What makes your version of paganism different from others?

[Non-Druid]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.
Mine is below.

I believe that the Pagan Gods were once human at least to some extent perhaps not competently  For me this is why I feel that I am able to relate to them more then the Christian God. I view the Christian God as a Pagan God who went rouge & was jealous of the other Gods & sit off on his own. I try to walk the path of the Druids as best as I can. I don't call myself a Druid because what information we do know about them is just about hypothetical for the most part. So when someone asked I just use the term Pagan.

My view on magick is that it's a partnership between the universe and us & we work with the universe towards a common goal. That science & magick go together & work as one. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding all the time.

These are just some of the reasons I believe that my idea of what I believe as a Pagan is different from most.  Would love to hear from others.

[Sarah]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.
Mine is below.

I believe that the Pagan Gods were once human at least to some extent perhaps not competently  For me this is why I feel that I am able to relate to them more then the Christian God. I view the Christian God as a Pagan God who went rouge & was jealous of the other Gods & sit off on his own. I try to walk the path of the Druids as best as I can. I don't call myself a Druid because what information we do know about them is just about hypothetical for the most part. So when someone asked I just use the term Pagan.

My view on magick is that it's a partnership between the universe and us & we work with the universe towards a common goal. That science & magick go together & work as one. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding all the time.

These are just some of the reasons I believe that my idea of what I believe as a Pagan is different from most.  Would love to hear from others.

 
I'm not sure my paganism is particularly different from a lot of other peoples, I move with the year cycle, I work with some of the Irish pantheon, I do folk magic, that has a lot of cross overs with a lot of people. One thing I feel that makes it mine is the way I feel about stories I think. That it's stories that both make us human and teach us how to be human, that the gods gave us stories and then the stories gave us gods, that religion is codified storytelling, that magic is knowing where to place a lever to change or redirect a story. I'm sure I am not the only person to think like this but this is one of the things that gives my path the flavour of me.

[Altair]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.

• No magic
• Modified wheel of the year: The most important holidays are the solstices, while the February ("Candlemas"/"Imbolc") and August ("Lughnasadh") holidays completely drop out
• Unique gods and myths

[Altair]

• No magic
• Modified wheel of the year: The most important holidays are the solstices, while the February ("Candlemas"/"Imbolc") and August ("Lughnasadh") holidays completely drop out
• Unique gods and myths

I should have specified that these are the things that differentiate my paganism from the standard Wiccan model. There are myriad other differences from other forms of paganism.

[cletus90851]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.
Mine is below.

I believe that the Pagan Gods were once human at least to some extent perhaps not competently  For me this is why I feel that I am able to relate to them more then the Christian God. I view the Christian God as a Pagan God who went rouge & was jealous of the other Gods & sit off on his own. I try to walk the path of the Druids as best as I can. I don't call myself a Druid because what information we do know about them is just about hypothetical for the most part. So when someone asked I just use the term Pagan.

My view on magick is that it's a partnership between the universe and us & we work with the universe towards a common goal. That science & magick go together & work as one. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding all the time.

These are just some of the reasons I believe that my idea of what I believe as a Pagan is different from most.  Would love to hear from others.

 The simplest answer would be that I have a closer affinity with some of the Theoi (Athena and Hermes especially) than with others, though I worship them all.  this is ''different'' because no two Hellenic have the same affinity with the same Theoi

[PrincessKLS]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.
Mine is below.

I believe that the Pagan Gods were once human at least to some extent perhaps not competently  For me this is why I feel that I am able to relate to them more then the Christian God. I view the Christian God as a Pagan God who went rouge & was jealous of the other Gods & sit off on his own. I try to walk the path of the Druids as best as I can. I don't call myself a Druid because what information we do know about them is just about hypothetical for the most part. So when someone asked I just use the term Pagan.

My view on magick is that it's a partnership between the universe and us & we work with the universe towards a common goal. That science & magick go together & work as one. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding all the time.

These are just some of the reasons I believe that my idea of what I believe as a Pagan is different from most.  Would love to hear from others.

 

I've been a pagan off and on for at least a decade, my style has always been unique in that it was Christo-paganism Christian witchery that used to slant more patriarchial and mainstream modern society but things have changed with it. I'm still a Christian witch but I've invited more matriarchial idealisms and nature loving practices in it. I'm also leaning closer to practicing gray/dark style magick and leaning further away from modern Wiccan ideals.

[Non-Druid]

I've been a pagan off and on for at least a decade, my style has always been unique in that it was Christo-paganism Christian witchery that used to slant more patriarchial and mainstream modern society but things have changed with it. I'm still a Christian witch but I've invited more matriarchial idealisms and nature loving practices in it. I'm also leaning closer to practicing gray/dark style magick and leaning further away from modern Wiccan ideals.

