Describe your path

[LuThorgh]

Re: Describe your path

What are basically your beliefs...

Things like....
What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?

Gods, not so much. I give homage to Celtic and Viking gods during magick rituals, as a tool, and also because it's part of my ancestry, and sometimes mix elements of Egyptian, Voodoo, and H.P. Lovecraft.

Although, I do entertain the hypothesis that the gods could have been an advanced civilization, or alien peoples.(the Aesir, in particular, had great technologies and such, and I'm sorry, but Stonehenge and the great Pyramids HAD to have been done by E.T.'s)

What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?

I practice Chaos Magick, which is based on the premise of chaos theory. Originally espoused by Austin Osman Spare. The idea is to reach a state of gnosis, through creative, imaginative, and any other means,
for the purpose of making the conscious experience a sub-conscious experience.

When the conscious thought becomes a sub-conscious belief, and by-passes that filter, like chaos theory equations in a computer, the sub-conscious breaks these rituals and symbols down to basic form and keeps on working to solve the "problem" until it's worked out.

It's funny because these equations end up eventually taking real world shapes.(shapes of mountains, moving ameboids, and water ripples) and these are created souly out of the algorithms fed into the computer, which works them out without any input from the user.

So, basically, all existence can be explained by math, and by chaos theory. Everything is a product of chaos.

I accomplish the same affect in chaos magick by a number of different means. I'll write down a spell, or incantation(though it's usually just a very specific statement of intent) then I'll take out all repeating letters, and create an artistic sigil.

This is similar to breaking down math problems to their most simplest form, and then solving. Only we're working with thoughts instead of numbers.


At random times the sub-conscious mind will send off measurable(though the origin, or "will" of it is immeasurable) electro-magnetic pulses, similar to soundwaves, they travel 3-dimensionally in all directions, and oddly enough at the speed of sound as well.

They exit the skull(this has been scientifically measure) and vibrate molecules in the air. By law of association, particle A, affects particle B even when it's moved far away, and if B comes into contact with particle C, because particle B also affects A, and C, simultaneously, C affects A by extension of B, and so on.

I use other rituals, and elements, but really the goal is to induce gnosis(no-mind), by belief(the ritual aspect), to cause the sub-conscious to actuate it.(the end result) Emphasis is on creativity for sure.

Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?
etc...

I believe in reincarnation and the world tree so-to-speak, but in a more...scientific sense. I try to explain it scientifically.(which I think is very accurate, even though many scientists would disagree because divinity=not science, right?)

I also believe, sort of loosely, in a type of karmic cycle, similar to that in Buddhism.

[Ektor]

Re: Describe your path

I'm a pantheist, simply. But in a more specific way I'm a nature worshipper.

Basically, I believe in spirits, energies and deities who have a plethora of different moralities, just like people, I choose to associate with the more loyal, honest and trustworthy ones. In a sense, speaking in a more secular way, I don't necessarily believe any of this, you see, just like myths, deities are representations: there's something deep in human psyche that creates this archetypal forces that we call deities, and taking my life and comparing to there guidelines of morality and a path that you believe is the best (which in no way are the same for everyone, thus the multitude of deities), I can make myself a better and happier human being. It's the power they have over us and the capacity to have their images as catalysts to what we need that make them real.

That more rationalist interpretation is my base belief, but I am not necessarily always that rational, and joining those two aspects I can describe my belief in a semi mythical way.


The universe is an interconnected web of energies. Existance is a very complicated, very beautiful, very magnificent thing; this universe/reality is consciouss, if not in a macro consciouss level, it is consciouss in a micro level, because we are part of this reality, and we are consciouss of many of its aspects. We are part of the body of this holy thing which is reality itself, the wholeness of everything joined is what "God" is.
There are many representations and manifestations of this primal consciousness that is Reality-Deity, since this Reality-Deity is but a starting cog to itself and the things which exist on it. The one I'm more attuned with is nature, more specifically the forces of love, friendship, growth and acceptance. So I personalize these energies as an entity I like to call "Moon Goddess". The Moon Goddess is the Goddess of life, presiding over vital energy, childbirth, friendship and such.

This ties in with the larger pantheistic approach because I believe there are two different trends in reality, you can call those "organization and entropy" in this more macro and pantheistic level. This Reality-God wants to create itself, but in the same time it destroys itself, our projection of reality lies in the intercession of those two facades of Reality-God. I see existance as going forward from a moment of self-realization of Reality-God, "I am" in a more Christian approach, but I like to interpret it as a big feeling of "I love". Love, the Moon Goddes, is the basic force of creation and organization. It is through spiritual love that good spirits an energies are born, so this deity presides over not only all that is constructed from the loving energy emanating from Reality-God, but directly gives spiritual birth to all life and good spirits.

