The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

So now I'm looking for a little help to guide me.
I am very connected to animals. Horses and dogs in particular but all animals in general. Is there a path that leads more with animals and nature?  

Welcome!

Myself and a few others on here will suggest Lupa's work in term of using animals in paganism. http://www.thegreenwolf.com/
Her blog is very interesting. She talks about everything from plants to psychology.
I was on here only a 2 or so weeks ago, feeling lost and I've already bought 2 of her books and 2 others she recommends on her blogs.
Though you gotta keep an open mind with her, as an animal lover. She is an omnivore and makes/sells things out of (ethically sourced and re-purposed) animal skins and bones. (making that bit clear again: she does not hunt animals)

Sifting through the internet will certainly lead you to some bizarre, yet enlightening blogs.
In terms of different animal/nature stuff - there's many different things you can research! Neo-shamanism, Totemism*, Druidism, Pantheism (I'm sure there are more). You have to be thorough in your research. I found that skimming page 1 of Google will be very vague and contain romanticized explanations and some inaccurate and West-raped Native American 'beliefs' (especially if you're researching animal specific spirituality/shamanism).
If there's something you dont get, using this forum will come in handy!  

There is a lot of crap out there though, so here is this link:
https://paganbookreviews.net/about-lupa/
A book review site I was shown yesterday by a lovely Cauldron member.
If you scroll down to 'categories' you will see all the pagan books of the rainbow - with brutally honest reviews - by down the Earth people.
If in doubt about an author - ALWAYS refer to book reviews!

*Totemism: Typically refers to working with animal "totems" and power animals. The term "Totem" however, is actually a tradition exclusive to a Native American tribe, thus not even relevant to non-Natives. I'm usually careful with how I use the words "Totem/Totemism", it may offend some - but then dont assume all sources containing those words promote cultural appropriation.


I wish you good luck

Hey everyone

I am new to the pagan ways and the craft. I am very interested in finding my own path!

Welcome!

I have been reading and reading for the past week trying to find a place to 'start'.. becoming a little overwhelmed. .

It is overwhelming. There's just so much information out there, and if you don't have a clear plan in mind it's tricky to figure out where to start. I have a couple of ideas that may help:

1. Get acquainted with the basics. The Paganism page on About.com is a good place to start.

2. Pick a couple of subjects that interest you and read about them. Hopefully this will help to keep you more focused.

3. Keep a journal. I have one, and it's a life-saver! It helps to keep my thoughts organised, and is a great place to jot down your feelings or any interesting info.

I guess I really wanna hear more about you and your path and how you practice?

I practise Eclectic Paganism, so my path's got crazy paving! :p As for how I practise, I like to keep things simple and casual. Like for this Samhain I lit a candle and said a prayer.
Being Eclectic means I work with different Gods and spirits from a range of pantheons. This path is perfect for me because I never felt a tug to a particular group or set of methods. I love chatting to other Eclectics because there is just so much variety, it's awesome.

Anyway, I wish you the best in finding your path. If you have any questions, or just want to chat you can drop me a line! ^^

Hey everyone

I am new to the pagan ways and the craft. I am very interested in finding my own path!
I know paganism is very tailored to each individual.
I have been reading and reading for the past week trying to find a place to 'start'.. becoming a little overwhelmed. .

A little about myself:
I grew up Catholic.  And have always been ingrained the church ways. Don't do this or that and sin you go to hell. . That has been weighing heavy on me trying to let that go.. I've never felt connected to my religion growing up even tho I wanted to!
I am married and have 2 young children.  
My husband grew up Methodist but he also has always questioned his religion. . I'm not sure how he feels about paganism for himself tho.

I have recently discovered I am an empath. which has lead my research in paganism.  Something draws me to it and I feel it's right.

So now I'm looking for a little help to guide me.
I am very connected to animals. Horses and dogs in particular but all animals in general. Is there a path that leads more with animals and nature?  
Trying to learn more about the magic side as well as that interests me greatly.  Do any of you practice?


I guess I really wanna hear more about you and your path and how you practice?

 
Hello,

I related to your post so I am going to give you my opinion since you are looking for answers. Please keep in mind that this is just my perspective on the issue. You may do with it as you please.

You are right at the beginning of your post when you clearly state that paganism is tailored to individual needs. The various pagan traditions arose out of man's needs which are ever evolving and changing. The trick is to keep up with modern times and not be too traditional. I would recommend looking at yourself and your bloodline and seeing if any of that speaks to you. For instance, if you are Irish I would recommend reading the Irish sources, if you are Italian reading the Italian sources etc. Makes sense? It's what has helped me narrow down the many choices because you are also right when you say that it can be overwhelming.

As far as Christian programming is concerned, I and many others like me have suffered with the same issues you are suffering with now. All I can really say is that if you work hard enough and are determined enough, that eventually you will reach a stage in your life where Christianity no longer has any influence over you except for smalls intrusions every now and then. I don't think anyone fully gets over an abusive religion like Christianity, but you will manage to be above it over time. Just focus on who you want to become in life and it will happen.

