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What's your progression?

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    Re: What's your progression?

    Pentecostal Church > Atheism> Jehovah's Witness (not baptized) > Buddhism > New Ageism > Wicca

    ... and now I have no idea of what I'm doing.

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      Re: What's your progression?

      Originally posted by Yrja View Post
      ... and now I have no idea of what I'm doing.
      I think this is the best way to be, as this is the time I am learning the most information I am eager to retain.

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        Re: What's your progression?

        Originally posted by Yrja View Post
        Pentecostal Church > Atheism> Jehovah's Witness (not baptized) > Buddhism > New Ageism > Wicca

        ... and now I have no idea of what I'm doing.
        First of all, welcome to PF. Secondly, I'm curious... Why did you move on from Buddhism? Most people I've met that follow this path are content and happy. I'm not Buddhist (nor have I ever been) so I'm just genuinely curious. Feel free to send me a pm if you don't want to answer publicly.
        �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.�
        ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
        Sneak Attack
        Avatar picture by the wonderful and talented TJSGrimm.

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          Re: What's your progression?

          Nothing, not even atheist, didn't really care, went to church once or twice, got my first blessing by a catholic priest. That was nice enough.

          Then Wicca. Then pagan. Then in learning.

          Now trying to get back to it.

          ta da!
          ThorSon's milkshake brings all the PF girls to the yard - Volcaniclastic

          RIP

          I have never been across the way
          Seen the desert and the birds
          You cut your hair short
          Like a shush to an insult
          The world had been yelling
          Since the day you were born
          Revolting with anger
          While it smiled like it was cute
          That everything was shit.

          - J. Wylder

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            Re: What's your progression?

            Originally posted by Juniper View Post
            First of all, welcome to PF. Secondly, I'm curious... Why did you move on from Buddhism? Most people I've met that follow this path are content and happy. I'm not Buddhist (nor have I ever been) so I'm just genuinely curious. Feel free to send me a pm if you don't want to answer publicly.
            Well, it began when I read "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. I was eager to learn more about the Law of Attraction, and so I read many other books on the matter. I gradually felt more and more like I could be categorized as "New Age". However, I always have an eclectic view of the world around me, so I tend to braid earlier religions into my practice. Besides, my current "path" is finding out what feels right for me - that's why I tend to shift so quickly between religions. What I'm really trying to say is that when I gain more and more knowledge, my perspective of things change; and so do my beliefs.

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              Re: What's your progression?

              Originally posted by Yrja View Post
              Well, it began when I read "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. I was eager to learn more about the Law of Attraction, and so I read many other books on the matter. I gradually felt more and more like I could be categorized as "New Age". However, I always have an eclectic view of the world around me, so I tend to braid earlier religions into my practice. Besides, my current "path" is finding out what feels right for me - that's why I tend to shift so quickly between religions. What I'm really trying to say is that when I gain more and more knowledge, my perspective of things change; and so do my beliefs.
              Thank you for your answer. It makes a lot of sense
              �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.�
              ― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
              Sneak Attack
              Avatar picture by the wonderful and talented TJSGrimm.

              Comment


                Re: What's your progression?

                Not sure if I posted this yet, but anyway

                Christian->Jehovah's Witness (never really practiced)->Christian->Agnostic->Pantheism
                What one believes in is infinitely more important than WHO they believe in.

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                  Re: What's your progression?

                  Conservative Christian -> Liberal Christian -> Atheist -> Agnostic -> Eclectic Pagan -> Wiccan

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                    Re: What's your progression?

                    It's hard for me to put it into a linear order, but I'll give it a try.

                    I started off somewhat spiritual, but with no religion, to fundamentalist beliefs as an adolescent, then New Age beliefs, Agnostic-Atheism. After coming into contact with authors like Karen Armstrong and learning about the history of the Bible, I became a liberal Episcopalian. I still experimented with other worldviews as I believe more than one worldview can be true. To some extent I explored Celtic Reconstructionism, then experimented magically by giving imaginary characters reality in rituals (these ideas were partly inspired by what I had read about Chaos Magic). I am glad I have explored these different areas because they have taught me about myself, but none of these things stuck except I remain Episcopalian and my theology is influenced by my understanding of the development of the principles of my particular religious tradition, which is quite an eclectic one. However, my views have deepen and broadened, and I realized I am naturally a panentheist, and I have also become an animist through my experiences. I observe the sacraments and traditions of my religious community, and I practice my own rituals at home or occasionally with a spiritual friend or two. This might make me a syncretist, but I'm not sure. The rituals I have developed that are actually working and sticking with me do not resemble anything I've been able to find in another path.

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                      Re: What's your progression?

                      Originally posted by EclecticWheel View Post
                      It's hard for me to put it into a linear order, but I'll give it a try.
                      You and me both! I'll give it a go, too. Let's see....

