New here and want to learn

[bloodhound101]

Sorry dont really know what category to put this under but I guess this seems to work



Like it says I'm new here and to all of this between Wicca paganism the hole works and to me it seems kinda overwhelming but at the same time so fascinating and I want to learn as much as I can like what makes u chose between let's say the Greek or Celtic gods and goddesses and I do apologize if I'm saying anything wrong, and what made you start this path/religion and is there any type of guidelines, rules or traditions you fallow thanks for you time to all that read this

[shebani]

Re: New here and want to learn

Hello and welcome, I am new here as well. I am with you on the overwhelming, yet fascinating. I arrived on this path from a combination of spiritual experiences and study of ancient religious texts.

[Yorin]

Re: New here and want to learn

This may or may not get moved to an intro thread, but welcome to the crazy train first off.

But as for your question, my suggestion if you're interested in trying to find a path to go with would be start off learning about a lot of different ones. You can get books and information all over the web for free and read up on the many different religions out there and then (and I hate to say it this way because of how corny it sounds) just go with what feels right to you. Despite what some churches might want to say, no two peoples religious or spiritual paths are going to be the same, even if they follow the same set(s) of god(s/esses).

Starting out researching what you think might be a good choice for you is always the first step though. Here's a really good resource website for you thats 100% free and unlimited downloads of all the books, and they're all in .pdf format: http://dimensionalchemist.com/free-l...teric-library/

[Willow]

Re: New here and want to learn

Welcome

[Dagger]

Re: New here and want to learn

When it comes to it, Wicca/Paganism is mostly unstructured. We don't have a pope or something like that, and there's no single, one holy book. I've always felt that what made Wicca feel right to me is that there is not a single set of rules to it, therefore it allows you to explore your spirituality in a natural way. Sure, the Rede is a good thing for all of us, but besides that, there's no set road, you make your own.

In my case, my starting books were Cunningham's Solitary Wicca guides.

What do you want to start with, or what have you been doing?

(Also, Yorin, that link was amazing, I am so totally buying you a drink if I ever see you.)

[SleepingCompass]

Re: New here and want to learn

Sorry dont really know what category to put this under but I guess this seems to work



Like it says I'm new here and to all of this between Wicca paganism the hole works and to me it seems kinda overwhelming but at the same time so fascinating and I want to learn as much as I can like what makes u chose between let's say the Greek or Celtic gods and goddesses and I do apologize if I'm saying anything wrong, and what made you start this path/religion and is there any type of guidelines, rules or traditions you fallow thanks for you time to all that read this

Hi! I'm also new welcome

I chose the Greek Gods over the others because I'm part Italian (from near Rome), so I'd originally planned to go with the Roman Gods, but there was so much more info on the Greek Gods when I was researching that when I first tried to contact the Gods, they came to me as Greek. After that, I just went with it.

When I was a kid, I got a hold of 'Encyclopedia of White Magic' by Paddy Slade, and that was when I first started following this path.

The thing I like best about being a solitary witch is that I make my own rules. The only one I answer to is my Gods. Christianity has some good stuff in it, especially if you look back to Jesus's example of peace, love and forgiveness. But I felt like I was missing a more direct connection with divinity; church and listening to a priest just didn't inspire me as much as communing with my Gods directly.

For a law, I used to like: 'An it harm none, do what ye will.' But recently somebody in that vegetarian thread posted a different law that I liked better: 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.' I did some reading on the meaning behind it, and I like it and I'm working on readjusting my outlook. Of course, I don't want to cause any harm to anyone, so I will still try my best not to.

[anunitu]

Re: New here and want to learn

Yorin,great source for reading. As to beginning in the path,following your feelings and looking at different aspects is at least to me a good way to begin.

[LuThorgh]

Re: New here and want to learn

For a law, I used to like: 'An it harm none, do what ye will.' But recently somebody in that vegetarian thread posted a different law that I liked better: 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.' I did some reading on the meaning behind it, and I like it and I'm working on readjusting my outlook. Of course, I don't want to cause any harm to anyone, so I will still try my best not to.

If you did research I'm sure you know that that is a quote from Crowley, and although I agree with it, it's a great quote, I would advise anyone before throwing it around, to examine what he actually meant by that, from his point of view.

Crowley was a hedonistic, drug addled, sex-addicted, libertine. He encouraged excess and sin. So when he says, "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." He really means,"do what you want, when you want, and if you want it badly enough, it will be so." So, it doesn't state whether this is a good thing or bad thing. What your will is, and why, depends on you. Even in Thelema, there's much emphasis on individualism and finding what works for you.

Really, ask any pagan what their beliefs are and you'll largley get very different answers from different people. Unless you're part of a coven, or some heathen group(or god forbid, the heathen front(a national-socialist odinist group)), there will be no one telling you your opinion or view is wrong.

I see the rise in pagan population to mean that people are largely fed up with dogma, churches, and traditions that limit them from expressing their spirituality freely. This return to pagan and european roots and values, especially in the US, equates to a kind of spiritual revolution.

People don't want to be told who or what they are and believe, they want to figure it out for themselves. They find themselves this way. It's like your very own nature quest. Wandering through a sea of pantheons and cultures to find one that works for you.

Sometimes it can be as simple as looking into your heritage/bloodline, and I'd encourage this anyway, because I personally feel it's very important to know where you come from. Like, for example, I know that on my mother's side I am almost half and half, Celtic and Viking.(slightly more celtic)

My father is at least Celtic, but I never met him, so I'm doing a DNA test here shortly, just to see what my whole heritage is.

But that's how I came to my current path. It's mostly Celtic and Buddhist, with some elements of Norse thrown in there as well.(sometimes I work with other pantheons in rituals, but my patrons are Celtic or Norse)


PS: I do think it's important to not mix too many ideas and stuff, if only because it becomes convoluted and confusion can occur(and that's even coming from a chaos magician), but basically, if it makes sense and works for you, then screw what everyone else says, it's YOUR path, right? Cheers and good hunting.

[Rowanwood]

Re: New here and want to learn

If you did research I'm sure you know that that is a quote from Crowley, and although I agree with it, it's a great quote, I would advise anyone before throwing it around, to examine what he actually meant by that, from his point of view.

Though inspired by this, it is not the same as "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."

"An it harm none do what ye will" is from the Wiccan Rede by Doreen Valiente from 1964. Very different meaning in both intention and context.

But that's a conversation for elsewhere. Carry on.