/r/pagan

Photograph via snooOG

A space to share and talk about theistic paganism.

/r/Pagan Discord Server: Come join the discussion in real time!


Welcome to /r/pagan, a subreddit for links, discussion, and fostering community (both online and in-person) in the broader umbrella of Contemporary Paganism.

Contemporary Paganism is a term denoting modern applications of Pagan religiosity and spirituality. These religious concepts are codified into a wide, disparate terminology encompassing many different philosophical and theological outlooks. It generally encompasses religious traditions focused on reviving or drawing inspiration from the pre-Christian traditions of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia; modern paganism does not include African, Native American, East Asian or other traditions who deliberately do not identify as pagan.

As this sub is geared towards theistic paganism, and we are trying to foster a safe community for theistic pagans, atheopaganism and similar posts will be removed for proseltization. The reason we question atheopaganism (different from nontheistic paganism) is that atheism and atheopaganism often and mainly includes the disbelief in spirits, gods, and higher powers which is antithetical to the central idea of paganism that nature is a higher power.

Regardless of outlook or tradition, however, all are welcome to join in discussion or debate. We strive not to create a singular religious identity but to be a location where members of these different religious communities can come to network, brainstorm, and get to know each other. This subreddit is an intrafaith and interfaith community, not a monolithic religious identity.

We encourage interesting links of topics and discussion, as well as fervent debate. We are also in the process of correlating a series of useful links to organizations, festivals, and other resources that are useful to our members.

If you need anything, or your post has been caught in the spam filter, please message the mods. We will gladly help you out.


Rules of /r/Pagan:

  1. Be decent. Racism or bigotry in any form is not allowed and will be removed. Repeat offenders will be in consideration for removal from this space. No hate material, submissions or comments, will be accepted. This includes incidents of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, abelism, classism, etc. Racism is an instantly, permanently bannable offense. This rule does not preclude spirited debate and intense criticism; however, threads that have gone beyond the scope of debate and devolved to the point of only personal attacks will be subject to the issuing of warnings or bans. /r/Pagan does not put forth any pretense of being a "Free Speech" community; this rule will be enforced at the moderator's discretion.

  2. Suicide baiting is an instantly bannable offense, regardless of intent. This serves as the only warning for users. Mods will not warn you again before removing you from the community.

  3. Willfully appropriating the practices of closed cultures, including but not limited to indigenous traditions and initiation-dependent religions, is subject to warnings and bans as well. Due to the nature of many of these closed practices, ignoring the voices of native practitioners is considered racism by this subreddit. To quote our sister Discord: If a religion is initiatory, see if you can be initiated. If it’s ethnic, leave it alone. Not everything is for you and you cannot know everything or have access to everything.

  4. This subreddit is not a place to bring drama from other subreddits. Should you come here with the intent of harassing users on the subreddit, you will be removed from the community.

  5. Follow reddiquette. Remember the human. Follow reddit's rules. Do not spam, manipulate votes, doxx, or post illegal content.

  6. Non-Pagans are encouraged to interact and post here, respectfully. Non-Pagans, including atheists, who arrive in the subreddit are to be informed that attempts at proselytizing are strictly forbidden and will be removed, aggressively.

  7. Comments should be on-topic and contribute to the conversation in a meaningful and critical way. This subreddit is intended for sharing of personal experiences, communication between practitioners of many faiths, and debate within the religions that fall under what is classified as Contemporary Paganism.

  8. As this is a religious subreddit, common folkcraft practices are not the focus of this space. Conversations regarding various magic systems are not necessarily off-topic, but this is not the place to ask for help creating spells, dream interpretation, and divination readings. Such posts can be removed at the moderator's discretion.

  9. We have our own Discord server for the sub. Please do not post links to other Discord servers without mod approval; if you would like to share a Discord link, please send it via modmail. Due to the prevalence of ostensibly 'pagan' servers that are antithetical to this subreddit's objectives, we prefer to personally visit servers before allowing them to be publicly shared.

