collapse

* Recent Posts

"Christ Is King" by Altair
[Today at 01:09:34 am]


Re: Cill Shift Schedule by SunflowerP
[Yesterday at 11:04:57 pm]


Re: Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 11:21:37 pm]


Re: Spring Has Sprung! 2024 Edition by SunflowerP
[March 21, 2024, 10:24:10 pm]


Stellar Bling: The Good, the Bad, the OMG! by Altair
[March 21, 2024, 02:52:34 pm]

Author Topic: Encouragement  (Read 2195 times)

MeadowRae

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Location: West Virginia
  • Posts: 410
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 26
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Pantheist Pagan Witch with Celtic Leanings
  • Preferred Pronouns: They/He/She
Encouragement
« on: November 04, 2015, 06:13:23 pm »
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?
The genderqueer witch your mother warned you about

Redfaery

  • Grand Master Member
  • *******
  • Join Date: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 1345
  • Total likes: 40
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2015, 07:28:41 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?

 
That sounds lovely. :) What book is it?

I've received constant encouragement and advice from my patron goddess. She pretty much just grabbed me when I was fumbling around trying to figure stuff out, and she hasn't ever let go...I don't think she will, and that's fine by me. ;)

(And EVERYBODY needs encouragement)
KARMA: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

MeadowRae

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Location: West Virginia
  • Posts: 410
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 26
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Pantheist Pagan Witch with Celtic Leanings
  • Preferred Pronouns: They/He/She
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2015, 09:36:58 pm »
Quote from: Redfaery;181905
That sounds lovely. :) What book is it?

I've received constant encouragement and advice from my patron goddess. She pretty much just grabbed me when I was fumbling around trying to figure stuff out, and she hasn't ever let go...I don't think she will, and that's fine by me. ;)

(And EVERYBODY needs encouragement)

That sounds wonderful. I am glad she found you. And you are right, we all do. :)

I am reading Paganism: An Introduction to Earth Centered Religions It has gotten some mixed reviews, but I think it will provide a very basic overview that I can move forward with. I already have a list of books waiting in my cart at Amazon. :D

Reading my initial post, I wanted to clarify what I meant by encouragement a little bit. I have a wonderful husband that supports me in my career and spiritual pursuits, but the majority of our community and our family balks at the idea of anything but mainstream Christianity. It just feels like we are on our own weird little island. The environment makes me wonder if the path is worth following sometimes, but that Divine encouragement keeps bringing me back.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2015, 09:41:23 pm by MeadowRae »
The genderqueer witch your mother warned you about

Floofy Bunny

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 77
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2015, 03:21:25 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?


ViolaRae, what a great idea for a thread on this. Hearing about other newbie's beginning steps and experiences definitely helps me feel less isolated. My bf is very supportive, but I still feel weird saying like oh, well, I am pretty sure Freya has been pushing me for awhile towards this. In fact, I did some reflective writing the other day then on Samhain did a tarot reading, and it was eye-opening. I definitely think I have been receiving encouragement from her, but I am still squeamish to say that to non-pagans.

catonmyshirt

  • Sr. Newbie
  • **
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 19
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #4 on: November 06, 2015, 04:09:06 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?

 
I don't usually mention it, but when I started out, there was the definite presence of the Goddess encouraging me to continue my practice. She's been there ever since, and I've never looked back. <3

MeadowRae

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Location: West Virginia
  • Posts: 410
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 26
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Pantheist Pagan Witch with Celtic Leanings
  • Preferred Pronouns: They/He/She
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2015, 06:28:29 am »
Quote from: Floofy Bunny;181982
I did some reflective writing the other day then on Samhain did a tarot reading, and it was eye-opening. I definitely think I have been receiving encouragement from her, but I am still squeamish to say that to non-pagans.


I definitely understand the squeamishness. Even though my husband is supportive, I still feel weird talking to him about my experiences. Catonmyshirt, that is encouraging! How long have you been practicing?
The genderqueer witch your mother warned you about

Lana288

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Apr 2014
  • *
  • Posts: 255
  • Country: 00
  • Total likes: 5
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2015, 01:58:29 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?

