Q&A for How to Be a Pagan

Talk to a spiritual guide. For example, if you're a Druid, talk with an experienced Druid in your community. These people will be able to guide you down your spiritual path towards your patron deity. Alternatively, you could meditate and find your spiritual deity yourself. Remember, there are no wrong answers.

Many Wiccans believe that the God and Goddess encourage love in all of its forms. However, be careful to "harm none." For example, if you cheat on your partner, you're harming them by breaking their trust. However, if you and your partner decide to have an open relationship, you're not harming anyone by sharing your love elsewhere because you're not breaking their trust.

You will typically need nothing more than than your heart, mind, and body. There are some tools that can help with ritual practice, such as an altar, a self crafted wand, or a cauldron. They are highly symbolic and serve as a visual representation of what you already have at hand.

There are many ways to spend little money on tools and the sort. - Use things you find in nature. The forest for example is a goldmine: A branch can be a wand, you can use dried leaves as decoration or you can use them in rituals and I've even found the bones of a mouse in an owl pellet. - Buy cheap items from a dollar store/secondhand store. Honestly, the money used to buy an item doesn't mean it's a better item or not. It might not be of extremely good quality, but as long as it's usable, it doesn't really matter. - Don't use tools at all; they just give you a point of concentration. The real magick comes from within you.

The main beliefs are all listed in this article. A respect for reality outside of human craftsmanship (aka nature), a pantheistic approach making all things natural sacred, a polytheistic perception that pantheism often entails, and belief in magic, which is also implied by the previous two.

Read as many books as you can about the ancient Egyptian religions. Study the gods, rituals, and traditions. You don't necessarily have to follow all of the religions and memorize all of the gods, however, as ancient Egypt had many gods, and some were more popular than others depending on the location and time period. Choose the gods that mean the most to you.

Although there are many shops which sell things such as crystals and herbs I would recommend searching your local area as this might give you a greater connection to the Pagan community.

Of course not. Paganism isn't a goody-two-shoes philosophy nor is it a manifesto of veganism. It is realistic when it comes to the facts of nature. Paganism recommends that you treat your pets the way they are meant to live, and if their natural food is prey, you should feed them such preys, otherwise it is your pets to whom you would be doing a disservice.

This kind of choice is usually resolved by time. There are three possibilities: either you chose one, or the other, or another path - and none of the three would mean renouncing the truth and beauty you see in Kemeticism and in Celtic traditions. First, ask yourself whether the difficulties you have in choosing come from the fact you are thinking about faithful reconstructionism, since perfect mimicking doesn't always mean authenticity. Second, ask yourself whether your true feelings might be for a blend of the two, which would mean you are an eclectic. In any case, never force a choice, if it doesn't feel fully right, wait and see, keep exploring.

By belonging to any non-Abrahamic religion, as these religions term all other faith systems "pagan".

Paganism is a set of beliefs defined by sacred respect for nature, the belief in one or several god(desse)s, and magic, based off ancient and pre-Christian traditions. You can, of course, believe in a mix of traditions; this is called eclecticism, and most Pagans are at least a little eclectic here and there since beliefs, myths, and traditions all blend together at the edges (especially in similar areas). As a general rule, in Paganism, you can do whatever you want if it feels right and doesn't cause unnecessary harm.

Of course you can.

Not necessarily, but the overlap is significant. Most Wiccans call themselves witches and most people who call themselves witches are Wiccans, but there are people who call themselves only one of the two. You also do not need to call yourself a witch to practice magic. You can practice magic with any religious background, and you don’t have to affiliate with that word to practice.

Yes! Pagan religions are normally fluid (depending on which ones you're looking into). For example, someone could be practicing four or so paths in Wicca while also being a Hellenic polytheist.

Yes, of course.

Generally, it's easiest to have a specific place (inside or out) to place an item or food. That is, you have to put it in a place where the gods can "receive" it, so to speak. You do keep objects you offer, but you can't lay claim on them, for example, saying that you are more of the guardian of the physical item than its owner.

Sadly a lot of people have a lot of misconceptions and believe untrue things when it comes to paganism. If you feel comfortable to, you could always discuss the beliefs with your parents. If not, many people practice paganism without telling others they are pagan. You don't need to have pagan related items to practice, you can use things you find in nature and everyday items such as candles (that others won't connect with paganism) or just your heart and mind.

This is called monthesistic paganism, which is worshipping gods from non-Abrahamic religions but only believing in one god.

You can believe in any religion you want as freedom of religion exists in most countries on Earth. If you want to follow Greek gods, then go ahead.

You may believe that but it's not something all Pagans would espouse to, as paganism is an umbrella term that many beliefs fall under.

You are allowed to worship any religion that appeals to your beliefs as most places on earth have freedom of religion as a human right.

Yes. A lot of Halloween celebrations actually orginate from paganism. You could look into traditional pagan celebrations for Halloween and incorporate them.

If that's what feels right to you, then go for it! This is what would be called Eclectic Wiccan or Eclectic Paganism - a combination of various beliefs.

It is not necessary, however a shrine is generally used to worship your gods, rituals (even if it is simply thanking them for their support) are done as a means of contacting them, and the various holidays are often there to celebrate them. As long as you agree with the beliefs of the religion, you don't really have to do anything to call yourself a roman pagan