  10. This subreddit is actively moderated. Calls regarding rules enforcement, post removal and interpretation of the rules ultimately come down to moderator discretion. Disagreements should be brought to the team via modmail. This sidebar exists as a point of reference for the expectations of conduct for those participating in this community, but the moderation team have the final word on enforcement or implementation of the policies and guidelines presented here


Subreddit Guidelines:

  1. Read our FAQ for general inquiries.

  2. Use the report button. The mods are made aware of all issues when the report button is used. Try to take advantage of the character allowance afforded in the report feature. It is unhelpful when a report is submitted without any explanation.

  3. Downvote for irrelevancy, low content, or unhelpful content. It is not intended to be a simple disagreement button and should not be used in that capacity. Upvote for content that is interesting, encourages critical thinking, or discussion.

  4. There should be a minimum amount of effort made in activity with the subreddit. This means, quite simply, do not spam personal blog information without contributing elsewhere on the subreddit, either in self posts or in comments. Links without such interaction will be considered spam.

  5. This is not necessarily the place to peddle your wares. Artists and craftsmen are allowed to post their work, but posting only with the intention of making sales is considered spam and your posts may be removed as such.

  6. A note on surveys: Please refer to our subreddit guidelines and contact the moderators before posting your survey. Surveys that are posted without contacting the mod team or that do not conform to the standards in our guidelines may be subject to removal.

  7. Blacklisted sites: We would ask that users refrain from linking pages from the Patheos blogging network as well as the Asatru subreddit due to unethical practices by the adminstration of those communities. Links or crossposts to them will be removed accordingly by the moderation staff.

  8. Certain subreddits will have links to them autoremoved, for reasons varying from being antithetical to this subreddit to being a place we feel would be unsafe for members of the community to stumble into.


Pagan Subreddits of Interest:

Where Did Our Other Subreddit Lists Go? Click Here!

/r/pagan

233,271 Subscribers

20

What she Expects VS what’s the Reality

For context this is in reference to the cards I pulled and posted about in the Hellenism sub. I feel bad for this mornings spam! 😅 I just felt great and still do about today

0 Comments
2024/12/04
00:30 UTC

106

Some cool info for you all

Saw this in a group on Facebook, figured I'd share because you never know who needs help or who can share it with someone who needs it.

10 Comments
2024/12/04
00:00 UTC

0

Who are the Pagan Gods/Goddesses of Eyesight?

Who are the Pagan Gods/Goddesses of Eyesight?

I wanna help Elton John

3 Comments
2024/12/03
23:46 UTC

2

How to decide which god(s) to reach out to?

Hi all! I am nearly brand new to learning about and through the old gods and I'm at a point right now where I would like to begin attempting contact with the gods through offerings. I am familiar with making offerings and altar spaces but I'm having a hard time choosing who to reach out to as I'm afraid of making the "wrong" choice. I feel I have been reached out to by both Heimdall as well as Freyr - Freyr definitely moreso, but I feel much more of a personal connection to Heimdall. How do you guys, especially in the beginning of your practice, make the decision of who or where to first make contact with?

2 Comments
2024/12/03
23:00 UTC

21

Thanking Goddess Freyja ✨💛

A mini altar of thanks to the goddess Freyja for her blessings in my life.

I work with Freyja love and prosperity and I am in awe and appreciation for all she has done in my life

Yellow honey candle, cinnamon sense, foreign money from my last international trip, pyrite and tiger's eye. This beautiful card I borrowed from my fiancé's Nordic deck derck and of course, a nice dose of mead.

The cards are a reading I took this morning and she gave me some guidance.

0 Comments
2024/12/03
22:58 UTC

6

Can I feed the offerings to a god to a bird?

I know after some time you dispose of the offerings, but I feel like it's a waste to throw it in the trash, doesn't feel right of me to eat it, so could I feed the offerings to the pigeons in my neighborhood?

The offering will be apple slices.

4 Comments
2024/12/03
22:55 UTC

2

Can I feed the offerings to a god to a bird?

