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    Describe your path

    What are basically your beliefs...

    Things like....
    What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?
    What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?
    Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?
    etc...

    #2
    Re: Describe your path

    My gods are dragons, from the world's lore and beyond. By beyond I mean those that I have come across who do not have a place in lore.

    I have a plethora of different kinds of rituals. I have some that are destruction based done on the dark moon, some creation based done on the full moons, random kaaos working during the month, daily devotional style, and one for each of the 9 holidays I recognize. There is also smaller spellworkings, though they are quite lengthy in themselves.

    I believe in multiple astral planes existing in the unmeasurable expanse that is the Universe. I believe life exists between the different planes. When we die in one we transition to another. Where we go is either our soul's true home or a plane where we need to learn/experience something. We may do so through different lives, alternating between home and other planes.

    I believe that to be truly in balance we must be in a state of flux between 'darkness' and 'light'. Leaning too much to one side or the other isn't being in balance, staying neutral isn't balance, being in a state of stagnation impersonating death isn't balance. To be in balance with the Universe you must treat all energy currents equally and work within them. So all 'good' or all 'evil' are equally as bad and trying to destroy the other can only lead to destruction of all as a whole.

    In the practice I throw a third factor into the balance. I honour kaaos, the energy that we all come from. It is the energy that resides in us all. It is formless, untamable, unyielding, unmeasurable, it is all and everything. It is also the force that defies order and seeks to keep the Universe and all that reside in it in motion. Kaaos stirs the pot so destruction can release stagnated energy in order for creation to bring forth new life. I guess in a way I keep a three way balance.
    -=Ex Ignorantia Ad Sapientiam; E Luce Ad Tenebras=-

    My art and writing http://khaotyk-artwerx.tk/
    (whole site is marked adult, the adult and gore sections are in their own section so you can opt not to view them, adult and/or gore stories are marked with an *)

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Describe your path

      I call myself a Celtic pagan because that's what I feel closest to, although I'm neither a reconstructionalist or revivalist.

      I believe in the Fae, souls and energy, and most of that New Agey stuff.

      I'm a healer and protector by nature, but I respect that there is no Light with Darkness. That's part of why my matron is the Washer at the Ford.

      I study destruction and harm, but I use all of my knowledge responsibly.

      I'm a hard polytheist in the belief that all of the gods are separate entities.

      My rituals are few and far-between because I prefer to use spells except in very serious workings. They're all to honor the gods and bring about some change.

      I believe in reincarnation until one is ready to move to the Summerland. As for an underworld, I'm not entirely sure, but I imagine there's some otherworldly correctional facility.

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        #4
        Re: Describe your path

        Although I don't think I'm comfortable with it any longer, I'm still truly eclectic at heart. So while my beliefs don't really fit together in a lot of ways, I'm working on finding a way to make them flow together a bit more.

        The heart of my practice is my worship of Dionysos.

        I also still worship Ganesha regularly - when I was in college I found Hinduism (I knew it existed but it took me that long to actually learn much about it) and have had an affinity for it ever since. Although I don't currently worship any other Hindu gods regularly, I adore Krishna and I am still in love with India. At the moment, I'm trying to learn more about Greek occupation in India and see if there is a way to merge the two into Indo-Greek syncretism.

        I believe in the "pantheon" of Kushiel's Legacy, primarily Elua (who I think of as a kind of Krishna/Dionysos), Naamah, and Eisheth. Elua's precept, "Love As Thou Wilt", is the basis of how I live my life.

        I began my path as a witch and I miss it. If I could find a way to fit it into my current beliefs, I would love to go back to it.

        I don't believe in ghosts, vampires, faeries, etc.

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          #5
          Re: Describe your path

          I'm a pantheist. I believe that the whole is god, and each thing is part of god.

          This allows for a lot of flexibility of belief and a lot of chaos. The greater whole that is god, being made up of so many living and non-living things, seems to get confuzzled on occasion. But honestly, that seems so much more real to me than some being that just can't get us to behave.

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            #6
            Re: Describe your path

            [quote author=TaiganPagan link=topic=135.msg681#msg681 date=1286696889]
            What are basically your beliefs...

