Paganism Quotes

“The human mind has a gift for making itself miserable by looking constantly at what it does not have, rather than enjoying what it has.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“THE RETURN OF THE GODS Like a white bird upon the wind, the sail of the boat of Manannan mac Lir (Pronounced Mananarn mak Leer), the Son of the Sea, flew across the sparkling waves filled with the breeze that blew Westward to the Islands of the Blessed. The Sun Goddess above him smiled down with warmth upon her friend. The fish in the ocean danced for him beneath the turquoise water; the porpoises leapt above the waves to greet him. Upon the wind was a smell of sweetness, the smell of apple blossom in the Spring of the morning of the world. And in the prow of the boat sat Lugh (Pronounced Loo) the long-armed; strumming on his harp, he sang the Song of Creation. And as they drew closer to the green hills of Ireland, the holy land of Ireland, the Shee came out of their earth-barrow homes and danced for joy beneath the Sun. For hidden in a crane-skin sack at the bottom of the boat was the Holy Cup of Blessedness. Long had been her journeying through lands strange and far. And all who drank of that Cup, dreamed the dreams of holy truth, and drank of the Wine of everlasting life. And deep within the woods, in a green-clad clearing, where the purple anemone and the white campion bloomed, where primroses still lingered on the shadowed Northern side, a great stag lifted up his antlered head and sniffed the morning. His antlers seven-forked spoke of mighty battles fought and won, red was his coat, the colour of fire, and he trotted out of his greenwood home, hearing on the wind the song of Lugh. And in her deep barrow home, the green clad Goddess of Erin, remembered the tongue that she had forgotten. She remembered the secrets of the weaving of spells, She remembered the tides of woman and the ebb and flow of wave and Moon. She remembered the people who had turned to other Gods and coming out of her barrow of sleep, her sweet voice echoed the verses of Lugh and the chorus of Manannan. And the great stag of the morning came across the fields to her and where had stood the Goddess now stood a white hind. And the love of the God was returned by the Goddess and the larks of Anghus mac Og hovering above the field echoed with ecstasy the Song of Creation. And in the villages and towns the people came out of their houses, hearing the sweet singing and seeking its source. And children danced in the streets with delight. And they went down to the shore, the Eastern shore, where rises the Sun of the Morning, and awaited the coming of Manannan and Lugh, the mast of their boat shining gold in the Sun. The sea had spoken, the Eastern dawn had given up her secret, the Gods were returning, the Old Ones awakening, joy was returning unto the sleeping land.  ”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“The hidden core of knowledge is accessed by lowering the barriers between the conscious and unconscious mind.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“if it harms none, it is permissible. We must ask ourselves, 'What impact will my actions have on others? Will they cause hurt or harm? Can I do this, take this, say this without damage to other human beings, other species, the planet itself?' This is the way of least harm.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“A fool lies awake at nights, worrying of this and that; weary is he when morning breaks, and all remains as before.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Feminism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries gave a strong impetus to the worship of the Goddess. Both men and women were inspired to question and reject the limitation of patriarchal monotheisms.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Killing, maiming and torturing others in order to convince ourselves that one human-made image of the infinite reality is superior to that of another would be ridiculous if it were not so terrible and tragic.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“If it harms none, do what you will.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“we must examine our conduct in the light of a simple meta-rule: if it harms none, it is permissible. We must ask ourselves, 'What impact will my actions have on others? Will they cause hurt or harm? Can I do this, take this, say this without damage to other human beings, other species, the planet itself?' This is the way of least harm.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“I must not depart from the faith which I have held, and my ancestors before me; on the other hand, I shall make no objection to your believing in the God that pleases you best.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“In the deadness of winter, the spark of new life. I have news for you: the stag bells, Winter snows, Summer has gone, wind high and cold. Sun low, short its course, sea running high. Rust brown bracken, its shape lost, the wild goose raises her accustomed cry. Cold seizes the bird's wing; season of ice: this is my news.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“In the West we have been taught an individualistic stance which means that we 'own' ideas, a concept which would be foreign to our ancestors. Many of us who write, paint, compose and invent will have had the experience of beginning to dream a new idea or creation and being woken up in the night to receive what seems like astral dictation. The great bards and skalds of our ancestors did not believe that they owned the poems and sagas which came to them from dream and vision. They were seen as being sent by the Gods.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“We are the heirs and propagators of Paganism ... Happy is he who, for the sake of Paganism, bears the burdens of persecution with firm hope. Who else have civilized the world, and built the cities, if not the nobles and kings of Paganism? Who else have set in order the harbours and the rivers? And who else have taught the hidden wisdom? To who else has the Deity revealed itself, given oracles, and told about the future, if not to the famous men among the Pagans? The Pagans have made known all this. They have discovered the art of healing the soul; they have also made known the art of healing the body. They have filled the Earth with settled forms of government, and with wisdom, which is the highest good. Without Paganism the world would be empty and miserable.   THABIT IBN QURRA OF HARRAN, NINTH-CENTURY SAGE   Paganism”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“The Protestant work ethic was a useful ethos for a capitalist society wishing to increase its material wealth, but the pursuit of riches has not brought joy or harmony to the world.   Most”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Land would be passed down the female line and in order to become king, a warrior would marry a royal princess. This may have been the original reason why the Egyptian Pharaohs married their sisters.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Another important aspect of the Triple Goddess is that She is both sexual and a mother. Bizarrely, these two aspects have been divorced in the nearest recent Western equivalent to the Goddess - the Virgin Mary of the Catholics. This leads to a denigration of the life of the body which can be damaging for both women and men. In Paganism the Virgin aspect of the Goddess is not necessarily Virgin in the sense of non-sexual, but Virgin in the sense of not owned by a husband.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“What we do know is that the Christian era brought about a disempowering of women and the appropriation to maleness of the nature of the Divine.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Pagans believe that truth is revealed to each of us from deep within ourselves and must be sought through meditation and contemplation. It will express itself in forms and images that we can understand. These forms and images are like children's picture book versions of reality - an approximation but not a full exposition of the real thing.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Pagans are not anti-Christian. They do not believe themselves that Christianity is the best religion for all, but they respect the fact that it is seen by many as a valid spiritual path. Where Paganism would not agree with Christianity, or with Islam, Buddhism or any other '-ism' is that these other paths are the best or only way for humans to honour and worship the Gods.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Pagans believe that the emphasis in modern society on consumerism may enrich us materially, but it leads to spiritual impoverishment and enriches us at the expense of the generations which follow. The resources of the Earth are not infinite. There is more to life than 'shopping 'til we drop'. Our material needs are important, but to pursue them without limit is counter-productive, for material things alone will not satisfy our deeper needs. The spirit too needs sustenance.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“Paganism is a green religion. It encourages us to live in love and kinship with the natural world.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“To Pagans, it is important to remember and honour the force which gives rise to us and sustains us. Life and consciousness are precious gifts and so too is the natural world of which we are a part. Often we forget and feel not a part but apart. We experience the Delusion of Separateness. We feel isolated and alone, our lives without meaning. The purpose of Paganism is to remind us of who and what we are; to celebrate the joy of life, so often masked with sorrow; and to honour the Gods, the great forces of the Universe, which give us life.”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism

“spiritual”
― Sarah Owen, Paganism: A Beginners Guide to Paganism