 
Honestly, I read the cauldron a lot when I was new to paganism. I couldn't join the forum- I was too young for my parents to be comfortable with that- but I could certainly read it, and it provided a lot of lasting inspiration and encouragement.

Anyway. As far as deities go, while the gods have done a lot for me, my practice is rarely inspired by them directly. I'm much more encouraged by other pagans. It makes me feel a little bit less crazy. ;)

Froði Ingsson

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Nov 2015
  • Location: Evergreen State
  • Posts: 94
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 2
    • View Profile
    • SOHM Publishing
  • Religion: Heathen
  • Preferred Pronouns: he/him/his
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2015, 01:25:40 am »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?


Blessings ViolaRae,

That is a powerful experience. Teeth cleaning, flat tire, graveyard, and receiving a book that sounds life-changing, all happening in one day: that’s powerful. And of course, on top of all those things, it was happening on Samhain is just awesome! That’s the magic of life.

As for encouragement, while we might not need it, though I would disagree with that sometimes, it is still very much appreciated and helpful. And so, here is some encouragement: you’re awesome!

Regarding your circumstances, that’s hard. For a year I lived with my wife’s parents, and I actually had to go into the closet to meditate and do ritual. It was not ideal, but in some ways, it was very magical. My wife and I are in sync, and now that we have moved away we can openly celebrate in the blessings of life without Christian judgmentalism: it’s a blessings to say the least. The best encouragement I have to offer regarding that is to be true to yourself and seek out those who harmonize with you: this forum is definitely a good place.

As to your question regarding encountering spirits and energies when I first started the Path, if the truth be known, I have experienced these things my whole life, it was only later, after I had started to delve into the spiritual realms that I realized that.

You’ll find, as most do, that the more open and aware you are of the spiritual planes, the more you’ll see just how much the spirits work in our lives.

May your Path be fruitful and may many blessings enter into your life.

Be Blessed,
Yogisuba

MeadowRae

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Location: West Virginia
  • Posts: 410
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 26
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Pantheist Pagan Witch with Celtic Leanings
  • Preferred Pronouns: They/He/She
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2015, 08:19:07 pm »
Quote from: Yogisuba;182592


Regarding your circumstances, that’s hard. For a year I lived with my wife’s parents, and I actually had to go into the closet to meditate and do ritual. It was not ideal, but in some ways, it was very magical. My wife and I are in sync, and now that we have moved away we can openly celebrate in the blessings of life without Christian judgmentalism: it’s a blessings to say the least. The best encouragement I have to offer regarding that is to be true to yourself and seek out those who harmonize with you: this forum is definitely a good place.

As to your question regarding encountering spirits and energies when I first started the Path, if the truth be known, I have experienced these things my whole life, it was only later, after I had started to delve into the spiritual realms that I realized that.

You’ll find, as most do, that the more open and aware you are of the spiritual planes, the more you’ll see just how much the spirits work in our lives.


 
Thank you for the encouragement! Thankfully, we are no longer living with family, but when we did, it was hard to have any private time, much less time to meditate or pray. I wasn't very spiritual at the time, but I can imagine how hard that would be. (My father-in-law would most definitely not approve of my altar.)

 I agree, I think the spirits have always been there, just waiting for me to acknowledge them and invite them in. I view it as my being involved in a spiritual family now, instead of feeling separated from God by my humanity.
The genderqueer witch your mother warned you about

kratos264

  • Apprentice
  • ***
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 35
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2015, 11:48:31 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181909


Reading my initial post, I wanted to clarify what I meant by encouragement a little bit. I have a wonderful husband that supports me in my career and spiritual pursuits, but the majority of our community and our family balks at the idea of anything but mainstream Christianity. It just feels like we are on our own weird little island. The environment makes me wonder if the path is worth following sometimes, but that Divine encouragement keeps bringing me back.

