"The Goddess is alive and magic is afoot: Freedom of Religion Means All Religions." These billboards, posted by the local pagan community in Minneapolis last winter, were not, in their words, to proselytize, but to celebrate their experience. Not only did the billboards really hit home with me when it came to my own philosophies, but as a solitary practitioner myself, I wanted to find out how my own spiritual path had differed from that of other pagans.

   To get the answers, I interviewed members of the local pagan community. The first thing that became immediately apparent was that pagans come in all shapes and sizes: gay, straight, bi, trans, conservative, liberal, radical, old, young, and everything in between; even their specific beliefs and practices within the religion run the gamut.

   But there were a few similarities I did notice. I found that the majority of pagans I interviewed work at "regular" jobs, that most of them consider themselves intellectuals, and many are politically active. The majority of them also believe that more people are turning to spiritual belief systems like paganism for reasons that include a growing desire to be more actively involved in ritual and its corresponding link with community; a need to feel closer to the Earth during a time when environmental concerns are mounting; and the opportunities available within the faith to explore both male and female aspects of oneself and deity within a still largely patriarchal social system.

   I began my research with a local pagan who chose to use her "Craft" name, Aayleen. Aayleen began, "I have a set of standards, or morals that I live by on a daily basis. Each and every decision is based on those beliefs, the most important one being 'And it harm none, do as you will.'"

   "I have always been 'different' and from a very early age I knew that I was," said Aayleen. "Even my family knew this. One year, for my birthday, all my brothers and sisters bought a card for me that had a motley looking crew on the cover and inside was a very docile looking little person sniffing a flower ‹ that was ME!"

   "Wicca was not a choice, it was a homecomingŠ" she explained, "a name to put on a feeling and a knowing that I have lived with my whole life. I now feel more 'normal' than I ever did while living under someone else's idea of what my spirituality should be like. Wicca, even today, is a very brave and sometimes hazardous path to follow. It requires thought, openness to the unseen and accountability to one's self and the rest of the world."

   Aayleen, who regularly practices ritual and magic, explained that she views magic as part of the natural world. "I can see it every day, in little ways that bring a smile to my face. Yesterday, the birds were all singing and although I was very wrapped up in work, I kept being drawn outside to just stand there and marvel at the sounds and emerging colors of Spring! THAT IS MAGIC!" she exclaimed.

   Laurel FateSeeker, another local pagan, said paganism doesn't affect her day-to-day life. "[Paganism], is just a label," she said. "My spirituality, just like a Christian's, Buddhist's, or a Muslim's, guides my day- to-day life and the decisions I make. It gives me comfort and direction when I need it. I would go so far as to say that you can be of any religion and not be spiritual. Spirituality is the belief that there is something greater than yourself and your immediate world. It is also learning to take that information and apply it to your daily life."

   "I find a lot of pagans to be more thoughtful people," said Laurel, "thoughtful about themselves and others, about the environment and animals. I think that being mindful of your life and the small things that are going on around you is a spiritual trait."

   David Rust, a.k.a. Sylvan SilverNite (his "Craft") name, is co-founder of the Witches' Informational Network (WIN), a web site packed with tons of information about paganism and local/national groups (also called covens and circles). Rust is also the Midwestern Regional Coordinator for the national WIN Pagan Pride movement, an effort that began in 1998 to demonstrate the pagan presence in communities around the world.

   Rust, who is bisexual and has been practicing paganism formally for six years, describes himself as "an American Traditional Wiccan." Raised Presbyterian, he said, "I was lucky enough to attend a church that encouraged free thought and expression." He said he learned in college that other cultures and beliefs were different, not inferior.

   Rust's big year was 1994, the year he decided to come out about both his paganism and his bisexuality. He said, "I'm very 'out' about my religion and wear a pentacle around my neck at all times. Sometimes, I wear a small pentacle ring. I've rarely found anyone who has a problem with my beliefs." The two exceptions, he said, are a few members of his family, who "trivialize [what they don't] understand," or think his sexual and religious beliefs are a "phase." His father, he said, took the news far better: "When I told my dad, he said, 'That's the religion everyone's always confusing with Satanism, right? It isn't, is it?'Šwhen I said no, he said, 'Well O.K.!'!! Then when I told him about my bisexuality, he said, 'That's like Elton John, right?' and he said, 'O.K.!'!!"

