LONG BEFORE the giants of the early Christian church declared
That it was heresy to believe that the world was anything other than a flat disk,
The Pagan Phoceans knew the earth was a sphere, and had calculated its diameter
Down to the mile.





..A Modern Pagan Declaration..

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The Twelvefold Declaration of a Modern Pagan


I am the proud descendant of Pagan Ancestors, living in the modern day. Despite the fact that most of the people of the western world accepted (or were coerced to accept) other beliefs that led them away from the Gods, I have made the conscious decision to return to the Old Gods and the worldviews associated with them.

As a Pagan in the modern day, I am not under any obligation to believe and act exactly like the Pagans of the past, anymore than Hindus or Jews today believe and act exactly like their ancient forebears did. The world changes, and the best wisdom of the past, along with ancient patterns of belief that are good and foundational for a conscious relationship with the living Gods are all still available to us, and should be used. By using these to the best of our ability and knowledge, and believing in the Gods with our whole hearts, we become as "Pagan" now as anyone has ever been, in any time or place. The best wisdom of the past that leads us to a conscious path of virtue is also still available to us, and should be embraced.

The cultural achievements of our Pagan grandmothers and grandfathers should be celebrated as the fruits of a time when the Gods and human beings enjoyed a better communion with one another. With seriousness and careful study, I believe in reviving those aspects of the past that are needful and helpful in the modern day, and shunning modernistic or new-age beliefs that would damage the dignity of the same. I believe also that the Gods guide this process through inspiration, and that inspiration is not inferior to scholarship in the personal religious life.




As a Modern Pagan, I make the following twelve declarations:


I. I do not believe that mankind is inherently or naturally depraved, nor do I accept any doctrine which teaches this- whether that doctrine is framed in ideas like "sin" or any of its cousin ideas. I believe humanity and this world is natural and good; I believe that humans have the potential to hate and to love, to destroy and create in equal measure, and they will tend to do what they believe they can and should. The fastest way to make humans into monsters is to teach them that they are "sinful" or depraved straight out of the womb.



II. I will not enter into mental or spiritual communion with religions or institutions that teach about the depravity of humankind, especially those that claim to offer the single and only "answer" or remedy to that supposed depravity. Simple reason tells me that such organizations are (consciously or unconsciously) agents of fear. I do not believe that fear of our humanity or the natural conditions of this world will lead anyone to virtue or the Truth. I will not support the spread of such beliefs, for fear is no basis for a successful human ethic of understanding or love. I will work to realize a society that manifests that most precious pylon of liberty: the full separation of religion from government or education.



III. I am a polytheist. I believe that there are many Gods and Goddesses, and each of them plays a vital role in the formation, protection, maintenance, and harmony of the world. In no manner are these Gods and Goddesses "aspects" of any greater being. These Gods and Goddesses arose from Nature in the same way human beings did, and they are living, immortal beings whose destinies are entwined with that of humankind. Our ancestors knew them and honored them with sacrifice and religious observances, and the Gods responded with reciprocal graces and gifts. They protected our grandmothers and grandfathers and guided them along the road to being "humans" in the best sense of the word- they brought them to cultural and spiritual greatness, and they will do the same for any people alive today who approach them again with an honest heart.



IV. I do not believe in the idea of "chosen people". The Gods do not choose one group of people over the rest of the world to receive some special elect status, nor do the Gods hold one group to be "better" than another. All humans come from the same earth, the same Nature, and all humans face a the same challenges: to seek a conscious relationship with the Gods, or to ignore them; and to seek a conscious path to virtue or live a life dominated by selfishness and narrow-mindedness.

Those who seek a relationship with the Gods following the dictates of an honest heart receive their power and their help in life; those that do not, must find a way through life on their own merits, leaning on whatever idea they elevate to replace the Gods. Life is easier with friends like the Gods on our side, and the way to the afterlife is easier with the same. In no manner does this make those who are faithful to the Gods ontologically "better" than those who are not- it just makes them wiser and puts them consciously in the company of the Divine. Those who seek for virtue and truth with an honest heart receive the same blessings from the same Gods, for the Gods desire that we be free like them, and the path of freedom is the path of virtue.