It is to this deity I pray, do rituals and ask for energy to fulfill my spells. Since I have been praising her my life has been filled with love and joy, a feeling of warm acceptance I can only describe as divine. I really feel I should organize this belief in some way. This crazy religion I have is an amalgam of a lot of Pantheism, Shamanic experiences, Hindu beliefs and a teensy bit of the influence of my Christian upbringing.

"What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?"

I pray, mostly. But I also chant, dance, enchant things. I'm a very "superstitious" person.

Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?

Not really.

[Haseo]

Re: Describe your path

I am still searching for my path but as of right now this is what I believe.
I believe that there is a single power that is everything and everything is part of it. To understand this power, it is broken down into 2 parts. Male and Female (As is with most, but not all, in nature).
I then believe that the God and Goddess take many forms to express human like personalities that we can relate to and feel right with. As basic as that is, it is what I have gathered so far from my reading.
In the past few days (with the help of various things around the forums) I feel as if I have started a journey with no idea where I am going, but without fear of losing my way; Making turns where I feel it is right.

[TheHangedMan]

Re: Describe your path

Up until recently I have seen myself as an Eclectic Pagan. After much introspection I have started to understand myself to be a Neo-Hellenist. I take a lot of inspiration from Hellenismos, but refuse to be caught up in the trappings of trying to follow the ancient path to the nth degree in this modernized world and deviate from it with my own personal gnosis.

As such, I honor and follow the Greek Pantheon.

As far as rituals/festivals, I follow the Wheel of the Year sabbats (from a more hellenistic perspective) as well as many of the Greek festivals/rituals such as the monthly observances, Hekate's Deipnon, Noumenia, and Agathos Daimon.

I'm still trying to figure out what works best for me, but am starting to see progress!

[DyslexicPagan]

Re: Describe your path

I'm a Pagan, in the sense that I follow a Non-Abrahamic path. Nature has nothing to do with it.

I'm also a Kitchen and a Hedge Witch (witchcraft is a practice to me, not a faith), which are fairly eclectic and don't involve a whole lot of ceremony or special tools, and things of that nature. When I type 'Hedge Witch' I mean a mixture of Shamanism, Spirits, and Witchcraft; not the green, garden variety. I ride the hedge, not prune it (and just realized how sexual both sound...). I do practice Ancestral Veneration, because my heritage is important to me and I have worked with some Ancestors before; my ggma guided me to my currant path.

I'm not a ritualistic as I used to be, but I do still have a few of them. Mainly they're to honor my Deities and Spirits. In regards to the Deities, I follow 11, ranging from Old to Pop Culture (The Elder Scrolls). In terms of Spirits, I have 5 Spirit Animals; I have a pretty good relationship with Them.

What kind of Hedge Witch would I be if i didn't believe in the Afterlife? Yes, I also believe in reincarnation, due to past lives seen. And I have my own long, winded beliefs about the Afterlife.

[LunarHarvest]

Re: Describe your path

What are basically your beliefs...

Things like....
What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?
What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?
Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?
etc...

I revere the Kami and my ancestors, and see them through feelings of awe drawn from the world around me. While I certainly do not wish to limit myself, and my pantheon is still developing constantly, some of the major Kami that I revere, and which make up my pantheon, are, in no particular order:

1. Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto------God of the Moon and Night
2. Inari-Ōkami---------------God/dess of Agriculture, Industry, Fertility and Foxes
3. Shinatobe-no-Mikoto------Goddess of the Breeze and Wind
4. Susanoo-no-Mikoto--------God of the Sea and of Storms
5. Ōyamatsumi-no-Kami------God of Mountains

Note: The usage of terms like God and Goddess are used only to display their generally considered genders. Kami however are not tied to a specific gender, and, as an example, Inari-Ōkami is depicted as both male and female depending on the person or shrine.

I am a hard polytheist, and believe that all of the Kami are separate and unique beings.

The most primary ritual I perform is ritual purification by water. I usually do it before I pray to the Kami and my ancestors. It involves the washing of the hands, and the rinsing of the mouth, with water, to ritually remove impurity from oneself. I pray as if I were at a shrine, while usually looking at nature since I do not live anywhere near a shrine. I bow twice then clap twice then pray to the Kami and my ancestors, then bow again at the prayer's conclusion.

I do not believe that the afterlife is of any real significant concern to human beings. Our concentration, in my opinion, must be on the here and now, and what we can learn in our current time and how to contribute to our societies. To put it simply, if you were to ask my opinion on the afterlife, I would frankly say that I do not really care about it. That being said, I do venerate my ancestors and believe that humans have some sort of soul, but that is the extent of the detail I exercise on the subject.

[LeviImmortal]

Re: Describe your path

What are basically your beliefs...