 
How did you go about telling your husband about your switch to paganism? If you were married at the time, and you don't mind my asking. I have started practicing Asutru about a month and a half to two months ago and am trying to figure out how to tell my fiance about my change in religion. We both come from very christian backgrounds and don't want to put unnecessary strain on our relationship.

Lionrhod

  • Journeyman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2013
  • Posts: 167
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
    • http://www.lionrhod.com
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2015, 03:57:53 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?

 
Sounds like the flat tire and the book were blessings.

I grew up in an athiest/agnostic family. Lots of them thought I was nuts. *shrug* no biggie, I knew it was real for me and persisted. At the age of 15 I was gifted with a copy of Spiral Dance from my mom's best friend (a Jewish/?Quaker priest). When I was 30  (after years of study alone) I was introduced to my first hp and coven by my mom. (Go figure, she'd somehow stepped into paganism after me.)

As far as spirits and entities, they were always there for me.

Anyhow we here on this forum are here to support YOU! Go at it and be fearsome and truly yourself!
When given a choice between black and white, choose purple.
SpellCraft Secrets: The Art of Creating Magic Spells Made Easy 2nd edition, revised
Dark Moon Gates - Pagan YA Fantasy
Nenfari - FREE Dark Sword & Sorcery
The Spider\'s Yule Gift - A Children\'s Folktale & Polish Pagan Holiday Traditions
My Website

MeadowRae

  • Master Member
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Location: West Virginia
  • Posts: 410
  • Country: us
  • Total likes: 26
    • View Profile
  • Religion: Pantheist Pagan Witch with Celtic Leanings
  • Preferred Pronouns: They/He/She
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2016, 07:32:19 am »
Quote from: Lionrhod;182840
Sounds like the flat tire and the book were blessings.

I grew up in an athiest/agnostic family. Lots of them thought I was nuts. *shrug* no biggie, I knew it was real for me and persisted. At the age of 15 I was gifted with a copy of Spiral Dance from my mom's best friend (a Jewish/?Quaker priest). When I was 30  (after years of study alone) I was introduced to my first hp and coven by my mom. (Go figure, she'd somehow stepped into paganism after me.)

As far as spirits and entities, they were always there for me.

Anyhow we here on this forum are here to support YOU! Go at it and be fearsome and truly yourself!


Wow, your mom and her friend sound really awesome and open-minded. Thank you! :)

@ kratos, I am so sorry, but I am just seeing this; not sure how I missed it. I saw in another post that you have already spoken to your fiancé. To answer your question, I broached the subject slowly and told my husband that I was interested in paganism in general. We both go to church, but neither of us are really "Christian" as per the Counsel of Nicaea definition. He is more Unitarian than anything, really.  

Other than telling him of my interest, I answered all of the questions he had about what I believed about God/Goddess/Spirit and my philosophies on what Spirit/Deity is. (He is a man of many questions, lol.) He is wary of me bringing pentacles into the house, but other than that it's been pretty much smooth sailing. I am not going to bring anything in the house/in my practice that he is uncomfortable with out of respect. I figure anything that causes tension in the household is going to bring bad energy with it, regardless of what it is.

Again, sorry for the late answer, but I hope it helps!
The genderqueer witch your mother warned you about

Moonstone

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Dec 2012
  • Posts: 71
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2016, 03:21:56 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?

 
I never had any encouragement as a teenager as my family are atheists (although my mum seems to be heading in a pagany-buddhisty direction now) and I didn't even tell my family I was pagan for fear of ridicule. I think I could tell my mum now though, when the time is right.
I found a lot of good stuff to read on this forum even before I joined and that has been very encouraging for me. I have also had gentle encouragement from my spirit guides and the god/desses.

Elding

  • Sr. Apprentice
  • ****
  • Join Date: Aug 2015
  • Posts: 98
  • Total likes: 1
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2016, 07:57:17 am »
Quote from: ViolaRae;181904
So, on November 2, while some of my Christian friends celebrated All Souls Day, I found myself hanging out in an old graveyard. I was supposed to be getting my teeth examined, but I got a flat tire halfway there. I think the God and Goddess were in on it; it was a beautiful experience. I believe I was visited by at least one spirit, and I wasn't even mad about the flat tire. :)

I also received my first pagan based book in the mail that day, and it turns out that it is set up like a textbook, so I have a literal course of study for the beginning of my journey. I couldn't be happier!

