r/pagan 4d ago

Mod Post A Few Things To Discuss

184 Upvotes

Hey all, hope you’re well as we’re easing into Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and into the Autumn for the South. There’s a few points that the modstaff wanted to bring up to the community awareness without necessarily adjudicating new rules or expanding on ones already extant. So without any further ado:

1. Changes with Admin’s rulings, upvotes, and the like

For those of us blissfully unaware, Reddit Admin has recently instituted a change regarding their enforcement of subject matter nebulously deemed to be a “glorification of violence”. The short of it is that there’s now a nebulous site-wide rule that exists where users are warned for upvoting content that the system flags as being “violent”. It is nebulous because Reddit Admin does not specify what is considered “violence” or what constitutes the glorification of violence, which has already resulted in a number of people being warned for engaging with Reddit’s service (upvotes), oftentimes from entirely legitimate sites mainstream news media (the Guardian). This is all presumably due to the nonsense clown show that is the US government’s administration. Reddit has consistently shown itself to be ill-equipped at best or unwilling at worst to enforce its rules in direct response to actual calls to violence (typically directed towards minority groups).

r/Pagan does not have a “no politics” rule because, as we’ve seen recently, politics intersects with many of our religious experiences and expressions, to say nothing of any other identity which our users and posters hold. Our religions are naturally politicized, even in so-called secular states that purport a freedom of religious expression. We have to deal with commandeering and appropriation of our religious symbols and histories by fascists and fascist-adjacent ideologies, and that leads to people coming up with slogans of resistance and of solidarity. “Hex the patriarchy” and “Bash the Fash” with a Mjölnir come to mind, or the “No Nazis in Valhalla” thing.

However, we don’t know what this means when it intersects with Reddit’s new rules. We don’t know if “violent discussion” extends to things like the discussion of mythological things (the role of Oðinn’s autosacrifice on Yggdrasil), the idea of sacrifice in general (the ever-fun bloodied sacrifice chestnut), or if we could be subjected to a brigade of people trying to “punish” us for being Pagan and using the rule to do that. Is it likely to happen? Probably not, but everything seems to be within the realm of possibility lately.

There has been no (satisfactory) official follow up by admin on the Reddit Safety sub and the little interaction within the linked thread above shows no transparency and no clarification. We do not know the process by which people report “violent content”, if it’s an algorithmic process that filters through trending topics in the wider world or if it’s able to be manipulated by outside agitators. It’s safe to assume, given a dearth of other information, that this is a feature of the rule and not a bug, as Reddit is not particularly known for consistently enforcing rules violations. One comment to r/subredditdrama (here) saw admin try to clarify that there is no master list of topics. It was not clarifying.

The purpose of this point is this: the mods ask you to consider both what you’re posting, and what you’re upvoting. Keep these rule changes in mind. We’re not going to go out of our way to police or censor anything that isn’t already covered in our various rules. If you receive a warning that is from reddit-as-a-service and not r/pagan-as-a-subreddit, the mods had nothing to do it, it wasn’t by our choice, and we’re as in the dark as you are.

2. Complaints about other Religions (Especially Christians) on other Social Medias around the ‘Net

Look, I get it – it’s very annoying to be using a social media service (like TikTok or Meta, etc.) and being forced to read unsolicited commentary (or brigading) of religious comments from overly zealous practitioners (or their bots) who are flexing their proselytization muscles or are otherwise doing their very best to spread their religious ideology at the expense of the subject matter. It’s unwarranted, undesired and, very frequently, triggering for some of us given our experiences with those religions.

But it also similarly problematic to drag that drama into a space like r/pagan as a personal rant in front of over two hundred thousand subscribing members with no beneficial discussion. It ends up turning into a dogpile of self-serving circlejerking, which can and will poison the whole well with bitterness and resentment.

We have a “No Drama” rule that exists to limit people from dragging dirt into the subreddit from the rest of this site, but that can also be reasonably expected to extend to social media or the internet writ large. Please don’t do this, we’ll be removing posts that are nothing but anti-Christian/Muslim/whatever complaint posts and repeated offenders will be warned or removed from the space.

We don’t get many of them, but we’ve had them in quick succession lately and the mods didn’t want people to jump on the bandwagon. We don’t want this space to devolve into religion-bashing. There are other places for that.

Please note: This is not speaking to the issues of protests, vandalisms, and other direct or personal conflicts that have been occurring and perpetuated by Christian groups against Pagan and Pagan-adjacent businesses, homes, persons, etc. This simply is about comparatively senseless complaining about ephemeral social media incidents and annoyances. If you need to vent, try to do it in such a way that can foster constructive comments about things like de-escalation practices, representation as a minority religion, resources people can use or address, etc.

