I thought this was an intriguing point, so I started scribbling down some things I knew Pagans actually did-some of which they joked about-and came up with most of the following list. Admittedly this list is more representative of USA Mid-Atlantic geography. For example, it rains frequently in June in Maryland, and it is not unusual for a Maryland Pagan to be rained on at Summer Solstice event. However, the same could not be said about a Arizona Pagan. In fact, some of this stuff only relates to Pagans who have home with a yard. Still, these are all things that I've really known Pagans to do.
You May be a Pagan if...
you know bay leaves in your spice rack and laurel leaves are the same thing. You use them for things other than simply seasoning soup or stew.
when you are at an Arbor Day tree planting event, you drop a crystal into the hole you just dug to bless the tree.
you pack a lot of bag lunches in October to give away to the homeless for the "Samhain sandwiches" project.
you planted bushes for a butterfly garden.
you clean up trash in the nearby park.
you pour a few drops of your water on the ground as a libation to the earth when you take a break from hiking before you take a swallow.
you talk to the trees.
you talk to cats; they answer you...and you understand them. (If you have another type of animal living with you, you probably do the same with that animal too.)
your CD's include meditation music.
after you get call from a sick friend on the phone and promise to send your friend some "get well wishes," you walk over to a statue, take out a cone or stick of incense and light it. Then you set the lit incense in a suitable holder near the statue.
you own clothes that look like Renaissance Fair or Faery Festival garb-in fact, they look like you've worn them a lot, and they have candle wax drippings on them.
after vacuuming your brand new house, you sprinkle rock salt on the floor, take out a broom, open the door to "air", and then begin sweeping up the salt in counterclockwise spiral. After you sweep the rock salt into a pile, you scoop up all the salt, and carry it out side to the garbage can immediately. Then you close the door.
you explain the universe was obviously designed by a committee.
you don't use Chemlawn and tell neighbors you actually like the clover and dandelions growing in the grass. (If they look confused, you start discussing how to make dandelion tea and/or dandelion wine)
you feed the birds, and sprinkle bread crumbs from your home made corn bread muffins (which served as "cakes" last time people came over) to mix in with the bird seed in the bird feeder.
you are concerned about correctly dispersing the energy contained in a clay talisman after it has completed it's purpose, and break up the clay and put it in your compost pile.
on the way to an event, you've made a quick stop at the 7-11 to pick up a half cord of firewood for the bonfire because it's your turn.
your friends know you will always be happy with gifts of candles or incense for any occasion.
you've taken ritual baths in a Jacuzzi.
you have the moon phases on your calendar.
you sometimes accidentally refer to the days of the week as Moon's day, Twi's day, Woden's day, Thor's day, Freya's day, Saturn's day, or Sun's day when speaking to people who have no idea what you are talking about.
you don't view the term "Mother Nature" as just a metaphor.
you've danced around a maypole.
you hated the 2006 remake of the Wicker Man, and have told people where the movie-makers screwed up the whole concept by getting rid of the music, and how they ought to have never dumped the material from the Golden Bough either.
you not only have plenty of candles when the power goes out, you know where they are and where the matches are.
you doodle in Egyptian hieroglyphs.
you make yourself a sandwich and usually add fresh herbs from your garden to it.
when you brew a hot cup of tea it might be a yellow-colored infusion of flowers; you never make instant Lipton tea.
you have a cabinet full of strange little bottles with labels of exotic sounding ingredients like dragon's blood, asafetida, rue, Balm of Gildad, black salt, yarrow, rosewater, artemisia, Florida crystals, yerba mate, lavender, etc.
you own a mortar and pestle, know where it is, and use it a lot.
you recycle, but oddly many jars are actually reused to hold little items like paper, pins, and soil.
you take vacations to see places like Salem, MA in the USA, Stonehenge in England, Newgrange in Ireland, and Benevento and Rome in Italy, etc. You call these vacations pilgrimages.
you have cats, or other pets, named Diana, Robin, Pyewaket, Rutterkin, Bear, and/or Salem.
you have pretty statues in your house with things like a cup of water, flowers, or candy at its base. It upsets you when people touch these items.
you got a dumbek or bodram for your last birthday, and you like to play it outside at night usually under a full moon.
you own stuff decorated with Celtic patterns or a "stars and moons" design.
you buy organic food because you think it tastes more wholesome.
you buy a food that you don’t really eat yourself, explaining that the "spirits" have asked you to leave some in the woods.
you tie knots in strings chanting the names of certain Goddesses, blow on the knots, and wish for winds of peace to blow across the lands.
you go on vacation and sit in a dome-shaped hut heated by hot stones in order to sweat-especially if you are Caucasian with no known Native American Indian ancestry and do this activity at least a few times a year.
you spend your Saturday and Sunday frantically trying to get a hold of someone who is storing the truckload of "sweat blankets" in a shed so that you can transport them to an event that week.
you lie on the floor while some one reads a narrative about descending a long black spiral staircase, through a tunnel, back outside and across a bridge over water and then opening a door into order to view supernatural landscape or being.
you attend a class on meditation and some participants are naked while others are dressed in jeans and tee shirt or Renaissance clothing. You see nothing odd about the clothing, or lack thereof.
you have attended more than one "gentle touch group massage" workshop where four different people have massaged your body at the same time.
you drag boxes to an event holding 26 items to set out on a long flat base, which includes statues, water, salt, liquor, feathers, dishes, honey, bread, seeds, flowers, and long pieces of cloth. You like doing this activity.
on a weekend close to June 21, you stood in big field with about 150 people chanting to the bright, summer sun while it began raining. You got soaked, but you thought it was funny.
when you have the dwelling to yourself, you set one lit candle in front of a mirror so that its image is reflected. Then you sit in comfortable chair and fix your eyes on the reflection of the candle and sit quietly staring at it for about an hour. You do not think this activity is boring and neither is it a waste of time.
you attend functions in which people drum and chant while you and 4 others sit in chairs in the center of a circle. Other attendees wave their hands around your body. You believe this is a useful activity.
your child loudly asks in the store if you can buy a bunch of "pretty flowers to give to the pixies outside," and you agree this is a good idea.
you celebrate Groundhog's Day, but you have a funny name for it.
you are familiar with the angel Uriel or Auriel-along with Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel-but this puzzles Christians because there is no angel named Uriel or Auriel in the bible.
you build faery houses as a gift to nature spirits.
you seek out faery offerings to leave in your yard that doesn't encourage the exploding field mouse population in your neighborhood.
you've danced holding hands ring-around-the-rosy style around a low table adorned with incense, candles, cup(s) of liquid, crystals, stones, and various items related to the season, chanting a certain word over and over to focus everyone’s minds.
you take Halloween off, because it's a religious holiday, and you visit some of your family's graves.
even if you don't do all of this stuff, you know of like-minded friends that do.
you also can pontificate on why you, or your like-minded friends, do this stuff-and will happily do so if asked about it.