The extent to which Paganism is misunderstood never ceases to be a surprise. With the revelation that one is a “pagan” the question that inevitably follows with pity and disbelief is, “Oh, you have no religion?” Then comes the deep, quieting breath before launching into what has now become an almost practiced litany. Paganism is a religion, the oldest religion in the world. In fact it is often referred to as "The Old Religion" dating back at least 25,000 years. The term "The Old Religion" describes the pre-Christian religion of much of western and northern Europe which was based on the agricultural cycles and the rhythms of the Earth.
 

Through countless images sketched on cave walls, we look at the past with eyes that see partnerships between men and women. We see the hunt and the honoring of the herds. We also see male shamans dressed in skins and horns in identification with the God and the herds, as well as the female priestesses embodying the fertility of the Goddess.
 

That's where we began and here we are now -- Pagan, defined by Webster as "a heathen (contrasted with Christian or Jew), a person who has no religion." However, the etymology of Pagan is Latin pagani meaning country-dwellers, the rural people whose religious conservatism caused them to be faithful to the "old gods and goddesses" of Europe (Barbara Walker). Heathen came from the Germanic heiden, that which is hidden, because these same rural people were officially forbidden the rites of the old deities, yet clinging to their beliefs, the Pagan people continued their rites in secret.
 

Paganism refers to any earth-centered, earth-based religion. This includes the spirituality of most indigenous people. Studies of various spiritual traditions of the Americas show many similarities with the indigenous spiritual tradition of old Europe known as Paganism. Continued. . .
 

Excerpted from Temple of the Goddess Handbook.