Sincere question for Hindus and Pagans only, please.?

Question

I just received the latest issue of Pan Gai and there is an article in there about "Indo-Pagans"...people who are Pagan that are influenced by Hindu spirituality. I used to be a Celtic Pagan (because my ancestry is in UK) but worshipping the Celtic deities never really felt right to me...until one day I was just struck by Ganesha and I felt the right path had been placed in front of me.
NOW...my question.....what do you think of blending Paganism with Hinduism, which in my mind is the Grandmother/father of Paganism to begin with! I understand with other Pagan traditions there is no current recognized religion, but as Hinduism is alive and well and thriving, why would you want to lessen it by including only a portion of it into your already existing Pagan beliefs and making up a name for it? It would be like someone wanting to have a St Francis statue on their Pagan altar so they call themselves a Cath-Pagan...do you see what I mean? I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this!

I don't think I fully explained myself...instead of converting to Hinduism, they take some of Hinduism's teaching and call themselves Indo-Pagans...I'm trying to understand why when Hinduism is alive and thriving (unlike the other Pagan traditions - Egyptians no longer worship their Pagan gods, etc). If you believe in the Hindu traditions then why not convert to Hinduism?

PKD & Frater,
You have both given very good answers, and I thank you.

Answer 1

Well, as a Pagan who tends to lean towards the "recon" paths, I think you should make an honest effort to honor the gods you are drawn to in the way most fitting for those gods. In the case of the Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Celtic, and Norse gods there is no continuous tradition -- no temples, no priesthood. We have to do all of these things ourselves. But if you are going to honor the Hindu gods, why would you do it half-assed, when there is a living, unbroken tradition to investigate and learn from? Get yourself in touch with some practicing Hindus. Find a Hindu temple and pay it a visit. If you're going to worship Ganeshaaa, for example, do the research. Find out what offerings Ganesh likes. Find out what the traditional prayers to Ganesh are. Now, I mainly worship the Greek gods, and when I want to honor a particular deity, I try to do as much research as possible -- try to find an appropriate ancient hymn, try to figure out the best incense to use. With the Hindu pantheon, we have the benefit of a continuous and unbroken line of practice -- Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world, and is in fact the only Pagan (by which I mean ancient polytheistic religion) religious tradition that survives to this day pretty much as it was before Christianity. There are Hindu temples. There are Hindu priests. There are people who have practiced Hinduism all their lives, and Hindu families that have been Hindu for thousands of years. Unlike Druidism, Hellenic Paganism, Egyptian Paganism, Asatru, etc., the tradition is there, you don't have to reinvent the wheel and make it all up yourself. If these are the gods that you are drawn to, then I would say that you would honor them best by converting to Hinduism. Otherwise, you are practicing Cultural Appropriation -- cannibalizing another person's culture, just like the New Age and Neopagan movements have been doing to the Native Americans. This, of course, is just my opinion. I'm curious what an orthodox Hindu would say.

Answer 2

Actually...
There is some folkloric evidence that Hinduism and Celtic Paganism came from the same, or similar roots. Read the history of the Tuatha de Dannan (especially the very beginning), and the Children of Don
And then read the history of Hinduism.
Pay particular attention to the parts about the Aryans. I'd recommend a particular book, but I can't remember the name of it and I'm getting ready to move and haven't a clue where to look for it. It's one of the ancient Hindu texts though that was required reading in my Sacred Texts class.

Saying that Paganism came from Hinduism, however, is rather false and somewhat inflammatory. There is alot of Eastern influence in many modern Pagan practices, but certainly not all!! Reconstructionists have little in common with Hinduism. The ancient Greeks, Romans, Africans, Americans, etc. did not consult the Hindus before establishing their rights- though these ancient paths did have in common with Hinduism the acceptance of other Gods. The complete lack of the All or Nothing mindset of the Abrahamic religions.

One thing that's very common to Hinduism is that it's a hereditary religion. I have spoken to hereditary Hindus who have informed me that I frankly don't qualify (but they were very nice about it.) Which is all well and good because I am bound to the Gods of ancient Greece- who are alive and well. and were astounded- shocked even to hear that I my mother was Christian and I was not. There is also the caste system (which ties into the whole hereditary concept) which has no place in my worldview and would be rather awkward to try to fit into America or any non-Hindu dominated society, especially by someone who didn't grow up with it. So I think that anyone who just up and decided to be Hindu (rather than being born Hindu) would have to adapt it somewhat and blending it with other Pagan practices seems to be a good way to do that.

Answer 3

A wonderful question. I think "blending" is good when you keep the historical origins of what you believe in tact. The Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, Caitlin Matthews, Manly Palmer Hall, Joseph Campbell (and many others) all add to my personal spiritual development. The Franciscan Prayer will always be a strong part of my faith; I could call myself Christo-Pagan for this and other reasons. Maybe I wouldn't make a good Hindu on account of the dietary restrictions, but I think there's strong logic behind having an interest in pagan traditions and Hindu traditions. You will find a treasure of wisdom in both. In fact, here's a book you may come to like: God Makes the Rivers To Flow: Sacred Literature of the World (Paperback) by Eknath Easwaran. The author, a translator, has compiled Hindu, eastern, and western sacred literature that point toward the similarities found in various religious paths throughout history.

It sounds like you are on a good path to new discoveries!

