I'd mentioned in another thread that I've been having a few difficulties with theology. Well, for the large part, this is sorted in my mind. I did something last night that should have been one of the FIRST things I did. I meditated and just asked God directly, how he wishes me to celebrate him.
My concern was with the mythology of the Wheel of the Year. More specifically, God's role, as I am quite comfortable with the stages Goddess goes through. Understanding WHY I do what I do and believe what I believe, has become so much more important to me since returning to paganism, but there was just too much that didn't add up. I was very interested in the Farrer's research on the matter. They really did A LOT of leg work and I can see how much of this has filtered through to common thought. But they version of the myths doesn't fit mine EXACTLY (and my current beliefs are different from what I was originally taught too). Nothing I read fit exactly with my beliefs, but I am okay with this now.
Perhaps because I have had a close relationship with Goddess and God for so long, there will forever be a Wiccan flavour to my beliefs. There is no way I could just switch it off and completely change my view of Deity. It would be like finding out my parents aren't my real parents when I was a child, and suddenly being sent to live with my real family who I didn't know and love.
Still, after a few weeks of frustrating research and soul searching, I am now very interested in the mythology of the Wheel of the Year and would like to hear what others celebrate.
Of course, I am talking about the Wiccan adaptation which celebrates both the fire festivals AND the solar festivals. My understanding is that this has become popular amongst many non-wiccan pagans because although there is no evidence that any society ever celebrated all 8, all 8 are indeed both ancient and yet still relevant to modern pagan life. So I am even more interested to know how other faiths fit their beliefs around the sabbats. If you celebrate 4 or 6 festivals, or even more than 8, again, please explain if you have time to do so.
Do your deities go through any seasonal changes? What are the main themes you celebrate at each sabbat? Are any of your deities sacrificed and resurrected?
Thanks to anyone who has the time to write such a complicated response. Sorry I write such long posts. I couldn't be concise to save my life.
My concern was with the mythology of the Wheel of the Year. More specifically, God's role, as I am quite comfortable with the stages Goddess goes through. Understanding WHY I do what I do and believe what I believe, has become so much more important to me since returning to paganism, but there was just too much that didn't add up. I was very interested in the Farrer's research on the matter. They really did A LOT of leg work and I can see how much of this has filtered through to common thought. But they version of the myths doesn't fit mine EXACTLY (and my current beliefs are different from what I was originally taught too). Nothing I read fit exactly with my beliefs, but I am okay with this now.
Perhaps because I have had a close relationship with Goddess and God for so long, there will forever be a Wiccan flavour to my beliefs. There is no way I could just switch it off and completely change my view of Deity. It would be like finding out my parents aren't my real parents when I was a child, and suddenly being sent to live with my real family who I didn't know and love.
Still, after a few weeks of frustrating research and soul searching, I am now very interested in the mythology of the Wheel of the Year and would like to hear what others celebrate.
Of course, I am talking about the Wiccan adaptation which celebrates both the fire festivals AND the solar festivals. My understanding is that this has become popular amongst many non-wiccan pagans because although there is no evidence that any society ever celebrated all 8, all 8 are indeed both ancient and yet still relevant to modern pagan life. So I am even more interested to know how other faiths fit their beliefs around the sabbats. If you celebrate 4 or 6 festivals, or even more than 8, again, please explain if you have time to do so.
Do your deities go through any seasonal changes? What are the main themes you celebrate at each sabbat? Are any of your deities sacrificed and resurrected?
Thanks to anyone who has the time to write such a complicated response. Sorry I write such long posts. I couldn't be concise to save my life.
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