "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." This Rede, was in essence a code of practice, which effectively prevents practitioners of magic from harming anyone.  The recent resurgence in Neo-pagan religions can be attributed to several factors. With the major upheavals of the 1960s many people found themselves becoming disillusioned with the present mainstream religions. Through reviving the basic practices of Paganism [ now called Neo- paganism], many people found a spiritual outlet by returning to nature based religions. These ancient religions had sustained the world for centuries before the appearance of Christianity and with the world becoming increasingly complicated and stressful, modern people found a much needed and sought after spiritual path. Ancient pagan religions provided simple folk with a release from pressures and today it provides a tolerant setting, which encourages diversity and a quest for spiritual fulfillment, that the materialistic twentieth century lacks.

Witchcraft & Wicca

Witchcraft is one of the more well known ancient pagan religions which has its roots in ancient folk ways and beliefs, usually following the seasonal cycle. Witchcraft is an earth based religion which worships the life force of nature on the planet and in the skies. Many forms of ancient Goddess worship were polytheistic. A "witch" meant different things in different societies. In some cultures they were tribal "witch doctors" or healers. The form of witchcraft we are looking at is the ancient pagan religion, sometimes called the "Old Religion."

There are several forms of worship in witchcraft. These vary from elaborate rituals to simple meditation. Wicca is a modern, revived and updated form of pre-Christian religions concerned with Goddess worship, primarily witchcraft. There are, however, several variations between modern and ancient witchcraft which will be explored in this essay. As a result of the persecutions of witches in the middle ages, much of the religion was lost. Thus any revival of the ancient religion is imperfect and fragmented. As a result of the changing needs and requirements of modern people modifications and reforms were made to the Old Religion. To understand these differences we must first look at the ancient pagan religion of witchcraft.

Witchcraft was an ancient religion based on a fertility cult practiced by peasants. Its origins have been traced to Neolithic cave paintings. Witchcraft means "Craft of the Wise Ones" and is also known as the "Old Religion." Witchcraft (or aspects of it) seems to have survived alongside Christianity up until the middle ages where the Church became powerful enough to almost completely wipe it out through propaganda, torture and genocide. Whomever remained of the religion were forced to go into hiding or risk death.

Both modern and ancient Witches believe are monotheistic. They believe in one God and one Goddess but worship them as many gods. This is because they believe that all gods are aspects of the Goddess and the God. There are many different names and forms to the God and the Goddess.

The Goddess is the mother of all things, of nature and of earth. She is also known as the Huntress, Gaia (mother earth), Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Ceridwen, Diana, Arionrhod and Brigid. She is represented by the moon, and is seen to be a symbol of fertility and life. Her power is greatest during the fertile months of May to October. An important Wiccan belief is "The Charge of the Goddess,"which is the word of the Goddess commanding all believers to worship her and respect all life on earth.

The God is symbolised in the woodlands, in the sun and in the hunt. The God is known as the consort of the Goddess and the horned one as the ancient people hunted horned animals. This represents his majesty, skill and strength. His power is at it’s peak in the ‘dark half’ of the year, from October to May.

Witches, (as all pagans do) believe that the gods are immanent. They believe that the gods not only live above us, but, more importantly they live all around us and inside us. Witches believe that the divine is in all things, from the smallest pebble to the tallest tree. This beliefs partly explains Witches deep respect and affinity with nature.

Unlike Christians, Witches do not build churches or temples, rather, they worship outdoors, in gods creation. Witches worship through meditation and prayer. Witches worship and celebrate within a ritual 'circle.' Within the circle worship and the practice 

of magic occurs. Magic is performed at certain times which coincide with the phases of the moon. They believe that the moon is  very powerful as it symbolizes the goddess. Both modern and ancient Witches use certain tools to aid in the performance of magic. These include; spells, visualization, chants, candles, amulets and meditation. Much of the ancient forms and practices of magic have been lost over the centuries, therefore modern magic is slightly different to ancient as Wiccans have been forced to change and adapt their worship to a modern setting.