I know after some time you dispose of the offerings, but I feel like it's a waste to throw it in the trash, doesn't feel right of me to eat it, so could I feed the offerings to the pigeons in my neighborhood?

The offering will be apple slices.

3 Comments
2024/12/03
22:55 UTC

2

I feel hollow

The title sounds strange so I'll explain.

I've been worshiping the gods (I mean multiple gods) for 6 years since I was 12 and I've always had a difficult time "feeling" the gods if you know what I mean, sometimes my prayers don't grant me any comfort, recently I started worshiping Ishtar, I've been at it for 2 months already and so far I've done devotional acts like baking cookies for her and a small ritual I typically do at night (I always bathe before I do it) and I've also started to worship Ereshkigal and read up on ancient Sumer as I admit I don't know much about ancient Sumer but I've been having a lot of fun reading up on the traditions and gods and I am even considering starting to learn language.

This is a problem I've felt with every god, feeling "Devoid" of anything really and sometimes after prayers I feel more empty than I already do, last night I took a moment to meditate outside in the cold and speak to the gods and I feel as if all I've accomplished has been nearly getting a cold.

I have an altar for 4 gods, Artemis, Apollo, Athena and Ishtar but I feel they are too close together, I live in a small apartment with 3 people (Blood relatives) and even then the altar I have is a crude one and people have a habit of sitting things on the fucking altar like car keys and it's pissing me off so I haven't even been able to dedicate a space to the gods because I sleep in a "Living room" on a couch and my altar is like 2 feet away from me and it's my first altar because I never had my own room to ever have the privacy or space to even make one.

I've meditated, given offerings, prayed and yet I still feel hollow in a way, I am not sure if it's a problem that goes beyond the gods but the gods were the first to make me feel anything beyond myself and without sounding desperate, the gods are more or less the only thing I feel I have and I want to get closer to them.

0 Comments
2024/12/03
20:43 UTC

9

Just who is Odin really?

So I have something that has been getting at me lately. I am a Norse Pagan who sees Odin as my mentor deity. To me he is a wise protector figure. A scholar , a wanderer, and a magician. This comes from mythos as well as personal feelings (I know there is a term for this but I can't remember for the life of me). But then I hear other stories and tellings that show him to be a violent tyrant. Someone who will harm others for his own benefits. I know we have lost a lot due to Christianity influences but I can't help but wonder if I misinterpreted something. Can someone provide some council on this matter.

26 Comments
2024/12/03
17:33 UTC

81

Vegvisir symbol

I just want to share this photo of the Vegvisir symbol—a powerful Nordic compass said to guide those who carry it through even the stormiest seas. For me, it’s more than just a design; it’s a reminder to stay grounded and keep moving forward, no matter how rough the journey gets

3 Comments
2024/12/03
17:11 UTC

0

should I reach out to loki?

4 Comments
2024/12/03
12:17 UTC

2

Botanica

Does anyone know of or if they could recommend a botanica in the Capital Region (NY)?

0 Comments
2024/12/03
04:25 UTC

9

Norse Paganism Question

I posted this question in the Norse Mythology sub and I'm just...kind of more confused now, so I would like to ask it here as well as one other.

First, I had an idea for a pendant depicting Yggdrasil. I would like to use ten different pieces of wood to make the pendant, one piece of ash for the "trunk" and nine others to represent the nine different realms in the branches. I just don't know what wood to use for each. Would anyone have any suggestions?

Second, the other sub told me pretty flat out, and others have been told by them, that the nine realms are just a modern creation and not actually part of the mythology and beliefs. I tried researching this, but pretty much only like...three sources support their claim and everything else I can find supports the original belief of nine separate realms. Would anyone have any more concrete information or academic sources to help here? I'm a little stuck.

Thanks to any and all that take the time to read this, I greatly appreciate your time and energy, even if you don't respond!

