A hearty hello to all!

[meno silencio]

Greetings to all of you. I go by my pen name 'meno silencio' (aka the herdless witch), mostly because I'm so deep in the broom closet I may have found Narnia. : D (please forgive my sense of humor)

I was raised in a Christian household, and taught that all pagan religions were evil and dangerous. I pretty much lived in a black hole of negativity for most of my youth. I 'believed' in the Christian god, but there was always a seed of doubt in the back of my mind. When I turned eighteen I started to question my life. Everything felt so bleak and so futile. I couldn't believe that after struggling to be a good Christian for so long everything could still be as dark and hopeless as it was. That was when I started my journey into exploring new religions. It was scary at first, but so rewarding. I did tend to gravitate towards witchcraft because of the whole forbidden apple principal, but after so many years it was what I kept coming back to. It has helped me through some very very terrible times, and I'm not sure I can quite explain it, but it feels right.

 I don't feel like I identify strictly with any certain group. That doesn't bother me. I practice magic practically, and I love to expand my knowledge.

Blessings to all of you
Meno<3

[Preyna]

Greetings to all of you. I go by my pen name 'meno silencio' (aka the herdless witch), mostly because I'm so deep in the broom closet I may have found Narnia. : D (please forgive my sense of humor)

I was raised in a Christian household, and taught that all pagan religions were evil and dangerous. I pretty much lived in a black hole of negativity for most of my youth. I 'believed' in the Christian god, but there was always a seed of doubt in the back of my mind. When I turned eighteen I started to question my life. Everything felt so bleak and so futile. I couldn't believe that after struggling to be a good Christian for so long everything could still be as dark and hopeless as it was. That was when I started my journey into exploring new religions. It was scary at first, but so rewarding. I did tend to gravitate towards witchcraft because of the whole forbidden apple principal, but after so many years it was what I kept coming back to. It has helped me through some very very terrible times, and I'm not sure I can quite explain it, but it feels right.

 I don't feel like I identify strictly with any certain group. That doesn't bother me. I practice magic practically, and I love to expand my knowledge.

Blessings to all of you
Meno<3

Welcome, welcome~ 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[meno silencio]

Welcome, welcome~ 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Thank you! : D

[Voren]

Greetings to all of you. I go by my pen name 'meno silencio' (aka the herdless witch), mostly because I'm so deep in the broom closet I may have found Narnia. : D (please forgive my sense of humor)

I was raised in a Christian household, and taught that all pagan religions were evil and dangerous. I pretty much lived in a black hole of negativity for most of my youth. I 'believed' in the Christian god, but there was always a seed of doubt in the back of my mind. When I turned eighteen I started to question my life. Everything felt so bleak and so futile. I couldn't believe that after struggling to be a good Christian for so long everything could still be as dark and hopeless as it was. That was when I started my journey into exploring new religions. It was scary at first, but so rewarding. I did tend to gravitate towards witchcraft because of the whole forbidden apple principal, but after so many years it was what I kept coming back to. It has helped me through some very very terrible times, and I'm not sure I can quite explain it, but it feels right.

 I don't feel like I identify strictly with any certain group. That doesn't bother me. I practice magic practically, and I love to expand my knowledge.

Blessings to all of you
Meno<3

Hello and welcome

[Uneryx]

Greetings to all of you. I go by my pen name 'meno silencio' (aka the herdless witch), mostly because I'm so deep in the broom closet I may have found Narnia. : D (please forgive my sense of humor)

I was raised in a Christian household, and taught that all pagan religions were evil and dangerous. I pretty much lived in a black hole of negativity for most of my youth. I 'believed' in the Christian god, but there was always a seed of doubt in the back of my mind. When I turned eighteen I started to question my life. Everything felt so bleak and so futile. I couldn't believe that after struggling to be a good Christian for so long everything could still be as dark and hopeless as it was. That was when I started my journey into exploring new religions. It was scary at first, but so rewarding. I did tend to gravitate towards witchcraft because of the whole forbidden apple principal, but after so many years it was what I kept coming back to. It has helped me through some very very terrible times, and I'm not sure I can quite explain it, but it feels right.

 I don't feel like I identify strictly with any certain group. That doesn't bother me. I practice magic practically, and I love to expand my knowledge.

Blessings to all of you
Meno<3

/broom closet fist bump

Welcome to TC, hope you find what you're looking for here! Totally feeling everything you're saying here, so I hope you have a good time.

[ehbowen]

I was raised in a Christian household, and taught that all pagan religions were evil and dangerous.

I'm really not wanting to derail your intro thread, but I felt the urge to speak up. I've spent a lifetime trying to get closer to the Christian God...and I've come pretty close, on occasion . I'm not in any position to proclaim a change in policy...not yet, at least...but I get the very strong impression that a change in policy will be forthcoming, in much the same way that the Jewish dietary laws were superseded two thousand years ago. Yes, Jews who wish to are still free to observe those laws, but the rest of us who follow the God of the Bible are under no such constraints.

My best guess is that the Biblical prohibitions on paganism and the occult were grounded in two basic principles: First, there is very real spiritual interference "out there." The Entity Also Known As Satan is very fond of what we computer geeks might call "man in the middle" attacks. You think you're talking to Brighid; she thinks she's talking to you; but some Bad Guy may be listening in. As long as what you both say doesn't pose a threat to him, he may not interfere and you may have some genuine communication...but as soon as it DOES pose a threat, well, "loose lips sink ships."

Secondly, I believe that my God had a very real purpose and plan for Israel and, later, the church. When you have a newborn baby with a questionable immune system...which I believe is a very apt metaphor for Israel in its formative years...you go to extreme measures to keep any unwanted contamination out of the room. But when the kid grows up, he or she may be making and even eating mud pies just a few years later.

Again, this is speculation between friends; please don't tell anyone, "Eric told me it was okay!" God is perfectly capable of speaking for himself (herself?) when the time is right. And, also, I will not be discussing this subject any further in this thread. If you want to follow up, please quote this and start a new thread in "Non-Pagan" or "Miscellaneous." I also respond to PMs.

[meno silencio]

Hello and welcome

Thanks Voren!

[meno silencio]

/broom closet fist bump

Welcome to TC, hope you find what you're looking for here! Totally feeling everything you're saying here, so I hope you have a good time.

And a high five to you! : D It's lovely being able to read through all the threads here and participate and chat with people who also have no problem with 'to each his own' <3