Pagan Pride Day honors spirituality

By Jeff Brumley,
The Times-Union

Statistics are hard to come by, but many pagans - adherents of modern or ancient forms of nature-based spirituality - are becoming more organized.
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Jacksonville resident, college student, mom and pagan Elizabeth Ziemba said the trend derives from a need for the strength that comes in numbers.

"It's so ... we can have equality in society and have our religion recognized legally," Ziemba said.

One step in that direction is being taken today, when pagans of all varieties convene for Pagan Pride Day 2007 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville.

The Times-Union spoke with Ziemba about what it means to be a pagan in the Bible Belt.

What is paganism?

It's so broad. The term paganism is an umbrella for a lot of different faiths. It's similar to the way Christianity is used - there are lots of different branches.

What are some of those branches?

There is only one that is legally recognized, which is Wicca. ... There's Druidism, and then there's Reclaiming. Celtic is really big, Egyptian is huge. There's something called the Green Path, which is nature-based. And then there's a really formal branch, which is called Gardnerian. ... It's a form of Wicca that's very formal, very well established.

What does the word "pagan" mean?

For the most part, it's an ancient word for "country dweller." Back when Christianity was starting and people were converting, apparently many people in the country were the last to convert. The word just stuck.

So the term refers to religions that existed before Christianity or other dominant faiths?

Yes. Each area had their own [spirituality]. They worshiped different gods and different aspects of nature. It was all based on when they planted, when they harvested, when the sun shone.

Is modern paganism an attempt to return to those earlier traditions?

Yes. It's trying to get in tune with nature, to follow the natural cycles of life and death.

What are some of the main misconceptions about pagans?

The main one is that we worship the devil. That's the big one. We don't worship Satan. ... We don't have a devil and we don't do the good/bad kind of thing. Most pagan faith is based on karma - you do good things, good things happen to you; you do bad things, bad things happen to you. There's no heaven or hell. You have to take responsibility for your actions right now. Also, people think we do black or white magic and if you do something to us, we put curses on you. That's not part of any pagan faith, really.

How did you become a pagan?

I was raised Southern Baptist and I went to a Catholic high school. So in my teens, I saw hypocrisy between those two faiths. ... I really started searching for something that felt more comfortable.

Living in the Bible Belt, do you catch a lot of flak for your beliefs?

It's funny because ... I just don't seem to get a lot of grief. I'm real positive about how I live my life, so I've never had anyone freak out.

How organized are pagans here in our area?

We're really lucky in Jacksonville because the Unitarian church has a pagan interest group that meets at the church. We meet for ... our religious holidays. ... They have meetings and classes and potlucks. There's something going on every week a couple times a week here in Jacksonville, and not all cities have that. And then there's a lot of groups, covens or study circles or whatever they call themselves. They're small and they're quiet.