V. "Virtue" is defined by some as moderation- the middle place between unhealthy extremes. This definition is a good one, a wise perspective. But virtue cannot exist in any fashion without discrimination; we must be cautious that our devotion to the notion of virtue does not become a gateway of vice. One must be moderate in all things- including moderation.



VI. I believe in the Gods who dwell in Nature and in the worlds that lie seemingly beyond this one, including the world of the Gods above, and the dark world of the dead below. I do not believe that death is the end of life, but a transition into a new condition of being.

I believe that the largest portion of the dead become holy and dwell below with the Gods of the world of the dead, and the other departed either fall away to an unknown destiny, or join the holy company of the Gods above. I believe that most of the blessed dead can still receive our prayers and are aware, on some level, of all that we do, and can offer help to us if we open ourselves to them.

The only destiny that we can have full knowledge of- before or after death- is our own. The fastest way to be together with our loved ones after what we call "Death" is to be close to the Gods, to be virtuous, and to truly love one another, and there is nothing more to be said on this point. The ancients told us that there was no evil for a good man in death, and this is wisdom that any wise person should trust.




VII. I believe that Justice is a universal and holy divine power, and that She binds all humans and all sentient beings. All must answer to the debt they owe to Justice, in this world or in any other. Justice does not weigh what you believed religiously during your life in her scales- only what your beliefs, thoughts, and feelings led you to do. The measure of "judgment" is not religion, but deed. Justice demands exact returns for what we do.



VIII. I believe that Morality is universal to mankind, and in no way "situational", "relative", nor is it dictated by the protean forces of time and place. Morality is naturally imprinted on the human soul by Eternal Nature. To kill needlessly, to make affronts against the dignity of living beings, to deprive communities of what they need to operate in peace and health, to unlawfully strip others of their belongings or what they need to live freely and at peace, is wrong, and has always been wrong in any time, place, or era.



IX. To help preserve life, dignity, community, and the freedoms of others, is right and holy behavior in any time, place or era. I do not believe that "might makes right", and justice is not based on the rule of the strong over the weak. Justice and morality is based on reciprocal respect and treatment, mutual aid, and rightful sharing, whether it is between humans, between humans and Nature, or between humans and the Gods. These things alone are the basis for determining who is "Good" and who is "moral". Might makes for victories, but victories are not truly victories without morality. It is not enough to win; a person who would seek victory over any adversary, within himself or without, must be worthy to win for that victory to be lasting.



X. There is no "salvation" needed from our humanity, nor from death. To be human and to die is our lot in life, Fated to us, and unchangeable. What we CAN hope for is happiness in life, reciprocal bonds of fellowship with the Gods and our fellow men and women, and peace in death- we can hope for wisdom in life and a wisdom in death that gives us rest and puts us in the company of the deathless Gods. Those things are possible; the wise pursue them, and the foolish do not. Wisdom is the only true "salvation"- that timeless wisdom, possible to humankind and held by the Gods, which reveals to us a deeper reality that stands behind what we call "life" and "death".



XI. I believe that personal piety to the Gods, the search for excellence in whatever we do, the quest for virtue and wisdom, and the effort to live on in positive ways in the memory of people who will come after us, are the ideal pursuits of humankind.



XII. I believe that anyone who teaches that the great multiplicity of Divine forces can be reduced to "one" is attempting to force the holiness, greatness, and complexity of Nature into an artificial concept that cannot contain it. Every moment, every situation, naturally presents us with many elements and ideas and powers which interact and reveal truths to us; oversimplifying this fact will only obscure the sacred message.

There is no shame in the belief in the Many Gods; men and women were never meant to live only one myth; our boundless natures require the keys of many myths to unlock their innate wisdom. The quest for excellence through virtue and through the many myths of the ancestral path is the clearest and best path to a better world and happiness for all. It far outstrips a life lived in shame and guilt about our human nature, or the problems of our world, problems which are caused by lack of excellence, poverty of virtue, and a lack of contact with our deepest natures which is afforded by the sacred transformative power of myth.








HAIL THE GODS!

IN PIETY, EXCELLENCE, AND TRUTH, A BETTER WORLD IS FOUND.