In preparation for my recently released 3rd edition of Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored, I conducted an update of the survey last done in 2007. Full results of this new survey (including demographics and the open-ended questions, as well as some commentary comparing the surveys over time) can be found in an appendix of the book, however I thought I’d share some of the results here. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Total Respondents: 606
What religion were you raised in?
- Christianity: 78%
- Judaism: 3%
- Islam: 1%
- Buddhism: 1%
- Hinduism: less than 1%
- Hellenic Polytheism: less than 1%
- other paganism/polytheism/animism: 5%
- atheism: 10%
- no religion: 21%
- other: 7%
How many years have you been a pagan of any type?
- under 1: 10%
- 1-2: 20%
- 3-5: 21%
- 5-10: 18%
- 10-20: 18%
- more than 20: 13%
How many years have you been a Greek-focused pagan/polytheist?
- under 1: 19%
- 1-2: 28%
- 3-5: 21%
- 5-10: 17%
- 10-20: 11%
- more than 20: 4%
How did you originally come to Hellenic polytheism?
- grew from a love of Greek mythology: 70%
- grew from an interest in ancient history/archaeology/Classics/ philosophy: 46%
- grew from an exploration of my Greek ancestry: 5%
- followed a love of one Greek god to the rest of the pantheon: 47%
- had a direct experience of a deity or deities: 44%
- was practicing another Recon-type tradition but got called by the Greek gods: 9%
- was Wiccan or neo-pagan and gradually became focused on the Greek pantheon: 37%
- other: 8%
What do you prefer to call yourself?
- Hellenic or Greek polytheist: 34%
- Hellenic or Greek pagan: 8%
- Hellenic or Greek Reconstructionist: less than 1%
- Graeco-Roman pagan/polytheist: 2%
- Polytheist: 10%
- Pagan: 15%
- Neo-pagan: 1%
- Hellene: 2%
- Hellenist: 6%
- Dodecatheist: less than 1%
- Hellenic/Greek Wiccan: less than 1%
- Hellenic/Greek Witch: 4%
- Wiccan: less than 1%
- Witch: 5%
- Animist: 1%
- other: 8%
If you consider yourself fully dual-trad or multi-trad, what is the other religious path?
- Religio Romana: 14%
- Kemeticism (Egyptian): 16%
- Celtic/Gaelic/Brythonic/Druidry: 19%
- Heathenry/Asatru/Vanatru: 20%
- Slavic/Baltic: 4%
- Babylonian/Sumerian/Canaanite: 5%
- an indigenous animist tradition (e.g., Shinto): 4%
- African diasporic (Santeria/Vodoun/Palo/etc.): 3%
- Wicca: 11%
- Witchcraft: 50%
- Christianity: 7%
- Judaism: 2%
- Islam: less than 1%
- Unitarian Universalist: 4%
- Buddhism: 8%
- Hinduism: 5%
- other: 10%
Do you consider yourself a Reconstructionist?
- yes: 9%
- no: 24%
- my practice relies on both reconstructionism and modern innovation: 67%
Which theological stance best describes your beliefs?
- Hard polytheism (all gods are distinct entities): 47%
- Soft polytheism (some gods may be faces of the same gods, e.g. syncreticism): 31%
- Monism (all gods are emanations of one spiritual force): 5%
- Duotheism (all gods are faces of one Goddess and one God): less than 1%
- Pantheism (the divine is immanent in everything): 12%
- other: 4%
What are your thoughts on UPG (Unusual Personal Gnosis)?
- UPG plays a large role in my personal spiritual experience: 36%
- UPG play an occasional role in my personal spiritual experience: 53%
- I prefer to rely on historically verified ideas and practices: 10%
- UPG has no place in Hellenic polytheism: 1%
How do you mainly practice?
- alone: 95%
- with partner: 9%
- with small group: 13%
- with large group (more than 10): 3%
- with various groups: 2%
If you often practice with a group, are the other members mainly:
- Hellenic polytheists: 33%
- other Recon-type polytheists: 5%
- other pagans: 24%
- animists: less than 1%
- Wiccans: 5%
- witches: 12%
- magicians: less than 1%
- African diasporic: less than 1%
- Unitarian/CUUPS: 1%
- other: 1%
Where do you mainly practice?
- home (including home shrines or temple space): 97%
- public indoor space: 4%
- temple (not in your own home): 2%
- other people’s house(s): 7%
- outdoors (your own property): 29%
- outdoors (public parks, forests, etc.): 31%
- other: 3%
How often do you do small devotional practices?
- every day: 28%
- 2-5 times a week: 28%
- weekly: 15%
- several times a month: 13%
- monthly: 6%
- special occasions only: 9%
- never: 1%
How often do you do longer rituals (at least one hour) or festival celebrations?
- every day: less than 1%
- 2-5 times a week: 1%
- weekly: 3%
- several times a month: 8%
- monthly: 17%
- special occasions only: 52%
- never: 18%
Do you ever do rituals with other Hellenic polytheists?
- frequently: 3%
- sometimes: 12%
- rarely: 18%
- never: 67%
Do you ever do rituals with other non-Hellenic culture-specific polytheists (Heathen, Celtic, Kemetic, etc.)?
- frequently: 5%
- sometimes: 13%
- rarely: 19%
- never: 63%
Do you ever do rituals with other general pagans or Wiccans?