I am a little confused about your question pertaining to animals and nature. This forum is for, mostly, pagans, so of course the paths will connect you to animals and nature. Just because we live in houses does not mean there isn't a world outside your door. It is there for you to explore whenever you feel inspired to do so.

I am not sure about the empath concept you alluded to. I am not an expert on new age topics and usually stay away from it because what you will learn over time is that most of those new age concepts come from Theosophy which has nothing to do with paganism. That doesn't mean you can't incorporate certain of those concepts into paganism, but what you really need to focus on is choosing a tradition to follow.

The only other advice I can really give is that paganism is not about beliefs. You have the right to believe in whatever you want to believe in, but at the end of the day it's about keeping true to tradition in a modern sense and bringing the Gods back.

*** MOD HAT ON ***

FriendofHolle, Blanket condemnations of religions, such as what I've quoted, are a violation of our rules. This is your first warning. Sunflower

 
Thanks for being a social justice warrior and a complete shill for the website. Appreciate it.

Hey everyone


A little about myself:
I grew up Catholic.  And have always been ingrained the church ways. Don't do this or that and sin you go to hell. . That has been weighing heavy on me trying to let that go.. I've never felt connected to my religion growing up even tho I wanted to!
I am married and have 2 young children.  
My husband grew up Methodist but he also has always questioned his religion. . I'm not sure how he feels about paganism for himself tho.

 
I also grew up Catholic, and there were things about it I liked, but had always been uncomfortable with a lot of the doctrine.  I've tried to distill out what I did like about being Catholic: the sense of tradition.

I appreciated feeling connected to those people in the past having said the same prayers, performing the same rites, and gathering in the same sorts of places for centuries.  It hasn't been too hard to find similar things with paganism, but it has been hard to find the ones that I like and feel comforting and familiar.

The thing I haven't really been able to replace are the rules you were talking about.  I'm so used to being told the correct way to do something that it's a little strange to have this much freedom.  There's also so many different paths it's hard to just say "OK, you're Pagan now, this is how you pray and what to do."

I know you never felt particularly connected to your Catholic religion, but maybe finding Pagan traditions that are similar to familiar (and enjoyable) things will help you find the right path for you, and might be encouraging as it's otherwise a pretty radical shift from a religion that's very structured.

Best of luck to you and your husband on your journey!

I have been reading and reading for the past week trying to find a place to 'start'.. becoming a little overwhelmed. .

Well, hi and welcome.

For a generally great introduction, I highly recommend Jenett's website, which she has already put a link to. There's a lot of great information on her site that you may find useful regardless of what path you find yourself on eventually.

I'm a big reader, so I always suggest you use your local library to read everything you can get your hands on while always remembering that no one source is ever really 100% perfect. Some books have some really good information on one subject while totally sucking on others.

Trying to learn more about the magic side as well as that interests me greatly.  Do any of you practice?

 
I personally do, yup. I'd actually say it's probably more my focus than religion is. I've been practicing for a few decades now, and it is a subject that never gets less interesting for me.

I am new to the pagan ways and the craft. I am very interested in finding my own path!
I know paganism is very tailored to each individual.
I have been reading and reading for the past week trying to find a place to 'start'.. becoming a little overwhelmed. .

A little about myself:
I grew up Catholic.  And have always been ingrained the church ways. Don't do this or that and sin you go to hell. . That has been weighing heavy on me trying to let that go.. I've never felt connected to my religion growing up even tho I wanted to!

I am married and have 2 young children.  
My husband grew up Methodist but he also has always questioned his religion. . I'm not sure how he feels about paganism for himself tho...

So now I'm looking for a little help to guide me...

I guess I really wanna hear more about you and your path and how you practice?

Let me add my 'welcome' as well!!!  While I've always been fully supportive of witches and pagans since my youth, I was raised for 18 years in the Dutch Reformed Church.  I left church life in my early 20s because their LGBT views.  In my mid-40s, I joined a United Church of Christ congregation because of their VERY progressive, social-justice faith, views and actions.  While I'm still a member of that congregation because I have good friends there, 10 years ago I started feeling more spiritually-connected to Unitarian-Universalism beliefs. worship and their social-justice activities as well!  Now three years ago I started looking into paganism seriously, and Christo-Paganism, specifically.  Today, I think of myself as being on a Druid's path, and a pagan follower of Jesus (among many other great spiritual teachers, male and female).

Yes, my past 3 years has been overwhelming, as well!  Sometimes I've felt there's not enough time in each day to read, learn, reflect on, and experience all of the awe-inspiring, interesting and wonderful things that Paganism offers up as a huge, luscious banquet!!!  It can be difficult, in my case certainly, to be patient in figuring what path(s) I should be on... though I've gotten over my frustration, thank God(dess)!  I've finally become satisfied with my taking short 'day trips' in learning about various aspects of Paganism, as well as immersing myself in more in-depth and difficult and time-consuming 'journeys' involving modern Druidry/Druidism.