Secular pagans may recognize goddesses/gods as useful metaphors for different cycles of life, or reframe magic as a purely psychological practice.
[2] Clement of Alexandria summarized the approach in Cohortatio ad gentes, addressing the pagans: "Those to whom you bow were once men like yourselves.
"[3] The 18th century produced a considerable body of works that sought to "unveil" concepts from the ancient world, including the pagan gods.
In the 19th century, the French writer Louis Ménard used the term "mystical paganism" for his attempt to create a substitute for organized religion, in which he used a humanistic approach to recognize the importance of symbols and the irrational.
Jung handled esoteric and mythological subjects in a secular and scientific, yet not dismissive manner.