 
I've never cared to Wicca myself there are things about Gardner & his claims that bother me. I don't understand any form of Paganism mixed with Christianity myself but if it works for ya lol.

I meant to add I don't believe in the supernatural only the natural.

[Louisvillian]

Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.

I identify as a syncretic reconstructionist, mostly Hellenistic.
I make my own festivals, based on local and national holidays, and reject the Attic calendar that most Greek reconstructionists use.
I conduct both Roman and Greek rituals, and increasingly find myself drawn to Hellenistic Roman religion rather than the Classical Greek religion. Hence why "Hellenistic" rather than "Hellenic". And yet...
I maintain a cult to Gaelic gods, with Gaelic rites, as an extension of my ancestor cult. So I do extend my identity and practices beyond Mediterranean religion, and I don't necessarily Romanize my cult to the gods of my ancestors.

[Moonstone]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.
Mine is below.

I believe that the Pagan Gods were once human at least to some extent perhaps not competently  For me this is why I feel that I am able to relate to them more then the Christian God. I view the Christian God as a Pagan God who went rouge & was jealous of the other Gods & sit off on his own. I try to walk the path of the Druids as best as I can. I don't call myself a Druid because what information we do know about them is just about hypothetical for the most part. So when someone asked I just use the term Pagan.

My view on magick is that it's a partnership between the universe and us & we work with the universe towards a common goal. That science & magick go together & work as one. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding all the time.

These are just some of the reasons I believe that my idea of what I believe as a Pagan is different from most.  Would love to hear from others.

 
I like your idea of the gods were once human. I believe that all gods (including the christian god, allah, other mainstream deities) exist but are simply powerful spirits rather than almighty superior beings. I believe that they may have created some aspects of nature but I believe that the universe as a whole was created by something greater that we have yet to discover.
I don't see myself as believing in or practicing the supernatural - magic and gods and spirits are natural phenomena that everyone can access if they want to.

[Riothamus12]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.
Mine is below.

I believe that the Pagan Gods were once human at least to some extent perhaps not competently  For me this is why I feel that I am able to relate to them more then the Christian God. I view the Christian God as a Pagan God who went rouge & was jealous of the other Gods & sit off on his own. I try to walk the path of the Druids as best as I can. I don't call myself a Druid because what information we do know about them is just about hypothetical for the most part. So when someone asked I just use the term Pagan.

My view on magick is that it's a partnership between the universe and us & we work with the universe towards a common goal. That science & magick go together & work as one. I believe that the universe is alive & expanding all the time.

These are just some of the reasons I believe that my idea of what I believe as a Pagan is different from most.  Would love to hear from others.

 
Well a huge difference between what I do and Wicca specifically is that I posit the existence of a Paradise and Hell. You have to live with the results of your actions in this life and the next. It's not matter of judgement so much as you putting yourself there by means of the way you conducted yourself in life.

Another is that I operate on a six element system which includes shadow. It is not shadow in the sense of evil as so many might interpret it. Your shadow (as in the mundane phenomenon) is not evil and it's part of the world. If aether is life, revelation, and light, then shadow is mystery, death, and secrets. Both are important.  

There's also a sort of emphasis on embracing, understanding, and accepting death as part of life. I am in no hurry to die personally, but I think it is for the best that we pass on. Any Samhain rituals I perform place heavy emphasis on this. One might say the first verse of Don't Fear The Reaper sums it up quite well.

Another is that there is belief in something like the Tao that permeates the universe and all things that live within it. Perhaps that's not unique, but I don't know of many that explicitly mention it save for Kemetic paths.

There's also a belief that the Deities never directly communicate to mortals. Spirits do, but the Deities are distant. it's not that they don't answer prayers who listen to mortals, but they seldom ever respond in any sort of direct fashion.

There is a belief in a "supreme" non-binary Deity who stands at the very pinnacle.

Another thing that I emphasize is how little the Deities actually care about the way in which they're worshiped. Granted, a heavy element of how they are traditionally honored is shown when they are invoked, but there's an emphasis that there is no single right way to worship any individual as their reverence takes on many different forms depending on the culture of who is revering.

There is no inner or outer court, only differing degrees of study and knowledge. All wisdom should be available to those who seek it. However, your personal spell craft should be kept secret. Methodology and theology are open to those willing to inquire.

A driving philosophical notion is that everything has a place in the world. Part of the problem is that humans try to block other humans from fulfilling their role. It is not something based in a social hierarchy, a caste system, or dictated by society, it is something based in your most virtuous desires and innate talents.  You have a spiritual duty to the world.

