The word Pagan comes from the Latin word paganus, which means "country dweller." It may have been a derogatory term created by city dwellers to describe "those hicks out there," much like the word "redneck." Because "pagan" tended to have a negative meaning, it was later adopted as an insult. During the crusades, the Christians called the Muslims "pagans," and later, Protestants and Catholic flung the sword at each other.

Eventually, "being pagan" meant someone without a religion.

Since the word "Pagan" has been adopted by the Pagan movement, some of its perceived stigma has lessened. At the very least, the word helps us to think about the labels history applies to those who differ from conventional Western thought. Some Pagans don't like thr word and use other terms to describe their path, such as African Traditional Religion, Native Spirituality, Celtic Spirituality, Heathenry, Earth-Centered Spirituality, European Traditional Spirituality, the Elder Faith, and the Old Religion.

The term Pagan, after all, refers to ancient, tribal, and usually pre-Christian cultures that are mostly extinct. To avoid confusion between historical Paganism and the modern movement, many social scientists and Pagans alike have decided they prefer the word "neo-Pagan."

The noted author and Druid Isaac Bonewits goes further. He uses the world "Paleopaganism" to describe "the original tribal faiths of Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania and Australia."

A few of these tribal faiths, such as Hinduism, Taosim, and Shintoism, whose adherents number imn the millions, have survived to the present.

Next, Bonewts describes "mesopaganism" as re-creations of paleopagan systems, usually with influences from Judeo-Christian thought. Some of his examples are Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Theosophy, Voudon, Santeria, and Sikhism.

His third category is "neopaganism," which he defines as religions created from the 1960s onward, and that "have attempted to blend what their founders perceived as the best aspects of different types of paleopaganism with modern 'Aquarian Age' ideals."

I will leave it to you to decide how to refer to your spiritual path or what you want to call those that follow a different path.

I would like to call it "Earth Spirituality".

I've seen the word officially defined and used in three major different ways.

1. Earth or nature-based spirituality.
2. Any religious view that is not Abrahamic.
3. Any religious view that is not Christianity.

So I supposed I'm a pagan by all three of these definitions.

I never use the word myself.

I'd rather use the words 'pantheistic', 'mystic', or 'shamanistic'.

Or sometimes I'll just refer to myself as a 'none of your businesstic'

I'm not into organized spirituality anyway so I guess I have no need for labels.

When it comes to sharing spiritual ideas, for me, the term witchcraft comes up a lot but I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with or follow any particular practices associated with that label.

In fact, I perfer to use other terms, like alchemist, or wizard, in a serious spiritual sense. The problem is that many people associate these words with pure fantasy and don't truly understand the serious spirituality that I associate with them. So they don't work well for communication purposes. Unless, of course, the person I'm speaking to already understands them in that context which is quite rare.

There are so many terms it is in many ways utterly ridiculous, yet nevertheless like you say to have a name gives meaning to some people. A status or a identification. I also don't know what I would be called.

A Buddhist, Native Indian Spiritual, Pagan, Wiccan, Traditional European Witchcraft, Free spirit, Earth-centered, and agnostic believer.

or maybe just call me an Eclectic believer - Those who practice Eclectic Earth-Spiritism combine what believe to be the best elements from a variety of Earth-Spirituality and possibly non Earth-Spirituality.

I would say a good possibility for you James is that you are a Solitary?

Solitary - This term describes a person who practices alone, regardless of tradition. This does not mean that solitaries never enjoy being with a group or community. There are many who participate in conventions. They do not, however, have an interest in joining a circle or coven on a permanent basis.

I am a Pagan in the literal sense as a country dweller and the spiritual sense as in earth spirituality. I am more specifically an eclectic shamanic practitioner.

Though with shamanism there is the question that a shaman is a priest/ess so why one would say they practice priestism as being a confusing term.

Yes the word shaman is another word that is used in many different ways.

I recently saw a group American Indians who were all upset about the way people were using the word 'shaman'.

This strikes me as funny because my understanding is that the actual word originated in Mongolia. But I'm not sure how accurate that information is either.

In any case, like you say, Dancer, many people use the word to refer to some type of spiritual leader. And I think that is a quite popular use of the term.

I use it quite differently myself. I use it with respect to shamanic journeying. Books I've read say it means, "To walk between worlds". Meaning between the physical and spiritual worlds. Or simply to communicate with spirits.

I use it to simply mean that I practice shamanic journeying, which includes interacting with spirits in visions, meditations, and lucid dream states.

So in that sense I'm practicing 'shamanism' even though I don't consider myself to be any sort of spiritual leader or healer. Other than healing myself perhaps.

I also pronounce the word with a 'short' a. I guess most people prounce it with a 'long' a.

In other words, most people probably pronounce it "Shay-man", like in layman, but I pronounce it "Shah-man", like in lawman.

Not that it matters. I just say tomayto tamahta when confronted with my pronunciation.

It doesn't really matter anyway since I'm not claiming to be a priest I guess.