Magic is a conscious direction of one’s will to cause change, for good or bad. However, Witches are prevented from using ‘black’ or evil magic through their belief in the Wiccan Rede and the three fold law. The Wiccan Rede. is; "An thou harm none, do what thou wilt." Witches believe that whatever they do will come back to them three fold, therefore they are prevented from harming anyone. They also celebrate their oneness with life and the earth and the passing of the tides and the seasons.

Witches do not believe in the after life as such, rather they believe in re-incarnation. Witches accept that they keep coming back to purify themselves and attain perfection, when they have reached a certain level of attainment, they are absorbed into the godhead and do not return. 

         "Drawingdown the moon" 

Wicca appeared in the 60s and 70s led by a man called Gerald Gardner. It was a modern spiritual movement, based on witchcraft but with modern themes and issues. Wiccans were generally disillusioned with the mainstream religions and turned to Witchcraft in the hopes of finding spiritual fulfillment which they thought to be lacking in the materialistic, fast paced modern world. By returning to nature and ancient practices Wiccans have found an outlet for their spiritual and emotional needs. Although the modern form of Witchcraft is not an exact replica of ancient Witchcraft, it fulfills the same needs and longings ancient people felt and modern people feel. Wicca symbolizes a return to the old way of life which sustained the people of the earth for so many thousands of years and proves that one may try and stamp out and ridicule others beliefs but if they satisfy a basic human necessity they will survive.

Page of sources, permission and references
Permissions
1) General permission for 'Ritual,' ' Drawing down the Moon' and Worship. http://www.myfreeoffice.com/silverdawn.  Silverdawn, John Harvey.  Feb 99.
Electronic Sources
Web Pages
1)  Thorn, Michael "The Pagan Federation online?" 06/10/99 (http://www.paganfed.demon.co.uk .) 10/05/99
2)  Dancer, Sean "Minot Pagan alliance" 09/07/99 (http://mpa.minot.com/faqs/index.html)20/05/99.
3)  Belfield, Andy "Ceridwen’s Cauldron" 06/02/99 (http://www.ceridwen.demon.co.uk/) 14/6/99.
4)  Robinson B.A "Neo-Pagan Traditions" 08/04/99 (http://www.religioustolerance.org/neo-pagan.html) 10/04/99
5)Ronewits, Isaac "What Neo-Pagan believe 5.5" 08/02/99 (http://wwwneopagan.net/neopagansbelieve.html) 07/08/99.
6)  Rilborn, Bill " Academic computing service; Paganism/ Neo-Paganism."05/07/99.(http://eagle.ce.ukans.edu/) 05/07/99.
7)  Brightsword, Dagonet "Neo-Paganism- The Divine in all Creations" 09/09/94 (http://www.geocities.com/sthens/98os/neopaganinfo.html) 20/07/99
8)  McDonald, A. " Druids and Paganism" 06/05/99 (http://www.goodnet.com/~merlyn/druid.html.) 12/07/99

Printed Materials
Entire Book
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2)  Pross, A "The Pagan Cult." Barnes and Noble books, USA, 1970.
3)  Bowersooh, G.W. "Hellenism in late Antiquity" University of Michigan Press, USA; 1990.
4)  Dodds, E.R. " Pagan Christian in an age of anxiety" Syndicate university of Cambrige, New York; 1965
5)  Barnhart, C.C " The world book dictionary" Doubleday and Company Incorperated, USA; 1977.
6)  Smith, J. " The Harper Collins Dictionary of Religion." Harper Collins publisher, England;1996.
7)  Gibb, J. "Life and Times The Minoans and the Cretans" Waylant LTD, England; 1986.
8)  Levi, Peter "Atlas of the Greek world"Andromeda Oxford LTD;1984.
9)  Cornell, Tim and Matthews, John " Atlas of the Roman World" Andromeda Oxford LTD; 1982.
10)  Garnsey, P. The Roman Empire – Economy, Society and Culture. California: Uni of California Press, 1987.
11)  Lewis, N. Roman Civilization Vol II – The Empire. New York: Columbia Uni Press, 1990.
12)  Boardman, J. Oxford History of the Classical World. New York: Oxford Uni Press, 1986.
13)  Petrie. A. Roman History – Literature and Antiquities. London: Oxford Uni Press, 1918.