                      I started out as Lutheran because that's what my family was and, frankly, I liked playing with the other kids at Sunday School. Never really registered that there was anything but Christianity; sure there was Islam and Judaism, but I thought they were either misinformed or just decided they didn't believe Jesus had been born yet. I was that kid that sat in the courtyard by the sanctuary, looking up at the sky and talking to God, because hey, he was like a second Dad, right? I talked to my normal Dad all the time, I should talk to God too. Got in trouble for being disrespectful and was told I had to talk to God a certain way through Prayer, tried it, wasn't happy; started studying other religions in the tail end of confirmation classes, inspired by a couple of books I was reading and an episode of Charmed where Piper got really freaked out about going to church.

                      Charmed also led to trying to make a spell myself, which turned out very... odd. Worked, but odd. At that point, I'd gotten confirmed and started taking communion, and figured that the only thing I'd been missing before would be fixed now, because hey, I'm a grown-up in the eyes of the church, so now everything's fine! Nope, and about a year later I was tearing through the internet and the library again. Defined myself as agnostic for a while, not finding anything that really fit what I personally believed, and sort-of considered Judaism because I had a couple Jewish friends that were always very happy with what they believed. Ended up sitting next to a girl in Homeroom/Algebra (everyone automatically had their homeroom teacher for first period) that was Wiccan; I remember she was drawing pentacles on the Christmas tree graphing exercise and asking her about them.

                      A few months later, I started reading up on Wicca and witchcraft, and later, other forms of Paganism, what a Pagan is/isn't, that sort of thing. I kept on turning back to Wicca, and dove in headfirst, reading everything I could on the subject, before my Dad got back from Iraq for the second time and we started going to church again. First time back, we talked about what the Bible says about witches in Youth Group and I sort of just sunk into my seat, staring around at this group of kids, half of whom I knew, but most of whom were, to me, new to my family's church. Then I started really freaking out - was Hell real? Would I go there? What if I didn't believe in my parents' God? What really DID happen after death? Where would I go when I died?

                      After I while, I pretty much got fed up with myself and decided, Hell or not, whatever, this made me happier, and I'd 'follow my bliss,' a phrase I'd run across in Seventeen magazine. So I did a dedication and felt pretty set. Was admittedly pretty fluffy the first year or so, and then I started questioning more about why things meant what, why the universe was viewed this way or that, whether my beliefs fell more in line with Wicca or traditional witchcraft, or was I just an eclectic Pagan? - lots of questions. Finally settled down, and now I'm pretty happy over all.

                      ...Which is a really long way of saying:

                      Apparently-crappy-but-devout Lutheran -> Questioning, vaguely interested in magic -> Happy Lutheran because now-things-will-get-Better! -> Agnostic -> Interested in Judaism -> Interested in Wicca/witchcraft -> Interested in paganism in general -> Wiccan -> But-what-about-Hell? -> Fluffy Wiccan -> Not-fluffy Wiccan -> Wiccan-or-Witch? Hard Poly/Soft Poly? Questioning -> Eclectic Wiccan Witch

                      Wow, I really don't do short-winded. Whoops?

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                        Re: What's your progression?

                        I've answered this before, let's go again since I have recently made some changes.

                        No formal religion, but pagan type spirituality-> Christian-> Christian exploring Wicca-> Christiaelln since I was guilted into thinkin I was going to go to h-> Hindu-ish-> LDS since I was heading back to Christianity again because yet again I felt guilty since I was technically brainwashed into thinking there is only one way to go and that was the ONLY way (-.-) -> Spiritual only when I was not sure still-> Christian-> Pagan Wiccan and loved it, but again with that stupid guilt after a few months-> Christian then I promised myself that I wouldn't let the guilt that pulled me away from my happy spirituality do it again and finally-> Pagan. Pagan with elements of many different practices including Buddhism, Hinduism, Wicca, etc. I love my spirituality, I love the God and Goddess, and I am always learning.

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                          Re: What's your progression?

                          Pentecostal Christian but way too young to understand --- Old enough to start reading the Bible --- Crazy hormonal teenage self discovery --- Anti Christian --- Gnostic Christian --- Wiccan --- Got involved with the Wiccan community online --- . . . --- Kemetic with a pretty intense relationship with Sekhemet --- I don't remember but something funky happened here and I became a Gnostic again --- No Dionysus --- No don't do that Dionysus --- Stop it Dionysus --- Fine --- Hellenic Polytheist with some weird scattered thoughts --- Craziness happened and Buddhist philosophy entered the scene --- Things settled down and I dedicated myself to Dionysus --- Fell out with the Hellenic community --- Greco-Roman Polytheist --- Got back in with the Hellenes --- Thor Freyr and Odin start popping up in dreams more often than Dionysus --- Greco-Roman Polytheist having blots to Freyr???

                          I'm in a pretty weird spot right now spiritually.

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                            Re: What's your progression?

                            Christian>baptised at birth>Agnostic>
                            silly old man

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                                Re: What's your progression?

                                Christian > Atheist > Agnostic > Pantheist (still in progress).
                                :^^: My Spiritual Journey blog: An Eclectic Wonderland :^^:

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