One of the defining features of ancient pagan religion was the making of sacrificial offerings. This practice is not widely found in modern Wicca, but is fairly common in other pagan and heathen groups. In ancient times, the offering would often have been an animal such as a bull or a sheep, but as far as I know this is unheard-of in modern paganism. Offerings I have personally seen have included fruit, cheese, nuts, bread and other simple foods paired with water, whiskey, wine or beer.

The question of whether or not pagans actually “worship” the gods goes to the heart of what religion is all about. If I think of the gods as mere aspects of my own subconscious, the emphasis is clearly on myself. I'm not trying to serve anything larger or more meaningful than my own ego, and my prayers to the gods are a kind of solipsistic game- I'm actually just praying to myself, after all. If I think of the gods as nothing more than archetypes I can invoke as needed, the emphasis is not only on myself, but on “what's in it for me.” I want to be brave, so I invoke my warrior god aspect. I want to be wise, so I invoke my wisdom goddess aspect. There's no sense of service here- only gaining advantages for myself.

Continuing on with the the discussion about hard and soft polytheism, I'd like to take a look at the theology of late classical paganism. This theology was derived from Neoplatonist philosophy, and was briefly declared the official religion of the Roman Empire under Julian the Apostate. If Julian's plan for a revived paganism with an organized hierarchy had taken root, this would probably be the dominant religion of the Western world.

This week I want to talk about a contentious issue in modern paganism- the divide between “hard polytheism” and “soft polytheism.”

Soft polytheism is any version of the idea that the gods are all just aspects of a greater transcendent unity, or that they are psychological archetypes within the unconscious rather than independent personalities with genuine power. Soft polytheism is typical of Wicca and of any version of neopaganism influenced by Jung or Campbell. The problem with soft polytheism is that it can reduce the power and mystery of the divine to a convenient internal game- when you want to be brave, you visualize Athena, only you don't actually believe in or worship her.

Hellenic Reconstructionist symbol

Patron deities are a surprising subject of controversy within modern paganism. A patron deity is a deity with whom one has a special or personal relationship, or a deity to whom one owes special devotion. The concept of patron deities could have come into Wicca by analogy with the concept of patron saints in Catholicism, but it seems to be a natural enough development. Most pagans are drawn to certain deities more than others.

The controversy stems from the fact that not everyone- particularly in the Pagan Reconstructionist communities- believes that ancient paganism ever had the concept of personal patron deities. Deities in the ancient world might patronize particular cities or crafts or types of situation, but not (or so the argument goes) individual worshipers.