Finding your path

[toxicyarnglare]

Re: Finding your path

There are a number of assumptions in your statements. 1) That spirituality must contain a belief in divinity. 2) That one's individual spirituality would somehow fall into line with the beliefs and practices of a given group of people (religion). Neither of these are requirements for spirituality. 3) That belief in the divine leads to a code of ethics. I can't tell you how many self-proclaimed pious church goers I've met that were the nastiest people, devoid of ethics.

I've met plenty of religious people (go to church/temple/ritual, profess a belief in the god of their claimed group) who couldn't answer the simplest questions about their beliefs about the universe, IE. who weren't spiritual. It's nice when religion and spirituality do connect, but there is nothign saying they will.

- - - Updated - - -



So you think those that don't adhere to religious structures can't be spiritual?

Completely agree. For a while I thought the term that "spiritual but not religious" was absolutely stupid, until I learned about thinks like metaphysics and the like.

[SilverSerenity]

Re: Finding your path

*Confession* I started out being very heavily influenced by the kind of fictional TV show type hollywood witchcraft as a young teenager. Both myself and a friend started reading books on Wicca and dreams and astral travel. I'd been raised as a Christian by very strict parents but felt that that path wasn't right for me. At the time my conversion to "Wicca" was more a teenage rebellion that anything else (Yes I look back and cringe too!). Safe to say both I and my friend grew out of the fluffy "believe-what-you-see-on-TV" phase after a couple of years. My friend stayed pagan but I became atheist and then agnostic for several years (mainly whilst doing my physics degree).

Somewhere something i'd read about Paganism as a nature religion and being about observing the seasons and the world around us still stuck though and I didn't really feel completely self-satisfied being either agnostic or atheist. I'm not sure quite what brought me back to Paganism (I'm not Wiccan btw - not sure what i'd describe myself as yet). It may have been a combination of reading history books about the ancient Celtic peoples - including myths and legends, of realising that i'd simply gone the wrong way about learning of the religion that was actually right for me, or whether one of my patron Goddesses has been calling to me for some time (as i'd like to believe). Whatever it was, I've read about other religions and find them too constraining in what you are and aren't allowed to believe and how/what you are allowed to worship and believe Paganism is right for me.

[dreamweaver]

Re: Finding your path

I am one that believes that ones path begins at birth.Your parents,sisters and brothers,teachers,religious instructors friends and acquaintences along with the knowedge gained and experiences you encounter throughout your life all have great effect on the path you follow.No two paths can be the same and along with the many forks encountered has brought each one of us to where we are today.At 14 I becams interested I guess in Shamanic principals and ways through a friends uncle and have followed them to this day.I do not call myself a Shaman or anything else.I am simply a silly old man.It is me

[Gleb]

Re: Finding your path

I tried several reeligions, until I reached the Kemetism. I looked for much information about it, when I had enough enformation I chose the God I would follow.