Do you find naturalistic, humanistic, or atheistic forms of Paganism, um… confusing? If so, you’re not alone.

Welcome to Pagan, Naturally. This blog is here to introduce the basics of naturalism, to reduce the… well… confusion.

Hi, I’m a naturalist

Before we even get into definitions and debates, I want to put a human face on this, so that we’re not just talking about “people” in the abstract.

Meet John H. Halstead, lawyer, father, and former Mormon who crafts Pagan rituals for his family, and explores his path through Jungian archetypes.

Meet Eli Effinger-Weintraub, copyeditor and Reclaiming Pagan who writes for Pagan Square and No Unsacred Place, where she is engaged in a project to “restory” the sacred.

Meet Jon Cleland Host, Ph.D., scientist and father of four who has created a complete Wheel of the Year set of rituals and activities for his children, moderates the Naturalistic Paganism yahoo group, and works closely with other Religious Naturalists such as Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow.

Meet Glenys Livingstone, Ph.D., author and creator of PaGaian Cosmology, a tradition which honors nature as cosmic Creativity through the metaphor of the Goddess. To my knowledge, PaGaian is currently the largest explicitly naturalistic tradition, though myriad other traditions embrace naturalism implicitly or as one of multiple welcomed views.

Meet Brendan Myers, Ph.D., philosopher and author of The Mysteries of Druidry, The Other Side of Virtue, and numerous other titles. Recipient of OBOD’s Mount Haemus Award for Druidic scholarship, his articulation of an existentially-based spirituality rocks the boat in Pagan discourse.

And then there’s me, of course: B. T. Newberg, ESL teacher, ADF member, and editor of Humanistic Paganism.

These are only a few of the most publicly visible naturalists. There are many more with a slightly lower profile yet very much worthy of mention. Over thirty authors have contributed to Humanistic Paganism so far, and the Naturalistic Paganism yahoo group has nearly four-hundred members. That probably represents only a miniscule fraction of the total number of naturalists in Paganism.

You probably know some naturalists. There may be some in your local group.

Or you may be one yourself.

In the next post, we’ll get down to terms and discover what naturalists share with other Pagans.