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So the question is, "what is the socially recognized label for your belief system." Well there isn't one. To my knowledge I am the only person in the world that practices the exact mixture of traditions that I do. So I guess you could say that I am a Gwynnist. *shrugs*
In part I am a pantheist. By saying that what I mean is that I believe that the characteristics which define god/deity are present in all living things to one degree of latency or another. You can find further information on this subject on the page My Pantheism.
Another part of my belief system closely resembles Celtic Reconstructionism. Celtic Reconstructionism (CR) seeks to practice an authentic Celtic religion/life grounded in historical fact, and conjecture based upon those facts and upon research. This is as opposed to paperback Neo-paganism that puts on a plaid scarf, paints its face blue, and calls it Celtic something... . o O ( I'm a 400th generation Celtic-Faery-Dragon-Wiccan that grew up in a family where all the women were really powerful Witches, and Shamans too! )
An additional element is the connection I feel to Warrior traditions that have existed throughout all of history and all of the world. I feel that this is something fundamental to mankind and to authentic religious traditions, and a common ground where certain people can come together and understand one another (even if they must fight and kill one another the next morning). I have more information concerning these beliefs on the page The Warriors' Way.
I would also consider at least a part of my religious lineage to be Discordianism. [FNORD] The final thing I would throw into the mix is Deep Ecology. While not strictly a religion, it is an important component of my belief system.
You might ask how I can reconcile all of these things together, especially since one of them is deeply rooted in traditional practice and historical verifiability. Well the short answer to that is I just can. The long answer would go on at some length about how I am not trying to take any one of these things entirely, but am instead taking those pieces that "click" and looking for the regions where they can be blended together. Some day I believe I will finish that process and will have one, single belief system that is complete and totally mine. That should be about seven seconds before I die.
I think the only succinct label I could use would be "pagan"—and we all know that that is more of a non-label than it is a real label.
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Which gods and goddesses do I believe in? I believe in all gods and goddesses. I am ambivalent to most of them, dislike some, hate a few, respect a goodly number and truly like several. This last group is made up mainly of the gods, goddesses and heroes of the Celtic pantheon. It does include some others as well, mostly from European/Northern families. Some of my most powerful connections, though, are to symbols or spirits that cross through many pantheons and traditions. One such of these is the raven.
There are many pagans who would say that they also believe in all gods and goddesses, but what they really mean is that they believe all gods and goddesses are one god and goddess, or are a single deity. The most common form of this particular belief is the Wiccan who calls their deities The God and The Goddess. I've never liked this belief. For me it is entirely too watered down, reducing all of the infinite variety and colour of the many gods to a pair of very bland and faceless characters. Many people like it and choose to believe that way, which is fine, but I get very tired of them telling me that I have the wrong ideas about my gods and goddesses when I don't relate to Them the same way they treat theirs. My gods and goddesses are not that uninteresting. Honestly I think it is just a bit lazy. Seems to me that people want to be able to feel any way they want and do anything they like, justify it with religion or deity, but not put in the effort to know a lot about the many different deities available. So instead they roll every goddess there ever was into The Goddess or The Lady, call her by one of those nouns, and consider themselves to be securely set. I'm sure there are people out there who will read this and disagree with it quite strongly. Oh well.
Having left a highly organized religion that emphasizes prayer and humility many years ago (Roman Catholicism) I experience very little of those things in my own beliefs. Christianity places way to much stock in drooling subserviance to suit my tastes. So from that you may take me to be saying that I do not pray to my gods and goddesses. That is not entirely true, but it is close. A greater explanation of the reasons behind this can be found in My Pantheism. Suffice it to say that I converse with them, ask questions, give opinions and occassionally ask for help. But I do all of these things standing straight and tall, looking them in the eye, never on bended knee or with head hung low.
