Before adding more advanced content here, I decided that laying out the basics for anyone unfamiliar with neopagan religions would be a good idea, since this seems to be a wonderfully mixed fishbowl we're all swimming in here. As of this writing I've seen a few related essays, but nothing really going over the basics.

So here's my take on it. As with anything, grab your shaker of salt and understand that we all have our own tunnel visions to work within.

Pagan itself comes from the Latin paganus, meaning country dweller or, to be less flatterings, backwoods hick. When Christiantiy really began to gain strength, it primarily did so in urban areas that were more open to diverse ideas (just like today). Eventually the people out in the sticks who hung onto their pagan beliefs (often because they hadn't yet been exposed to Christianity) were referred to as "pagans".

These days, however, pagan is usually short for "neopagan", which refers to any of a number of religions founded within the past half century or so based on older pre-Christian beliefs, as well as a healthy dose of New Age ideas and other hybridizations. (We'll get to the particulars in a moment.) A related term, "mesopagan", describes religions and orders founded prior to the mid 20th century in an attempt to recreate older traditions; mesopagan can describe anything from the Golden Dawn and OTO, Spiritism, African Diasporic religions such as Voodoo and Santeria, and Freemasonry. "Paleopagan" refers to original indigenous pagan beliefs, such as those of the First Peoples in the Americas, Australian aboriginal tribes, and Shinto in Japan. (All of these may be up for semantic debate depending on who you talk to.) [1]

"Pagan" may also be used more broadly to describe any non-monotheistic, non-revealed religion (which basically means anything besides Christianity, Judaism, and Islam).

However, my focus here is on neopaganism. There are a number of religions that fall into this category.

Wicca, the most well-known, was founded by Gerald Gardner in the first half of the 20th century, created from the witchcraft recreations of Leland's "Aradia", Graves' "The White Goddess", Margaret Murray's "The God of the Witches" and "The Witch-cult in Western Europe"; it also included numerous elements of Golden Dawn-style ceremonial magic. There is much debate over how much of Wicca is actually handed down from an unbroken line of witches, or even if such a thing exists. Reportedly Gardner received his initation from Dorothy Clutterbuck, but little evidence remains to prove whether she was, in fact, the priestess of a coven of great lineage. As for Gardner's other sources, "Aradia" and "The White Goddess" are primarily seen as poetry, not history, and Murray's theories have been thoroughly debunked. [2]

This does not mean that Wicca is an illegitimate religion. The attempts by early Wiccans (Gardner included) to try to legitimize the age of the religion through very shaky research gave rise to some horrible scholarship, but recent years have seen more solid research and few Wiccans today attempt to convince others that Wicca is really 50,000 years old.

Wicca has changed considerably since its inception; originally a group-based initiatory system, the rise of books on solitary Wicca (such as Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner) have caused a split in the community between British Traditional Wiccans, who follow a few traditions that can trace their lineage back to Gardner, and eclectic Wicca, which is much more free-form. There are still debates over whether eclectics have the right to use the word "Wicca" to describe themselves.

The growth of Wicca, particularly in North America and Europe, spurred the growth of a number of other neopagan religions, of which the following are just a sampling.

Another well-known neopagan religion is Druidry. Again, it is based on older druidic traditions, and to an extent may actually be considered a mesopagan religion in that recreations of it started as early as the 1700s. Druidry today actually comprises three different types of practitioner. Bards are about what you'd expect--lorekeepers, storytellers and songweavers in the oral/aural tradition. Ovates are involved with communicating with the unseen world, whether through divination or altered states of consciousness. Druids themselves, the third group, are often concerned with organizing traditions, leadership, and outreach to the community, as well as functioning as priesthood in group rituals. [3]

Asatru is the modern recreation of ancient Norse heathen beliefs. While much focus is put on the worship of the Aesir, the more well-known pantheon of deities that includes Odin, Thor and Tyr, some may also honor the Vanir, a lesser known group of Norse gods and goddesses. Asatruar pay close attention to reconstructing the Norse culture, at least to the extent that can be done in modern-day cultures. This should not be confused with the racism that sometimes plagues this religion; anyone of any racial background may practice Asatru and will be welcomed into the tradition.

Neoshamans are those who practice shamanic techniques, but not within a particular cultural context. Many draw on concepts from Michael Harner's core shamanism [4], while a few are trained in traditional cultural beliefs. Still others may create their own practices based on what they have learned. The focus of neoshamanism tends to be more individualized than in traditional shamanism, where the shaman serves the community. Neoshamans have occasionally drawn fire from American indigenous cultures for issues of cultural appropriation.

Along with various specific traditions, there are many people who simply call themselves pagans or neopagans. They may draw from a variety of sources, or simply practice what speaks most strongly to them.

These are just a few examples of modern neopagan religions. I'd recommend, for further reading, checking out my sources and suggested reading below.

Sources

[1] Bonewits, Isaac (2006). Bonewit's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp., p. 4-5.

[2] See Bonewits, and also Kelly, Aidan (1991). Crafting the Art of Magic, Book One: A History of Modern Witchcraft, 1939 - 1964. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications.

[3] Harvey, Graham (1997). Contemporary Paganism: Listening People, Speaking Earth. New York: New York University Press, p. 20-32

[4] See Harner, Michael (1990). The Way of the Shaman. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.

Other Suggested Reading Material (not an exhaustive list

Adler, Margot (2006 revised edition). Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America. Penguin Books.

Hutton, Ronald (2001). The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. Oxford University Press.

http://www.witchvox.com
http://www.twpt.com
http://www.thepaganweb.com/
http://www.geocities.com/lavenderwater37/