Eclectic,what does this mean.

[anunitu]

Defining eclectic is not hard,but mainly an eclectic is defining their beliefs on their own personal terms. That is to say,it works for me,your mileage may vary. It is not something that will end up being a major "Accepted" belief,and that is ok because it isn't meant to be. Generally it is a personally defined thing,and that in fact is what what makes it what it is. If I wanted a religion with very strict "Dogma" it would not fit an eclectic view.
As an eclectic myself,in many ways I dislike the "dogmatic" approach to my personal path. Some people "need" the "Dogma" because everything is defined for you,and many people feel more comfortable in having everything set out for them. The negative side to being eclectic,is people will not always take your beliefs seriously,but to an eclectic that is not a concern because it is a personal definition of how they view the spiritual nature of their existence.

[Ophidia]

Re: Eclectic,what does this mean.

I like Ellen Cannon Reed's take on it: "A good witch is eclectic. She'll steal anything that works."

Eclecticism works for me because if I can't achieve a goal using one magic(k)al system, or if something I've been doing stops feeling like it's the right thing to do, I'm not hidebound into doing it because 'it's traditional'. Reconstruction paths are too stuffy for me - I don't want to have to work that hard for my religion. I also like to make mistakes & get things wrong without feeling like I'm about to get my hand smacked with a ruler.