Witches, Wiccan, Pagan, Shaman or other..

[EatAjaxAndDie]

funny how jews always have to be the center of attention doesnt it? hell we had a god damn war started over us.

I'm an athiest now for many reasons...

[Saephyr]

I can respect that baby

[pharoh]

Hey Ajax, I got nothing but love for ya baby, but thats not why the war was started, not saying it had a big part in it, but that was the main reason bro

[EatAjaxAndDie]

Hey Ajax, I got nothing but love for ya baby, but thats not why the war was started, not saying it had a big part in it, but that was the main reason bro

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i was just being an ass i know that lol

[Homicidalheathen]

Jews got big cocks? I should have known. First Madonna hangs out by the basket ball coart.....then goes into Kabala. I so should have known.

Where do I sign up? Heh.

I do want to find someone for a maypole ritual and sex/love magic spell someday but he has to be able to keep it up for a long time without much touching ect ect ect....must have large penis and be veril. Me and a few freinds really want to do this but cannot find the right guy.

[bean]

I find it interesting that in my family the "black sheep" was my grandmother who was Catholic, while the rest of us were some sort of pagan.

When I used to clean houses, I cleaned house for a Jewish family. It was interesting learning a bit about their religion. Every Jewish person I've ever met has been very cool. =)

[Fierce Critter]

Ahh... another opportunity to flex my typing muscles. Bwaaa haa haaa... :devil

I grew up Catholic. I wanted to be a nun once. More than once in my life. I was seriously Catholic. Proud of it.

But, somehow, always interested in other religions/faiths. It started with Native American spirituality. And I welcomed the opportunity to go to services with friends of different faiths. I found it all fascinating.

Throughout my life, people have come out of left field to tell me things about me of a spiritual nature. I was told by one that I had "old soul" to the nth power. Told by another that, if I ever embraced a certain path (unnamed), I'd be a teacher of others. Yadda yadda, blah blah. I listened to it all, but stayed firm in my Catholicism.

Then, in my teens, I started thinking. And I started realizing. And one realization I came to was I couldn't stand hypocracy. And I really started feeling like a hypocrite going to mass, 'cause I wasn't feeling it.

I started questioning Catholic dogma. It started with lent, when you're not supposed to eat meat on Fridays. Now, the thing is, prior to Vatican II, a big meeting of Catholic powers-that-be in the 60's wherein lots of things happened, including major re-writing of rules, it was forbidden to eat meat ANY Friday. Then, post V-II, that requirement was only on Fridays during lent.

So, my question was, "did all those people who went to hell for eating meat on Fridays pre-V-II get to go to Heaven once the rules were re-written?"

And even if my facts were wrong, and they may very well have been, my eyes were still opened to the hypocracy, judgment, ulterior motives & BS that existed wherever dogma ruled. Didn't matter if it was Christian, Wiccan, whatever - if there was a rule, it was written (and further translated) by SOME man.

And I don't trust men. So I quit going to church, and started talking to people.

I talked to Jews, who told me, just as Eternal describes above, how they stress just being good to each other over going to temple every Saturday.

I talked to Native Americans who told me about the respect given to the animals they killed for survival.

I talked to pagans who introduced me to a feminine divine and the Rede.

I talked to Methodists. Baptists. You name it.

And found myself drawn to Wicca.

And, for a while, I tried DAMNED hard to be Wiccan. I bought the books. The incense. The herbs. All the frou-frou. I did the chants. The rituals.

And felt nothing. And felt conflicted when I felt nothing.

Then, one day, I was driving down the street and miserable. And I wanted to pray. And I felt even more miserable because I didn't know who to pray to.

And then, I saw a psychic. Skeptical me saw my first ever psychic. And I left off my pentacle & cross, and asked her what path was right for me. And she said, "No path, be it ... Wicca... whatever (she used that term), that has it's own dogma, it's own written rules, will ever be right for you. Your spirituality will come from within, from your intuition & wisdom."

And I went home. And on my way home, I saw, for my first time ever, 3 shooting stars. And I thought and thought and thought.

And then, just stopped thinking. And when I stopped, I gathered up all the stuff I'd bought from the occult store and took it back for a refund.

And I kept the herbs. And I kept my Cunningham's Herbal, and I wrote myself a ritual without consulting anyone else - including no books - and it felt RIGHT.

And that's when it started working for me. That's when I felt like I could embrace spirituality - period - and feel it.

I have also discovered some history of my ancestors' (I'm 100% Polish) faith, which was very druidic in nature. Worshipping the divine in everything, without an established pantheon of named gods. And when the Christians came in and started making a ruckus, they said, "hey - no problem. Well go to your church. It'll be nice." and they did so - and then came home and worshipped the same way they always had. I forget the Polish for it, but it means "dual faith." And that really works for me.

