| Earth Spirit's Frequently Asked Questions |
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Is an Earth-Based Spirituality Group. Witchcraft (Wicca) has been recognized as a legitimate religion for First Amendment purposes in federal court rulings since 1985. Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What god(s) do you believe in? There are a great many gods and goddesses; however, not all pagans believe in the same ones or even in any at all. Many believe in a Goddess and a God that are manifest in all things. Some choose to follow a particular pantheon (e.g. Greek, Irish, Norse, Yoruban, Welsh) while others don’t stick to any one culture. Some may only see the Divine in more symbolic terms.
Q. What are your holy days? Every day is a Holy Day! We celebrate the Wheel of Life as it relates to the life cycles of the seasons. Each month we honor the Lunar energy at the full moon, and throughout the year we have 8 Sun festivals, the solstices and equinoxes (the quarters) and the cross quarters; Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lammas, Mabon. Honoring our personal growth and rites of passage are done in rhythm with the Wheel.
Q. What is this ceremony you are doing? Most likely if you are reading this you have seen us “cast a circle.” We mark off a space as dedicated and protected for our use, rather like Christians consecrating a church. The difference is we don’t need a building, and we let the space go back to normal afterwards. Within this circle, we ask for the protection of guardians--the four basic elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, or the four archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Ariel. Names may vary. We invite the Divine to be with us for a time, have a little snack; it is very friendly. Sometimes we ask for help with our problems, such as an injury or illness; if you believe in the power of prayer, it’s the same sort of thing--but we try to put our own energies into the task, rather than asking someone else to do all the work. Q. How will what you are doing affect me? If you are not participating, then probably no more than any other religious service you watch from the outside. If you are shocked by other religions, you may choose to be shocked by ours, or you may choose to accept our part of the universal dance as valid, if different from your own. There is no reason to take any effect from our services that you don’t choose to accept. Since, for our sakes, we ask for positive things to happen, the best possible results involve no danger or harm. If we ask for harmony in the world, and your life becomes more harmonious, then you benefit just as you would if a church’s prayer for world peace had worked. Q. How do your beliefs support our UU community? The UU principals are very congruent with our values. Our Earth Spirit group is closely linked with the Green Sanctuary Partners. Q. Do you worship the devil (Satan)? We don’t venerate evil in any form. Our chosen religion is a celebration and affirmation of the balance of life and living things. We believe that good or evil done will return upon the doer. This does not encourage doing evil. We think history shows that if you invest belief or emotion in any thought form, you give it strength and power in your own life-- it becomes more real to you. We have no wish to invite hostile entities into our lives and give them such power over us. Q. How does one/do I become Pagan? Most people of pagan beliefs feel that if someone is meant to find the pagan path, they eventually will. Usually it is not a case of becoming pagan so much as it is of finding a vocabulary for beliefs you have always held. Pagans generally believe proselytizing is rude and vain, and something we choose not to engage in. Q. How can I find out more about Paganism? Ask one of us; we are generally easy to talk with, or read some books. Good books include Vivianne Crowley’s WICCA: the Old Religion in the New Age, Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon, Starhawk’s The Spiral Dance, or Raymond Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft. Scott Cunningham’s Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner (actually, anything by Scott Cunningham) is a great introduction to the basics. Or you can check out some web links:
www.circlesanctuary.org and www.cog.org are interesting
For further information about our group, Contact
513-961-1938 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This description of paganism is meant to reflect the current members of the Earth Spirit CUUPS and does not cover all the diverse aspects of paganism. This is intended to dispel commonly held notions that simply are untrue. Adapted from the general information handout of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (1991, no copyright), by Leonora Lee in 2007. This was put into Public Domain.
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