Paganism is really an umbrella term, which covers many paths and traditions and often used in historical context, referring to Greco-Roman polytheism as well as the polytheistic traditions of Europe before Christianisation. The term neopaganism is used to describe pagan paths, which have a strong link to magick, which seemed to emerge during the later part of the 1800’s and the early 1900’s with the most famous of these being Wicca. But historical data shows that neopaganism was beginning to form as early as the renaissance (Florence 14th to the 17th century) were the interest in science and magick was at its highest point. With the rise in scientific developments and understanding which was feared by the church and more times or not would cause scientist to face charges of heresy and recant their findings. During this time of scientific discovery and religious upheaval new spiritual ideas formed some using ancient pagan influences, others based on their understanding of science and how the universe worked to form understandings of the divine others giving up on the God, and purely relying on the self as a moral compass such as Humanism. During the Renaissance, and the reintroduction of Classicism, which gave rise to an interest in Greco-Roman polytheism and Greco-Roman magick, which was practiced along side Renaissance magick helped to revive the philosophy of the pagan. It is when we reach the Romantics (18th Century) that they re-discovery of Old Gaelic and Old Norse literature and poetry, which helped provide more about the pagan past of
