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What is Saga Paganism

Saga Paganism is a new, self-initiatory tradition of spirituality. It draws most of its spiritual inspiration from a mixture of Wicca, Shamanism and common sense, in the same manner that other pagan traditions draw the bulk of their inspiration from Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Native, Mythology or other spiritual cultures. It is considered an eclectic tradition, despite its focus on energy and the use of daily spiritual philosophy.

Saga Paganism is similar to what has been generally referred to as "Eclectic Solitaire Paganism"; although Saga Paganism strives to provide a constant belief structure there is no definite training or specific belief one must adhere to. Saga Pagans define themselves as down to earth, non-nonsense realists whose belief in energy, karma and the rede guide a person’s daily activities, actions and beliefs.

Saga Paganism defines itself as a Western Universalistic Eclectic tradition, it can be described as a path which accepts the Goddess and the God (the universal energy that creates reality - neither male nor female, but containing all and part of everything), as opposed to viewing each God or Goddess as an independent being. This path recognizes the validity of all spiritual paths, and sees Spirit in all beings, including other Deities; however, adherents prefer to approach the Divine in the form of the Great Oneness of the God and Goddess.

A female practitioner is considered a Saga and a male is considered a Sage. Sagas and Sages also embrace elements of folk religions such as divination, meditation, golden rule (don unto others) energy magick, and the performance of ritual magick, along with the philosophy, ethics and practices found in most religions. Both approaches are considered to evoke direct experiences with Spirit, which is the ultimate source of Energy.

Saga Pagans worship and ritual structure that is based firmly in personal traditions and is an ever changing and evolving belief system. It has been created so that it remains familiar and easily adhered to but can be modified or changed as the practitioner grows and evolves to their own belief system. Worship will always contain simple, but important elements from basic Wiccan and shamanic traditions as well as a strong basis in eastern philosophy such as Ayurveda (The Science of Life) and holistic studies.

Constant reference to the four directions (North, East, South, West) and the five elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit) as well as and basic ritual framework will be maintained in order to combine different beliefs and the merging of different religious philosophies and traditions. The initiation process provides training in the fundamental and ethics that are needed to participate in a religious or spiritual event.

In Saga Paganism, the earth and everything on it, alive or otherwise, is created from the same energy source. This energy is compress together in different ways to form the various food, plants, animals and earth. This is parallel to the roles of the Goddess and God in Wicca. Although Saga Paganism is generally Goddess-centric, it honors the Goddess and God equally. Without both entities there is nothing. In this sense, Saga Pagans take a more liberal monist view of Spirit, neither male nor female in gender, but containing all energy required to sustain life.

Each Saga/Sage defines the God and Goddess as they see them and although they may be different for personal worship, the basic theory is that all Gods and Goddesses are the same and are an internal energy within each person that makes our energy flow. This could also be referred to as the Soul in other religions.

Elements Unique to Saga Paganism: -Saga Paganism is open to anyone regardless of years of dedication or past. -The God and Goddess of Spirit are an internal ‘knowledge’ of energy and are not manifested in one specific deity but are all deities regardless of their name or spiritual path. Although many Saga Pagans devotion may be paid mainly to the Goddess, it is understood that nothing is possible without the God, creating an intertwined and balanced interaction of these two principles. -Mantras, songs, drumming, chants, meditation, ritual and celebration of the 8 Sabbaths are used as the primary means of spiritual evolution and personal transformation • Dedicants are encouraged to learn about all traditions (new and old) as well as other main stream religions and choose for themselves if this is a spiritual path they are interested in following. • Formal dedications and training is available through Kaldra, the creator and founder of Saga Paganism in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. • Celebrating Sabbaths and participating in one’s local community are the main form of worship in Saga Paganism. This may take many forms such as assisting the local Pagan community to grow and change in a positive manner by being a volunteer or Good Samaritan or as simple as daily devotions at one’s personal altar. • A Buddhist notion of karma is used a main ethical standard, in lieu of Wiccan Rede; this is based not only on pure cause-effect, but takes into account the intention behind the act. • Ritual structure is based on eclectic pagan worship, with both solitaire and group rituals available.