            Things like....
            What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?
            What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?
            Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?
            etc...
            [/quote]

            As a hard polytheist, I acknowledge the frank reality that there are a plethora of gods out in the multi-verse, some of which we know, some of which we don't know, many of which we do not recall, and some that are being born by our actions. But for my personal practice, I work primarily with Kemetic pantheon, with some friendly walk-ins by the deities of Greece and Rome (and Hecate has plopped her stuff down and started hanging up her herbs, setting her vessel with a fire beneath it...letting me know she is here to stay)

            As for what rituals I do, well...that's an interesting thing there. I do work on three levels. First is the Ceremonialist innerself ritual, the whole macrocosm/microcosm paradigm. Second is the more naturalist shamanic/hedge-riding work I do with spirits of the place I dwell. Third is just general pragmatic folk sorcery/ye olde witchcraft I've picked up from things I've read/experianced to work. However, my workings of my craft are something I only do after I have put in the mundane physical work to try and get things moving. I find my craft works much more precisely when I actually get off my duff and go out to apply for a job, then do a working to better my chances of finding and getting a good job then just the working alone. It's that old maxim "The Gods help those who help themselves"

            As for the afterlife, I'm a bit of an odd duck when it comes ot the afterlife. I believe that there are multiple afterlifes after we cross the pale grey veils of death. I believe that there are afterlifes that are tailored to the various deities that roam the multi-verse, with some healthy overlap which allows souls to mingle. I believe in many realms of existence, of which this realm is just one rather simple plane of existence, and there are others moregrounded than this, and others more loftier then this. I also believe that the realms trickle into one another, sometimes more than others in certain spots, and that the beings that dwell there can cross into our world and back again on a semi-regular basis.

            As for other things, I believe in all sorts of metaphysical/occult beliefs (I refuse to call them New Age any more as new age is merely a revival of the older metaphysical techniques that have been around in one form or another for centuries, though more specifically it is attuned to reviving the metaphysical movements that started around the late 19th and early 20th century). I believe in ghosts, spirits, demons, dragons, angels, fae, Cthulhu, *insert ooky spooky here* and the like since I know the multi-verse is far greater than we mere humans like to readily admit, so I see more than enough room for such beings to exist. (and that's just me looking at it from an analytic view)
            "Paganism is wholesome because it faces the facts of life.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Describe your path

              I'm a hedgewitch, which is a tradition that mixes some shamanic practices with folk magic and other "traditional" witchcraft practices. I'm currently solitary, with no plans to change that - I've done coven and group work in the past, and I greatly prefer working alone.
              My rituals don't really follow any specific structure, they are not usually very formal, and are often spontaneous or done with minimal planning. They focus on crossing between the worlds (so yes, I do believe in an afterlife/unseen world), and working magic (usually protection or cleansing). However, most often my focus is on celebrating nature and its cycles, and communing with Deity. Honoring the ancestors and spirits is also a big part of my personal path.
              I do a lot of herb work, both with what I garden, and what I can forage locally. Having a local focus is pretty important to me... knowing what grows where and when, what animals are around and their habits, and being "in tune" with where I am.
              I guess you could say I'm a bit of a hearth (or, kitchen) witch as well - as I also have a focus on the home and family, and enjoy combining magic with cooking and baking at times.

              When it comes to Deity I'm a panentheist (Wiki: God exists and interpenetrates every part of nature, and timelessly extends beyond as well.), as well as a soft polytheist - one Deity, yet with many individual Names, all part of the One, yet still individual on some level.
              Last edited by Gardenia; 08 Jun 2011, 11:34.
              Hearth and Hedge

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Describe your path

                If I'm asked I say I'm an Animist pagan who follows the northern tradition / gods.

                I believe that all religions are man made but belief is something that is deeply personal. The hard part is deciding what your own spiritual beliefs are and then seeing if one of the religions is compatable with what you feel in your heart. I think for many and I include myself in this, are born into religions not of our choosing and then we start to question what is truly meaningful to ourselves to find where we belong. I was not so much drawn to the Northern gods as pulled in their direction.

                When I say all religions are man made I don't mean they don't mean anything. When something has been invented then it exists. Cars were invented they now exist, the only difference between them and religion is one is a material construct the other is a construct of the mind and heart. I don't think I will meet Frigg out shopping in the supermarket but she is as real in my heart, head and life as I believe she was to my ancestors. All the gods to me are separate entities.

                I have a shrine for my ancestors and the disir. I also know I share this space and land with the local wights an I'm respectful to them. I try to live my life in a way that will not bring shame on my ancestors or my descendents. My belief is solitary as I know of no other pagans around me, but my friends and family are aware of my feelings and respect them.

