Pantheism
by Angela

Pantheism is the view that everything (you, me, that tree, the table, the sun, mosquitoes, etc.) makes up the Divine (or what most people call “God”).

One way to describe pantheism would be the analogy: you are to the Divine, as an individual cell in your body is to you.

Panentheism is the belief that that the universe is a part of God/the Divine/the Great Mystery and that Nature is thus an aspect of divinity.

Taking the individual cell analogy further: an individual cell is to your physical body, as you are to the Universe. The individual human is self-aware as is the Universe. Divinity is seen as both immanent (part of the Universe) and transcendent (separate from the Universe). Some panentheists see self-awareness as evolving from the physical; others view it as originating from outside the physical.

Theism is usually defined as belief in specific deities (or just one)

Hence you get:
Monotheism = belief in one deity
Henotheism = belief that many deities exist, but only one is worshiped
Polytheism = belief in and worship of multiple deities

How does this fit into contemporary Western paganism?
Michael York, author of Pagan Theology, defines paganism by "a range of possibilities”:

• belief in more than one manifestation of god,
• belief in spirits inhabiting the physical world,
• worship of physical objects as representing or containing the sacred,,
• honoring the sacred through use of the body,
• emphasis on one's locale or local spirits and community,
• recognition and veneration of sacred places,
• perception of soul duality, and
• either nature worship or nature as a chief metaphorical register expressive of the divine.

Now, a religion does not have to have all of these characteristics to be called pagan but a religion having many of these characteristics could be considered pagan.

The concepts of pantheism, panentheism, and combinations of the theisms can be found in much of contemporary Western pagan thought, discourse, and practice.

How does all of this fit into Becoming?
The concepts behind pantheism and panentheism allow the members and friends of Becoming to find common ground and make meaningful connections, while still honoring specific deities, ancestors, and/or spirits within a mutually respectful framework.

Our core tenant is “The Divine abounds everywhere and dwells in everything. The Many are One.” We lifted this phrase from Marcia Falk’s The Book of Blessings. While this book sets forth a contemporary interpretation of Jewish prayers, we found that it expressed our thoughts quite nicely regarding the nature of the Divine without specifying any culture, religious tradition, gender or number.

We do not have to worship the same gods in the same way, but since everything is sacred, we can respect each other’s paths and celebrate together.