Saga Pagans celebrate 8 Sabbaths: o Samhain, the start of the Pagan year, on October 31 o Yule, the winter solstice, occurs when the sun reaches its southernmost point, December 21/22 o Imbolc, also know as Candlemas, February 2 o Ostara, the Spring equinox, March 21/22 o Beltane, May 1 o Litha or the summer solstice, June 21 o Lammas, August o Mabon, the autumnal equinox, September 21/22

Utilizes Core-Shamanic journeywork for deep introspective healing work, and to directly obtain Divine knowledge and teachings from Spirit Guides and Deities.

Incorporates foundational occultism from Western tradition, to balance that of the East, including elementary Ayurveda and Elemental attunements.

Holidays are celebrated as the dedicant sees fit, however the observance of Sabbaths are encouraged to foster and maintain a connection with the local Pagan community as a whole.

No High Priest/ess is necessary per se, but groups may be founded, organized and led by a facilitator experienced in the material and techniques who acts as a guide for those s/he decides to teach; a long range goal of Saga Pagan is also to develop a training scheme for those who are called to practice an alternative spirituality but do not fit into ‘covens’ or closed groups. As a evolving and changing spiritual practice, Saga Pagans are able to design a custom made religion that follows a set code of ethics but is accepting of all that wish to participate.

As Saga Paganism is eclectic, leaving much room for personal preference and style, dedicants are encouraged to share their rituals, prayers, meditations, etc with the local community (where appropriate) so as to build an open community resource of liturgical material from varying perspectives

The Saga Pagan Training Scheme Saga Paganism is a self-initiatory tradition, meaning that each dedicant is in charge of their own exact training. However, as the subject matter can be daunting to broach, a guide or mentor can be requested to assist in facilitating the dedicant through initial foundational teachings. The training process in Saga Paganism strives to provide a solid background in eclectic solitaire and group paganism thoughts & practices, regardless of specific pantheon (religion a temple dedicated to all deities) preference. In addition, vital elements of traditional Wicca spirituality are presented, and devotional aspects incorporated into ritual intuitively using the facilitator's methods as a starting point. This encourages the dedicant to not only follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before, but to utilize their foundational esoteric skills to forge their own way as well. Similar to other traditions of Wicca, Saga Paganism has a 3-tiered training scheme: Level 1: Maid/Master = youth or beginners practitioners (usually 0-5 years) Level 2: Mother/Father = midlife or intermediate practitioners (6 – 15 years) Level 3: Saga/Sage = elder or teaching practitioners (16 or more years) At all levels, the dedicant must construct and begin a daily practice honoring and fostering a relationship to Spirit. As Saga Pagans will be working within their own worship of chosen deities or spirit, it is only right that we respect the important point in their cosmology that states that Spirit and Self will be honored, before honoring others. Spirit is the God and Goddess responsible for bringing all energy into being; it acts as an excellent guide, leading pagans into the experiences that will result in the dedicant coming into contact with Spirit that s/he most needs and resonates with. Personal research into Gods and Goddesses of interest is highly encouraged. The keeping of a magickal journal is often helpful and questioning all information is expected. Dedicant should learn basic fundamental occult skills such as the following: • Grounding & Centering • Meditation • Visualization • Energy Shielding and Protective Circle Casting • Chakras & Correspondences • Energy Manipulation • Independent study of divination • Wheel of the Year • Ethics • Writing, performing spells, rituals and special ceremonies • Karma & the Rede • Earth elements and their characteristics • Calling Quarters, invoking/evoking when necessary • Study of other alternative religions, and philosophies

In order to become a Saga Pagan, a dedicant must design a ritual dedicating themselves after a year and a day. Further levels continue to build on these skills, integrating intermediate/advanced spiritual practices that will enhance the dedicants ability to reach deeper levels of introspection and devotion to the God/desses. Additional educational material and experiential learning will also be required delving deeper into magickal methods. The dedicant should choose to dedicate themselves after a year and a day of learning (this decision is arrived at through meditation, and intuitive information gained through drumming, chanting and journeying). A new altar can be constructed to reflect the new focus and the dedicant also chooses a ‘Pagan’ name for themselves during this period.

The aim of a Saga Pagan is to take the skills learned, and turn those inwards to work towards identification, acknowledgment, healing and integration of the internal spirit. This is obviously a life-long process, but it is an important one to delve into. Saga Pagans are dedicated to a life long learning and a sharing of knowledge with others, if one feels they have mastered something, then it is time to learn from the student and the dedicant should undertake the challenge of true self-healing and integration. By this time, the dedicant should have an extremely firm relationship with Spirit and be able to use the skills learned earlier, and share the knowledge with others.