Answer 4

There are many connections between Paganism and most, if not all, currently existing religions and spiritualities. Firstly, I was under the impression and Paganism came before any others, so I don't see how you believe that Hinduism is the basis of it.
As far as labeling what kind of Pagan one is based on their other sources of belief, my opinion is that Paganism itself is a spirituality that gives you space to accept whatever else you want into your beliefs. The idea of reincarnation and becoming part of the Spirit, for example, led Buddaism into the belief in Nirvana...and The Spirit added itself as the Holy Ghost in Christianity...
To answer your question about people using their other religion-related beliefs to change their Pagan title, it doesn't make any sense in my own practices, but if a person followed a spirituality that they felt was a mix of Paganism and Hinduism, but didn't want to label themselves with the confinements of the latter and wanted to keep the freedom of beliefs that Paganism allows them, it would make sense to label themselves as Indo-Pagan.
As for the Cath-Pagan idea, having a statue of a saint on an altar would not create that title...one is free to have whatever they feel inspires them on their altar, and if a saint empowers a Pagan, than I see no problem with a statue of them on their altar.
What I'm saying is that adding another religion-like title to the name of Paganism is only a way of expressing their beliefs to others, but keeping their freedom of choice that they feel they get from being Pagan.

Answer 5

the Druids went out of their way to study and to learn the religions of their neighbors. this was in part to know the mindset of any possible enemies. but also so that while traveling through their lands thay could respect and honor the customs of the lands traveled to. many times a Druid would return from a journey to another celtic tribe with a new god to worship.

this was only limited by the ability to travel in that day and age. today i feel that if a god or goddess speaks to you that they are most probably worthy of your worship or at least your respect.

as far as preserving the culture and traditions of other gods and goddesses, just do what i do when i am going to a Native American ceramony.

while there i am learning the Native American ways. so i do things in accordance with their beliefs and laws.

i do not mix native spirituality and my Celtic Paganism both are seperate paths that can be walked in a parallel manner.

if your belief in the hindu god works for you go with it.
if you want to keep to come Celtic raditions do so. if they do not hold true for you and you are just doing it because your ancestors did so then go fully into the Hindu culture.

Answer 6

Since in your mind Hinduism is the Grandmother/father of Paganism you have already answered your own question. From my studies, I have only seen the Hindu influence in Celtic paths..I haven't yet branched out very far from those studies yet. All paths started from the Proto-Indo-Europeans since that is where humans first started to branch out from. I think customs and Deities, rituals..all of it ,were influenced by our ancestors ways of life. What climate they were in, if they were near water, how much sun or dark they experienced, different agricultural seasons they had and the proximity of other tribes. One of the beauties of practicing a Pagan path is that you don't have to be tied to one certain path for the rest of your life. Meaning you can start out on a Celtic path and end up being influenced by completely different paths or Deities. One path can lead you to the next..it doesn't make it wrong, it just makes it your personal journey to an understanding of the Universe that fits for you. You have nothing to loose by learning about other traditions or Deities..it will only broaden and deepen your connection to the Divine,Universe...however you wish to refer to it. It's all connected I think..just different facets.

Answer 7

Methinks it should make no difference to you what anyone trhinks. What makes you feel good, fulfilled, spiritual does not have to follow anyone else's recipe and you do not need anyone's approval. Christianity, as you know, is a blend of past belief systems adopted by Christianity to make the transition from paganism more acceptable for native peoples. There is a basilica in Mexico that stands on the very site as an ancient temple to a goddess the native indians worshipped. It's simple acclamation.

Answer 8

I agree with the rest of the panel in that when attracted to a god or pantheon outside of your normal scope of information, you should study that god/pantheon. Try to find out as much as you can about how they are worshiped, honored, prayed to, and so on. Study their mythology - read their stories. Petition them, get to know them. They may even tell you how they want to be honored.

As for becoming a Hindu, I must politely disagree with that idea. First off, someone mentioned earlier that many Hindus will already disqualify you on the basis that it is a hereditary religion and you were not born into it. Second, if you are practicing any kind of witchcraft, I seriously doubt you will find that in Hinduism either, or support for it. And Thirdly, just because someone is Hindu does not make them an authority on their religion. How many Christians or Jews do you know who can quote from the Bible or Torah or even begin to understand the mystic path of those faiths?

And lastly, what if you are a Kali worshiper? You will not find her in any Hindu temple but her own, dedicated only to her. She is not for everyone, not even most Hindus. So converting to Hinduism may not be even an option, though it certainly is worth studying.

As a side note, if you worship Kali's husband, Shiva, you are allowed to eat meat. Only the Vishnu/Krishna worshipers are vegetarian.

Answer 9

Hinduism is a form a Paganism, and Wicca (for example) is another. I'm not a big fan of "blended Paganisms" myself, but apparently lots of people like the Wiccan form of worship -- the Order of Circle, as we can call it -- and find it relatively easy to use it with any pantheon they favor. I think this is kind of lazy, and my advice to people attracted to gods of other Pagan faiths is to learn to worship them as their native worshipers do.

Blending Pagan faiths is one thing, though ... while blending monotheism and Paganism is another, and I'm pretty intolerant of ~that~. The theologies and world-views are not comparable or compatible. Your example of putting a St. Francis on a Pagan altar and calling it "Cath-Paganism" is as far as I'm concerned an example of extreme disrespect to both religious systems.


Bright blessings,
Ashleen O'Gaea

Answer 10

Dear Friend,
I have converted to Hinduism and I would like to answer your question.
My opinion is that Hinduism is not sufficiently known, even among those who were born into it.
Hinduism is very different from Abrahamic religions in that it does not prescribe an exclusive method of worship that negates others.
Orthodox Hinduism is very clearly explained in philosophy, theology and practices in a vast expanse of scriptures, so by studying and experimenting on it in a genuine and serious way one can find out its benefits.
Then one can go further and experiment directly.
For more information, you or any others can contact me at [e-mail]
You can also see our website www.jagannatha.net
Thanks
PKD