Heathens are a group of persons that believe in more than one God. Pagan faiths are the oldest known faiths in the universe. Many are still practiced today. Even though considered tabu in many societies, faiths like Hinduism still remain. Heathens throughout clip have influenced the manner we as a society pattern faith and the manner we run our authorities.
The Celts besides were the people who build Stonehenge, which is believed to be an ancient spiritual site where they celebrated the winter and summer solstices.
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The Gaelic people were feared throughout Europe. They were a ferocious people that were known to behead challengers, and so put their caputs around their places as warnings. They would set bluish pigment on their faces and fought naked. The Celts were one of the first societies to see adult females as peers. Womans could contend and govern lands. They had a really modern position on equality. Many of the female Gaelic Gods were the most powerful.
The Celts society was finally wiped out by the Romans around 4 B.C. Many of them were hired by Romans to contend in their ground forces. Some of their vacation jubilations were besides except into Roman society.
When most people think of Pagan faiths, we forget about the Romans. Many people look at Pagan faiths as barbarian and barbarian. But in world the Romans and Greeks were a major influence on today ‘s society.
Most of us know some of the great Grecian mythology, like Hercules, Zeus, or the narrative of the Trojan Wars. Today we look at these narratives as Mythology, but in Rome and Greek it was the manner of life. The Greeks believed that when the Earth was foremost created and the Titans ruled it. The Titans were like the devils of today ‘s Christian believe. They were boisterous and ruled when the Earth was immature and helter-skelter. Zeus was finally born. His female parent hid him from his male parent Kronos who ate all of his off spring. Many forget that Zeus was really a Titan. When Zeus eventually came of age he came back and killed his male parent Kronos. Soon after, Zeus created Olympus, were the known Gods lived ( Roberts, 2004 ) .
Many Gods were worshiped through ancient Greece and Rome. There were many different temples dedicated to different Gods. There were temples to Mars, the God of war. Besides there were temples dedicated to Apollo, the Sun God, and to Hera, the queen of the Gods. In the Greek mythology the Greeks had an account for everything in nature. Each God had something to make with nature and why things in nature happened. Like if there was a tidal moving ridge, Saturn, God of the sea was unhappy. The goddess Persephone went to the underworld during winter that ‘s why the universe when cold. Or Zeus was angered and that is why it stormed ( Roberts, 2004 ) .
The Roman was the first society to hold a democracy. In ancient Rome, even though there was a Caesar, they besides had a senate that would talk for the people. Our American democracy is set up about the same manner.
Finally Christianity took over Rome. A big sum of Christian holidays recognized today are celebrated on one time heathen vacations. Many believe this bleary line between the faiths is due to Roman emperor Constantine. He was seeking for a cosmopolitan faith. During Roman times, Christians and Pagans were at war. He wanted the best for his state. That ‘s manner many of the vacations are on the same twenty-four hours or in the same month. Many of these we can still see today in modern society. In ancient Rome, Christmas was changed to December, because there were so many Christians still observing Yule. Remember many of the Celtic and even Norse ( Viking ) vacations were accepted in Rome. Christmas was the winter Solstice. Samhain, which is October 31, is celebrated in mainstream America today as Halloween. Most Christians celebrate this by doing jack-a-lanterns and go throughing out confect. Pagans celebrate it as the twenty-four hours when the Veil between the life and the dead is thinnest. Ancient heathen would put nutrient in forepart of their door to feed the dead. Jack-o-lantern funguss were besides carved to maintain evil liquors off ( Miller, 2001 ) . Around March 21, Easter, Ostara or Spring Equinox in ancient Celtic faith, celebrate metempsychosis. Metempsychosis in the Christian faiths is for the Resurrection of Christ. Ostara is the jubilation of spring, and the reawakening of Mother Earth ( McCoy, 2003 p. 16 ) . Both faiths do utilize eggs in the jubilation. It is a mark of birthrate. Imbolc, which is a Heathen vacation in February, is a jubilation of the Goddess Brid as a waiting bride, for the Sun God. This, in modern twenty-four hours Ireland, is known as St. Brigit ‘s twenty-four hours. St. Brigit is a Christian version of the heathen God. May Day, or Beltane, is the first of May. “ The first of May has been celebrated in vocal and poetry for longer than recorded human history ” ( McCoy, 2003, p. 24 ) . It ‘s a jubilation in Druidism of adult male and adult female. It ‘s the clip of spring and the fertilisation of the Earth. Christians recognize this twenty-four hours, but at that place truly is no specific jubilation. Litha, which has been recognized by all since recorded history, it is the Summer Solstice.
Ancient people did non hold scientific discipline to understand the manner the universe worked. They used these narratives and the Gods to understand the unaccountable. These one time disregarded faiths are now going popular once more. These new heathen faiths are called neo-pagans ; neo means new. Many neo-pagans have turned their dorsums on modern faiths like Christianity and Muslim. They are tired of the intolerance of homosexualism, race, and gender and want to travel back to nature.