I'm just a dreamer.

Well said, Abra.

I'm left amused with many things Native Americans say sometimes. I've heard their complaints about the term shaman, which isn't their proper term, except for up in Alaska amongst the Eskimo. It is originally Mongolian. I'm also left amused at some of their complaints about white folks using their rituals like sweat lodges, or vision journeys when its a fact that ALL cultures use these things in various ways.

I agree with you on it more accurately being Walker Between the Worlds, lucid journeying, etc. I also alternate by using Taibhsear, which is Scots-Gaelic for vision-seer.

I work healing on self, animals, plants, though I will funnel energy to a friend in Scotland who heals people.

I've ways understood it to be shah-man, myself.

It is theorized that Native Americans crossed the Bering Strait over 25,000 years ago bringing an Asian shamanic belief system with them. The medicine man I visit can still go into a trance state talking to spirits and even has the ability to heal others. If you look at the comparison between an Native American medicine man and a Asian Shaman practice of getting into a trance you will see much similiarity in practices.

It is only natural that over the many centuries that many of the tribes in the Americas have changed their ways of spiritual practice differing from the original Shamanic beginnings.

Another interesting aspect about Native American Spirituality is that they worship animal spirits which is no different then what the Asian Astrology offer and value also.

Although the animal spirits are different the concept is the same.

They are interlinked with each other in many ways as I was told the last time I visited a Native American friend.

So at least the native tribe I visit doesn't get upset about the possiblitiy of Asian heritage. They have a open mind to the possiblities.

I agree that there are similarities. I know going through Mircea Eliade, and of course, Michael Harner's Way of the Shaman, touch a fair amount on "core shamanism" I think many of the modern shamanic practitioners started with a good foundation with Harner's core shamanism and have, like myself, built upon it.

But to scream and whine about everyone picking on them is ridiculous. They are not the only ones out there who practice this. They don't own the rights to it.

Yes, there are those who abuse the teachings, but there are MANY more who respectfully use them to create harmony.

Perhaps you are dealing with the younger generation of Native Americans. Many have become Americanized and have forgotten much of their roots. The older generation, however, are different. Well at least the ones I visit are. They even say that these lands are not theirs even before the Europeans came claiming it for theirs. The natives say that this land is no ones land. It is here for us to live on and share. We share life with nature and nature lives with us as one.

Concerning Shamanic studies, I would say it did begin in Mongolia and other parts of Asia and that some of the older generation Native American's agree that it is a possiblity that their ancestory migrated here from Asia bringing this belief system.

They also agree that a spiritual belief isn't owned by any one individual group or culture. A spiritual belief is universal to everyone. Good spiritual practices will agree this to be true.

Those who show ignorance shouldn't get any attention. Do not scar yourself with their arrogance. Do your practices for they are meant for anyone who wishes to do them regardless of race or culture.

Exactly.

The North American Indians have every right to use the word shaman to refer to their spiritual practices. And they can even specify practices that are specific to their culture as "North American Indian Shamanism" (or what ever tribe they want to describe it as belonging to). I'm sure that even all American Indian Tribes did not do things in precisely the same ways.

But where they are totally out of line is rejecting or complaining about other people doing shamanism in slightly different ways.

Like you say, Michael Harner is very famous for his book, "The Way of the Shaman" which is a study of cultures from all over the globe.

In fact, Michael Harner is credited with coining the term "Core Shamanism". This reflects his study of global cultures to see what various shamanic practices have in common.

I'm also totally willing to believe and accept that the North American Indians were indeed Asians originally. I totally believe this. I think it makes perfect sense because the North American Indians were indeed very "pantheistic" in their spirituality.

It's cyrstal clear to me that they didn't migrate to North American from Israel, or any other Mediterranean culture.

They probably came from the asian cultures, maybe even from as far south as India. But certainly from Mongolia.

So they should truly view these other shamanic practices as actually belonging to their long lost ancestors.

I personally pick and choose what works for me, and I'll use anything from any culture if it feels right for me.

I'm a brother of humanity. So I'm open to pretty much anything.

I tend to reject the Mediterranean egotistial sky gods though. From Zeus to Yahweh it's all just a bunch of egotistical-based male chauvinitic bigotry as far as I can see. Gods with human failings such as jealousy and anger, etc.

Well maybe Zeus himself wasn't so male chuavinistic. But whoever invented Zeus made Zeus himself a male. And Zeus was the "God of the Gods". Not unlike the more male-chauvinistic Yahwew.

From my point of view, none of that is spiritual. That's just all egotistical manmade bigotry and jealousy. But there was shamanim going on during those times. Even the Bible has some king going to a witch to get her to summon up a spirit. Even the Bible says that she was actually able to do this.

Talk about a man-made doctrine that shoots itself in it's own foot.

The authors actaully including stories about people around them who were actually able to summon up spirits for real.

Just goes to show that even the authors of the mythologies knew that there were genuine shamans around in the background.