BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Pagan Birth of the Pagan Forum

Welcome to the brand new Pagan forum! My name is Rae, and I'm taking on the host duties for my second site here at Bella.

I am an actual Pagan. Here is San Francisco I usually use the term "leather pagan" as it better identifies the overlap of subcultures in which I participate. My beliefs are strongly influenced by Wicca, but I practice primarily as a solitary witch, and not as part of a coven or formal community, and draw elements from other pagan cultural systems. I do attend interfaith pagan events to share and learn across a much broader community base.

I would like to foster broad pagan discussion here and look forward to all the new things I will learn from talking with all of you here.

- Rae

Hello Rae!

What is a "Leather Pagan"? What is the difference between Wiccan and Pagan?

Congrats on your new duties!

Blessings,
Janet

Hi, Janet!

A Pagan could be a practicioner of any number of polytheistic faiths. Wicca is a specific form of paganism.

In San Francisco, "leather pagan" is the term used by people who identify with BDSM subculture as part of their sexuality and spirituality. In short, I'm a kinky witch, but I guess leather pagan is the more politically correct term, LOL! :devil:

- Rae

LOL @ "kinky witch"! <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

In polytheistic faiths, such as Paganism, is there a belief in one overriding Divinity...a "Big Guy" or "Big Girl"? Is it similar to the Greeks and their myths? Do pagans believe in devas, fairies, and the like?

I'm full of questions!

Janet,

The way I see it, Paganism is such a big term, I'm not sure I can answer your question. In Hinduism, which is often grouped with Paganism, there is a well established pantheon with all their ranks and relationships. In Wicca, there is the Goddess and her consort, the Horned God. She is the primary focus of worship, but it is acknowledged that without her partner, she and the world would be unbalanced.

A lot of Neo-Pagans I know work with a chosen set of deities. Some folks have a primary god or goddess and work in service as a priest or priestess for that deity. I could invite you along to a dinner party and say it was a pagan gathering and you might find that no two people had matching beliefs. And with your New Age background, a lot of what you work with would be indistinguishable from practices incorporated by Northern California Pagans.

There are pagans who are worship or believe they are every lifeform on the planet. The festival convention I'm going to in June has Lemurians and Atlanteans alongside Faeries and Druids. There will be people who follow Hindu and African pantheons next to Gardnerians and lesbian witches. The big conflict in the pagan community, if you ask me, is the clash of the pagans with kids and the pagans who choose to live child-free. :rolleyes:

- Rae

Ah! Fascinating. Truly. Thanks for the information.

Why is there a big todo about with children vs. childless in pagan circles? That seems kinda silly.

Blessings,
Janet

I find the kid thing to be pretty devisive amongst regular adult circles, not just pagan ones. Issues like behavior, child care, noise, how late a late night drum circle can run?, how early is too early in the AM for little people to be running around and screaming?, etc. ad naseum.

- Rae

Ohhh, that. I see. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Merry Meet!

Sidney here.

I'm interested in how attaching BDSM or Leather to Paganism clarifies the type of Pagan beliefs followed. Are there common Pagan beliefs among those who use the title? Or is it just the BDSM lifestyle is a separate bond among the group. Are there many lifestyle groups that combine their sexuality and Pagan beliefs? I have heard of gay covens or worship groups but I still don't see what that has to do with Pagan Rites.

Is there something I could read to help me gain a better understanding?

I embrace the idea of combining sexuality with spirituality, because obviously, Goddess has given us the greatest power in sexuality so I am very interested in learning more.

Thank you so much

Merry Part
Sidney

I don't think it is an authentic pagan path, more a group of pagans that are into bdsm.