Thanks for having me aboard; I just finished reading the Forum Rules and FAQ thread in addition to the Sexual Commentary & Below the Belt Humor thread. Much nicer set-up here than I've seen on other Pagan forums; I was at a Traditional Witchcraft forum for a while, but they seemed too aggressive and hostile for my tastes, so I left. I was also at Everything Under the Moon; unfortunately though, I felt they weren't balanced enough for me; they seemed to be all about light and love, while ignoring anything to do with darkness and shadow, (one of my threads was deleted because I was inquiring about deicide; the killing of a deity in the event one becomes a threat to humanity.) In my opinion, it's dangerous to not acknowledge both aspects; positive and negative, because being polarized one way or the other could quite possibly lead to one's destruction; if one is too positive, they won't be prepared for the negative; if one is too negative, they'll only ever attract negativity to themselves. I personally like being somwhere closer to the middle, but ever-so-slightly moreso on the side of positivity; ever watchful and cautious of negative forces around me. (I don't instantly trust any spirits or entities I come into contact with for example, and I'm largely unwilling to ever do any kind of summoning rituals and such, because I can't know for sure what it is exactly that I'm actually contacting; one could think they're speaking to an ancestor for example, whom is in reality a malevolent entity disguising itself to deceive you; or perhaps a playful sprite whose antics may be perfectly innocent to them, but disturbing or even destructive to others. Some entities just think it's right good fun to mess with humans; they think it's hilarious haha. For those reasons, I'm very leary and cautious of any interactions with beings and entities not of this realm.
One entity is specifically responsible for me embarking on this path of nature-based spirituality, and I'm sure many here have probably met him/it as well; an entity commonly known as the Hat Man; a shadow being wearing a wide brimmed hat and trench coat. He seemed to follow me around when I was a child; scared me quite a bit at times, but he/it was never outright hostile or aggressive, except for only once. He was a couple dozen yards away next to the barn, then swiftly and quickly glided across the yard to me to stare me down face to face; almost nose to nose; I still remember staring into the dark nothingness of his form. Scared the life out of me. Other times I could sense him/it standing over me at night as I lay in bed; as if I could feel him breathing down my neck. I still have trouble sleeping at night haha. Most of the time though, he simply seemed to be observing me; as if he were waiting for something; other times, curiously enough...I felt like perhaps he was a guardian; that he wanted to keep me safe. It was a very confusing, conflicting experience for me as a little kid. Years later, I was shocked to have found out that hundreds, probably even thousands of other people have experienced the exact same thing.
...And that's how I got into Wicca, which was where I learned more about paganism in general, and have grown a deep affinity for. Thank you once again for having me, and happy to be aboard. :=):
--Sollomyn
One entity is specifically responsible for me embarking on this path of nature-based spirituality, and I'm sure many here have probably met him/it as well; an entity commonly known as the Hat Man; a shadow being wearing a wide brimmed hat and trench coat. He seemed to follow me around when I was a child; scared me quite a bit at times, but he/it was never outright hostile or aggressive, except for only once. He was a couple dozen yards away next to the barn, then swiftly and quickly glided across the yard to me to stare me down face to face; almost nose to nose; I still remember staring into the dark nothingness of his form. Scared the life out of me. Other times I could sense him/it standing over me at night as I lay in bed; as if I could feel him breathing down my neck. I still have trouble sleeping at night haha. Most of the time though, he simply seemed to be observing me; as if he were waiting for something; other times, curiously enough...I felt like perhaps he was a guardian; that he wanted to keep me safe. It was a very confusing, conflicting experience for me as a little kid. Years later, I was shocked to have found out that hundreds, probably even thousands of other people have experienced the exact same thing.
...And that's how I got into Wicca, which was where I learned more about paganism in general, and have grown a deep affinity for. Thank you once again for having me, and happy to be aboard. :=):
--Sollomyn
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