| NATURE WORSHIP: - Wicca and witchcraft or | | | | Spirits, and/or other Divine forms. Some, but |
| other shamanic attunements akin to the kind | | | | not all, polytheistic nature religions |
| of ethic and awe the great and beautiful | | | | acknowledge an all- encompassing Divine |
| (FREE) North American Indians had before the | | | | Unity. {This seems more 'open' and less than |
| arrival of the 'civilized' men from the Old | | | | the kind of anthropomorphing that ego often |
| World."A Guide to Nature Spirituality Terms | | | | does.}Shaman: an adept who serves as healer |
| | | | and spirit world communicator for her/his |
| Selena FoxFounder and leader of Circle | | | | tribe or community. Sometimes known as a |
| Sanctuary, an internationally linked Nature | | | | 'Medicine person'. This role is tribal |
| Spirituality resource center and Shamanic | | | | culture/community defined.Shamanic |
| Wiccan church based in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. | | | | Practitioner: someone learning and working |
| Animism: ancient philosophy that views | | | | with shamanistic healing practices for |
| everything in Nature as having an indwelling | | | | self-development, and in some cases, also for |
| spirit/soul, including the plants, rocks, | | | | helping others. Sometimes known as a |
| waters, winds, t tires, animals, humans, and | | | | 'Medicine worker'. This role is |
| other life forms.Animism is the foundation of | | | | self-defined.Shamanism: animistic spiritual |
| shamanism and has been considered the | | | | healing practices usually involving trance |
| earliest form of human religion on planet | | | | (ecstatic) and spirit world journeys by |
| Earth. {Sorry, philosophy students, who are | | | | adepts. Forms of shamanism include |
| often told Aristotle and his work 'Anima' is | | | | 'Traditional', which are rooted in specific |
| original, these same students aren't told | | | | indigenous tribal people's cultures, and |
| about his Secretum Secretorum which is an | | | | 'Multicultural', which are contemporary forms |
| alchemic treatise covering what he was taught | | | | that integrate old and new spirit wisdom from |
| that he sent to his pupil Alexander the | | | | more than one culture. {Does this seem to be |
| Great.}Earth-Centered Spirituality: honoring | | | | an 'open' and positively ecumenical |
| the spiritual interconnectedness of life on | | | | spirituality? Why would there be any problem |
| planet Earth, often as Mother Earth or Gaia, | | | | if anyone and indeed everyone started to |
| but sometimes as a gender neutral Earth | | | | learn all wisdom?}Wiccan Spirituality: |
| Spirit. Sometimes called 'Earth religion' and | | | | contemporary paths rooted in one or more |
| 'Gaian' (Gaean) religion. Related | | | | nature folk religions of old Europe. Also |
| Eco-Christian form is Creation- Centered | | | | known as the Old Religion, the Craft, Wicca, |
| Spirituality.Ecofeminism: feminist | | | | Wicce, Ways of the Wise, Neo-Pagan |
| environmental philosophy that draws parallels | | | | Witchcraft, and Benevolent Witchcraft.Witch: |
| between the oppression of women and the | | | | some Wiccan practitioners use the word |
| oppression of Nature by patriarchy and which | | | | "Witch" for themselves in connection with |
| advocates the spiritual and political | | | | their spirituality to bring back its |
| liberation of both. Goddess Spirituality: | | | | pre-Inquisition use in Europe as a term of |
| revering Nature and honoring the Great | | | | honor and respect, meaning "medicine person |
| Goddess in one or more of Her many forms. | | | | medicine worker," "shaman/Shamanic |
| Usually polytheistic and sometimes | | | | practitioner," "wise woman/man," "priestess |
| multicultural in practice. Usually | | | | priest of the Old Religion." Other Wiccans |
| incorporates feminist perspectives. Heathen: | | | | refuse to use the word "Witch" because of |
| Another name for Pagan. Many contemporary | | | | later negative definitions of the word which |
| practitioners of Teutonic nature religions | | | | led to its use as a tool of Pagan genocide |
| prefer this term for themselves and their | | | | and religious oppression in Europe and North |
| spirituality.Nature Religions: religions that | | | | America for hundreds of years. {Do you know |
| include an honoring of the Divine as immanent | | | | when it ended? Did it end when Blasphemy Laws |
| in Nature. May be premodern, modern, or | | | | were overturned in England in 1951? Some |