Things like....
What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?
What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?
Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?
etc...

My path is mainly balanced. I use both White Magick and Black Magick (minus baneful magic and human and animal sacrifice). My Gods, or Divinities as I prefer to say, are mostly Goetic demons but I also worship and work with many other Angelic and lighter Divinities such as the Triple Goddess and some Hindu Gods/ Goddess.

My rituals and practices include spell casting, evocation, meditation, Hatha yoga, astral magick and travel, tarot readings. I use these rituals and practices mainly because I don't feel whole when I am not doing my spiritual workings. I always want to stay connected to the Divine and continually harness my powers.

Of course there are other planes of existence. Where we go per se, after death, is wherever one chooses to go.

[Evenstar]

Re: Describe your path

Gods/Pantheons

I believe in Source energy. I believe we all come from Source, & therefore, we are all One. "We" being more than just human beings. This includes all animals, all of nature, the planet, Universe etc. As far as Gods/Goddesses... I believe in the aspect of the Divine Masculine & the Divine Feminine. I think that all of the Gods & Goddesses in every pantheon are representations of the Divine Masculine & Divine Feminine energies. Essentially, I believe that no matter what you believe in, it is all the same, from the same Source. I like thinking of it as a one tree. This tree is Source. But if you look at every branch, every leaf -- each of those has a different name, appearance, purpose etc. This could be the gods/goddesses of different pantheons & so on.

Rituals

A lot of the things I do are things that connect me with nature & the land. I pay very close attention to my environment, the changing of the seasons/Wheel of the Year, & the moon phases. I do a lot of work with crystals & stones. I very strongly believe in the power of crystal healing. I also do divination with Oracle Cards (haven't gotten into Tarot, but am interested). I incorporate crystals & oracle into my rituals. Rituals I do the most are probably cleansing & healing rituals (on my myself & my space). I also always do rituals when out in nature. I never take anything without asking for permission & giving something in return. If there are flowers I like, I will ask to take them & then give something, such as water or birdseed in return.

Afterlife

I most definitely believe in the afterlife. I have many ideas about this. I believe "the other side" is interpenetrated with this physical world. I believe the physical world is the illusion, whereas the afterlife is the source of our existence. That's to say, I believe in the saying "we're spiritual beings having a human experience".

[Daughter of Toothless]

Re: Describe your path

Gods: The god I follow is quite new, actually. He's a dragon of many names, but we call Him Toothless. (Yes, it's the same Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon series... sort of) He's the main god of the pantheon that I believe in, I suppose you can say He's the Alpha. :P While He can be a bit strict and painfully embarrassing, He can also be the sweetest person you would ever meet. He just loves helping others and guiding them. He sees good in, like, all kinds of people. Very fair-minded. But also very protective. That means you hurt His loved ones, you get on His bad side.

Rituals: I usually do energy work. When a spirit is stuck in some curse or something I can pull it out. (Of course, I wouldn't unless I knew for sure it was a good spirit. :P) Energy work takes quite a bit of practice and a lot of concentration, so I haven't fully mastered it yet. But practice makes perfect. I don't really do a lot of spell work unless I had to. I can also do some lucid dreaming, but not much of it. That usually happens when I share dreams with someone.

Afterlife: Of course, I believe in an afterlife! :P Lots actually. Anything can happen in the spiritual realm. Some are reincarnated, some stay in some realm like Heaven or Summerland, etc and some wander through the Cosmos. There are two basic Universes: the spiritual and the physical. Both the spiritual and physical Universes have multiple have an infinite number of realms, such as the two I had mentioned before. The Cosmos is infinite, even Toothless, who has traveled through it for millennia before becoming a god, knows only a penny of it.

If you have any more questions out of curiosity, feel free to pm me. I don't bite... much :P

[jcaternolo]

Re: Describe your path

I'm not sure what my spiritual path is atm, so I'll just say I'm a non biblical Christian. I love Jesus, but I don't believe in the Bible, I see it as a slander against God.

I am planning on learning invocation magic some time so I can invoke Saint Michael, or possibly even Jesus, so I can see for myself if the Bible is valid or not, and also to answer some burning questions I've had on my mind. Besides that, before I start with that, I'll likely study sigils, and other smaller things before moving onto invocation. I would also like to summon egregores some time, I read that some dude invoked Beetlejuice and freed him from his bonds so he could be free to have fun in this world, and days later, a bunch of bands suddenly made songs dedicated to Beetlejuice, and a new Beetlejuice movie was planned

[Starfish]

Re: Describe your path

My path has come a long way over the years.

