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

RITUAL SHAFTS (CELTIC)

Also known as offering pits and funerary wells, these excavations, dating from as early as the late second millennium BC may be as much as 70 metres (200 feet) deep and were probably perceived as entrances to the . Most of those in Britain date from the late pre-Roman and Romano-Celtic periods. When examined they are often found to contain votive offerings and to have, at the bottom, a wooden stake set upright in the ground and accompanied by remains of flesh and blood. Whether this always reflects human or animal sacrifice to an god is unclear.

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