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    What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

    We've gotten a few new member's so I though I'd ask

    What does being a Pagan / pagan or witch mean to you? I use the capital Pagan to denote the religion and the small pagan to denote the general umbrella term.

    Figure the best way to understand the newer people is to ask. For my generation, i'm 58 it seem's to have had quite a bit of difference in how it meant and defined it.

    To give an example to be honest I don't recall ever using the term pagan until the late 80's early 90's prior to that we were basically occultist or just witches. Maybe Wiccan's (Gardernerian's, Alexanderian's, etc in the vein of BTW or Coven based Wicca, or Witches in the sense of familial - family / folkish practices or inspired by the likes of Paul Huson's "Mastering Witchcraft" or Laurie Cabot's stuff perhaps. I guess you could say there was a divide in that some were influenced by the feminist movement stuff while others were also being influenced by the 60's free love and Eastern mysticism movements. It was all present through the 60's and 70's and into the 80's. Not to say we didn't have some awful author's floating around as well or people willing to exploit the eager.

    But I also admit it seem's we were expected to understand more or perhaps deeper it seems. In the understanding of where things came from it made understanding what it mean and why it was more important. It's like the "Cup" or "Chalice". Is it the Holy Grail of Arthurian Legend which tied it to the Golden Dawn stories? Is it the Holy Grail and tied it to Christianity and the Virgin Mary stories? Is it the Holy Grail and tied it to the Last supper and the final drink? Is it the collection of blood from the sacrificial altar's of the various gods / goddesses and tied it to the life bloods and made it a fertility / fecundity item? All of which ties it to power, reincarnation, rebirth, fertility, the womb, femininity, the female and in many ways the void where life forms and is created or destroyed. It also tied it to the broken celestial egg or the cracked and broken egg with half of the promise given and half yet retained which goes back to fertility and fecundity. Or the waters of life and the idea of the void with part drained yet part not poured so the promise of life yet remains to be given and fulfilled.

    Was it right? Who knows. But it was a deeper idea than just here is a cup and you put the wand (penis - masculine - projecting life force and energy into it) It was also having an idea, even if wrong where it came from and why it was used as it was to understand the significance of it all.

    To understand what it was to be an occultist or witch at the time. How we tied to things and the gods / goddesses if we connected to them. Figure to be a witch did not mean one had to believe in the gods / goddesses.

    Today very few people it seems, to me anyway, actually have any connections to a lineage that connects them to a coven, a BTW lineage, a familial connection or such. Most it seem's are what I would hear called Biccan's or worse to be honest. Book Wiccan's or some resemblance of that. Self taught, self dedicated and self initiated into an individual practice that is some form of usually Neo-Wicca or conflated version of it. It's not the practices of what I learnt under for certain. It's not even the practices of the pseudo stuff of the Silver RavenWolf Era that so many still make light of.

    So I am curious what does being a pagan / witch mean to you?
    Last edited by monsno_leedra; 13 Sep 2017, 01:58.
    I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

    #2
    Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

    I am definitely pagan with a small p. I came into it in the 80's with a definite eco-feminist slant. It was such a relief and confirmation that women could actually be a powerful part of a spiritual life and history, because that was definitely not a widely discussed concept in my experience. It is there in many traditions, but it is not discussed. It led to the best exploration I could do, which was somewhat limited at the time. No internet, difficult to find open pagan communities, culture of satanic panic, and my own fears and biases. Very classic Margot Adler, Stahawk, Merlin Stone, and Scott Cunningham eighties kind of stuff, as well as what I could work out or find in the religion and mythology sections of the library and bookstore. Because of my own life experiences, I discuss religion only with very few people and under very specific circumstances. This forum is a rare safe place for me.

    At some point I realized that maybe I had always felt like a witch because I am a witch. It just isn't what most people think of when they think of witches, maybe even Wiccan people, which I thought was the authority for a while. It is just those things that i do and feel and the way I view living as a human in the multiverse.

    I am still a feminist, but the woman centric aspect of paganism seems less primary to me now, because I have healed the part that needed that particular aspect of the pagan world. It is still a big part, but changed somehow.

    I think of my paganism as standing outside religion as I think most people traditionally see it. I have just always looked at it differently. Traditional religion is part of the set, so to speak, but I always seem to have an oddball way of perceiving it. And there is just more.

    And, I think in line with Mosno, I do love a meaty metaphor.

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      #3
      Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

      Meaty metaphors are best when breaded and fried, then served on a stick, with the condiment of your choice.

      For me, being pagan is easy... I just don't fit no where else.

      Popeye the Sailor Man says "I yam what I yam and tha's all I yam."


      Since "pagan" doesn't have much in the way of definition, I can be what Popeye is, and who can argue?

      Oh. That and I am tuned in to the dark forest, especially at night - mother's nature's slightly creepy child.
      Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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        #4
        Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

        Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
        Meaty metaphors are best when breaded and fried, then served on a stick, with the condiment of your choice.


        Thank you. It was a very good time to laugh.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

          Meh, I try to find an answer to this and keep coming back to the fact that I don't think of myself as either one. I'm sure a technical argument could be made that I'm one or both of them but they aren't titles of value to me.

          That may change someday but atm, I work magic when it suits me and refuse the title of witch. I reach out to various old gods when it suits me and refuse the title of Pagan. Granting, I also yell at the LoH of when it suits me and I don't particularly think of myself as Christian.

          If I get off my *** and dedicate to it then I could probably make Jedi or occultist meaningful titles. Possibly both. It'll just require significantly less laziness on my part. I just have no real desire to think of myself as witch or pagan. Not entirely sure why off hand. Both are large enough umbrellas to accomadate my various eccentricities but I'm just not interested in stepping under said umbrellas.
          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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            #6
            Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

            I feel like at another point in time, I could have a lengthy discussion about this, but for the sake of brevity...

