Pre-Christian Spirituality

Modern societies are generally based upon one of the major modern religions such as Christianity, Islam or Judaism. These religions replaced the Pagan beliefs of pre-Christian Europe. Many of these beliefs still survive today and an increasing number of people are turning back to them. On these pages I have a collection of notes from the pre-Christian era. It is by no means complete. There are additional cultures such as:

Celts and Picts and Druids
Native American
Chinese folk religion
African tribal religion (such as the Dogon's)
Australian aborigines

The question arises as to what is the world's oldest religion. Roman mythology was influenced by the Greeks, and the Greek and Christian religions were influenced by the Egyptian, which was in turn influenced by the Babylonian. Hinduism (and possibly Dravidianism) is older, but it may be that the roots of Paganism go back even further. Works such as the Emerald Tablets of Thoth had their roots in Paganism, which seems to have grown into Gnosticism which survives to this day in various occult societies.