- frequently: 6%
- sometimes: 13%
- rarely: 22%
- never: 59%
Do you have a patron deity?
- yes, one: 30%
- yes, more than one: 48%
- no: 22%
Do you mainly do rituals/devotions for all the gods or just a few?
- all: 15%
- few: 50%
- both: 35%
Do you ever do rituals/devotions for any of the following?
- nymphs: 28%
- ancient Greek heroes (Herakles, Theseus, Trophonios, etc.): 26%
- heroes from your local area and/or modern times: 16%
- ancestors: 52%
- the dead (non-relations): 40%
- agathos daimon: 33%
- Hestia: 72%
- Titans: 28%
- the Muses: 36%
- other daimones/spirits: 37%
Do you have a shrine or altar in your home?
- yes, one: 49%
- yes, more than one: 34%
- no: 17%
Do you follow the ancient Athenian festival calendar?
- yes, entirely: 4%
- some of the festivals: 52%
- no: 44%
Do you celebrate any festivals from other areas of ancient Greece?
Do you celebrate any Hellenic festivals created in modern times?
Do you work with the lunar calendar and/or celebrate any lunar-determined holy days such as the Noumenia?
- yes, primarily: 17%
- yes, in conjunction with other calendrical systems: 43%
- no: 40%
Do you tailor your Hellenic practice to your local environment?
- yes, as a significant element of my religious life: 29%
- yes, to some degree: 51%
- no, not a concern to me personally: 14%
- no, I think Hellenic polytheism should be universal in its practice regardless of location: 6%
Do you have a religious name?
- yes, a Greek name: 11%
- yes, a non-Greek name: 11%
- no, haven’t found the right one yet: 25%
- no, don’t intend to take one: 53%
Do you dress in ancient style clothing for rituals?
- always: 1%
- sometimes: 19%
- major festivals only: 5%
- public rituals only: 3%
- never: 72%
Do you know the ancient Greek language?
- know a little: 21%
- familiar: 7%
- fluent: 2%
- no, not interested: 14%
- no, but want to learn: 56%
Do you use ancient Greek in ritual?
- always: 2%
- sometimes: 9%
- a few ritual phrases: 22%
- no, but I would if I knew it: 45%
- no, I prefer to only use my native language: 22%
Do you usually observe customs concerned with miasma and ritual purity?
- yes, as if every ritual was in a temple: 7%
- yes, at least a token cleansing before every ritual: 34%
- sometimes, depending on the nature of the ritual: 25%
- only when purity is a significant aspect of the ritual: 13%
- no, it isn’t practical in my life: 14%
- no, I don’t believe those rules are relevant anymore: 7%
Do you practice any forms of divination?
If so, what types do you use most often?
- Tarot: 78%
- astrology: 41%
- reading omens in general: 39%
- oneiromancy (dreams): 37%
- pendulum: 35%
- cartomancy (cards other than Tarot): 27%
- runes: 24%
- kleromancy (dice/lots/astragaloi, etc.): 21%
- oracular trance/direct inspiration: 21%
- Greek alphabet oracle 20%
- bibliomancy: 18%
- scrying: 17%
- tea leaves/coffee grounds: 16%
- augury (bird flights): 13%
- palmistry: 11%
- system I invented myself: 11%
- Homeric oracle: 7%
- necromancy: 7%
- I Ching: 3%
- ogham: 2%
- other: 9%
Have you ever utilized the services of a Hellenic polytheist diviner or oracle?
- yes, without payment: 11%
- yes, for a fee/trade: 13%
- no, not interested: 17%
- no, haven’t had the need or opportunity, but might in the future: 59%
Do you practice any other kinds of ‘magic’ (however you define that word)?
- yes, ancient Greek methods: 18%
- yes, other systems: 67%
- no, don’t know how: 14%
- no, not interested: 16%
How do you feel about mysticism as a way of approaching the gods?
- it is part of my practice: 55%
- fine for others but not interested personally: 38%
- don’t feel comfortable with it: 5%
- strongly disagree with its inclusion in the religion: 2%
Do you think Hellenic polytheism should have priests?
- yes: 28%
- no: 10%
- only if we have temples: 45%
- exegetai (advisors) are enough: 17%
How do you feel about animal sacrifice, assuming it’s done humanely as possible and most of the animal is eaten, as it was done in ancient times?
- totally support it: 24%
- fine as long as the animals were already going to be slaughtered for food: 33%
- not sure: 10%
- somewhat uncomfortable with the idea: 14%
- totally against it: 7%
- against killing animals in any context: 12%
Have you ever participated, even as an observer, in a ritualized animal sacrifice?
- yes, in a Hellenic polytheist context: 1%
- yes, but only as part of another tradition’s rites: 7%
- no: 92%
Have you ever made a pilgrimage to Greece to visit the sacred sites?
- yes, once: 7%
- yes, more than once: 4%
- no, but hope to someday: 85%
- no, not interested: 4%
For the full results of the survey, including answers regarding the challenges we face and our hopes for the future, see the newly published 3rd edition of Kharis: Hellenic Polytheism Explored, available from Amazon.com or order from your local bookstore.
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Tags: Greek, Hellenic polytheism, Kharis, paganism, survey