I am not Wiccan. I am not a Witch. I am not fully pagan. I am not Christian. I am me, and I have beliefs. And my beliefs include the following:

I can believe in any deity/non-deity I please. If you haven't met the guy/gal face-to-face, you have no business telling me he/she does or doesn't exist. If I wanna love Jesus, I'm gonna love Jesus and call myself a Jesusian. If I wanna quote Buddha, I'm gonna quote the happy, smiling guy. If I just wanna thank a deer for giving of itself to feed me, I'm gonna do so.

If I'm good, good will come to me. And I try to be good to everybody. Golden Rule, Wiccan Rede, whatever you wanna call it. It's a damned good all-around way to conduct yourself.

My faith has to come from within. I can't consult a book written by Tinsel WolfSpider to get my answers. I can't read the Bible. I don't need either. If I wanna talk to God, I can go right to the man/woman/Great Spirit direct.

The saints rocked. And I dig angels. Especially Michael, namesake of my departed brother, who also kicked major ass.

I'm on this earth a short time. It's up to me to not fuck it or my life up. I can ask for help if I think I need it. But I damned well better help myself, too.

I'm not sure what I believe about afterlife. I don't discount anything, except perhaps "nothingness". I do believe there's something waiting for us after we stop breathing full-time. Sylvia Browne, before she got loony (and I do believe she has gone off the deep end), wrote an excellent description of Heaven. And it worked for me.

I don't think anyone is going to any kind of hell just because their beliefs differ from mine or anyone else's. If they're bad people and do things like hurt puppies - karma/hell/reincarnation as a slime mold await them. But a Jew isn't going to hell 'cause they don't believe Jesus is the son of God. And Wiccans aren't going to hell 'cause they worship Ceridwen.

And I'm sick of reading my own crap, so I'll stop now. :grin

[Draco1958]

4th generation?  I'm impressed. 

I lost my (hardcore catholic) faith at around 20 and I've been in a spiritual wasteland ever since.  Tried to get back to some sort of spirituality a few times but nothing works or feels right.  It sucks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can understand this. I lost touch with the Catholioc religion in my teens and pretty much dropped my religious side in my 20's altho I do believe there is something/someone out there. I haven't found a path to follow yet so I keep searching. I figure when the time is right, the path shall open before me, until then, I try to live a good life. I have a friend leaving a coven and thinking of starting his own. He's gonna help me find the right path for me whereever it leads.

[Saephyr]

Only in DGn can u start with faith and end up with ..........COCK

[Homicidalheathen]

:woot:

[DarkVampire]

[Msterbeau]

FC... Nicely said!

[the eternal]

...

[Rayne]

I'm a whole lotta Cherokee Indian, but I know nothing about it. I should learn more. I lived on a reservation in Ontario for a year...I should know this stuff.....

[Saephyr]

I'm a whole lotta Cherokee Indian, but I know nothing about it. I should learn more. I lived on a reservation in Ontario for a year...I should know this stuff.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

WOMAN...I would KICK the shit out of Kwamee for that chance!

Oh man! :tear

[HipsterDufus]

I'm also a "pagan" though I don't really believe in gods/goddesses. I'm more into the unknowable deity kind of idea taught by eastern religions. I was brought up hardcore baptist by both my parents and suffered through that religion until I was 16 and decided that I couldn't believe in anything. I became an atheist. That lasted until about 4 years ago when I started listening to Coil and some very weird things started to change in my mind. I started noticing a strong connection to nature. I would get these weird feelings walking through the forest like I was somehow connected to it. That's when I started reading up on eastern religions and some of the books that Coil were into (like Austin Spare). I realized that I didn't have to believe in some old man sitting up in the sky getting pissed off at me whenever I touched myself. I could believe in a spirit that was unknowable and was part of everything ever created, from the most basic piece of sand to humanity itself.

Basically what I'm getting into now is Chaos Magick as a way of getting to know myself better and understanding the worl around me. I need to read more, but I'm slowly beginning to gain a better understanding of what makes sense to me and what I can discard from the "magickal" dogmas. The thing I like about Chaos Magick is it's more of concept than a method. There are no specific rituals, just ways to help you get to know yourself better and find magickal methods that will work for you. It clicks well with my mind. =)

[Homicidalheathen]

Um ok now this is just freaky. Mom said the women on her side of the family used to make 'folk medicine' jars and sell it in the old days in the smokey mountains before the FDA came along and made everyone stop.

They were very knowlegeable about herbs and what not.

