Christo-Paganism - Blending Two Seemingly Opposite Traditions

Christian witch? "Impossible!" you say. Wiccan Christian? "Unimaginable!" you say. Not necessarily. While upon first hearing these terms, our initial reaction may be negative, if we look at both Christianity and Paganism, we begin to understand how some who call themselves Pagans also consider Jesus a large part of their spirituality.

Just as there are many denominations of both Christianity and Paganism, the spectrum of Christo-Pagan belief can be just as large. Therefore, this is only a short introduction to a complex subject in which several common ideas behind Christo-Paganism are touched upon.

I don't cover the long history of Christo-Paganism. This is an intro to one strand of thought in this path.

One common belief is that Jesus is the example and not the exception. This means that Jesus is not seen as the savior of mankind but as a personification of the Christ Consciousness. That is the part of ourselves which contains that spark of divinity with which to gain access to and become part of the Divine Mystery.

In fact, Pagans who believe in the possibility of the existence of the historical Jesus would agree that he was a great teacher and all around good guy. The Christo-Pagan sees Jesus as the way shower in how to be that spark that touches the One Source.

Another belief is that the Goddess is a perfectly natural counterpart to any idea of a God. This is an idea older than the popular novel, The DaVinci Code, which puts forth Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus.

In mythological terms, this makes her the Goddess next to the God as Jesus. The notion that there is balance in the universe only makes sense to Christo-Pagans as it does to other Pagans. For some, Mother Mary is seen as the Great Mother Goddess.

Western magical tradition and Jungian psychology have been influential in forming a universalist worldview in Paganism. English author and influential occultist Dion Fortune stated in her novel Sea Priestess that

"All gods are one God, and all goddesses are one Goddess, and there is one Initiator."

Fortune was also a proponent of psychotherapy.  Carl Jung, one of the famous progenitors of modern psychology, was heavily influenced by occult ideas and encouraged spiritual experience when psychotherapy failed.

Western magical traditions such as Rosicrucian orders and the Golden Dawn were influenced by Judeo-Christian belief including the search for the holy grail. For Christo-Pagans, the Christian mysteries are deeper than the Christian Holy Bible. Many believe this book should be read with an eye to metaphysics not as a literal record of events.

Others believe that Christianity is deeply rooted in Pagan lore such as with the death and resurrection theme found in pre-Christian mythologies worldwide. Christo-Pagans don't feel it is a contradiction then to blend the belief systems.

Witchcraft, while some argue is a religion, is actually the practice of magic, sometimes called low magic which often blends magical herbalism and folk magic.

Examples of established systems that link elements of Christianity and magic are that of African American hoodoo, Voodoo (also called Vodun), Brujeria, and Santeria which sometimes combine cultural traditions and Pagan practices with Christian prayers and psalms in magic and ritual. Sometimes the saints were a cover for Pagan gods to help people avoid persecution for their beliefs.

Other Christo-Pagans look to early Christianity to form the basis of their spirituality. Celtic Christianity, before so much papal intervention, had a deep reverence for nature and the Divine Feminine embodied in Mother Mary and Saint Brigid. Some believe the saint to be a Christianized version of an ancient goddess.  Learn more about her in my article Brigid of the Flame - Goddess and Saint.

Balance seems to be an underlying force behind this spiritual choice whether individuals believe themselves to be more Christian, more Pagan, or an equal amount of each. For Christo-Pagans, bringing the Goddess and respect for nature back to Christianity is seen as paramount for bringing the true teachings of Jesus to light.