Paganism Quotes

“Paganism is one of the first religions that deliberately incorporates new perspectives from science, metaphysics, and mysticism into its spirituality and consciously breaks from the traditional Newtonian view of the world. (These concepts are explored further in chapter 5.) Pagans tend to see all parts of the universe-from the smallest atom to the largest planetary system-as sacred and having some form of consciousness or spark of intelligence. Most Pagans believe that this living universe is able to communicate to
all parts of itself on one or more levels, and that these parts can choose to cooperate together for specific ends. Pagans call this cooperation magick.
Paganism”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“Pagans who take the time to develop their philosophy about how beliefs operate are more easily able to view beliefs and belief systems—including mythologies, religions, governments, cultural taboos, and corporate philosophies—with objectivity. When you are not emotionally bound to a belief, you are able to explore the direct relationship between it and the type of world that has been or can be built from it. Armed with this insight, you can then choose the beliefs that best work for you and the kind of reality you want to experience. Your objectivity will also allow you to examine your beliefs whenever you wish to see if they are meeting your expectations, and if not, to begin to change them.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“If you believe that God is one way, then you will never experience God any other way.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“The belief filter acts so strongly that it usually allows in only information you already believe to be true. Contradictory information is either ignored, explained away, or rejected.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“The correspondences and associations adopted by a tradition are not an end in themselves, but rather a means to help us mentally order the universe to interact with it meaningfully.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“Pagans tend to see all parts of the universe—from the smallest atom to the largest planetary system—as sacred and having some form of consciousness or spark of intelligence. Most Pagans believe that this living universe is able to communicate to all parts of itself on one or more levels, and that these parts can choose to cooperate together for specific ends. Pagans call this cooperation magick.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“Most Pagan traditions stress personal responsibility and put the burden of developing spiritual practices, beliefs, and ethics on to the individual”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“Almost none of the Pagans we know “converted” to Paganism in the traditional sense. They became Pagan by deciding that Paganism reflected what they already believed and then adopted the word “Pagan” to describe themselves.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“Most world religions also teach that human nature is flawed, and that there is something fundamentally wrong with all human beings that must be corrected in order to reach that religion’s idea of salvation or enlightenment. This wrongness may be called original sin or ego or desire or free will or any other of a number of names, but the existence and overcoming of this inherent wrongness is the basis of the spiritual practices, sacraments, and ethics practiced by their members.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“if we could reduce Paganism down to its essentials, we believe its two most central concepts are interconnectedness and blessedness.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“Spiritual development in some religions is measured by the degree to which you know the belief system and adhere to it in your daily life. Spiritual development in Paganism can be measured by the maturity of your actions and the degree to which you participate in the interconnectedness of the universe.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“Think carefully about the consequences of your actions not because you fear punishment, but because what you do is powerful.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“People with the strongest conscience will not be those with the most powerfully repressed aggressiveness but those with the most powerfully developed affiliation. - James Q. Wilson”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“Destructive beliefs don't hurt the Divine, but they can hurt us, our society, and our world. We have the right to insist that the beliefs we adopt, even about Divinity, be healthy and productive and serve us well.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“Most world religions also teach that human nature is flawed, and that there is something fundamentally wrong with all human beings that must be corrected in order to reach that religion's idea of salvation or enlightenment. This wrongness may be called original sin or ego or desire or free will... but the existence and overcoming of this inherent wrongness is the basis of the spiritual practices, sacraments, and ethics practiced by their members. ... The concepts of separateness and wrongness are so ingrained in each of us and in our culture that most of us are often not even aware they color our perceptions, life experience, and spiritual growth.”
― River Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“The search for the divine in its simplest terms is the search for that portion of the creative universe that intersects with you personally.”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“your beliefs shape both the interior and exterior world you create for yourself.”
― River Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions

“What
would be labeled as the casting of spells-such as sending a plague of locusts-when done by an outsider, is considered a miracle from God when accomplished by an insider. One problem with the "us and them" worldview is that it frequently condemns the behavior of outsiders and glorifies that of insiders, even when the behavior is exactly the same.
One”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“Everything contains the spark of intelligence." From the smallest atom to the largest planetary system, each part of the world contains a form of consciousness or spark of intelligence. In the physical realm, consciousness exhibits as awareness, personality, energetic vibrations, or other characteristics that are in keeping with the particular physical form. Science and mysticism both suggest that consciousness is multidimensional, that it folds and unfolds into physical reality from unseen realms, and its expression in the physical world is only a part of its greater reality. This”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“Paganism takes the position that human beings are unflawed in their natures, are not spiritually doomed or damned, are born with all the tools and skills necessary to live ethically and spiritually, and are naturally oriented toward their own greatest growth and development. No”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions

“Spiritual development in Paganism can be measured by the maturity of your actions and the degree to which you participate in the interconnectedness of the universe.
We”
― Joyce Higginbotham, Paganism: An Introduction to Earth-Centered Religions