                I don't think too much about the afterlife, this one I'm living in now takes up my time and I guess I will find my way when the time is right to move one. When I do think about it, I hope to be once again with my loved ones.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Describe your path

                  I am a heathen that means I believe in the Gods, but I do not treat them as friends, powerful beings yes, but I treat them as good enemies, to which I must stand up to prove my worth.
                  I have great respect for the Norse Gods.
                  I strive to follow the Odinic rite and Charges.
                  I revere my ancestors.
                  I believe in the existence of the spiritual world where my ancestors resides, blissed or not blissed by gods.
                  I believe the spiritual world(afterworld) is the place where the Gods are battling each other for dominance over the source of souls (they fight to dominate us), in a war that could lead to the destruction of the Gods themselves (The Ragnarok).
                  I believe we are alive to grow, to become who we should be in the afterworld, and that only while living can we change who we are, once dead, you stay what you are forever. Like being a child growing to become an adult.
                  I revere the changes of the seasons, the cycle of birth and death, I revere Nature.
                  I follow a path of the farmer/soldier, who pledge his life to his lord (medieval lore) to heed the call to war with him when asked.


                  I am a Nature Heathen!

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                    #10
                    Re: Describe your path

                    I think I'm an Eclectic Transtheist. That's the best term I've found so far. That pretty much means that I believe in Gods but in an almost atheistic way.
                    I believe that they are there as a form of applied energy or hanging spirit and a type of a behavior or quality, but not that they are all powerful beings. I also believe that in many regards, humans are above the Gods.
                    The eclectic part means that I'm grabbing from just about everywhere for pieces of my practice.
                    Right now, I'm worshiping Cern and Abnoba as the heads of my pantheon. I have a lesser pantheon which I worship, but I'm yet to feel out the names associated with them.
                    "Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children." - Khalil Gibran

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Describe your path

                      Well -

                      Right now, my ancestors and nature are the center of my beliefs. I don't believe in gods, really. A large consciousness, sure. To me those are two very different things.

                      I do believe in magic, sort of. This is an area under constant change for me. I just know that when I do rituals to affect things outside of me, a small part of me believes that it could be possible. So, I don't dismiss that belief.

                      Although I really don't like the word 'magic', no matter how the hell you spell it.

                      um, I do incorporate the images of gods into my workings, but mostly just because I like what the stories represent. I'm perfectly willing to believe in individual polytheist gods, once they say hello. Until then I'll stick with my current 'big-moving-kinetic-pantheistic-transient-network-consciousness idea.

                      I don't believe in an afterlife, really. A lot of people think this works against my ancestral beliefs, but It doesn't. I believe they exist in my mind, in my heart. In my actions, and values. In my skin, bones, blood, hair, everything. So I guess what I really mean is I don't believe in another place that we go after we die.

                      haha, just trust that it makes sense to me.

                      and thats about it for now.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Describe your path

                        I am first and foremost a Pagan. I believe that nature is everything and that everything is natural. We are part of nature, not apart from it. I believe that only trouble can be caused by casting one's eyes to the cosmos and ignoring the ground we tread on.

                        I call myself a radical Pagan because many of my ideas would fly in the faces of some of my more conservative counterparts. For example, I think social Darwinism should rule in most common sense cases (if that guy is dumb enough to try to ramp his motorbike over a fence and he hurts his junk, don't fix his junk so he can create stupid children). I think drugs are okay in the hands of responsible individuals, even for mere recreational use. When irresponsible people use drugs, they suffer the consequences.

                        I was highly influenced by Wicca, especially the writings of the Farrars. I observe, if not always celebrate, the Eight Sabbats as the life cycle of the Horned God. At times I observe the full and dark moons as times to honor the Moon Goddess in her varying aspects and possibly as times to work magic.

                        My beliefs in Deity are an odd cross between Duotheism, Polytheism, and Pantheism. I believe that the Universe as a whole is the Source of All Things, and that everything within it is divine. I am unsure at this time whether I believe that all the gods and goddesses are separate entities or if "all goddesses are one goddess and all gods are one god."

                        I have worked primarily with the Greco-Roman pantheon, but only a select few. Many of the gods of that pantheon strike me as very vain and petty, as though they were humans who were given godly powers.

                        I primarily worship Gaia and Cernunnos. I was called to them because I am very Earth-centered. We are of the Earth and the Earth is our home. I believe that, at this time, everything we need is right here. I think the reason that the exploration of outer space progresses so slowly is because it will be a very long time before we have anything to gain from it. I think that part of the "divine plan," so to speak, is that we here on Earth learn to live together without polluting or otherwise destroying our planet and ourselves before we go off trying to colonize Mars.