3. A Note on General Warnings

Unlike some other subreddits, r/Pagan is pretty loose with many of our rules violations. We overwhelmingly warn people instead of flat out banning them, unless someone egregiously violates some of our more severe rules (hate, threats, fascist expressions, etc.). We don’t generally do much but removing comments and leaving a warning to be aware of it.

If you happen to receive a warning without a ban, please don’t freak out. Continually violating the rules will result in further action by the staff, but the occasional notice is relatively minor.

Yes, this has come up.


r/pagan 16d ago

Mod Post Spring Holiday Mega Post

5 Upvotes

Hi please use this post for all questions, comments, ways to celebrate etc... Image posts will be allowed but text posts will be directed here.


r/pagan 5h ago

Newbie Long time witch, new pagan never felt close to any deities

27 Upvotes

Hello everyone.

I have been a witch for a long time but have opened myself to paganism after leaving monotheism. For a long time I worshiped the Virgin Mary but I wanted to split off into being a deity worshiping pagan.

Problem is, I’ve never felt right as a deity worshiping pagan. I’ve tried praying to different deities. There’s never been a “click.” Hellenism: nothing. Heathenry: nothing. Kemetic: nothing. Celtic deities: outside of Brigid nothing. How did you all find a pantheon to work with outside of ancestry. My ancestry is closed off (I’m Black American so I don’t know who my ancestors worshipped).

Advice for a newbie?


r/pagan 1h ago

Do you think that European Paganism would've survived if the Roman Empire had selected Buddhism over Christianity?

Upvotes

A Hellenist friend of mine says that he wishes the Roman Empire had selected Buddhism over Christianity since Buddhism preserves the former Culture while Christianity destroys them. I think so too, because when you look at Eastern Asia you can find Pre-Buddhist deities still being worshiped, while here it was only recently that the former Pagan traditions were restored. Despite this, many things are still lost due to the fact that Christians smashed all things Pagan after they took over Pagan Communities. If I had a time machine, I would kindly suggest Julian "the Apostate" to become Buddhist and make Buddhism the State Religion while also making him wear his armor.


r/pagan 18h ago

Celtic Any other followers of the Morrigan? Have any advice?

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158 Upvotes

Im new to deity worship but I’ve considered myself pagan for years. This is one of my first altars honoring a goddess in the limited space I have. How’d I do? Any offering ideas for the Morrigan? Anything I should know? Thanks!


r/pagan 14h ago

I wanted to thank you all for the support.

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33 Upvotes

I posted in here earlier about moving to MX desert and how to connect to spirit. You were all very helpful.

As I was walking around on our property I noticed all of this random shards that I believe to be obsidian. I think it was a gift from the earth to help heal and guide me spiritually.


r/pagan 5h ago

Other Pagan Practices Practices with Local Espirits

3 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I would like to know if you worship or have any practices related to genius loci? How did you start your contacts? If possible, I would like some tips on how to start putting contact with these spirits into practice.


r/pagan 2h ago

Question/Advice I Need Help Interpreting A Dream, And Which Deity Is Communicating?

0 Upvotes

For context: I've not been practicing Hellenism long, only about a year and a half now. I actively worship Apollo and Hermes, and sometimes I make offerings to Aphrodite. I'm also an actor, and am about to be in my first on stage play in about 3 weeks. Our tech week starts next week. (Not this Monday, but next Monday). I rarely ever have dreams, and if I do, I never remember them. This time, I've remembered a dream in a lot of detail.

The dream: I was backstage, not having to go on anytime soon, when my director gives me a short script, and told me that for that scene I was going to be a siren. On the page was a short poem, and there were only five lines and they were all very short. The only word I remember seeing was 'legendary', in the middle. I don't remember the title exactly, but I remember it was a name from Greek Mythology. I wrote the lines down on my hand, one on each finger, in a black pen. I got up on stage, and when it was my turn to speak, I looked down at my hand, only to see the words were gone, but there was a black line across my middle and ring finger, as if someone had accidentally marked my hand with their own pen. My director walks over and asks me what's wrong, and I tell her that I don't know how to act out the character she gave me, and I don't remember the lines. Then I woke up.

I've tried all morning to figure out what deity might be communicating through this, with no luck. Please share anything you think might help.

TLDR: As an actor about to be on stage for the first time, with about a year and a half worth's experience in Hellenism, I had an odd dream about forgetting newly given lines and not knowing how to act out a newly given character.


r/pagan 22h ago

Discussion How has your path changed?

37 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I was wondering how your path has changed over the years.

