Glossary - exWitch Australia (formerly 'Born Again Pagan')

ANIMAL PSI

The apparent ability of animals to experience Clairvoyance, Pre-cognition (knowledge of the future using some form of ESP), Telepathy and Psycho-Kinesis. There is no scientific evidence for this phenomenon and most evidence relating to animal psi is anecdotal.

According to recent research there are five types of basic animal psi: the ability to sense impending danger; the ability to sense, at a distance, the death of, or harm being caused to, a beloved human; the ability to sense the impending arrival of an owner; the ability to fmd the way home through unfamiliar territory; and the ability of an animal that is separated from its owner to find its way over long distances to be reunited.

PLEASE NOTE:
One of the major problems with 'defining' Paganism and/or its beliefs and practices is that it is an 'organic' movement, in that it is undergoing constant change and re-evaluation from within, and as such any 'one-size-fits-all' approach to understanding Paganism will be found wanting.

Due to the very 'organic' nature of Paganism, and the many differing Paths and Traditions within it, in many cases no one definition may be universally accepted by all Pagans. Therefore, where such cases of possible conflicting and/or contradictory meanings of certain terms occur I have endevoured to give not only the generally accepted meaning, but also any major 'variations' in belief and/or practice.

Christians who believe this difference in meaning of certain key terms, beliefs and practices to be unique to Paganism need to remember that such conflicts also arise within the Body of Christ - the Church. Take for instance the differing practices amongst Christians concerning Baptism and the different attitudes towards women in the clergy.

- Jean-Luc