The Plain Facts series began in 2001 as two pages written for a school principal. It is now twelve fact sheets, each short enough to read in five minutes and plain enough to hand to anyone.
The sixth edition was released in 2025. Three of the most requested sheets are printed in full below. The others are available on this website as the pages listed in the table, and every page of this website prints cleanly without menus or sidebars.
The Series
| No. | Title | Written for | Read online |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paganism at a Glance | Everyone | On this page |
| 2 | Wicca at a Glance | Everyone | On this page |
| 3 | Druidry at a Glance | Everyone | Earth-Centered Traditions |
| 4 | Heathenry at a Glance | Everyone | Earth-Centered Traditions |
| 5 | The Wheel of the Year | Schools and employers | The Wheel of the Year |
| 6 | Pagan Symbols | Schools, employers, institutions | Symbols and Their Meanings |
| 7 | Myths and Facts | Everyone | Myths and Facts |
| 8 | Pagan Students in Your School | Teachers and administrators | A Guide for Educators |
| 9 | Pagan Employees in Your Workplace | Managers and human resources | A Guide for Employers |
| 10 | Pagan Patients in Your Care | Nurses and chaplains | A Guide for Healthcare Staff and Chaplains |
| 11 | Pagans in Custody | Correctional staff and chaplains | Prisons and Jails |
| 12 | Ten Courtesies | Everyone | On this page |
Printed copies are sent free, in reasonable quantities, to schools, libraries, chaplaincy offices, and correctional facilities. Write to education@paganednet.org.
Plain Facts No. 1
Paganism at a Glance
The people described here are your neighbors, and this page is meant to help you know them.
What it is
Contemporary Paganism is a family of religions that honor the sacredness of the natural world. Most Pagans honor more than one deity. The best-known Pagan religions are Wicca, Druidry, and Heathenry. Many Pagans follow no named tradition.
What Pagans believe
- The Earth is sacred, and people are part of nature.
- The divine is present in the world and may be honored as many goddesses and gods.
- Each person is responsible for their own actions and their own spiritual path.
- Other religions are valid for those who follow them. Pagans do not seek converts.
What Pagans do
- Celebrate seasonal festivals, often eight in a year, at the solstices, the equinoxes, and the points between.
- Hold rituals of prayer, offering, and thanksgiving, outdoors or at home, alone or in small groups.
- Mark births, marriages, and deaths with ceremonies led by their own clergy.
What it is not
Paganism is not Satanism. Pagans do not believe in or worship the Devil. Paganism is not a cult. It has no central leader, and its groups are small and self-governing.
In law
Pagan religions are protected by the same laws that protect all religions in the United States.
Plain Facts No. 2
Wicca at a Glance
What it is
Wicca is a modern Pagan religion that became publicly known in England in the 1950s and is now practiced around the world. Its members are called Wiccans. Many also call themselves Witches, a word they use as a religious title for people of any gender.
What Wiccans believe
- The divine is honored as a Goddess and a God, present in nature and in every person.
- Ethics rest on the Wiccan Rede: "If it harms none, do what you will." Many Wiccans also hold that what a person does returns to them.
- Many believe in reincarnation. There is no belief in the Devil or in eternal punishment.
What Wiccans do
- Celebrate eight seasonal festivals, called sabbats, and gather at the full moon.
- Worship in a ritual circle, in a home or outdoors. No permanent building is needed.
- Practice alone or in small groups called covens, led by a priestess, a priest, or both.
- Wear the pentacle, a five-pointed star in a circle, as a sign of faith.
Good to know
- The word "warlock" is not used for a male Witch and is considered an insult.
- A Wiccan's ritual knife, the athame, is a religious object and is not used to cut. Where blades are not allowed, a wand or the hand is used instead.
- Samhain, October 31 to November 1, is a solemn holy day honoring the dead. It is not a costume holiday.
In law
United States courts have recognized Wicca as a religion since the 1980s. The pentacle has been an approved emblem of belief for veterans' headstones since 2007.
Plain Facts No. 12
Ten Courtesies
For anyone who has just learned that a neighbor, coworker, student, patient, or client is Pagan.
- Carry on as before. The person you know has not changed.
- Keep it private. Do not tell others unless you have been told that you may.
- Use their word. If they say Wiccan, Druid, Heathen, or Pagan, say the same.
- Use capital letters. Write Pagan and Wiccan as you would write the name of any religion.
- Ask sincere questions, and accept "I would prefer not to say" as an answer.
- Skip the jokes about broomsticks, cauldrons, and spells. They have been heard before.
- Treat symbols as religious. A pentacle or a hammer pendant is worn as others wear the symbols of their own faiths.
- Do not touch an altar, a pendant, or a ritual object without asking.
- Respect the holy days. A request for time off at Samhain or Yule is a religious request.
- Do not try to convert them, and rest assured that they will not try to convert you.
Conditions of Use
Plain Facts fact sheets may be printed, photocopied, and shared electronically without charge for educational and non-commercial purposes, provided each sheet is reproduced whole with its credit line. See Terms of Use. To print a single sheet, use the print command of your browser and choose the pages you need.