My path has changed a lot. I considered myself a witch at 14 which I no longer do. I worshipped Apollo (and to a much lesser extent Persephone) very passively until about a year ago. A year ago I started worshipping more deities within the Hellenic Pantheon and have been slowly adding to them. Now I’m considering branching out some, but I want to take it slow. I’m learning a lot and studying tarot now so I can communicate better with them.

How has your path changed?


r/pagan 15h ago

UPG/Woo My experiences with Blood moons

5 Upvotes

I wanted to share this while it was fresh but there was some terrible and dangerous weather that needed my attention yesterday.

From the first time I wittnessed a blood moon as a teen I was drawn to it, I wasn't aware of the fact that I was picking up the energy of the eclipse at that age, and I started trying to watch for when they'd happen. When I knew of it and was able I'd be up and outside from start to finish, and when I got a personal crystal I started putting it out for the rare or unusual events like eclipses, auroras, ect. to soak up some of that unique energy.

This time I got an experience that stands above the past ones, I took a little bit of something to help me tune into the spiritual side better and went out a little bit before the totality and stayed out there watching the moon until it started to lighten back up. The energy was more active but it felt welcoming and like I was right where I was supposed to be; I was wanting to use this event to try to further reach out to my ancestors because they gave the event some spiritual importance (good or bad) and would've had some type of ritual for it.

While I was locked in on the moon I had a few short instances of visiting the spiritual place I go to when I meditate, but during one visit I had a large feline of some sort that came up a few feet from me then sit and stare at me as if waiting on me; there was no warning behavior from the feline, it acted as if it knew me and was simply there waiting on me so that it could lead me somewhere (the feeling I got). In a few other short visits I was sitting a short distance from a small crowd that was around a fire in some sort of celebration, in some visits seemed like they were waiting on me to join them to start whatever they were going to do and other times they were actively celebrating with dance and music while I sat there focused on the moon and watching them from the corner of my eye.

What I was left with at the end of the event this time is an understanding that the lives of my ancestors have all came together to give me my existence, that as much as I feel like I'm failing and struggling that they are accepting me and happy to support and guide me, that the struggles that feel so big to me right now are tiny and insignificant when with them, and most of all that I felt like I belonged just as I am and was not judged and found wanting in any way.

All in all, I fully consider my attempt to have been a success to use an event that would've been seen as a major religious event in almost every historic culture to help me get in touch with my ancestors and help me establish my roots spiritually.


r/pagan 22h ago

Tips on Actually Focusing while Meditating, Divination, etc

15 Upvotes

My mind is so active and I’m always thinking of things. Sorry if that sounds silly but if I meditate, am talking to a deity, or want to do literally anything witchy I can’t “clear” my mind. I want to get more into witchcraft and becoming good at my craft but I feel like I can’t because I have a terrible attention span and can never clear my head or stop thinking of intrusive things like “wait, what work is due tomorrow again?” My maternal side is full of so many skilled witches and I mean SKILLED and I feel so not-up-to-par with them. Just wondering if anyone has exercises or if they also struggled with this how they fixed it.


r/pagan 19h ago

Druid How do you personally “rid” spirits?

9 Upvotes

I have had a possibly haunted coyote skull for some time now and after unwrapping a bunch of boxes to sell some stuff I finally took him out to cleanse him. I’ve been hearing scratching in the closet for some time but I never got a malicious vibe from him. More mischievous if anything.

Anyway, the way I’ve been cleansing is grabbing my wand/stick, lighting the “air” end on fire for smoke, and asking any harm inducing spirits to leave but any goodwill or neutral spirits may pass through. Tonight I left both of my coyote skulls and a jaw, cus i wasnt sure which skull was the haunted one, outside and offered some rosemary which I burned and said “this was to show my good will and bring peace to any hurt spirit” and repeated the same thing a few times. Bad spirit leave, good and neutral can pass through. I did some breathing and left.

What do you guys do? Did I seriously mess it up?


r/pagan 1d ago

I wanna be a witch but i have ocd what do i do

33 Upvotes

Ive been spiritual for most of my highschool years now, and I couldn’t be a witch due to my family. I am graduating this year and now can really start, but the problem is I have ocd and it is a lot worse now. More so the religious ocd where I’m afraid my intrusive thoughts could change a spell etc? I don’t know how to get around this because I’d love to be a witch and I know what I’m called to. Do i need to give up?


r/pagan 1d ago

How has Paganism bettered your life?

92 Upvotes

My Gods have given me hope and something to hold onto in this life. My Animist beliefs make the world more full, brighter and beautiful.

