Pagan patients are often reluctant to tell a care team about their religion, and may go without spiritual support as a result. This guide helps chaplains, nurses, social workers, and hospice teams offer care that Pagan patients can accept.
Third edition, 2025. Written by hospital and hospice chaplains and nurses, including members of the Pagan EdNet board and staff. This guide is general information and does not replace the policies of your institution.
What to Know First
- Paganism is a family of religions. A patient may identify as Pagan, Wiccan, Witch, Druid, Heathen, or by another name. Record the word the patient uses. See What Is Paganism?
- Most Pagans honor more than one deity and regard the natural world as sacred. Do not assume belief in one God, in sin and salvation, or in heaven and hell.
- Many practice alone. A patient may have no clergy and no congregation. Friends from the patient's spiritual community may be as important as relatives.
- Many are private. A patient may have recorded "none" at admission to avoid questions. Family members may not know the patient's religion, or may disapprove of it.
- Pagans do not seek converts and are often wary of being preached to when they are ill.
Opening the Conversation
Open questions work best, as they do with every patient.
- "What gives you strength when things are hard?"
- "Is there a spiritual or religious practice that is important to you?"
- "Is there anything you would like to have with you, or anyone you would like us to call?"
If a patient tells you that they are Pagan, a simple "Thank you for telling me. What would be helpful?" is enough. You do not need to be an expert. You do need to show that the answer is welcome.
Common Needs and Requests
| The patient may ask | How staff can help |
|---|---|
| To keep religious items nearby | A pendant, a small statue, stones, a feather, or a cloth for a bedside altar can usually stay within reach. Ask before moving them. |
| To wear a pendant during a procedure | Where removal is required, explain why, offer to tape it to the body or keep it in sight if policy allows, and return it promptly. |
| To light a candle or burn incense | Offer a battery-operated candle. Flame and smoke are not possible where oxygen is in use, and patients understand this when it is explained. |
| For time undisturbed | Arrange fifteen to thirty minutes without routine interruption for prayer, meditation, or a small ritual with visitors. |
| To see the sky, a tree, or a garden | A bed by the window, a plant, or a visit outdoors can have real spiritual meaning for a person whose religion centers on nature. |
| For a visit from clergy or community | Welcome the visitors the patient names as you would any clergy. If the patient has no one, see "Finding Pagan Clergy" below. |
| For prayer with the chaplain | Ask what words the patient would like. A blessing that names the earth, the elements, or the patient's own deities, or a shared silence, is usually welcome. |
Matters That Are Usually Not Concerns
- Diet. There are no universal dietary laws. Some Pagans are vegetarian by conviction. Ask, as with any patient.
- Medical treatment. Pagan religions do not prohibit blood transfusion, surgery, organ donation, or medication. Decisions are individual.
- Modesty and gender of caregivers. No general religious rule applies.
- Complementary practices. Some patients use herbs or energy-based practices alongside conventional care. Ask without judgment so that interactions can be checked.
Birth
Parents may wish to say a blessing over a newborn, to keep a religious item in the room during labor, or to take the placenta home for burial. Many families later hold a naming or blessing ceremony, sometimes called a Wiccaning or a saining, which welcomes the child and does not bind the child to the religion.
Serious Illness and the End of Life
Pagan beliefs about death vary. Many Wiccans expect reincarnation after a period of rest in a place some call the Summerland. Many Heathens speak of joining their ancestors. Many Pagans regard death as a return to the natural cycle. Fear of judgment after death is uncommon. Fear of dying among people who disapprove of one's religion is not.
What Helps
- Ask early what the patient wants at the time of death and who should be present. Encourage an advance directive and the naming of a healthcare agent who knows the patient's religion.
- Welcome a vigil. Friends from the patient's community may wish to sit with the patient, sing or chant softly, and say prayers at the bedside.
- Allow a simple rite. A typical rite of passing involves a blessing with water or scented oil, words of release, and a farewell. It takes fifteen to thirty minutes and needs nothing that is not permitted in a patient room.
- After death, the family or community may ask for a short time with the body, to wash or anoint it, or to open a window. Where policy allows, these are easily arranged.
- Mind the family. When relatives of another faith disagree with the patient's wishes, the patient's documented wishes govern. A chaplain's calm support of those wishes is a great service.
- Do not baptize or anoint a Pagan patient according to another religion's rite unless the patient has asked for it.
Funerals and Burial
Pagan funerals are led by Pagan clergy or by friends, and may be held at a funeral home, outdoors, or at the graveside. Both burial and cremation are common, and interest in natural burial is strong. Eligible veterans may have a pentacle, a Hammer of Thor, or an Awen on a government-furnished headstone.
Grief and Bereavement
Bereaved Pagans may be grieving without a congregation and among relatives who do not share their beliefs. Condolences that assume another religion's teaching about the afterlife can wound. "I am sorry. Tell me about them" is always safe. Many Pagans honor their dead each year at Samhain, at the end of October, and a bereavement follow-up near that date may be especially welcome.
Long-Term Care and Behavioral Health
- Residents of long-term care may wish to mark the seasonal festivals. A small seasonal display or a visit from community members is usually enough.
- Activity calendars that list religious services can list a Pagan observance or a quiet seasonal gathering alongside the others.
- Pagan religious belief and practice, including belief in deities, spirits, or magic, is not in itself a symptom of illness. Assess it as you would the beliefs of any religious patient, in light of the person's own community and usual practice.
Finding Pagan Clergy
If a patient would like a visit from Pagan clergy and has no one to call, a chaplain may write to interfaith@paganednet.org. We will try to find a suitable volunteer near you, usually within two business days. In urgent situations at the end of life, say so in the subject line. Please do not send patient names or other identifying details by email.
Training for Your Team
The Chaplaincy and Institutional Access Project offers a free one-hour briefing, "Caring for Pagan Patients," in person or online, to hospitals, hospices, nursing programs, and chaplaincy training programs. It has been given at more than 140 institutions since 2014. To arrange one, see the Speakers Bureau. A one-page summary for the nursing station is available among the Plain Facts fact sheets.