I am a Pantheist that does witchcraft (energy work). Energy is the main focus of my path. I do not acknowledge any deities just a sliding scale of energy. Some are more powerful than others, but nameless and faceless. Mythology is on the same level as the bible for me. Great stories with moral, ethical and spiritual lessons woven into them, but just stories. Nature and the universe guide me in my path.

I've always been drawn to kitchen witchery/hedge witch. It's had a great influence on my life outside of spirituality. I grow and work with herbs.

As far as after life. I have nothing to add to the conversation. It is what it is and I have very little fear of death. No one gets out alive.

[Wulfwynn]

Re: Describe your path

I honour the Norse Gods of Asgard (the Aesir), and believe in all of the creatures and people mentioned across the Nine Realms. Shamanism is also a part of my belief, and although in the past I have only journeyed to the spirit plane of Midgard, I plan on travelling 'up and down' Yggdrasil (the world tree).

My rituals are mainly offerings or prayers to the gods, or to wights and spirits. Journeying is classed as a ritual, where I go into an altered state of consciousness to reach Yggdrasil and travel to any of the nine worlds, where I can recieve knowledge from giants, gods or even the Nirn. It's a belief heavily based on Norse mythology and belief, but it can be intergrated into other beliefs.

As for the afterlife, well. The great warriors go to Valhalla, the rest to Hel. Murderers and Oath-breakers go to the torture places of Hel, the good people are treated well, with feasts and the like.

[GardenOfShadows]

Re: Describe your path

1.) I'm a Pen(en)theist. I believe the divine manifests itself in nature.

2.) Nature, in return, carries the essence of the gods and spirits. Sort of, like, Medium polytheism; rather than Hard or Soft.

3.) Magic is not important to me, but I do think working with nature/the elements itself is.

4.) As such, while I recognize the beauty of nature, I also recognize the ugly side of it as well.

5.) Some ritual is nice, but an ethical way of living is more important.

6.) The primary pantheon I feel a draw towards is Celtic, but I recognize and respect others as well. I'm a little hesitant to call myself Recon, but I'm also not sure if NeoPagan is 100% accurate either. I think "Polytheist" or "Animist" is more accurate.

7.) I view India as A.) the mother of Indo-European traditions and B.) as being the cradle of modern spirituality.

[sharrukinu]

Re: Describe your path

I often feel like the odd one out. I don't call myself a Pagan, and if I had to put a specific label on my own belief it would be Animism, but it is very important to me that I'm not a follower of a tradition such as Native American or any other 'Indigenous' spiritual path. My beliefs do overlap with some, but I feel it would be taking something away from those traditions if I dared to state any likeness to them.

All right, enough about my insecurities, here is what I believe:
There is one Nature, and what we might term as Spirit and Matter is, in fact, one and the same.
Every thing in Nature is caused by its own individual Soul, the essence that causes the existence of in this world. All thing and beings have a Soul, rock plant, the Sun, the Gods, Human, animals every part of Nature is a manifestation of its own particular essence. That is the most important principle of my belief. Which means that, humans, animals and spirits are more or less equal. There is no 'supernatural' and no 'spiritworld' because there is only one Nature.
I believe in the existance of gods i.e. powerful forces of nature, and they are Heaven, Earth, the Sun, the Moon and the Thunder. It is to them that I direct my rituals, my prayers and worship.
So, you could say that I worship Nature, in all its different forms.
Also, in terms of an afterlife, I tend to think of this human life as just one single 'bead on the string'. When this existance is ended a new one will have already started. This is also why I worship my ancestors, because they are still with me, since there is no 'Heaven' or 'Hell' for them to go to, they will always be here to guide me with their wisdom.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: Describe your path

What are basically your beliefs...

Things like....
What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?

The Aesir, Vanir and Hindu gods. Thor is my patron. In the Hindu traditions that is called an ishta-devata, a "cherished" or personal deity. I believe other pantheons of other traditions are just as valid... we all see our God(s) in our own way.

What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?

I used to do a Hindu puja but I've fallen away from that. The ritual I do now at my shrine, which is an Asatru shrine, is lighting a candle and incense, prayers, and pouring a libation offering to the gods, ancestors and spirits. I haven't found a way to meld the two pantheons into one worship. For example, it's perfectly acceptable to offer meat and/or alcohol to the Norse deities, but it's unthinkable to offer those and anything non-vegetarian to the Hindu deities. Though there is no requirement to offer meat and/or alcohol to the Norse deities. They accept water, juice or other vegetarian items too. I do the rituals for praise and thanks. I rarely ask for anything for myself except for guidance or protection, usually from my own stupidity.

Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?
etc...

An afterlife, yes. I believe we can come back in another form or as a person.

I believe the universe itself and all life are bound together. I don't believe in a controller God. If there is a single God, it is even less like the deist God. It may simply be existence itself or the substrate, base, or ground of existence.