I too, have a sense for them. Shaman Circle leader likes to take me out on nature walks.

I can sense where the herbs grow, just don't know what they are but he does and is good at the pick and dry part.

Maybe we were sisters in a past life?

I found wild minarta this year! Yum! And lungwart.

My great grandmothers on both sides of my family were known as "kitchen witches" in that they did healings with herbs and that sort of thing and they were pagan.  My grandmother (on my mom's side) was Catholic and said we were all going to hell.  My mother is a Wiccan and I remember doing rituals and things with her when I was a kid.  My sperm donor was a Wiccan/Buddhist, and his parents were some sort of pagans as well.  I practice on and off, though I have been on for the past year or so and plan to stay on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Saephyr]

Re: Chaos Magick...

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like....adopt all the possable ceremonies from religeons stripping them of thier demonination adn combining the best of the lot to reach your results. Taking relig belief as a whole and applying an Occam's Razor filter to concentrate the components.

Do I have that right? I'm not slammin dude just wanted to clarify for ME

[the eternal]

...

[HipsterDufus]

Re: Chaos Magick...

Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like....adopt all the possable ceremonies from religeons stripping them of thier demonination adn combining the best of the lot to reach your results. Taking relig belief as a whole and applying an Occam's Razor filter to concentrate the components.

Do I have that right? I'm not slammin dude just wanted to clarify for ME

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, actually, that's a really good way of describing it. You could even use practices from Voodoo, Christianity, etc. Anything really. As long as it achieves the desired result. Basically, Chaos Magick strips away the dogma from a ritual and leaves just pure functionality. =)

[HipsterDufus]

That sounds a LOT like Unitarians.

Mstrbeau, Hipster????

Since I know so little about pagan religions I wont comment, but I've always thought unitarian universalist is very very cool.

My only gripe Ive ever had is that they often have Palestinian speakers at the UUs Ive known. which has put me at odds with some of my friends over the Israel question.  But that's a minor political disagreement.

Unitarians are very welcoming of different beliefs.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't really know too much about Unitarians in all honesty. I'd like to learn, but I don't really know how it blends in with Chaos Magick. I was always under the impression that you could basically just come to their church and believe whatever you wanted. Beyond that, I don't know too much. Mstrbeau?

[The Void]

in the dark

and in the light

I've been all over

in the dead of night

...just my thoughts on where I have been spiritually over the years.

today I identify as Witch (non-Wiccan), and yes I use the capital 'W' anyway for those who may scoff that. oh well.

I have no gods per say and no religion. I use diety statues as a menal que for a certain type of energy appropriate for the time/reason. I sort of like to jack in directly to what I call the ALL and my practice centers around green, kitchen, practical type Witchiness.

although....

I still cannot quite be pegged and forced into any specific hole.

[Saephyr]

That sounds like what I went thru as a teenager...that was rough.

[bean]

Um ok now this is just freaky.  Mom said the women on her side of the family used to make 'folk medicine' jars and sell it in the old days in the smokey mountains before the FDA came along and made everyone stop.

They were very knowlegeable about herbs and what not.

I too, have a sense for them.  Shaman Circle leader likes to take me out  on nature walks.

I can sense where the herbs grow, just don't know what they are but he does and is good at the pick and dry part.

Maybe we were sisters in a past life?

I found wild minarta this year!  Yum!  And lungwart.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I really am starting to believe we were connected somehow in a past life...as you said, sisters maybe..

My great-grandmother lived in Romania and sold her rememdies to the people in her town/village, and I guess she was well known for her rememdies.

As far as herbs and that, I am clueless, but I can grow anything, and it grows in abundance. The tulips I have growing always come in very tall and very big (and they aren't supposed to), and I have never used any fertilizer or anything. Anything I plant grows huge and spreads.

My talent seems to be with crystals. I am naturally drawn to what ones I need and seem to have an intuition on how to use them, and it always seems to work. I am also very skilled at emotional healing for others (can't heal myself worth a shit).

[Saephyr]

I really am starting to believe we were connected somehow in a past life...as you said, sisters maybe..

My great-grandmother lived in Romania and sold her rememdies to the people in her town/village, and I guess she was well known for her rememdies.

As far as herbs and that, I am clueless, but I can grow anything, and it grows in abundance.  The tulips I have growing always come in very tall and very big (and they aren't supposed to), and I have never used any fertilizer or anything.  Anything I plant grows huge and spreads.

My talent seems to be with crystals.  I am naturally drawn to what ones I need and seem to have an intuition on how to use them, and it always seems to work.  I am also very skilled at emotional healing for others (can't heal myself worth a shit).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm the same way

Can't heal ME just others and other beings