I'm 17 years old and i started my spiritual path two years ago, when I broke away from Christianity. I started reading books about paganism since that time and I felt comfortable with being a pagan; it made me feel at peace. But my brother in law said that i should'nt be so quick to label myself seeing that am too young on my path. what should i do? Should I wait longer or go ahead.
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Re: Spiritual Path
I say if you feel you are Pagan there's nothing wrong with that. There are many types of Pagan faiths and not everyone even identifies with more than Pagan.
By the way, welcome to the forum
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"...leave me curled up in my ball,
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Re: Spiritual Path
That depends on what you mean by "wait longer or go ahead."
Do you simply mean continuing down your path of education? By all means, proceed!
But do you mean joining a coven and dedicated yourself to a particular branch of paganism that requires a commitment? While these commitments can always be broken (unless your joining one of those cults which they won't let you leave...don't do that, by the way), it's probably a good idea to be sure of what you are getting in to just so you are respecting the tradition.
Or are you just meaning calling yourself "pagan"? I've been exploring paganism for over 10 years now and I STILL sometimes pull up short of saying "Hello, I'm a pagan, how are you?" It's such a hugely broad term though, that I 'legally' qualify as one, I just don't always care to use the title. So. It doesn't matter what you call yourself.
Keep exploring. Ask tons of questions. Read a lot. Do things that feel right to you. Basically, I'm saying 'go ahead'!The Pagan Porch - a Pagan Homesteading forum
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Re: Spiritual Path
Pagan is a sufficiently broad term that adopting the label doesn't really restrict you. Plus, adopting a label is not making any form of binding pledge so you're clear either way.life itself was a lightsaber in his hands; even in the face of treachery and death and hopes gone cold, he burned like a candle in the darkness. Like a star shining in the black eternity of space.
Yoda: Dark Rendezvous
"But those men who know anything at all about the Light also know that there is a fierceness to its power, like the bare sword of the law, or the white burning of the sun." Suddenly his voice sounded to Will very strong, and very Welsh. "At the very heart, that is. Other things, like humanity, and mercy, and charity, that most good men hold more precious than all else, they do not come first for the Light. Oh, sometimes they are there; often, indeed. But in the very long run the concern of you people is with the absolute good, ahead of all else..."
John Rowlands, The Grey King by Susan Cooper
"You come from the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve", said Aslan. "And that is both honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth; be content."
Aslan, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis
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Re: Spiritual Path
Hello and welcome. As Masked said, Pagan is a broad term, with many paths. It's also not unsual to explore one path and then start to walk on another (I think the majority of us here have looks at a varity of paths). I feel like I'm repeating everyone here, but like Madness said, you should research, keep learning, and pray. If a pagan path (or even just the ecleticness paganism can offer) is what speaks for you, wonderful. If another does, that's just as wonderful.Last edited by habbalah; 21 Jan 2012, 14:20.Comment
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Re: Spiritual Path
my tips:
1. Don't believe everything you hear.
2. Think objectively about everything, does it make sense to you? does it feel right?
3. Be careful.
i've seen people get hurt by not listening to these tips... lets just say i learned them on my own. and my now ex-wife, im hoping will figure it out before it gets too much worse. If she listened to me in the first place she wouldn't be my ex-wife. When people go off the deep end, it doesnt just hurt them."Sometimes bad things happen, and theres nothing you can do about it, so why worry?" ~ TimonComment
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Re: Spiritual Path
Thank you
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thank you MaskedOne
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It does kind of feel right to me. Thank you all for posting. I'll think I will read some more about paganism, and which path I will take. I will watch out for the cults, and keep those tips in mine. Thank you, I feel very welcomed here!
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Re: Spiritual Path
You are most welcome here, sir. I would just read a lot of Pagan texts and see what seems right to you. You might start by looking to your ancestors if you feel a connection to your heritage. It worked for me. So if you are Irish you could look at Celtic deities, if you are German(ic) you could look at the Norse/Germanic gods (my path) etc. I was fortunate enough to just come upon information about the Germanic path at a time when I was atheist, and because I was Germanic by blood, it seemed appropriate, so I explored it, and here I am. Everyone finds their path by their own way. We are here to help you in your search for yours.
-ValhallaComment
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Re: Spiritual Path
While I am a firm believer in that you should know what you stand for before you go waving flags, I absolutely do not think you are too young to explore, learn, and ultimately evolve. The label is unimportant. Do you and the rest will come."A situation with no return; I yield to the bright lights."- The InterbeingComment
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