                        You could say that I am influenced by kitchen witchery as well. To me, one's home is a temple unto itself, and should be a place of peace and love, a sort of shelter from the chaos outside where you can rest and revitalize yourself. I very much enjoy cooking and working with herbs, especially for healing purposes.

                        I believe that pretty much anything is possible, but I remain skeptical about most things, including vampires and extraterrestrials. I think blind belief is foolish.
                        Children love and want to be loved and they very much prefer the joy of accomplishment to the triumph of hateful failure. Do not mistake a child for his symptom.
                        -Erik Erikson

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                          #13
                          Re: Describe your path

                          I'm an eclectic urban Pagan and kitchen witch.

                          I started my path as a conscious Pagan when I was 10, mostly by discovering the standard FUTHARK runes and various other means of divination. Prior to that, I came from a relatively non-religious household, with free-thinking parents and a Satanic older sister, and a Santerian babysitter at one point. Although I was born during what Hal Sparks called 'the great witching of America' (the mid-70s), I'm not much of an 'occultist', and I had a lot of exposure to the New Age movement in the 80s, but haven't latched onto much of that, either.

                          Like many eclectics, I delved into all kinds of religions and spiritual technologies. I went from basic witchcraft and hoodoo to ceremonialism (with a hefty sprinkling of Crowley and chaos), into Norse-centric and Alexandrian Wicca, shamanism (mostly Siberian & North American varieties) and began developing my relationship with the Greco-Roman pantheon, namely Persephone, Hades, Dionysus and Ariadne/Pasiphae. Because of my interest both in herbalism and Paganism, when movies like The Believers and The Serpent and the Rainbow hit the movie theaters, I started studying Vodou, Santeria and the other African Diaspora. After a lifetime of feeling like I needed to work with many so-called 'dark' deities Who provided me with endless tests, trials and hard knocks, I've been revitalizing my experiences with the lunar Goddess, primarily Selene.

                          Philosophically, I'm pantheist (everything is sacred, everything is Divine), panentheist (the Divine is in everything), animistic (every living thing and some things that aren't, like certain bodies of water, mountains, rocks, etc., is imbued with a soul), a hard polytheist (to me, all Gods exist, even yours) and a reincarnationist. I believe in ghosts, spirits of places/natural occurrences and elemental entities, but I don't believe in demons or angels as anything other than the personified creative and destructive forces at play in the Universe.

                          I no longer practice ritualized magic, but I used to have spells for every little thing. Now I mostly rely on the premise that if the Universe wants to lend me a hand, it will, and if it doesn't then it wasn't meant to be, or it's not the right time. I've always considered myself a 'gray witch'. Magic isn't black or white, it's whatever it takes to get the job done.
                          The forum member formerly known as perzephone. Or Perze. I've shed a skin.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Describe your path

                            What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?

                            I believe that the power exists, and always has. "Deity's" are lenses that we view the power through. People create an idea of an Deity and than that idea shapes the way the power reacts in / to / on the real world.

                            What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?

                            My favourite ritual is based very loosly on an idea I stole from a Sitcom version of Jewish Passover I saw once ( I think it may have been Seinfeld) where I hold a dinner part for the Goddess, The God, the spirit of "This Place" and the elements.
                            When I feel my "Guests" have arrived I make them comfortable, I dish them up a (small) meal, I tell them the best jokes I have heard since the last ritual, I talk about my life since the last ritual, and then I ask my guests for advice (I do a few simple one question / one card Tarot readings).
                            I find it's a really relaxing way to spend a few hours. I hope to run it as a 2 or 4 person ritual lone day soon.

                            Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?

                            I believe in reincarnation. Before i found this path I studied more generalised spirituality and had a few sessions of regression. Would like to do that again.
                            I follow the Magpie path. "Oh SHINY belief" Yoink!

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                              #15
                              Re: Describe your path

                              What Gods or Pantheon do you believe in?
                              What rituals do you practice and for what purpose?
                              Do you believe in the Afterlife or Otherworld?

                              I call myself an eclectic pagan because it somewhat describes how my understanding has evolved at this point. I pull gods and goddesses from different pantheons whenever one seems to have something to teach me. Currently I am primarily interested in Hecate and Kali. Gaia is always important to me, and my practice has been largely based in nature.

                              I practice various rituals, generally without knowing their purpose. I work as my intuition guides me and as of yet I totally don't get what I am doing. As far as conscious work, I use writing as a method of manifesting changes both in myself and my life.

                              I lean towards the belief in some sort of reincarnation. This is solely because I have a great number of memories that I can't possibly account for in my lifetime. I realize there are other possible explanations for this.

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