The majority of us here refer to ourselves as Pagans, however you often hear the term neo-pagan.

Is anyone with pagan 'beliefs' in this day in age a neo-pagan, or do people feel more comfortable with just pagan?

And does it matter?

Neo Pagan is probably the most accurate for me.

Does it matter? Nah!

Why not? - Well as I see it - we can go all round the houses distinguishing ourselves from each other by various grades and degrees - just like the musical equivalent of metal, thrash metal, nu metal, black metal and so on - but to everyone else on the outside world these distinctions mean absolutely nothing and why should they? Thus we are universally lumped together as occult weirdos + a few white witches re. the pointy hat brigade. Rabid Xtians aside, most people don't mean anything by it when they poke a bit of fun at our colourful ways. Just carry on and do your own thing anyway!

im the same badger, i never got the term neo pagan, its the new word of the year. maybe a fashion statement for those who like their labels.

I don't really like the term neo-pagan, as it sounds a bit "New-age" to me (controversial).
Anyway, I'm not neo, because I'm reconstructionalist. So nuh .
Te he he.

90% of the time I couldn't give a fig whether people refer to me as a neo-pagan or a pagan. I tend simply to use pagan, since to me its blatantly obvious that the paganism of today is so altered from its roots as to make it unnecessary to differentiate between the two on a day to day basis. However I do tailor this slightly to my 'audience'. If speaking to someone, an archaeologist or historian for example, who thinks of 'pagan' in terms of its origins among the Celts and Romans then I use neo-pagan to make it obvious that I don't think that I'm following the same belief systems as my ancestors but without that icky blue skin-dye... On the other hand, if the person I'm speaking to is firmly convinced that neo-pagans are all fluffy, white-lighter goons with twisted ideas about 'black magic' then I steer clear of the term for obvious reasons

All a question of context.

I tend to describe myself as a neo shaman. Basically it is a respect thing for those brought up in an indiginous shamanic culture.

BB

Mike

I wouldn't be so ignorant as to believe that the path i follow today is the same as the 'original' pagans way back when and i think it is important to distinguish between the two... so count me neo-pagan.

solomon - I agree with you, the only problem I have is with so many people thinking neo-pagan is just a new age thing.

I definately think that I cannot claim to be the same as 'true' pagans, mainly because I, and most of us, no very liuttle about how they actually lived, and what they believed.

Well said!

Oh it's all so complicated being a pagan isn't it?

Are we neo, new age, pagan, witch, wiccan, shaman, druid; which path do we follow; are we black, white, fluffy, traditionalist, do we hex, do we not? Soo many questions and sooo many stereotypes and ignorant people in the world! Pagan - oooh what you dance around naked, sleep with your neighbour and bash each other on the bottom with sticks! Have sex with animals and sacrifice puppies!

It's all cool tho!



It's funny really when you think about it that we are all under this 'umbrella' where we understand each others beliefs to one degree or another but we still question one another as to how we 'label' ourselves. When we are labelled all the time anyway!

For me personally I would just label myself Pagan. Like the others said I'm not believing that I'm not a new age pagan - of course I am but just pagan seems to be far simpler.

I use the term Neopagan or simply Pagan, I use the former when describing my path and the latter when describing myself

well something like that

Kev

I just call myself a hedgewitch or a MODERN pagan!!

Hmm. I wouldn't describe myself as modern. I would quite happily be living in another century, and of course like any standard stolid reactionary I reserve the right to ritually sacrifice anyone that bloody well annoys me

I always feel the term 'modern' is sooooo 1920s

Not that I'm that old

And I must also admit to using it myself sometimes as modern pagan and others as the even more precise modern neopagan

perhaps now is not the time to introduce Isaac Bonewits and his labeling system ....

Yep, total agreement here too!

Would very much like to be referred to as Grand Fluffy Dictator of the World. Sadly I don't think that it is likely to happen. No, I'm not fussed what people call me...as long as the call!

Q

I use "pagan" as a shorthand. If someone asks me what my beliefs are, and they don't look as though they want the full hour explanation but the ten second summary, then they get "pagan". If they don't immediately back away making the sign to avert evil and yelling "You will burn in Hell!" then I may qualify it with other labels such as "druid, heathen, witch" etc. If they start asking questions that show that they have any kind of inkling as to what I'm talking about, then I can think about using technical terms such as "neo-pagan, soft polytheist, monolatrist" etc. But those are totally wasted on most folks!

If I want to piss someone off then I call myself a "New Age Hippy". It's amusing how many people immediately put me into a particular box when I call myself that

As CF says, it is all in the context.

Neo: hmm. Must dig out my Matrix dvds again

If I have to use a label, I would go for Pagan.
Paganism never vanished completly, although some traditions might have, so neo-pagan in general does not work for me.

I would tend to asign definition No. 1 to any form of Paganism "invented" during the course of the last 100 yrs; those paths formed via those of the 1920's, through to the 1960's that took old but often unproven idea's and created from them modern forms of paganism.

However, such a definition does not sit comfortably alongside the given definition of "neo" or "new" at item No. 2.

Definition No. 3 though says it all. "Neo", "new" being; "not of ancient extraction".

Since most Pagan belief, even those inventions of the 1940's, 50's and 60's draw to varying degree's of accuracy upon perceived knowledge of ancient pre-christian spiritualities and modern applications of those idea's, whether entirely accurately or not, definition No. 3 does tend to indicate that even these modernised forms and apparent inventions of the last century might not be accurately described as "Neo-paganism".

We have to draw our own conclusions based upon our preference of definition.

I would say however that the further along a modern polarised path we might be drawn, then the closer might we come to Neo-paganism and possibly in the process, the more distant we might become from Paganism as it might have been in it's true and actually largely unknown ancient pre-christian forms.

My personal solution is to keep it simple and not to be drawn into too firmly accepting that all modern and given knowledge regarding what is acceptable and what is not, what is required to be Pagan and what is not required of us in order to consider ourselves Pagan, is by any means the whole truth or in many cases; the truth at all.

....and to those that say "who cares", "it doesn't matter", you're probably quite right in many ways but I do find it a little sad that many seem to think that if we're not wearing the correct form of dress, not using the correct coloured candles, failing to use the perceived correct forms of approach to the Earths deities or failing to attain the "correct" degree of coven orientated "witchiness", that this makes anyone any the less "Pagan" than they might consider themselves to be.

Paganism is not about tying ourselves to anything that the likes of Alastair Crowley recommended. I would tend to call that latter; Neo-paganism.

Paganism is what our hearts tell us about our place on the planet and about our own personal response to that understanding.

Me? call me what you like

As Applestar indicated. Pagan and Neo-pagan are rarely more than terms of convenience for our modern society that seems unable to function without the ability to label everything and everyone, it doesn't define what I am, it just gives others a rather vague indication of how I see our world and often leads to as many misunderstandings as understandings.

The last time I was Neo, was the day I was born .

And a few other things, what will Pagans call themselves in 100 years, New neo or Neo Neo? They are 20th Century terms & should have been left there. Totally meaningless & something used to sell books to the gullible & an attempt of recognition from the main stream of the wider religious community