PAGANISM PRESENTATION
Rev. Maureen Reddington-Wilde began her presentation strikingly, with a prayer, spoken in Attic Greek, to
Asklepios, the God of medicine. For the next hour she explained to us the tenets, traditions, and rituals
of those who practice Paganism. She answered our questions, which ranged from how Pagans evangelize to how
Social Workers can properly assist Pagans receiving treatment.
Paganism as we now know it started to take form in the 1940s in England. Although it is largely based in
the English-speaking world, there are many groups in non-English speaking countries like Greece and Germany.
Two of the largest Pagan organizations include the CoG (Covenant of the Goddess -
http://www.cog.org) and ADF, a large Celtic group based on Druidic traditions.
Paganism is a very individualistic religion. The beliefs of many Pagans depend on and are shaped by their own
personal experience. A Pagan may be polytheistic, agnostic, atheistic, or animistic. They may consider
themselves both Pagan and Jewish or Pagan and Catholic. It is largely a religion of adults. Children of Pagans
may participate if they want and ask to. There are many aspects of the religion that are widely accepted.
Paganism is a religion that is based on nature. For many it is about finding one's place on this Earth by
following the cycles of the seasons. Holidays and celebrations are largely based on the cycles of the moon,
solstices, etc. There is also a strong belief in reincarnation for many Pagans.
Practice, Rituals, and Beliefs
The meeting structure followed by Pagans is highly dependent on the practices of local groups and individual
covens. The Church of the Sacred Earth, of which Rev. Reddington-Wilde is a minister, meets three times a
year as a whole for its members throughout the New England region. Member congregations meet more frequently.
Daitales, a Boston area congregation, meets weekly and also coordinates larger open public rituals held eight
times a year. There is no common book of prayers. Some liturgy is passed on and some is created to meet
specific needs or circumstances. Hellenic Pagans use a traditional four-part prayer structure. Which may
simply be four sentences or more elaborate.
While there are no uniform structure of worship for Paganism in general, Wicca does have common worship format. It is performed as follows:
Healing rituals are an important part of Paganism and may involve the use of burning candles or incense. In Shamanic tradition,
favored by Rev. Reddington-Wilde, the Shaman goes into a trance-like state and so embarks on an inner spiritual journey to search
out sprits who will help those who require healing. Trance is a common part of Shamanic ritual. It is achieved through ecstatic
methods (i.e. drumming, rattling). The scientific explanation is that brain wave patterns are stimulated and changed by the drumming.
The experience though, is that the trance brings about a spiritual awareness that one can be in both the "real" and spiritual worlds.
There are three stages or degrees of initiation required by practicing Wic-can groups. Other types of Pagan groups and solitaries
(Pagans who practice mostly by themselves) do not necessarily follow this initiation structure. Rev. Reddington-Wilde remarked that
learning her own Pagan spiritual paths as Shaman and Priestess required much individual experimentation and research. It is very
important to develop a strong set of personal beliefs and be educated about them. Often times Pagans will consult the person who
initiated them, or an elder in their coven for advice in the realm of spiritual growth.
A common misconception of Pagans is that they worship the devil or Satan. Rev. Reddington-Wilde explained that there is a belief
that the devil does exist. Pagans tend to respect the beliefs of all the world's religions, even ones they do not personally follow.
The devil is seen as an integral part of the mythology of Christianity and Zoroastrianism, but is not worshipped by people whose
religion is completely outside of those contexts. A possible source of the "devil-worship" misconception is that Pagans may honor
gods described as "horned Gods" such as Pan (a horned and hoofed God), but these are not synonymous with the devil.
Paganism and Health Care
Q: Do Pagan beliefs compliment or contradict Western medicine?
Q: To what extent would Pagans benefit from visits from chaplains of other faiths?
Q: How should a health care professional help the non-Pagan family of the Pagan patient?
Q: What type of support can a health care professional provide until a Wiccan Minister (representative) can be present?
Remember, since Pagan beliefs are highly personal and individualistic, it is always best to ask patients about their own beliefs and preferences.
Special thanks to Rev. Maureen Reddington-Wilde for her edits and comments on this article.
Last month the Social Service Department was invited to attend a presentation on Paganism,
with an emphasis on Wicca, the most common of the Pagan religions, hosted by Chaplaincy. Pagan representative
Maureen Reddington-Wilde, Minister of the Church of the Sacred Earth: A Union of Pagan Congregations, headed
the October 24th presentation.
There is a creed (or rede, as it is described by Wiccans) that is specific to the Wiccan religion:
'An ye harm none, do what ye will'. A commonly held belief is that any energy you send out, positive or
negative, will return to you three-fold. This is a creed of personal responsibility.
Attendees wanted to know how they could best assist Pagans and their families undergoing medical treatment. Some questions asked were:
A: Pagans generally accept and use Western medicine. They understand that germs do exist. Pagan beliefs can also compliment
Western medicine. One example might be the use of visualization for healing.
A: This depends on the individual and it may depend on the religion of the chaplain. Pagans who have had negative experiences
with a certain religion may not want care from a representative of that religion. Polytheists may have an easier time with receiving
cross-faith pastoral care than other Pagans. The best advice would be to ask the individual what would he/she find helpful.
A: Ask the family if they can make contact with the people the patient worships with to learn more about their beliefs,
and their loved-one in the process.
A: Help get supplies and permission for the patient to do small rituals by themselves in their rooms such as using salt and
water and possibly candles and incense for purification.
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