There are many theories as to how many thousands of years old the Old Religion is. How far back it can be traced and how pure it has stayed into the present time is not really what’s important. The Old Religion was born in the hearts of ancient humans as they strove to understand their role in their world. Religion in its many forms continues to serve as a connection to our world. We pass on what we have learned from old traditions as the truth for us, but sometimes we lose sight of the fact that each generation will hold its own truth. When tradition is followed for tradition’s sake, the meaning, the connection is lost in empty words that hold no meaning for us. It is then that we feel lost and start searching for the “truth,” only to be disappointed again by other oppressive traditions.

Human understanding has evolved through lifetimes of experience and tradition is a foundation or framework to build upon, a matrix into which we fit what is relevant to us in our time. The traditions that many hold so dear and try so hard to keep “pure” contain formulas for making and keeping that connection alive, but that is all. If we were successful in keeping all aspects of the first beliefs pure and untainted down through the ages, human sacrifice would still be acceptable. *

The key I have found under the label of Old Religion is that it speaks of a personal relationship with the Divine and the understanding that the Divine is in everything and can take many forms. The Old Religion survives because it is mutable. It is the CONNECTION that is important, whatever the name or face.

*To our knowledge human sacrifices are not practiced by any group, in the United States, that is affiliated with the Old Religion*