| postmodern in philosophical orientation. | | | | would like you to believe it ended when the |
| Usually polytheistic, animistic, and | | | | last person was burned at the stake in |
| pantheistic. Include traditional ways of | | | | Seville, Spain in the early 19th century. It |
| various native peoples of the Americas, | | | | still exists in career and government as well |
| Africa, Asia, Australia, Polynesia, Europe, | | | | as social situations. Therapeutae like Jesus |
| and elsewhere; religions of ancient Pagan | | | | and Pythagoras or other syncretic religions |
| cultures, such as Greek, Egyptian, Roman, | | | | are definitely the real models of discipline |
| Minoan, Assyrian, Celtic, Teutonic, and | | | | that are "Witches"!} During the "Burning |
| others; and contemporary Paganism.Nature | | | | Times" of the Middle Ages, bigots in power |
| Spirituality: honoring the spiritual | | | | changed its definition, making it a term |
| interconnectedness of life not only on planet | | | | linked with evil, and used it as a brand to |
| Earth but throughout the Universe/Cosmos; | | | | mark and exterminate folk healers, {The |
| ,ore encompassing term than Earth-Centered | | | | supposed one god church actually believed |
| Spirituality because it also includes | | | | illness was created by "sins and demons". The |
| Celestial religions; used by some as | | | | guilt trips are more refined as time allows |
| synonymous with contemporary Paganism and by | | | | more control and programming through the |
| others as also including interfaith blends, | | | | destruction of open discussion and |
| such as those that combine Paganism and | | | | free-thinking.} those who refused to convert |
| Eco-Christianity or Eco-Buddhism. {Is nature | | | | to state-sanctioned forms of Christianity, |
| worship doing the denominational rag and | | | | political rivals, and others. Contemporary |
| differentiating itself with real intent to | | | | usage of the word "Witch" by non-Wiccans is |
| discriminate of claim special | | | | diverse but in recent years has been changing |
| status?}Neo-Pagan: Contemporary Pagan.Pagan: | | | | in academia and elsewhere {IT is the position |
| pertains to a nature religion or a | | | | of the American Psychiatric Association that |
| practitioner of an ancient and/or | | | | trances, and possessions, are mental illness. |
| contemporary nature religion; also used to | | | | They do not study or deal with the soul and |
| refer to a Nature Spirituality, | | | | most avoid discussion of it, but when pressed |
| Earth-Centered Spirituality, and/or Goddess | | | | are only acting out the old propaganda and |
| Spirituality group or practitioner.Pantheism: | | | | prejudice still. Anthropologists seek to make |
| the Divine as immanent; the Divine is in | | | | Trances an area of specialized study and |
| everything and everything has a Divine | | | | these scientists (?) want to create a legal |
| aspect.Panentheism: Pantheism that also | | | | and druggable disorder called 'Trance |
| includes a transcendent component | | | | Possession Disorder Syndrome'. Real disorders |
| conceptualized as the Sacred Whole or Divine | | | | including hallucinations do exist, and are |
| Unity. {Use and misuse of language allows | | | | treatable by witches and shamans. Vitamin B |
| epithets and degrading remarks to minimalize | | | | is often a missing ingredient in the |
| or depreciate very similar concepts. Is it | | | | nutritional intake and stresses or coping |
| not better to say religion is 'what you DO?' | | | | skills must be learned. Compassion is better |
| and not what rationalistic construct that | | | | than drugs and even massage or acupuncture |
| might move your thought at some | | | | work better in many studies such as one done |
| moment?}Polytheism: honoring Divinity in two | | | | at the U of Toronto in 2000. This author may |
| or more forms. {Does that include the three | | | | be right when she says there is a "growing |
| as one or one in three 'Trinity' originally | | | | awareness" but that awareness may be managed |
| taken from the Triune Nature of Man?} Can be | | | | to a degree she does not know.} to reflect |
| belief in/worship of multiple aspects of a | | | | the growing public awareness and |
| particular deity; of the Divine as Goddess | | | | understanding of Wiccan Spirituality's |
| and God; or of many Goddesses, Gods, Nature | | | | reclaiming of the word. |