To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day (3 page)

earth at the earliest opportunity after the conclusion of the

rite. Offerings of incense should be burned. After making the

offering, say:

“Accept this offering, freely given with my love and respect.

I come before you and declare my intention

to live more fully as a Pagan,

to take action each day that will attune me to the universe.

I ask for your guidance in my choices,

that through my words and deeds

I might bring honor to the old gods,

bring pride to my ancestors

and bring beauty and well being into the world around me.

Let my actions keep me mindful of the earth,

from which I was born and to which I will someday return.

So shall I thank you with joy and gratitude.”

Since you have asked for their guidance, a few more

moments of silence while you listen to the spirits is appro-

priate. Then end the rite by extinguishing the candle and say-

ing “So Mote It Be”, or “
Ic bedde éow nu
” or whatever you would ordinarily say when concluding a rite. If you are new

to Pagan ways and have not yet chosen a path, “So Mote It

Be” will do fine.

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seven steps to a new way of living

SEVEN STEPS

TO A PAGAN PRACTICE

For many people who are new to Pagan ways, the variety

of paths and practices can be overwhelming. It can be diffi-

cult to know where you should even begin. A few years ago I

attended a presentation given by Ian Corrigan on developing

a personal Pagan practice. Corrigan is a former Arch-Druid

of the international Pagan organization Ár nDraíocht Féin.

Inspired by his ideas, I developed my own “seven step pro-

gram” to help the new Pagan get his or her bearings. The

seven steps are not intended to lead you to any particular

Pagan path, but rather to help you find whatever path is right

for you. Even if you were born into a Pagan family or chose

a Pagan path years ago, you may find something of value in

these seven steps.

Step 1: Connecting with Spirit

You have made at least one ephemeral connection with Spir-

it already, assuming you have performed the Dedication Rite.

We connect with Spirit whenever we ask for guidance or

bring gifts (offerings).

This first step is where people new to Pagan traditions

can find themselves bewildered by the seemingly endless

possible paths to choose from. There are so many gods and

goddesses, from so many pantheons! Where does a person

begin? It may be that a deity has already connected with you.

People who have had this experience will often say, “She

called me”, or, “He tapped me on the shoulder”, but this is

the exception rather than the rule. It is far more likely that

you will need to make the initial gesture. First you must

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decide which god or goddess you would like to make a con-

nection with, and to do this you should find a pantheon that

feels comfortable to you.

A pantheon is a cultural “family” of gods and goddesses.

The Hellenic (Greek) pantheon includes the gods and god-

desses of the Dodekatheon: Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Athena and

so on. The Saxon pantheon includes Woden, Frige, Thunor

and Eostre, among others. The Irish pantheon includes dei-

ties such as Brigid and Manannán mac Lir. The gods and

goddesses within any given pantheon have well defined rela-

tionships with each other.

No one pantheon is better than another, so how do you

decide? One thing to consider is your own lineage. If you

come from an Italian background, the Roman pantheon

might be a good choice. If your name is O’Reilly, the Irish

pantheon could be the right pantheon for you. Of course you

are not constrained by your background in any way, which

is a good thing since very few of us in America today are

descended from a single cultural lineage.

If a particular pantheon just “feels right” to you, then

by all means go with that feeling. Maybe you were inspired

by Greek mythology when you were in school. Maybe the

comic book version of Thor (who shares little other than

his name with the real Thor) has kindled your interest in the

Norse gods of Asgard. There are infinite reasons why you

might be drawn to a pantheon. Most of those reasons may

seem to be nothing more than random chance, but I have

found that random chance very often has some underlying

purpose.

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If neither your lineage nor your heart lead you to a

path, go to your local library and check out books on sever-

al mythologies. I dislike the word mythology because of its

secondary definition meaning something untrue. Myth is a

Greek word that simply means “story”, and mythologies are

collections of ancient stories explaining the order of the uni-

verse or a society’s ideals and customs. With this in mind,

look through the mythology books you have checked out

and familiarize yourself with them.

Then pick something.

When it comes to choosing a pantheon, as with all other

things, take action. Do not worry whether or not you have

chosen the right pantheon, because there is no right or

wrong answer to this. Whichever pantheon appeals to you

the most
right now
is the best pantheon for you
right now
. Just as a tentative first date could eventually lead to marriage,

your initial choice of a pantheon may lead to a lifetime com-

mitment, but you can change pantheons later if you find that

your first choice was not the best choice for you.

After choosing a pantheon, your next action should be to

decide on a god or goddess to connect with. This choice usu-

ally depends on your own personal interests, as you are more

likely to establish a good connection with a deity who shares

those interests. A Kemetic (Egyptian) Pagan who has five

cats and an extensive collection of cat statuettes would do

well to connect with the cat-headed goddess Bast. A Saxon

Pagan working in the field of law enforcement might con-

nect with Tiw, a god of order and justice. A Roman Pagan

who appreciates fine wines could establish an initial connec-

tion with Bacchus. But if you find that a god or goddess in

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the pantheon just “feels right” to you, even if you are not

sure why, go with the feeling.

