Many people today have a missconception of what being a pagan really means, I hope to disspell some of the myths here today and also share some Pagan images I have come accross.One reason people should be educated about the misconceptions of pagan religions is because they are different that what they are perceived to be. Pagans are taken by many to be devil worship. Fictitious movies like Hocus Pocus tell how witches sell their souls to the devil. In all actuality, paganism is a nature-based religion, in which a god and a goddess are presented to represent the polarity of the world, be it man to woman, left to right, or good to bad. Nowhere in the religion is there anything about Satanism or Demonism. Matter of fact, there are no all evil or all good deities such as the devil in Paganism. Mistaking Paganism for Satanism makes pagans upset. How would you feel if lies were spread about your religion? First I will post the basic information, followed by Pagan images and gifs. 1) Pagans worship Satan The figure of Satan is part of the Christian mythos. Those of us who do not follow Christianity, do not accept the existance of this character. We do not worship Satan, nor do we summon demonic forces to do our bidding. 2) Pagans engage in ritual orgies This misconception may have arisen from the practice of doing ritual in the nude (also called skyclad). Not all Pagans practice this way, and there is nothing sexual about it. 3) Paganism is only for women Paganism has attracted a great number of women because of the focus on the Goddess, which is an uncommon alternative among other mainstream (and male-oriented) religions. But the pagan belief is open to everyone, male or female. 4) Pagans have no rules This little untruth is often used by our detractors to show that we must live wild and unrestrained lives. We may not have books of commandments to bind our lives, but many pagans do follow one single law: Harm None. Those two words have as much power as an entire book of rules. We refer to this statement as The Rede and is part of a longer poem. 5) Pagans cast spells and hexes to control people If we really did this, Pagans would all be wealthy, happy and powerful. We believe that for every action, there is a re-action, and that includes using magick for negative manner. Pagans don't believe in a punishing God, but we do think that bad actions will come back and bite us in the butt (karmically speaking). 6) Wicca is a cult that is trying to recruit people Wiccans believe that each individual's path of spirituality is valid, and no one path is better than any other. We do not convert or recruit anyone. Proselytizing is not a practice we follow. As for being a cult, most people these days are solitary practitioners and not part of any group. Hard to be in a cult when you are by yourself.

Most Pagan traditions practice the worship of a Goddess and a God.  This duality of deity helps to bring about a better feeling of balance for most Pagans.  This duality is experienced in everything that surrounds us.  Every physical object, and every form of energy, are viewed as being a part of the Goddess and God.  The presence of both feminine and masculine attributes in all things is one of the most fundamental elements of most Pagan traditions.

One of the most noteable exceptions to the worship of a feminine and masculine deity is the Dianic Tradition.  Most Dianic Traditions acknowledge the presence of both a feminine and masculine presence, but generally worship only the feminine deity.

Pagans worship in many different ways.  There are so many different traditions out there, it would be next to impossible to chronicle all of them.  Pagans are always free to choose which path they wish to follow.  Pagans do not believe in admonishing others for the manner in which they choose to worship, nor do they admonish others for who they worship.  Most of us prefer to communicate with others intelligently, and use the knowledge we acquire from others to help us along our own spiritual path.

Whether or not a Pagan agrees with another tradition, they still respect and love the members of other traditions.  The Pagan community considers itself as one with each other.  All members of the Pagan community learn and grow by learning from each other.  We find that more preferable than dividing ourselves and arguing with each other, because of some minor theological differences.  Who and how you worship is not nearly so important as who you are inside, and how you treat others.

The most highly respected people of the Pagan community are generally the elders.  People are respected for their experience and knowledge.  Most elders give their knowledge and experience freely.  It is common practice among the Pagan community for people to help each other, in the quest for knowledge.

Most Pagans and Wiccans believe in the "Law of Three" which, simply stated, says that any action you take will be returned to you three-fold.  This applies to both positive and negative actions.  Any positive actions you take towards others are returned to you three-fold.  Any negative actions you take towards others are also returned to you three-fold.  This is one of our main laws, and it prohibits us from harming others.

Another law which most Wiccans, and some other Pagans, follow is known as the "Wiccan Rede".  There are long and short versions of the Wiccan Rede.  The long version is shown in it's own area of "Mjolnir's Pagan 101.  The short, simple version of the Wiccan Rede states "An' it harm none, do as thou wilt".  The emphasis on the Wiccan Rede is always placed on the part "An' it harm none".  This means that you are free to do as you wish, as long as it does not bring any harm to others, or to yourself.

Many anti-Pagans (please note:  I said ANTI-Pagans, not NON-Pagans) choose to tell others about the Wiccan Rede, but omit the "An' it harm none" portion.  They say that the Rede is simply "Do as thou wilt", then go on to say that Pagans advocate pure self-gratification, without regard for consequences.  This type of selective editing and outright twisting of meaning and purpose is ridiculous.  It has the same type of effect as someone taking a tenet such as "Though shalt not covet" and changing it to "Though shalt covet".  Do you see the difference a little selective editing can make, when you wish to twist the meaning of a tenet which is supposed to have a positive meaning?  Please, be aware of such subversive tactics while surfing the web.  Many sites are obviously geared toward trying to convince people that a particular religion or belief system is wrong, and employ such tactics as I have just described.

One of the major activities Pagans frown upon is proselytizing (recruiting).  We do not actively seek others, and try to convert them to Paganism.  If an individual feels that Paganism is the right path for them, they will learn about Paganism, and follow a Pagan path.  The Pagan traditions teach love, caring, understanding, compassion, respect, and a myriad of other ideals.  People choose to become Pagans because of Pagan value systems.  To attempt to force someone into Paganism would be to blind them to another path that may be more suitable for them.  People become Pagans of their own free will.  It is not necessery to recruit Pagans through force, threats, peer pressure, or coercion.  Stories of Pagans stealing children in the middle of the night, to force them into a coven are untrue.  This wouldn't be much of a religion, if we had to scare people into becoming Pagans.

Most Pagans celebrate eight major holidays, known as Sabbats, each year.  The Sabbats are celebrations that date back several millenia, and are celebrations of the changing seasons.  The Sabbats are a time for Pagans to thank the Goddess and God for all they have done, during the previous few months.