11 Comments
2024/12/03
00:22 UTC

182

I was told I was faking being pagan

Hey guys this is a something that happened to me today and I wanted to share. So… I was hanging out with this guy from my city that I found out he was also a pagan, everything was going kinda well and we weren’t actually talking about paganism, only normal things of life. Then he started asking me questions, some of them even a bit uncomfortable, about my beliefs and personal life, like… a big wave of questions. I asked him why he was doing that and he told me that I didn’t look pagan ?!?!???!? and then he refused to believe that I was pagan, yuppy! 😂 I really don’t care about this i just wanted to share because I have nothing to do eheh.

Btw, reasons why he told me I didnt look pagan (I asked him after eheh): -I’m a straight male -I wasn’t wearing any jewelry or whatever related to gods or religion -I still identify a bit with Christianity I think it was all… that’s it guys if you read all of this have a goodnight 🌙

56 Comments
2024/12/02
22:44 UTC

13

A little experience with Rhiannon!

Hi! For some background I have some pretty bad anxiety and sometimes and it causes me to have a lump in my throat. I work/worship Rhiannon and last night I had a big lump in my throat and I could not go to bed cause of it, It was really stressing me out so I decided to pray to Rhiannon. I told her about my day and asked her to watch over me and remove the lump in my throat. within a 2-3 minutes the lump was gone and I was able to go to sleep quickly.

I just wanted to share this cause this was one of the first times ive had a really real feeling experience. Has anyone else had an experience with her or another deity like this?

1 Comment
2024/12/02
20:52 UTC

10

Which deity would you turn to? (Nature & healing related more in post)

For a long time now I have been sensitive to the changes due to global warning. I have very well tuned claircognizance and clairsentience. When I say it causes me pain, I mean physically.

I've felt the strong need to work with a deity for guidance and my own comfort, possibly even to open my senses to what I can do to make things better in more ways than the obvious.

The problem is I don't feel a pull from any of the pantheons I'm most familiar with, but again perhaps I am just overlooking one while I'm feeling so disturbed. I usually work with Greek, nordic, and sometimes celtic deities.

Any insights or experiences? Thank you.

8 Comments
2024/12/02
20:12 UTC

39

Cultural appropriation questions

Hi! So just to mention, I'm a minor and I'm raised in Bible belt,I'm also a baby witch. I haven't really been taught anything about cultural appropriation and I don't really understand how me doing certain practices offends people?

Like how is me using coyote bones when bone throwing hurting indigenous cultures?

I just genuinely don't understand why certain practices are banned. I just feel like it's kind of separating people

I'm so sorry if this comes off offensive at all, but I'm genuinely trying to understand.

32 Comments
2024/12/02
20:08 UTC

4

Dealing with desecration

Looking for a good general discussion on this. One point to the community at large, how do we handle desecrations of sacred space, altars, etc. Whether large or small. I'm keeping this as a pretty broad question, but I'm talking about this like having your altar thrown out. Your space trashed (or violated). Books destroyed, etc.

6 Comments
2024/12/02
17:22 UTC

0

How do I get over the fact my prayer wasn't answered?

I prayed to Hermes to find something I lost, and I didn't find it in the only place it could be... I even told him I'd make him an altar if he helped me... I know he probably tried his best and it's not anyone's fault but mine for losing it, but I'm just sad since it was important to me

26 Comments
2024/12/02
17:04 UTC

4

Music for Brigid

(Hopefully this isn't too frivolous - feel free to suggest a different subreddit if it is)

I like to make different playlists for the different deities I am working with/through as a way to remember their emotional truths.

Recently, Brigid has been calling and as I sat down to make her a playlist I realized that she wants me to be more communal. So I thought I'd throw back to my younger years and, for want of a better term, crowd source this one🙂

What is a song or songs that remind you of Brigid? Any genre, modern/traditional. Only rules would be that it is a female artist/singer and can easily be found on Amazon/Spotify.

Thanks!

0 Comments
2024/12/02
16:10 UTC

2

Success in finding and hitting new job

Is there a god or goddess I can "talk" to or pray to about finding good job and being hired there?

