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

ORDER OF THE LEFT HAND PATH

This is a group out of New Zealand which believe in the Nietzschean-type self-overcoming to the fulfillment of Satan's (Lucifer or the Serpent) promise that "ye shall be as God."

They view the figure Satan in the bible as the "first free thinker and saviour of the world." They believe in the Faustian Soul, which stands for "wisdom undefiles and unfettered by any dogma. Our desire for knowledge, to see the scope of human thought extended unto infinity is insatiable, and the free-will on which it is predicated is a sacred trust we must guard with vigilance."

Primarily they are a group of individuals who believe that Godhood rests in each man, and they seek to attune themselves to this consciousness.

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