   Melissa Summers, who calls herself a "solitary Wiccan" (a pagan who practices primarily alone but may attend community rituals) practices a form of Celtic/eclectic/kitchen Wicca. Summers has a Masters's degree in Adlerian Psychology and a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and is active in her local community. She said most of her friends and family know she is pagan and that her life consists of "pretty boring stuff, really, but comfortable. While our house does have most of the Wiccan trappings (pentacle on the door, altar in the dining room, etc.) it doesn't look like a fairy tail witch's hut."

   Summers said, "I certainly think that people are looking for ways of expressing themselves spiritually. I certainly don't believe in evangelizing. People should follow the spiritual path that meets their needs. I DO hope that spiritual awareness and positive energy is on the rise."

   Bellezza Squillance, a full-time ordained Dianic Priestess who teaches locally and across the country, writes and publishes a pagan newsletter, and in her words, "councils, marries, buries, and blesses." She lives on an organic farm south of the Twin Cities, where she and her family donate chemical-free apples from their small orchard to a local AIDS kitchen every year and provide a shelter for the local wildlife. Squillance said most people know about her paganism, with the exception of her family of origin. Regarding them, she commented, "I sidestep the words that might trigger their feelings of fear."

   Squillance believes spirituality itself is on the rise. "People are seeking to find a place in the great scheme of things to make sense of their lives," she said. "We believe that a person finds their [own] way to the Goddess and to their teachers. The absence of dogma is appealing. In healthy pagan organizations, there is opportunity for shared leadership that doesn't exist in other religions." Like the other pagans interviewed for this story, Squillance celebrates all of the major pagan holidays (except in her case, there are no men admitted to her Dianic coven).

   John Slade believes more people are turning to paganism. Slade is second officer of the Northern Dawn Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess (COG), the local chapter of a national non-profit religious organization and an umbrella group for many local pagan groups. He said attendance has increased at COG rituals by about one-third over the last five years.

   Classifying himself as an "eclectic solitary," Slade said he was influenced by a whole slew of philosophies and belief systems, including Zen, Humanism, 12-step, liberation theology, and radical politics (among others). Like a lot of other pagans, he reads a lot and has always been a science fiction fan. He said, "I believe that religions are creations of humans, and a religion that honors the ecosphere and women is a good fit for me. I believe that western science does not explain a lot of things, and that faith has great power."

   Sidebars:

   Paganism (also known as Wicca or Witchcraft) Defined

   Paganism is a polytheistic religion rooted in an ancient Pre-Christian agrarian culture. Most pagans believe they are part of the natural world, not apart from it, celebrating their holidays and rituals in sync with seasonal cycles. There are many forms of paganism, but most honor the God and Goddess, or feminine and masculine aspects of deity.

   Note: According to Margot Adler's book Drawing Down the Moon, "Most members of the Craft define Witchcraft as the 'Craft of the Wise'Šthe word witch comes from the Old English wicce, wicca, and these words derive from a root wic, or weik, which has to do with religion and magicŠ.many practitioners of Wicca will tell you that Wicca means wiseŠOthers will tell you that Wicca comes from a root meaning to bend or turn, and that the Witch is the bender and changer of reality."

   Common beliefs among pagans (non-inclusive):
(Please note some of these points could be debated ad-nauseum, depending on who you talk to)

   1. The law of return: what you do will return three-fold.
2. Do what ye will, as it harm none.
3. There is a Goddess and God as manifest forces.
4. We are part of nature, not apart from it.
5. There is no such thing as a divinely mandated system of sin and judgment.
6. The sanctity of free will is paramount.
7. Magick (the Craft spelling) is a tool for working with the Universe.

   Misperceptions

   Here are a few common misperceptions about paganism in general, followed by some interesting comments from sources (comments were made by individual pagans and are not representative of the overall pagan community):

   Pagans worship Satan.

   Laurel FateSeeker: "People think that the pentagram is the sign of the devil. What it really means is the four directions or four elements in harmony with and surmounted by the fifth, which is spirit."

   Aayleen: "We don't even believe in the Devil! We put the responsibility for one's actions squarely where it belongs ‹ with the individual!"

   Witches cast evil spells.

   Aayleen: "Although it is possible to do so, MOST responsible Wiccans do not, if for no other reason than that they believe in 'What goes around comes around.'"

   Pagans practice free love and have massive orgies.