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The word pagan derives from the Latin paganus, which means "country-dweller", and hearkens back to a time when the city-based monotheistic religions were first growing strong and sought for a term to apply to the "other" in their societies. Pagan has a number of different "dictionary" definitions. Some say that the word means "a person who is not a believer in any of the world's chief religions, especially one who is neither Christian, Jew, nor Muslim." The problem with this one is that it implies that the world's major religions are Judaism and its two descendants, which of course leaves off other large religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Another venerable book says that a pagan is "one who worships false gods; an idolater; a heathen; one who is neither a Christian, a Mohammedan, nor a Jew." The first part of this definition illustrates how the word is used by religions to denote the "other". Not only do they use it to point out what is not them, but they cast it in an ill light as well. What this definition does show well, though, is how a pagan is one who's religion is not a descendant of Judaism. Finally, some of the more modern and enlightened dictionaries available are beginning to define pagan as simply, "not acknowledging the God of Christianity and Judaism and Islam."
Today the word pagan is commonly used to describe anyone who belongs to one of the Earth-based faiths or spiritual paths originating in or based upon Western Europe. It is also frequently used to describe anyone whose faith matches all of those criteria regardless of where they, or it, hail from. One of these religions is known as Wicca and will be mentioned in the next section. A cousin of the pagan religions are the magickal arts including witchcraft and ceremonial magick. Witchcraft has become burdened with many unfortunate and unpleasant connotations thanks to the Christian Church during the Dark Ages and after that. Many pagan religions along with the practitioners of witchcraft were persecuted and executed during this time. Both paganism and the magickal arts are beginning to flourish once again.
There are a number of groups out there today who call themselves Satanists but do not profess to the traditionally imagined evils of Christianity's enemy, nor do they consider themselves to be Christians. These people are currently waging the same battle that pagans have been waging for years, namely, to change the commonly held and believed definitions of a word that they are trying to take away from their detractors and make into their own.
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Wicca is the name of a contemporary Neo-Pagan religion, largely promulgated and popularized by the efforts of a retired British civil servant named Gerald Gardner. In the last few decades, Wicca has spread in part due to its popularity among feminists and others seeking a more woman-positive, earth-based religion. Like most Neo-Pagan spiritualities, Wicca worships the sacred as immanent in nature, drawing much of its inspiration from the non-Christian and pre-Christian religions of Europe. "Neo-Pagan" simply means "new pagan". A good general rule is that most Wiccans are Neo-Pagans but not all Pagans are Wiccans. 1
Regardless of the claims (made by many of its converts) that Wicca is thousands of years old, it is in actuality a comparatively new arrival on the religious scene. The (still) hotly debated story is that Gardner was initiated into a surviving Witches coven by one Dorothy Clutterbuck in 1938 or 1939. Some scholars doubt that this witches coven existed and have even accused Gardner of "inventing" the story to lend credence to his new Religion; Wicca. (It has also been said that Gardner "revived and preserved the ancient religion" and that we owe him a debt of gratitude. The fact is: Witchcraft is not a religion (as Wicca is), and has been in continual practice, often underground, for centuries!)
What Gardner actually created was a hodgepodge Religion composed of ancient (and modern) traditions, with both history and fantasy elements. To this, he added elements of Freemasonry, the Rosicrucians, the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O), Theosophy, Eastern philosophy, and many others. The result is known as Gardnerian Craft. The other "trads" of Wicca, either add or omit "traditions" from this "craft base." 23
Wiccan theology centers around the God and the Goddess, each having many different aspects. Wiccans follow what is called the Wiccan Rede, the short form of which is, "an it harm none, do what thou will." (Further information on the Rede can be found at http://www.draknetfree.com/sheathomas/) Wiccans may celebrate either as part of a coven or circle, but most often as solitary practitioners (this is common to most pagans in general, and not restricted to Wiccans only, although the names of the collective groups may change). 4
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1. Quotes taken from The Wiccan & Pagan Study Group List FAQ
2. Quotes taken from Wicca: Its modern origins...
3. Quotes taken from The Wiccan Rede Project
4. Quotes taken from Wicca
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