| Belief
systems such as Wicca, Druidry, Shamanism, Goddess
Spirituality, Sacred
Ecology, the Northern
Traditions popularized in Europe. Most
Pagans believe that no one belief system is correct, and
that each person has the freedom to choose their own religion.
The Pagan Federation,
the largest umbrella organization for Paganism in Europe,
has set out three
principles as follows: |
Love
for and Kinship with nature:
rather than the more customary attitude of aggression
and domination over Nature; reverence for the life
force and its ever-renewing cycles of life and death.
|
The Pagan Ethic:
'Do what thou wilt, but harm none'. This is a positive
morality, not a list of thou-shalt-nots. Each individual
is responsible for discovering his or her own true
nature and developing it fully, in harmony with the
outer world.
|
The Concept
of the Goddess and God
as expressions of the Divine Reality:
an active participation in the cosmic dance of
the Goddess and God, female and male, rather than
suppression of either the female or the male principle.
|
Pentacle
..The
five-pointed star within a circle is the most common
Pagan symbol, and it is typically used to identify
oneself as a Pagan or Wiccan.
The five points represent the 4 elements plus the
spirit, and the circle connects them all.
..A five-pointed
star without the circle is sometimes called a pentagram,
rather than a pentacle. Based
on numerology, the five points means the pentacle symbolizes
the Earth element and can be used as an Earth symbol
on an altar.
|
Inverted
Pentacle
..The
inverted (or upside
down) pentacle is a symbol
of some reputation. It is typically associated
with Satanism,
though that is not a completely accurate description.
..The
true emblem of the Church
of Satan is the sigil of Baphomet,
which is a symbol with a goat's head and an inverted
pentacle. Within
Wicca, the upside down pentacle stands for the 2nd
degree in some traditions.
|
The
Green Man
..The
Green Man is a mysterious figure depicted mainly
in medieval European stonework, believed to
represent an ancient vegetation deity.
..The
Green man is nearly always depicted as a "foliate
head," that is, a face made of
leaves and vines. Sometimes, it appears as a human
face peering out from leaves, other times with animal
features. The
Green Man serves as a sort of mascot of the Neopagan
religious movement, where he serves as the embodiment
of untamed nature, an emblem of the male principal,
and a symbol of fertility and vibrant life energy.
|
Eye
of Horus
..It
is seen sometimes as the right or sometimes
as the left eye. The left eye is Eye
of Horus and is connected with the moon. When
it's the right eye, it's the Eye of
Ra, and associated with the sun. Though some
sources say there is no distinction at all.
..The
Eye represents the eye that was lost by Horus when
he fought with Seth over the murder of his father,
Osiris.The symbol is worn for for protection and to
ward off evil spirits.
|
Ankh
The short and traditional meaning for the ankh symbol is "everlasting
life". This symbol is a heiroglyph seen in
countless ancient Egyptian carvings, usually held in hand by Gods
and pharohs to show how they preside over life (in
other words, are immortal). In these images,
the ankh is held by the loop rather than the base.
The
ankh is a popular symbol among Pagans, likely due to
the similarity to a Christian cross which makes the
ankh much less shocking to others, as compared to a
pentacle.
|
Septagram
..The
seven pointed star has a few names: septagram, septacle,
Elven star or fairy star. The number seven corresponds
to the spirit realm, which is why this symbol is
associated with elves or fairies.
..There
are no set representations for each of the points,
but they are sometimes labelled: earth, air, fire,
water, above, below and within. The septagram is also
associated with astrology because the classical view
of the sky contained seven planets.
|
Triskele
..There
are many variations on the basic Triskele (or triple
spiral) symbol. The one illustrated
here is very simple to illustrate the basic look
of the symbol. The triskele is a Celtic symbol,
and symbolizes the power of life and rebirth. It
combines the spiral (often
used to illustrate the cycle of life) and
the number 3 is a sacred number, as seen in the phases
of the triple Goddess. This symbol is also referred
to as a triskelion.
|
Hexagram
..The
unicursal hexagram is a variation of the 6-pointed
star. The more traditional way of drawing a 6-pointed
star is in the double triangles of the Star of David. Aleister
Crowley created his own design, to create
a symbol that could be drawn in one continuous line.The
number 6 represents unity and balance, specifically
balance between man and the Divine.
|
Triple
Moon
..The
triple moon is a Goddess symbol that represents
the Maiden, Mother, and Crone as the waxing,
full, and waning moon. It is also associated
with feminine energy, mystery and psychic abilities. You
will often see this symbol on crowns or other
head-pieces, particularly worn by High Priestesses.
|
Hecate's
Wheel
..This
maze-like symbol is associated with the triple
aspect of the Greek goddess Hecate. She is considered
a 'dark'
goddess by some, and rules over cross-roads and
the Underworld. Hecate
is also known as the Goddess of the Witches.
This isn't a particularly common symbol among
Wiccans, but you do see it occasionally.
|
|
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are- NOT- necessarily those of the Visionsmagazineonline.com editorial
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The words in this article are those of the author. They are
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of what other people involved in paranormal investigations
today are doing on a worldwide basis. The choice is
yours. |
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