“ Witchs are the largest of the Neopagan faiths. They believe in working with nature and their natural milieus. They have great fear for the Earth, for their Goddess, and her consort, the horned God ” ( Robinson, 2009 parity. 9 ) . Wiccans is mostly based on the antediluvian Celts ; some have taken patterns for the Egyptians and Vikings. Wiccans pattern magick by utilizing herbs, rites, and tapers. They work their magick by confabulating with the Otherworld. Magic is spelled with a K to distinguish from thaumaturgy used for entertaining intents. The Otherworld is where you can commune with the Gods and goddess. It is reached by ritual and speculation. “ A charming rite is a agency of rising your perceptual experience, by the usage of motions, objects, and sound ” ( Blamires, 2007, p. 47 ) . The Otherworld is a different plane of being, that is believed to be reached by utilizing the head in a heighten province. A Wiccan finds a working country they are comfy working in. Once the country is defined, they do non go forth the country until the ritual is complete. Bing interrupted in the center of “ working ” will interrupt the ritual and it will hold to be started all over once more ( Blamires, 2007, p. 141 ) .
Many Witchs are lone practicians. But others form little groups called covens or Grovess. Because of many centuries of spiritual propaganda and misinterpretation, many heathens pattern resistance were they feel they are safe from examination.
Witchs rites and rites are used to attune themselves with nature. They pattern magick with the stages of the Moon and seasonal alterations. They believe with our intelligence, it is our duty to populate in harmoniousness with nature, and command environmental balance. Witchs besides believe in a balance of mutual opposition, much like the Buddhists ‘ ying and yang. The balance between light and dark, adult male and adult females, is the Creative Power throughout the existence. The pattern of outer or interior planes, which means the Spiritual World and the interaction of the plane with oneself. They do non acknowledge a spiritual hierarchy, merely the go throughing down of greater cognition to other practician.
Equally far as the Wiccan hereafter, there are many different positions. Some believe in the Celtic hereafter of Summerland. When here, one can run into the others that have died before them, and view their passed lives they have lived. One can reexamine and reflect on their passed lives, so finally be reborn. Some believe that in decease there is no hereafter. Others believe that the hereafter is the manner we are redistributed into the environment. When we die, we are recycled into life things and go a portion of them. This manner, there is ever a continued living portion of oneself ( Robinson, 2009 ) .
There are many ways to make rites. It all depends on the clip of twelvemonth, Moon rhythm, and magick desiring to be worked. The Lone Wiccan sets up and communion table and their tools. On the communion table there can be incense, a fabric, a wand, vino, salt, a knife, rocks, crystals, and herbs, or tapers. Each tool has a certain usage or significance to what the practician wants to make. Many times a circle is created around the alter with black, ruddy, green, and white, positioned at north, south, east, and west. This is believed to be a circle of protection that can non be broken during the “ on the job ” of a enchantment. After being set up, the practician will being speculation. At this clip during the ritual, it is believed one can talk with the Otherworld. Many attempt to acquire advice, or to better themselves. The Wiccan attempts to happen interior balance during “ working ” . Most Wiccans chant or say approvals to acquire to the heighten province of speculation ( Conway, 2002, p. 10 ) .
For Wiccans there are many grounds to pattern magick. There are really few regulations, except you can non make harm onto others. If this happens it ‘s believed to come back treble onto oneself. Witchs are allowed to pattern to derive money or love. They are allowed to “ work ” thaumaturgy to break themselves or their households ( Conway, 2002 ) .
In our modern society we were taught to believe that heathens were Satanists. Many of these positions came from the Catholic Church seeking to get rid of pagan religion back in ancient Rome. Many of the Catholic Church ‘s mass rites are similar to ancient heathens. The jubilation of God in the Catholic Church is Sunday. In Pagan Rome the jubilation for the Sun God, Apollo, is on the same twenty-four hours, therefore the twenty-four hours called Sunday. During Catholic mass, which is held in church, an communion table is used. The communion table is a topographic point where the priest can confabulate to the people. “ The communion table is a symbol of Christ and the Rock of Sacrifice ” ( Catholic, n.d. , parity. 15 ) . On the communion table, much like the Celts is placed a fabric that represents the colour of the season. There are besides normally two tapers on or around it. There is besides a goblet, gold plated, placed on the communion table. There is besides a white linen fabric called the purificatior. It is so placed over the goblet ( Catholic, n.d. , para.18 ) . Wine and H2O are besides used in mass. Both Wiccans and Catholics have a similar communion table set up. There are a few little differences such as the usage of an unsloped pentacle alternatively of a cross. The H2O is used in both faiths as a purifier. It has been long believe, by ancient people, that H2O is a natural purifier.
Clothing in both, during ceremonials, is really rather similar. Romans, Celts and Catholics likewise, frock in robes harmonizing to the season or vacation.
Even though many of these societies rose and fell 1000s of old ages ago ; if we take a measure back and look around us, they are the grounds we are so successful today. We have a strong democracy, equal rights, and new ways at looking at the universe and faith. Some of the greatest inventions came from the heathens.