7 Comments
2024/12/02
12:54 UTC

2

Equilibrium- A poem for Harmonia

I wanted to write a poem as a small offering for Harmonia, as I’ve been interested in working with her. A primary reason for this is she represents balance, a concept symbolized by Baphomet, an entity I worship, which is also why I conceptualized this partially from their perspective. Blessed be, I hope you enjoy 💙

As above, so below 

That’s the mantra of our blood 

Overseers of equilibrium 

Our souls serve as the scale 

We carry with diligence 

Dawn to dusk 

Eye for an eye 

The revolution of a clock 

Sounds in time with our pulse 

Time weaves inwards, outwards

Then back around again 

A flow that predates dogma 

The significance of our deeds 

I weave a lifeline from my hands to yours 

A breathing olive branch 

Fractured in places but alive all the same 

My lady, my lord, to whoever shall hear  I offer a tribute as I rehearse 

As above, so below 

0 Comments
2024/12/02
09:57 UTC

24

Trying to make a ritual broom.

I'm trying to make a ritual broom and need help with figuring out the bristles. So far, I have willow branches as the base and pomegranate skin at the hilt tied with pink,green, and white thread. I live in a very small town in the Midwest USA so I don't have pine trees. All I have is a Walmart and a few dollar stores for store resources. I'm not sure if I have enough mint to use mint stalks. Any ideas on what to use?

2 Comments
2024/12/02
08:43 UTC

2

/r/Pagan Ask Us Anything and Newbie Thread December 02, 2024

Welcome to /r/Pagan's weekly Ask Us Anything thread!

The purpose of this thread is give posters the opportunity to ask the community questions that they may not wish to dedicate a full thread for. If you have any questions that you do not justify making a dedicated thread, please ask here! Although do not be afraid to start one of those, too.

If you feel like asking about stuff not directly related to Paganism, you can ask here, too!

New Readers and Newcomers to Paganism

Are you new or just getting started? Please read our sidebar to orient yourself to this community, our definition of Contemporary Paganism, and the expectations of this subreddit.

Do you still have questions?

Check our FAQ page first!

Join us on the Discord server

• Still have questions? Seeking: First Pagan Steps and Tools is a great tool for beginners and interested persons reading about Contemporary Paganism.

• Other questions? Ask below!

2 Comments
2024/12/02
07:00 UTC

4

Can i make a small puncture into the wax seal of a spell jar to wear as a necklace?

Hi everyone so i recently made a protection spell jar and i wanted to wear it as a necklace but if i make a small puncture just to use it as a necklace would the power of the power of the jar leak?

4 Comments
2024/12/02
05:26 UTC

20

What if I set up an altar for nothing?

May not be limited to Paganism, but I just had this idea as I'm struggling with my personal beliefs and ideas. What if I am to set up an altar for nothing more than ritual and offering for the sake of, not to a specific entity or being. Has anyone ever done this? I know it may seem a bit silly but my lack of any strong belief with a deep desire for it seems to have found this idea.

22 Comments
2024/12/02
03:04 UTC

3

Magic Circle

It may seem like a silly question, but in pagan practices (in their most varied forms and experiences) is the "magic circle" open or is this exclusive to Wicca and the like? Well, for me, I don't see the need, because once all the purifications, protections and such are done, I feel more comfortable than "opening a circle".

11 Comments
2024/12/02
02:28 UTC

1,863

Parents found my altar

So as it says my parents found my altar I had everything in my closet and there through everything out and left this I had a feeling it was gonna happen soon but I just decided to leave it alone I’m not mad bc yk what happens when u touch stuff that’s not urs and what’s crazy is Horus came to me today for the first time and I had a revelation but I digress I’m not gonna say anything bc I don’t care they’ll get what’s coming to them and that’s the end of it so yea also my dad thinks he’s funny sending me a link to witch craft right b4 I get home so yea anyways

454 Comments
2024/12/02
01:56 UTC

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