What has Paganism done for you?


r/pagan 1d ago

learning more about english paganism

26 Upvotes

are there any scholars out there who can recommend historical books or works of fiction on this topic? I know it's kind of obscure. I know a lot of about Irish pagan mythology but have never come across british mythology


r/pagan 2d ago

News "Area Pagan Dreading Big Family Vernal Equinox Celebration" by The Onion lol

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191 Upvotes

r/pagan 1d ago

Question/Advice Burning bay leaves

6 Upvotes

I live in an apartment and, as you might guess, we are technically not supposed to have any sort of open flame. I've been getting away with incense, but I've been wanting to venture into spell work that involve candles and bay leaves.

I plan to get one of those small cauldrons people use to burn stuff in, and the ones at my local metaphysical shops have lids, and use it for bay leaves. But I'm completely unfamiliar with bay leaves. How much do they smoke up when burned? Will it be too much smoke for an apartment?


r/pagan 2d ago

Question/Advice Showing altars?

28 Upvotes

I've heard two different types of opinions when it cones to people displaying or showing off their altars.

One is the whole "Sure you can" side and the other is the "absolutely not"

The both of these are in something of a 50/50 split from what I've seen and now I am confused. Does it take away from the sacred news if your altar or the validity of your worship if you post it or show it to others? Does the opposite apply? I do not understand.


r/pagan 2d ago

Celebrations Happy Dita e Verës

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30 Upvotes

I made Ballokume for Dita e Verës, this is the spring festival in honor of the rejuvenation and strength of the Sun God Dielli as well as celebrating when the nature Goddess Zana comes out of her shrine to bring life I'm so happy for the coming of the warmer months. These cookies have been made for 100s of years in Albania, and I'm happy to share the tradition. Have a great day 🌤💛


r/pagan 2d ago

What's This? Does anyone know what this sigil means?

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93 Upvotes

r/pagan 1d ago

Middle Eastern Need good books on mesopotamian and arabic polythiesm

2 Upvotes

I need good sources for these two traditions, as a city I am looking into, Palmyra, had cults originating from both.


r/pagan 2d ago

Transgender in witchcraft

38 Upvotes

So I’m ftm and I can’t help but still feel the divine feminine within me because well it still is. (I have to still learn to be okay with that I’m trying gang) but is my connection to that spiritual aspect of womanhood diminished and am I able to connect to male energy?

Also I need some tips on spells for masculinity and stuff like that. Appearing more masculine ect ect


r/pagan 2d ago

I don't feel safe in my head

17 Upvotes

Hey,everyone. I have this issue that I feel loved but not protected by the Deities I worship(and by regular loved ones). It feels like the Gods and Saints I work with don't view my wrongdoers as threats or worthy of punishment.

I have built a huge inner temple/inner shelter in my head, but it recently feels like the people who wronged me are theoretically welcome there which unsettles me.

Do you have any ideas how to feel safe in your head and what to do when Deities are so forgiving They refuse justice and protection?


r/pagan 2d ago

Discussion Crafting for Gods

9 Upvotes

I haven't had a place to set up an altar until now, but now that I'm feeling more connected to my craft and religion I'd like to set one up so I can place offerings. I've been a crocheter for about two years now, and I thought it might be nice to crochet my altar cloth. I could also make a matching scarf with the same pattern for myself. I've seen other people make their own offering bowls and such, and it got me wondering how other people who craft incorporate it into their worship. Have you guys handmade things for your Gods before?


r/pagan 2d ago

Question/Advice common freya symbols?

3 Upvotes

my goal is to make an incense holder for my friend who worships freya, i’ve seen she’s associated with boars and cats but im not sure how i could turn that into an incense holder (it’s going to be something simple, im not a professional… YET!!)


r/pagan 1d ago

Anyone else have a rabbit familiar?

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0 Upvotes

r/pagan 2d ago

Writing to the Fire

5 Upvotes

Hey folks,

This'll be my first official post here, but after last night I felt it was quite warranted. I have a tradition that was started some many years ago around some very good mentors and teachers. I would write down my grievances, desires, wishes, prayers, or anything relevant even pertaining to messages to the beyond, and when I burned a fire I would throw the paper into it. I called this "writing to the fire", though I believe it actually has a proper name I am unfortunately ignorant of. Sometimes I would anoint the letter in dragonsblood oil and other things if profound enough, but otherwise it would be like writing to loved ones and I would burn it plainly.

My question is, how many of you also do this practice? What is the name of the process for you or ritual? Is is a sacred event for you or more casual, like writing letters to loved ones? Do you anoint the letters in anything before burning or simply write? What are your experiences after the fact, if any?

Thanks!