   David Rust: "Most of the sex I hear about is a misconceptualization of the Great Rite, where the male athame [a ceremonial knife that is almost never used to cut things on the material plane] is placed into the female chalice [to signify the union of the God and Goddess]. In skyclad (nude) rituals, I've never looked at anyone else in the group in a sexual sense. [Some] pagans practice skyclad to be closer to nature; to lessen the amount of man-made objects between you and nature."

   Ken Lundquist: "Just 'cause SOME work skyclad doesn't mean we fall into bed with each otherŠthere are those I trust completely in Circle that I wouldn't dream of 'bedding'."

   Bellezza Squillance: "If anyone says you must go naked in public rites or have sex with the leaders of the circle, get out. Remember, not all pagans are honest. Remember, we live in a patriarchy. Dysfunctional people are everywhere. Some pagan women abuse power and exert control. Having lived lives of oppression, it is what we know."

   That all pagans are atheists.

   David Rust: "The idea that pagans don't believe in God isn't true; we believe in a God and a Goddess."

   That pagans hate Christians.

   David Rust: "One of my general beliefs is that what goes around, comes around; at the very least what I put out will hit me as hard. Whenever I do encounter this, I usually tell them to knock off the Christian-bashing and move on!"

   That pagans are foolish, tree-hugging, granola-crunching imbeciles.

   David Rust: "Pagans are often labeled as looking different or dressing differently. Some do and some do not, some are very "mainstream" in their dress and manner and just open in their spirit and their views."

   That pagans are anti-technology or anti-science.

   Ken Lundquist: "It is much more an experiencial system rather than the 'revealed' methods of other paths. It seems tailor-made for those who question, and I encourage my students to Question EVERYTHING."

   Additional comments:

   Melissa Summers: "The usual wicked witch bullshit. And people wondering if I can cast spells on them. I try to educate, but I also know I'm not going to change anyone's perception by talking to them. People can see that I am a good person in my actions, and they will change their perceptions about Wicca through knowing me."

   Laurel FateSeeker: "Another label is that pagans go around zapping things like Hollywood would have you think. The truth is, the more you learn about the natural order of things the less you want to interfere; also the reed is very strict about ethics and what is acceptable behavior: 'Do as ye will, and it harm none.'"

   Bellezza Squillance: "[One misconception some people have is] "that all men are bastards. They are not, but we all live in the belly of the beast and it is more difficult for men to break away from patriarchy than it is for women." She said another misconception is "that all pagan men are gay. Again, not true. Many pagan men have lost the harshness of the culture."

   Pagan Holidays

   Pagans celebrate eight major holidays, called "Sabbats" associated with solar cycles and the earth's seasonal cycles of birth, death, and rebirth (often enacted by honoring gods and goddesses representing certain aspects of the cycles; in general, the sun is represented as the God while the moon is represented by the Goddess).

   The information in the following descriptions was compiled from Circle Round, co-written by Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill, and To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft, written by Silver Ravenwolf.

   The Wheel of the Year
(note: dates and the exact names of each holiday can change depending on which tradition someone practices as well as calendrical changes)

   Yule/Winter Solstice December 20,21,or 22: The year is reborn. This is a time when the waxing sun overcomes the waning sun; often enacted through the "Holly King" (the death aspect of the God) overcome by the Oak King (rebirth of the God; also known as the Divine Child).

   Imbolc/Candlemas February 2. The year is beginning to grow up. This is a celebration to banish the winter season, often enacted through the Goddess Brigid wearing a crown of candles to bring in the light.

   Ostara/Eostar (A-yo-star)/Spring Equinox March 20,21, or 22. Day and night are balanced. This is a celebration of balance (not quite winter, not quite spring).

   Beltane/Mayday May 1. The earth is fully awake and everything is blossoming. This is a celebration of fertility and the last of three fertility rituals throughout the year. Often celebrated with Maypole dances, eating, drinking, and cavorting.

   Midsummer Night/Summer Solstice June 20,21,or 22. The sun reaches its peak and begins to decline (longest day of the year). A celebration of passion and success; the Sun King in all his glory.

   Lughnasad (LOO-na-sa) (August 7)/Lammas August 1 or 2. The days are growing shorter. The first of three harvest celebrations and the beginning of the harvest cycle.

   Mabon (MAH-bon)/Fall Equinox September 20, 21,or 22. Day and night are equal again. The second harvest celebration; the taking of corn and other harvested foods.

   Samhain (SAH-win) (November 7)/Halloween (October 31) "The Witches' New Year". The Goddess year begins. The last of three harvest sabbats. Pagans honor the dead at this time and the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is weakest.