This is really not to trash other Wiccans or to say that the religion is somehow "bad" or "wrong" or something. I'm also not sure if this is in the right place.
But the main reason I joined this forum was because I wanted other perspectives from non-Wiccan pagans. So many of you are so varied in your beliefs and it's really awesome.
As I've said, I've been Wiccan for about seven years now. I like a lot of its aspects. I like having a God and a Goddess and worshiping these two balanced deities in various forms. I like the Rede for the most part and I like the emphasis on the idea that whatever makes you happy is smiled upon unless it harms someone else. These kind of ideas were ideas that I had before even looking into Wicca.
What drew me to Wicca was initially how accepting it was. I realized I was gay pretty young- eleven- and the religious people in my life swiftly cut me out. I had gone through a hellish year of Catholic school and found myself asking purposefully antagonizing questions to clergy to get them riled up and scoffing at almost everything they tried to teach me. I realized Catholicism is not for me and I realized that the majority of my beliefs jived very well with Wicca.
But lately I've been questioning whether this is the exact path I want to be on now. As I said, I like a lot of the main points, and I love the kind of person Wicca has made me. My issues with it are mostly with the fact that so much absolutely false history is cited by some of the biggest names in this religion, and that it seems so much like LARPing to some of the members around my age. I'm sure other paths get that kind of thing, but Wicca is possibly the most "main stream" Pagan path and it's drawn a lot of people who just really do not jive with me in. I'm actually a pretty skeptical person by nature so rolling my eyes is not an activity I find rare in my daily life but when my own religion makes me so exasperated between the very touchy-feely crystal waving patchouli scented aspect of it and the horribly, painfully false history so many authors (ie D.J. Conway, Silver Ravenwolf) throw around, I have to wonder if I'm on the right path anymore.
I am absolutely positive that I am Pagan but I want to figure out either a path similar to Wicca in how eclectic it is (I don't like the term "eclectic pagan" for myself- I think it's a fine label for other folks but I find it too broad for me) or some way to talk myself out of these doubts and issues that, in retrospect, having typed them out, seem really petty.
Any input?
But the main reason I joined this forum was because I wanted other perspectives from non-Wiccan pagans. So many of you are so varied in your beliefs and it's really awesome.
As I've said, I've been Wiccan for about seven years now. I like a lot of its aspects. I like having a God and a Goddess and worshiping these two balanced deities in various forms. I like the Rede for the most part and I like the emphasis on the idea that whatever makes you happy is smiled upon unless it harms someone else. These kind of ideas were ideas that I had before even looking into Wicca.
What drew me to Wicca was initially how accepting it was. I realized I was gay pretty young- eleven- and the religious people in my life swiftly cut me out. I had gone through a hellish year of Catholic school and found myself asking purposefully antagonizing questions to clergy to get them riled up and scoffing at almost everything they tried to teach me. I realized Catholicism is not for me and I realized that the majority of my beliefs jived very well with Wicca.
But lately I've been questioning whether this is the exact path I want to be on now. As I said, I like a lot of the main points, and I love the kind of person Wicca has made me. My issues with it are mostly with the fact that so much absolutely false history is cited by some of the biggest names in this religion, and that it seems so much like LARPing to some of the members around my age. I'm sure other paths get that kind of thing, but Wicca is possibly the most "main stream" Pagan path and it's drawn a lot of people who just really do not jive with me in. I'm actually a pretty skeptical person by nature so rolling my eyes is not an activity I find rare in my daily life but when my own religion makes me so exasperated between the very touchy-feely crystal waving patchouli scented aspect of it and the horribly, painfully false history so many authors (ie D.J. Conway, Silver Ravenwolf) throw around, I have to wonder if I'm on the right path anymore.
I am absolutely positive that I am Pagan but I want to figure out either a path similar to Wicca in how eclectic it is (I don't like the term "eclectic pagan" for myself- I think it's a fine label for other folks but I find it too broad for me) or some way to talk myself out of these doubts and issues that, in retrospect, having typed them out, seem really petty.
Any input?
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