How to Find Your Pagan Path || 4 Things to Consider
There are many similar world views and philosophies that tie the Pagan community together. For example, most pagan religions recognize the wheel of the year & the cyclical nature of life. Usually pagan religions also find aspects of the divine within the natural world and seek to focus their rituals and events around nature. However, within the Pagan community there are a ton of different paths you can choose to follow. And it can be tricky, especially for someone new to the pagan faith, to figure out which path is best suited for them.
Here are 4 things you can consider that might help for choosing the Pagan path that fits you best:
1) Your ancestry
If you’re brand new to Paganism and don’t know where to start, you could look towards your ancestors to see which Pagan path they followed. It’s my belief that you don’t have to follow the Pagan religion that matches your ancestry. However, it can be a good starting point if you’re not sure where to begin.
One note about this to consider - in certain pagan paths ancestor veneration is a big part of the practice and in some pagan paths it’s not as important. For example, I’ve learned from practitioners of Hoodoo that ancestors are a big part of their practice and that you might not be able to experience the practice fully if you don’t share that ancestry. On the other side you have Wicca, which focuses much more on deity than ancestors so it’s not as important.
2) How would you like to learn?
Some pagan paths have a certain structure and hierarchy you can follow when it comes to your education. For example, certain Wiccan traditions like Gardnerian Wicca usually have a coven structure with a high priest and priestess you can learn from. Additionally, because Wicca has been the most popular pagan path over the past couple decades there are a lot of options when it comes to education. You could possibly join a mentorship program or there are many online courses you can take.
Other Pagan paths may not have as many books or options when it comes to education. For example, when it comes to Norse Paganism we’re mostly relying on primary sources such as the Havamal or Poetic Edda to understand the philosophy, worldview, and religious practices of this path. There aren't as many books or courses that explain how to practice this path as a contemporary Norse Pagan which means you’re going to have to do a lot of your own research. So I guess you can ask yourself how much of a history nerd am I, because following certain pagan paths, like Norse Paganism, Hellenism, or Kemeticism means you’re going to be doing a lot of historic research.
3) Would you like to practice alone or with a group?
While the Pagan community as a whole is growing each year, certain pagan paths have more community events and meetups than others. If you want to join a coven or a group that has a lot of meet ups, Wicca would probably be a good fit. Even most large scale events like Pagan pride tend to be mostly focused around wiccan traditions. Though this is definitely beginning to change. For example, over the past decade the Norse Pagan community has really grown and there are a lot more meets ups than there used to be. If practicing with others isn’t that important to you then you definitely have more options when it comes to which Pagan path to follow.
4) Trust your Intuition
Lastly, probably the best way to decide which pagan path is for you is to ask yourself what you feel drawn towards. There are certain paths that you’ll naturally gravitate more towards than others. So trust your intuition here and see what feels right. There is no one rule book when it comes to Paganism - you have the ability to choose the path you want. And in my view that is what makes paganism great.
I hope you enjoyed this blogpost! Comment below which Pagan path you follow. And if you’d like to support this channel and the work I’m doing here I would love it if you would join my community on Patreon. One of the new things I’m excited to be offering on my Patreon is monthly live tarot readings. You can sign up here if you’re interested.