I'm not planning on discussing every type of Paganism there is, from Druidism, to Wicca, and Shamanism, to Heathenism, it would be way too complicated to write about every single version of a Pagan - my knowledge is not great enough to do so. 

Instead, I aim here to outline what I feel are the very basics of each and every one of these 'versions' of Paganism. What shared traits make them all Pagan? How can one BE a Pagan?

Whether it's knowing that we should all fight against animal abuse, help stop the destruction of rainforests, and eat as organically as possible for our own health, or just feel at home and comfortable in nature, all Pagans respect it. We are nature as much as animals and plants are, and we all respect our own sexualities, personalities, loves, hates, and desires as they are all nature too. However, this doesn't mean we go murder someone because in anger we desire it, instead it lets us acknowledge that anger, and express it without feeling guilt or shame - it's natural.

Nobody has much idea of the 'original' Pagan peoples that populated the Earth, except carvings and ideas about polytheism, Mother Goddesses and nature worship. There is no doctrine to be found in old Paganism, and today we embrace that as a wonderful part of our faiths. You carve your own path and follow no rules in order to worship the natural world, and that makes you Pagan. In Paganism, there is no such thing as sinning. Sins do not exist, and hell does not exist, but an afterlife exists in many forms depending on your Pagan belief. This also means that sex and sexual acts are celebrated, not condemned, making the religion very appealing - although orgies in the woods happen less often than you'd imagine!

In some faiths it may not be called magick, it may be spirits, deities, energies of the universe, and more. However, every Pagan path feels a spiritual connection to nature, and knows that illogical and unexplainable things occur when we work in trances, with divination, meditation, focus, visualisation and it's used to create change and manifest, sometimes with the help of those we call Gods and Goddesses (some say psychological archetypes, and personifications of natural and spiritual forces).

♀ Female Importance 

This is not to say that females are more important than males in Paganism, but emphasis is often on a Mother Goddess, and the feminine is worshipped unlike many other commonly known faiths. Unlike the classic Christian version of heaven and hell, Paganism embraces the idea that we all need both dark and light, good and evil, yin and yang, or male and female. Because of the history of sexism in Western society, Paganism is often female-dominated and emphasises the feminine wherever it can, in men and women. Paganism is a very free and accepting religion to be part of because of this equality**, and often attracts bisexual, homosexual, gender dysphoric, gender fluid, and many other people for this reason.

I believe these four traits are present in all of the Pagan faiths I've known, and are a great way of identifying Paganism within ourselves and others. Paganism does not make you feel guilty for how you feel, is open about sex, and places female and male on equal footing - I love it!

These are just my ideas, feel free to debate and let me know if you think or know different - I certainly don't know everything and Paganism is a huge subject.

Are you a Pagan?