In simplest terms Paganism is a religion of place, aor a native religion, for example the Native Amercians relgion is Pagan, Hinduism is a form of Paganism. All Pagan religions are characterize by a connection and reverence for nature, and are usually polytheistic.
Modern Paganism as practised in the west is particular to the native peoples of the west and although there are many forms most are decended from Celtic origins. Modern Paganism or "Neo-Paganism" has the following charicteistics:
1. Paganism is a religion of nature, in other words Pagans revere Nature. Pagans see the Divine as immanent in the whole of life and the Universe; in every tre, plant and object man and woman and in the dark side of life as much as in the light. Pagans live their lives attuned to the cycles of Natur, the seasons, life and death.
2.Unlike most Patriarchal religions the Divine is both male and female, therfore there is both God and Goddess. These Deities are both within and outside of us. They ARE us. Gods of the major religions tend to be super-natural, whereas Pagan Deities are natural,symbolizing aspects of Nature or human nature.
3.The Goddess represents all that is female and the God represents all that is male.But because nature is seen as female, the Goddess has a wider meaning. Often called Mother Earth or Gaia she is seen as the creatrix and sustainer of life, the mother of us all which makes all creatures on this planet our siblings.
4.There are sub-groups of named Gods and Goddesses called Pantheons,drawn fromthe distant past. For example, Isis and Osiris from Egypt or Thor, Odin, Freye et al from the Norse religion and mythology.Anciant Pagans would have worshipped one or a small number of Dieties while recognizing the validity of other people's Deities.
5.Paganism has developed alongside mankind for thousands of years; as cultures have changed so has Paganism, yet it is grounded in deep rooted genetic memories that go back to neolithic times and before.Thus Paganism is not just a nature religion but a NATURAL religion.
6.Paganism in the west takes a number of forms including Wicca, Druidism, and Shamanism.
7.To Pagans the four ancient elements ,Earth, Air,Fire, and Water have special meaning. The importance of these is hard to define because they have so many correspondences, for example they are associated with the four directions.Each element is a kind of spiritual substance from which all are made and at the same time are Gaurdians of Both ourselves and the God and Goddess, and gaurding the gateways between this world and the other world.
8.Many Pagans believe in reincarnation in some form.It gives Pagans a substancially different view of life. Early Christians saw Karma as a kindof treadmill, trapping people in endless reincarnations,never free. But Pagans see reincarnation as, at best, a chance to improve or to continue unfinished work, and at worst, just a simple re-cycling of souls.