I guess I really just wanted to share how my path is starting out. I get very little encouragement IRL. Not that it's needed, but it feels nice. Did you encounter encouragement from the spirits/gods/other pagans when you first started exploring paganism?

 
Hm.. well, I kept it for myself for some time. I didn't really know how having a religion was supposed to work, because I was raised an atheist, so I just fooled around a little and was very surprised when, one day during a little blót, I could not shake the feeling of an actual presence. Of course, I got scared and chickened the heck outta there, lol :l

But that same presence returned in a dream at a later point, some year (years?) later. Back then, though I identified more or less as a pagan, that's what probably set it in stone. It was a message I really needed to hear. It continued to linger in the back of my mind, until some time later when I decided I'd like to do this stuff for *real*. I attended a public ceremony, met a lot of great people, and that was all the encouragement I needed to know that this was a good choice. I still do get encouragement from the gods every now and then, simply by their appearances in my life.

Your experience sounds like quite the something :)
Out in the woods, and I\'m not alone, but the sun\'s quickly going down!
There! In the trees! Something stalking me! Stop walking around!
\'K, just be cool, don\'t be such a fool! There is nothing at all to fear...
... other than the trees and the night and a beam of light, and the breathing in my ear...
[/I]

kratos264

  • Apprentice
  • ***
  • Join Date: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 35
  • Total likes: 0
    • View Profile
Re: Encouragement
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2016, 01:02:09 pm »
Quote from: ViolaRae;184632
Wow, your mom and her friend sound really awesome and open-minded. Thank you! :)

Other than telling him of my interest, I answered all of the questions he had about what I believed about God/Goddess/Spirit and my philosophies on what Spirit/Deity is. (He is a man of many questions, lol.) He is wary of me bringing pentacles into the house, but other than that it's been pretty much smooth sailing. I am not going to bring anything in the house/in my practice that he is uncomfortable with out of respect. I figure anything that causes tension in the household is going to bring bad energy with it, regardless of what it is.

Again, sorry for the late answer, but I hope it helps!


Yeah we find some middle ground in the belief that it is possible that all religions could have possibly started as one religion. I'm not sure if that belief is truly heathen, but its working for us for now. She even let me set up a sort of shine. I even put some Christian religious items so we can pray there together. Again I'm not sure how pagan or heathen that truly is, but it is working for us. I'm most likely not going to push it anymore until we are done with our premarital education. The important part is she knows my beliefs are different than hers and we are still happy together. Just going through an adjusting phase.

Tags:
 

Beginner Area

Warning: You are currently in a Beginner Friendly area of the message board.

* Who's Online

  • Dot Guests: 193
  • Dot Hidden: 0
  • Dot Users: 0

There aren't any users online.

* Please Donate!

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

* Shop & Support TC

The links below are affiliate links. When you click on one of these links you will go to the listed shopping site with The Cauldron's affiliate code. Any purchases you make during your visit will earn TC a tiny percentage of your purchase price at no extra cost to you.

* In Memoriam

Chavi (2006)
Elspeth (2010)
Marilyn (2013)

* Cauldron Staff

Host:
Sunflower

Message Board Staff
Board Coordinator:
Darkhawk

Assistant Board Coordinator:
Aster Breo

Senior Staff:
Aisling, Allaya, Jenett, Sefiru

Staff:
Ashmire, EclecticWheel, HarpingHawke, Kylara, PerditaPickle, rocquelaire

Discord Chat Staff
Chat Coordinator:
Morag

'Up All Night' Coordinator:
Altair

Cauldron Council:
Bob, Catja, Chatelaine, Emma-Eldritch, Fausta, Jubes, Kelly, LyricFox, Phouka, Sperran, Star, Steve, Tana

Site Administrator:
Randall

SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal