The Pagan Study Group

As previously stated, the PSG is now officially on Indefinite Hiatus. 

One of the issues that comes with being part of a minority faith tradition is the lack of available resources offline.  Many of us don’t have priesthoods, organizations, or open groups, and printed books about anything pagan are often questionable…assuming you can find them in your local bookstore at all. Things are improving from what they were ten, twenty, thirty years ago, but the progress is less of a march and more like meandering zigzags of trance-dancing in the generally correct direction.  So the Internet has proven invaluable, providing access to resources that would normally be limited by time, location, money, accessibility, or all four.

However, the people writing and posting and researching and debating and posting some more are still people; while this is excruciatingly obvious, I think it leads to a point that bears repeating both in general and especially for individuals and groups who set themselves up as any kind of authority on any subject:

Question everything.

Question your teachers.  Question your priests and co-ritualists.  Question the writers of books and blogs alike. Question us, the PSG, because although we’re a diverse group in terms of personal identities, backgrounds, and experiences, we’re still only individuals within our chosen faith communities, not the faith communities as a whole.  We still make mistakes and have misunderstandings, and as an educator IRL, I firmly believe that the only stupid question is the one that can be answered by reading the bolded font on the syllabus.  (Which we don’t have, so yay!) But we do have a Before asking and an FAQ

On a more pragmatic level, creating an atmosphere in which questioning of religious authority is discouraged is a common first step towards spiritual abuse.  If anyone, even an elder in an initiatory tradition, punishes you for asking questions emotionally, mentally, financially, physically, or in any other way, I strongly recommend interpreting it as a red flag for potential abuse and paying attention to see if it’s part of a larger cycle of control.  /soapbox

So even while you’re looking through our tags and posts, checking out the resource blog and our collected links on various subjects, remember that it’s still coming from a small, slowly rotating group of individual people.

I’d recommend you look into Gaulish Polytheism. The Gauls were a Celtic group that resided in what is now modern day France.

Honestly hard to say, there’s no uniformity with spirits in how they think or act. It may be fine with one but not another. Though I’d guess that it would be rocky at best. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it.

But if you’re determined to anyway, I’d say give a small offering to test the waters and go from there. Just don’t expect the warmest of welcome or a give or take relationship.

That’s all perfectly okay! Many people are Pagan and don’t believe in magic and deities. 

-Tema

I’d recommend you looking into Humanistic Paganism. It might have what you’re looking for.

When I was eleven, I took up the violin via school orchestra. I was never interested in classical music, but instead Celtic. I’d never really heard the style, but when my private teacher introduced me to it I was in love. My grandfather was a skilled fiddler, born and raised in Scotland (hence, Celtic influence). He even had a Stradivarius violin (I found out about all of this after starting music). We seem so alike, and I feel very drawn to him. Do you think there is a connection there? (2/2)

Stuff like this happens all the time. I had a friend who’s dead uncle was literally almost exactly like him. All sorts of strange connections just like you describe. But truthfully, that’s more than likely all there is to it. Connections.

Genes get passed through families (explaining the physical similarities) and considering people often have similar tastes in music it’s not that strange that you’d like Celtic music as well. I think that you might feel so drawn to him because you’ve assigned this supernatural potential to what is, in reality, not that strange. 

That being said, ancestor veneration is a thing, and might be something you could be interested in. Maybe try looking into that. 

Soft polytheism has the deities being more archetypes than individual entities. I don’t know too much more of it than that but you could look through our tag.

Sounds to me like the Wiccan Lord of the Forest, but I may be wrong. Can some others weigh in?

-Tema

I’m not very familiar, but it does sound like the wiccan Forest deity, or maybe Lucifer. Lucifer can sometimes be linked to “the wilds”. But again, not things I’m inherently familiar with. Followers?

The Pagan Study Group has been a blog for just about four years now and I’ve had the privilege of being a mod here for about two and the Head Admin for the past few months. But as with all things, it is time to say goodbye to the PSG. As of this posting, the PSG will be on an Indefinite Hiatus. The blog page and all its posts and resources will remain but no new resources will be posted after the current queue empties, nor will the blog be maintained.

The PSG has been a great blog to work on, we have had some amazing mods, both past and present, but in truth, the days of the PSG have been waning as of late, and I believe it is time to finally lay down arms and let time take its course. I would like to thank all the wonderful mods that not only I have worked with, but the ones that predated me as well.

I wish our current mods well in whatever their next endeavors are and I’d also like to say thank you to you, the community, without you guys there would have been no PSG to begin with. So, once again, thank you to all of you.

Once again thank you everyone and goodbye.

It depends on the individual. I believe, personally, in the personification of night as Lady and forest as Lord, therefore the Goddess and God. Others may believe otherwise. Some may worship Gods and Goddesses from other pantheons within their study, and that’s perfectly okay, though it may be unorthodox in some practices, and, again, that’s perfectly okay. Being one with yourself is what matters. 

-Tema

From my understanding of it, (neo)Wicca is a more soft polytheistic practice. They see all gods and goddesses as facets of the God and Goddess. So using that paradigm both Diana and Freyja would be facets, parts of a greater whole, that is the Wiccan Goddess.

Yes! You might be interested in checking out Christopaganism, or the Christian Witchcraft tags right here on Tumblr. There’s also a lot out there about substituting and working with (for lack of a better term) Angels, outside of the Christian framework. Here’s the PSG’s Christopaganism tag to get you started!

Well first, by giving you the dirt the friend has theoretically consented to any not particularly powerful or malevolent magic, and the effects that this magic may have. If you believe your friend does not know you intend to use it for magic, gain their permission first.

You can cleanse the dirt of associations with your friend’s energy as you would cleanse stones and other spell ingredients.

If the energy of your friend or their home is important to the spell and not to be cleansed, using it for a simple blessing or another spell that is small enough it can’t backfire hugely is the safest bet.

-Danny

It’s largely unlikely that any backfiring would come back to your friend since you are the one casting the spell. Your energy will most likely completely overwrite any sort of faint energy trace your friend may have on it. If you’re still concerned the above is good advice.

American Spirits are generally very different with their own rules. I’d caution trying to work with Land spirits in America, especially if you’re white. I can tell you from first and second-hand experience, most if not all of them will hate you. They remember what our ancestors did. And they have not, and probably will not forgive it.

Fae are generally fae regardless of the region so you won’t have too much trouble with them beyond the standard troubles that Fae can bring.

That email address was from the former head admin, thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’ll correct it for the future.

What is your Tumblr URL?

My main URL that I follow and like from is i-am-seabass, but my pagan blog is at queerjesuswitch.

What is your religious path, if you have one?

I am a Christopagan, coming from a Roman Catholic tradition and worshiping the Christian trinity, a Christian feminine trinity (Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Sophia), doing works with saints and angels, and worshiping the Hellenic pantheon, Apollo in particular.

How long have you been studying paganism?

I have been studying for about two years now.

Do you practice magic, and if so, what kind? For how long?

I practice energy work, divination (tarot mostly in practice, but a wide variety of study), astrology, healing magic, candle magic, crystal magic, and angel and saint work. I have been practicing for about two years.

Why are you drawn to this religion and/or practice?

I love my Catholic roots, but have come to appreciate and utilize the natural psychic and energy powers that we all have from our Divine creation in God. I have had many psychic experiences and wanted to pursue my natural talents. I have come to worship Apollo since feeling him call to me, and desire to pursue those who have taken the time to pursue me.

Do you have any area of expertise in magic/pagan studies? If so, what is it?  Please be specific.  This is what we really look at.

I have a lot of experience in sacrifice/offering to dieties, generally developing a religious practice, tarot, astrology, candle magic, and energy work, particularly energy involved in healing.

Why do you want to be a mod here?

This blog was helpful when I started out, and I think that there is a need for as much expertise on Christopagan practice as possible. I’m currently entering a graduate level education on the matter and want to share my knowledge.

What are your views on Wicca? Cultural appropriation? Pop Culture Paganism? Self-created religions? Abrahamic witchcraft?

I don’t love it.

It’s bad.

Divinity manifest to everyone differently and if it found you in PCP, that’s great. It’s also great spell inspiration and there’s no reason PCP spells wouldn’t work.

All religion was self-created at one point.

It’s my jam.

Anything else we should know?

We don’t give out spells, but anything giving thanks for getting you through surgery and wishing for a good recovery should be sufficient.