In magick, there is an emphasis on an often over looked fact. Magick is the art not the power. Magick is used to tap into the spiritual cosmos but not the spiritual power itself. There are no born witches, just people who choose to learn the art or not. Some choose to honor the Divine but not learn the art and that is fine, but is part of being some sort of minister/priest/cleric.

There is no line drawn between fertility and ecstasy traditions. There are only paths of wisdom that stem from the truth. The aim is balance and wisdom. Fertility and ecstasy must be recognized and honored, but they are not the only things that one should concern themselves with. What helps one to grow as a person and lead a better life and be a better person? This is the aim of seasonal rites.

These are just a few things.

I also emphasize that life is neither a gift or a curse. It just is and you are alive here and now for a reason. You have a duty to fulfill and that is one of the foremost reasons you are alive now. In doing that duty you shall find a measure of wisdom and peace.

In my theology there is a notion of things similar to karma and dharma though I do not have proper terms for them yet, but as previously stated there is no link to reincarnation.

The concept of a Deity is that of a sapient cosmic force risen to the level of Divinity. Imagine if you will that a law of physics was alive and was Divine with a great measure of power.

Just a few things I thought I'd mention.

[Autumn Sanddancer]

Would love to hear from others.

I am very new to this, so I am not sure if it is different or not. I like the Native American spirituality, where the "great spirit" infuses everything. I don't really identify with a specific pantheon, but I think they are all fascinating.

[Sobekemiti]

Been a Pagan for almost 20 winters now & I would say my outlook on what I believe is different then how other Pagans view their ideas. Would like to know how you think yours is different & or unique.

 
I don't know how much of this is unique to me, or whether it's just uncommon, but anyway. Have a tl;dr post about my path because I like talking about my path.

I'm a Graeco-Kemetic Druid who uses my own Wheel of the Year as a festival calendar, rather than either the Kemetic or Attic calendars as a base, because it works better in a Mediterranean climate in the southern hemisphere. My months are based around the Greek noumenia-deipnon cycle, because Hekate. The Solstices and Equinoxes are the most important seasonal markers for me.

I'm also a devotional polytheist, and serve Sobek and Heru-sa-Aset as Their priest and scribe before anything else. My work and relationship with Them is sort of obscure and drenched in UPG, and has aspects of sacred D/s, so it's probably not the sort of thing mainstream Kemetics might find themselves doing. Sacred D/s makes for an interesting dynamic, but it works for us. It is also not godspousery; our relationship is God and servant, not husband and wife. Some sacred D/s is about marriage, and there's nothing wrong with that, but mine is most definitely not.

I worship a localised version of Sobek and Heru, Sobek of Shedet, rather than the Sobek of Kom Ombo who is more well-known. Sobek of Shedet has interesting syncretisations with Heru-sa-Aset and Heru's myths (Sobek as Heru-sa-Aset makes my head hurt sometimes), and there was a temple to Isis-Renenutet around there as well. This specific local form of Sobek colours everything I do in my path, and I don't know that it's particularly common to worship obscure localised forms of the major Egyptian deities.

I don't do energy work; I can't sense it strongly or consistently enough to work reliably with it. My magic ls all about putting the right stuff together, then asking the gods to do Their thing. A formal heka ritual is the only time I cast anything resembling a 'magic circle' - and it's more about encircling the heka of the gods with my knife (a veiled symbolic threat, not uncommon in heka) than for the purpose of casting a circle in a Wiccish or ceremonial/occult sort of manner. It has a different purpose. It also includes above and below as well as the four cardinal directions. It's based on the old rituals and stuff, but it's my own creation, and it works for me.

I have met "fictional deities" through my writing. I use scare quotes because I am not certain as to their status as made-up character creations from my brain. All I know is that I have been able to interact with Them in some of the same ways I interact with my other gods, so. *shrugs* I have a shrine to one at the moment, and a book of Her myths I'm halfway through finishing. It's a legit spiritual exercise for me, and why She has asked for it, I don't know. But as long as this relationship seems to be positive, and fulfilling, well. I'll keep writing and developing Her worship. She wants rituals. Once I figure out how to do rituals for Her from the culture She comes from. (This is what happens when I write a novel with fictional gods then wonder what Their shrines and altars would look like. From there comes physical shrine buildings, myths, hymns, and rituals. Because obviouisly. Being a god's scribe is super-fun, u guise, totally recommend. You are never short of things to write for Them.)

I don't really do ancestor worship? Like, I know it's important for many pagans and polytheists, but it's just not a big priority for me. Of the blood ancestors of mine who have passed on, I just never had close enough relationships with them to feel like I'd want to remember them, and some weren't very nice people anyway. So it's never been a big priority. I've tried over the years, but nothing has ever stuck for any length of time.