Pagan Life Rites, in common with other organisations, makes no claim to represent every person of Pagan faith resident on the island. However, it shall serve individuals who seek assistance and shall operate in the interests of Pagan religion and traditions in Ireland.
The primary objective of Pagan Life Rites (PLR) is to serve the Pagan community of the island of Ireland by way of providing trained clergy for the administering of traditional religious rites pertaining to birth, marriage, death and rites for other passages in life. In the case of marriage, the traditional religious rite is referred to as Handfasting which is a continuation of Ireland’s indigenous wedding rite being that custom first recognised in Brehon law. Our Constitution elaborates further on the desire of Pagan Life Rites to offer couples legal ceremonies of marriage, and its subsidiary objects.
As Pagan Life Rites grows, it will further seek, not only to improve the services it provides to the Pagan community, but also to improve the relationship Pagans have with the wider community in the form of increased communication with Government regarding the rights of Pagans. It will also provide information to those who wish to understand our ethos better.
All Clergy listed on the Pagan Life Rites website will be approved by the Board and serving Regional Officers of Pagan Life Rites Ireland.
The ethos of Pagan Life Rites is reflected in the general Pagan attitudes. That is, recognition that there are many aspects of Deity reflected in but not restricted to, the worship of God(s) and Goddess(es); the immanence of Deity within all things; and a direct communion without intercession to the Divine in Nature.
This is encompassed in the following Principles:
Many of us who follow a Pagan faith recognise ourselves as being of Nature.
Pagans, whether in groups, groves, orders, covens, ‘communities of practice’, or solitary, hold rites to celebrate the sacredness of Nature and the celebration of the Divine in all living, be it in a private home, a rented venue, or an historical site such as Navan Fort or Tara. Handfastings are now often facilitated in outdoor settings thanks to Section 16(b) of the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act 2014. Having a permanent physical temple can be impractical and, to some, antithetical to our spiritual practice.
Some Pagans eschew the idea of orthodoxy or dogma, preferring to find our own way, as opposed to following a written set of rules or guidelines of practice. There are those of us who would not describe ourselves as Pagan at all, finding the term ‘Pagan’ too constricting. Our spiritual belief may be Earth-based, and Divinity – seen as either immanent or transcendent in relation to our world – may be viewed through a monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheist, panentheist, or animist understanding.
So long as the four Principles of Pagan Life Rites fit within your belief system or practice you are welcome to become a member of Pagan Life Rites Ireland.