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neopagan

neopagan

1 8.1
Relating to modern groups that follow ancient nature religions
  • adjective
  • /ˈniːoʊˌpeɪɡən/
translation icon : neopagano
  • Many people are turning to neopagan beliefs to explore spirituality rooted in nature and ancient traditions.
  • neopagan paradigm

Examples

  • It is inextricably linked with two other phenomena that share its nineteenth-century European origin: neopagan occultism and the radical feminist political agenda.

    Academic text (1993)
  • He began writing in a neopagan vein but developed his full set of beliefs only after becoming involved in Theosophy.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The centrality of Gardner's work to the current neopagan revival is recognized by many major figures within the movement itself.

    Academic text (1993)
  • It is squarely within the Neopagan paradigm.

    Academic text (1993)
  • I find that a great deal of Neopagan ritual is discursive, sometimes verbose, and at its worst didactic.

    Blog text (32)
  • As a form of organized religion, neopagan Goddess spirituality has its home in Wicca, modern witchcraft.

    Academic text (1993)
  • While we have had to give brief consideration to quite a variety of movements, a common pattern of thought emerges from them, which I have dubbed the Neopagan Paradigm.

    Academic text (1993)
  • That today's matriarchalists subscribe to a version of the Neopagan Paradigm is obvious from their reconstructions of history.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The Neopagan Paradigm amounts to this: Ancient and/or non-Western paganism was great and good; indeed, it has the potential to solve our own greatest problems, whether personal, social, or ecological.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The neopagan community often celebrates seasonal festivals that reflect ancient cultural practices.

Surface Forms

neopagan positive

Morphology

neopagan = pagan (transparent) = neo + pagan

The prefix 'neo-' meaning 'new' combines straightforwardly with 'pagan' to mean modern or recent forms of paganism.

Etymology

Neopagan is made of neo- meaning 'new' and pagan meaning 'old nature-based beliefs or non-Christian traditions'. So, as an adjective, neopagan describes modern or revived forms of those old beliefs.