When one defines oneself as Pagan, it means she or he follows an earth or nature religion, one that sees the divine manifest in all creation.

The cycles of nature are our holy days, the earth is our temple, its plants and creatures our partners and teachers.

We worship a deity that is both male and female, a mother Goddess and father God, who together created all that is, was, or will be. We respect life, cherish the free will of sentient beings, and accept the sacredness of all creation. — Edain McCoy, Wiccan author

IN TODAY'S WORKSHOP... we discussed the amorphous definitions for "Pagan." We narrowed our exploration to contemporary Wiccans and Neo-Pagans and talked about many of their beliefs. Some of their beliefs are shared with Unitarian Universalism. We learned about the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS), which has 70 or more chapters across the United States.

REFLECTION QUESTION

How might a view of the earth as divine affect the ecology and green movements?

EXPLORE THE TOPICS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

• The website for CUUPS lists local chapters. The home page has photographs of events. Would you recognize these as Pagan events or do they look like just another UU event to you?
• Spiral Scouts began as an alternative to Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Groups. Though it was started by a Pagan, earth-centered group, it embraces diversity of all sorts, including religion. Connection to the earth is an important part of Spiral Scouts, but each chapter establishes its own guidelines and activities.