Find a private, safe place where you can connect with the

deity. This will probably be at your household altar, if you

have one, but the important thing is that you find a location

where you will be undisturbed. Bring a gift, an offering, with

you to establish a cycle of reciprocity with the deity. The

choice of an offering will depend on the pantheon and the

deity. If you are unsure of what to offer, mead (honey wine)

is usually appreciated by most northern European deities,

while olive oil is usually appreciated by the gods and goddess-

es of southern Europe. Other cultures have their own prefer-

ences, but be sure to bring something. Any gift is better than

no gift at all!

If you are indoors, you will need an offering bowl. Pour

a libation (liquid offering) into the bowl as you address the

deity. Afterwards, when it is convenient, take the bowl out-

side and pour the libation out directly onto the earth. Solid

offerings, especially food, may also be symbolically placed in

the offering bowl and then later set out on or buried in the

earth.

Somebody once asked me why I should bother with an

offering, since a god can presumably obtain almost anything

he desires. This is like belittling a hand-crafted present that a child makes for a parent. Of course the parent could have

made or purchased something much nicer, but he or she will

be delighted with the gift nevertheless. It is the act of giving that is appreciated, and the worth of the gift is directly proportionate to the effort put into it.

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When you are ready to approach the deity and give your

offering, the words should be your own, coming from your

heart rather than from the pages of a book. First, greet the

deity by name, give your offering and ask that it be accept-

ed. If you are indoors, pour or place the offering into your

offering bowl. If you are outdoors, place the offering direct-

ly onto the earth. The exception to this is the offering that is burned; usually a pleasant incense. You can use incense cones

or sticks, but I think a personal blend of aromatic herbs is

more meaningful. These are burned in a censer over charcoal

disks that can be purchased at almost any new age or reli-

gious supply shop.

After giving your offering, introduce yourself and ask

for the deity’s guidance and blessing. This is not the time to

make any specific requests. Later on you may ask for favors,

after you have established a mutual relationship, but at this

point you are simply acknowledging a willingness to accept

whatever blessings the deity may offer.

Next comes the most important part—listening. Quiet

yourself as much as possible and be mindful of any impres-

sions you may have. The response of the god or goddess

rarely manifests as an audible voice, although that can occa-

sionally happen. You may have a fleeting vision, or smell an

odor that evokes a long forgotten memory. Or you may expe-

rience a “knowing”, a sudden awareness of the deity’s pres-

ence and message to you.

Or you may experience nothing at all.

Do not be discouraged if this is the case. You are not

going to have a supernal experience every time you reach out

to the gods and spirits. In giving an offering to the deity, you f 17 2

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have taken an action and made a connection. If you still feel

no reciprocal connections after two or three more “visits”

with the deity, politely move on to another god or goddess.

There are many Pagans today who take a more scattered,

eclectic approach to connecting with Spirit, leaping from one

pantheon to another, collecting “patron” deities as if they

were Hummel figurines. Imagine yourself walking down

a sidewalk in Manhattan, greeting everyone who you pass.

How deep is your relationship with these passersby? You are

not investing a significant amount of time with any individ-

ual person. You do not really know any of them. In the same

way, it can be difficult to develop truly meaningful relation-

ships with a dozen gods and goddesses gathered from unre-

lated pantheons. I do not recommend this approach at all. If

you want to become good friends with somebody, you spend

a lot of time with that person. You meet his or her family and

friends. Likewise, if you want a good relationship with a god

or goddess, you should devote a lot of time to that deity.

Of course the gods are not the only manifestations of

Spirit. You may also wish to connect with your ancestral

spirits, following a similar process of giving an offering and then opening yourself to the blessings of your ancestors. By

ancestors I mean not only blood ancestors, but also those

who have inspired you in some way. In Saxon tradition, as

with all Germanic paths, reverence for one’s ancestors is

very important. Indeed, ancestor reverence is an important

aspect of most Pagan traditions. Ancestral spirits have a vest-

ed interest in you—you are their heritage—and so they are

more disposed to offer aid and counsel.

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seven steps to a new way of living

Another connection to make is with the local spirits.

Depending on your spiritual focus, you may know these as

faeries, elves, nymphs, or by some other name. These spirits

are your neighbors and, like mortal neighbors, they can aid

or hinder you. Thus it is to your benefit to foster good rela-

tionships with them. If you practice Hal Sidu, you will almost

certainly find yourself interacting with your spirit neighbors.

When you engage in activities that touch the earth in some

way—planting a seed, trimming back an unruly bush, weed-

ing the garden—remember to offer a bit of cornmeal or wine

to the local spirits. And then pause for a moment and listen.

They might have something to share with you.

Whatever your approach—whether you are more com-

fortable approaching a deity, or your ancestors or local enti-

ties—the first and most essential step towards living as a

Pagan is to connect in some way with Spirit.

Step 2: Creating Sacred Space

“
Either the gods have a place in one’s home, or they do not
.”

So says Marcus Cassius Iulianus, a contemporary Roman

Pagan and founder of the reconstructionist organization

Nova Roma. He was speaking of the household altar, and I

completely agree.

Once you have made a connection with Spirit, your next