            Being pagan is about the salt air on my tongue, and the wind in my hair, and the feel of rain patter on my flesh. It's the goosebumps that follow a chill, and it's the danger of frostbite in the winter. It's the first warmth of sun after the long darkness, and the beady black eye of the ptarmigan in a snowdrift. It's about the power of a bonfire, and the rush of someone's lips against my neck. It's about taking a seed, and growing a carrot. It's about taking some wool, and knitting a hat. It's about hunting and fishing and growing your meals, and the gratitude for a life given to sustain a life. It's about death. It's about misfortune and misery, joy and wonder.

            It's about life.


            Mostly art.

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              #7
              Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

              That is pure poetry Vol,and it expresses exactly the feelings of life and its magic,and its curse of change and decay over time.
              MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

              all i ever wanted was a normal life and love.
              NO TERF EVER WE belong Too.
              don't stop the tears.let them flood your soul.




              sigpic

              my new page here,let me know what you think.


              nothing but the shadow of what was

              witchvox
              http://www.witchvox.com/vu/vxposts.html

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                #8
                Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                pagan - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions
                Last edited by Juniper; 18 Aug 2018, 16:46. Reason: removed formatting that made this hard to read on dark themes.

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                  #9
                  Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                  Originally posted by Celtic_ View Post
                  pagan - a person holding religious beliefs other than those of the main world religions
                  Way to necro a thread. I'm NO admin nor moderator but you might want to avoid using colors for your posts, since it can make it really difficult for some people to read on specific forum color schemes (for instance your gray thing doesn't contrast too well with the "Mint" theme I use).

                  Now that you necro'd this, I figure I can answer as well.

                  I consider myself a sorcerer, because of the french word for it "sorcier" which means spellcaster (litteral french definition: "Quelqu'un qui jette des sors" or in english: "A person that casts spells"). The french word for spell is actually closer to the word "fate", which gives it a whole new meaning for me. It is someone who is in control of fate, who decides his destiny and is in total control of the path they're walking.

                  I am a sorcerer, I am a master of my fate. I am a Satanist, a powerful individual with an unbreakable Will. I am a god.

                  Check out my blog! The Daily Satanist

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                    #10
                    Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                    Originally posted by SeanRave View Post
                    Way to necro a thread. I'm NO admin nor moderator but you might want to avoid using colors for your posts, since it can make it really difficult for some people to read on specific forum color schemes (for instance your gray thing doesn't contrast too well with the "Mint" theme I use).
                    She didn't use colors, she copy/pasted her post from the oxford dictionaries website and the source format gets transferred with it sometimes. I'll fix it.
                    �Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.�
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                    Sneak Attack
                    Avatar picture by the wonderful and talented TJSGrimm.

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                      #11
                      Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                      Originally posted by Juniper View Post
                      She didn't use colors, she copy/pasted her post from the oxford dictionaries website and the source format gets transferred with it sometimes. I'll fix it.
                      It's present in some of her other posts though, that's why I thought it was deliberate.

                      Check out my blog! The Daily Satanist

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                        Originally posted by monsno_leedra View Post
                        We've gotten a few new member's so I though I'd ask

                        What does being a Pagan / pagan or witch mean to you? I use the capital Pagan to denote the religion and the small pagan to denote the general umbrella term.

                        Figure the best way to understand the newer people is to ask. For my generation...

                        ...

                        So I am curious what does being a pagan / witch mean to you?
                        Pagan religion is necessarily somehow linked to the belief that Nature/Wilderness/Jungle/Arctic/Mountains/etc. have a purpose.

                        Paganism is a belief formed by ancient man/woman after spending generation after generation in such settings.

                        What Paganism is not is a defined theistic system. Paganism does not excommunicate people for their non-theistic or theistic views, but accepts atheists, monotheists. di-theists, tri-theists, polytheists, and any complex mix of these.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                          Originally posted by WyvernWorship View Post
                          Pagan religion is necessarily somehow linked to the belief that Nature/Wilderness/Jungle/Arctic/Mountains/etc. have a purpose.
                          Most if not all beliefs systems are linked to nature in some way, even the Judeo-Christian ones since Nature is part of divine creation to them. Worship of said nature is a whole another thing, and even then I can think of a couple of pagan religions that do not worship environmental phenomena. Satanism is one of 'em. Many mystic/astral based religions are considered pagan and have no worship whatsoever of the land.

                          Check out my blog! The Daily Satanist

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                            #14
                            Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                            Originally posted by SeanRave View Post
                            Most if not all beliefs systems are linked to nature in some way, even the Judeo-Christian ones since Nature is part of divine creation to them. Worship of said nature is a whole another thing, and even then I can think of a couple of pagan religions that do not worship environmental phenomena. Satanism is one of 'em...
                            This is exactly why I showed up here. I have some linguistic concerns about how the word Pagan/pagan is being used, not just here but in the world in general...


                            However, it is not my priority right now. I'll create a thread a couple weeks later. I'm first gonna talk about idols, money, and technocracy.


                            Peace out.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: What does being a pagan or witch mean to you?

                              I am an Egyptian Wiccan. I found this path over five years back at least. I was in my late twenties and was still trying to get over my fear of the dark. I decided enough was enough and for some reason decided to pray to Lord Anubis to help me get over my fear. It was with his help that I conquered my fear and have such a devotion and love for him. I did some research and afterwards I felt connected to Egyptian Wicca. It just felt right. I just knew that it was the right path for me. My path means a lot to me because Lord Anubis is like a second father to me. I can talk with him and ask for advice while praying as well. He knows that I am respectful of him. That is what being a Wiccan means to me.
                              Anubisa

                              Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

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