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Author Topic: Not quite sure how to define my path?  (Read 2468 times)

Ruby~Moon

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Not quite sure how to define my path?
« on: May 07, 2012, 02:39:50 am »
Hello! :)

I'm not quite sure which category I fall into as far as the many branches of Paganism are concerned. I'm still rather new to Paganism, as a whole, and would greatly appreciate your opinions on which path you believe I relate the most to (Eclectic Witchcraft
I feel a very strong sense of connectedness to nature, as well as to the Goddess, and have come to accept the Goddess alone, in comparison to 'the God and the Goddess'. I am drawn to the practice of Witchcraft and believe it to be a combination of a vast range of different things; I am greatly interested in candle magick, cooking with intent, divination, meditation, herbalism, and more. Personally, I believe magick to be a combination of our intentions and inner strengths, as well as help from the Goddess; I believe in the law of three.

I see both the Sabbats and Esbats as a time for thanking and worshiping the Goddess through ritual; I'm not sure whether I believe in the existence of magical creatures as yet, and I am looking forward to gaining a deeper understanding of the deities (I am not fully aware of what they involve? I envision the Goddess as a 'whole' in comparison to individial deities), spirit guides (again, I am not fully aware of what they involve?), history, mythology, and the many different branches of Paganism, such as Shamanism and Druidism. Thankyou for taking the time to read this! :)

Ruby~Moon
« Last Edit: May 07, 2012, 02:47:46 am by Ruby~Moon »

PlaceboArtist

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Re: Not quite sure how to define my path?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2012, 03:16:59 am »
Quote from: Ruby~Moon;53359


 
For starters, yes, there is a path called Eclectic Witchcraft. But it's also perfectly OK not to choose any kind of adjective, and simply go with Witchcraft or Paganism. Cooking with intent is often a part of Kitchen Witchery, so if you haven't already you might find that a good path to look into. Believing in the Goddess alone immediately causes the term Dianic to leap to mind, but I think Dianics have their own belief system focussing on 'womyn's mysteries', so if that's not something that draws your interest it may not be a great way to go.

You don't have to believe in different deities, you can be a monotheist (believe in one Goddess) and still be Pagan. When you've researched them, you may find you are a soft polytheist (all different deities are simply the different ways Goddess chooses to present herself at different times). If you see nature as actually part of Goddess (or Goddess as part of nature), rather than Goddess being a separate being that operates nature from afar, a term you might find useful is Pantheism.

Spirit guides are a fuzzy concept connected with Shamanism and (I think) some Native American tribes, and also generic New Age stuff. There's about a bazillion different views on the topic, but in a nutshell: Spirit guides are beings (often animals, but some people believe that spiritually powerful people who are now dead, such as Jesus and the Buddha can also be guides) that live on the astral plane. People often meditate until they reach trance and then they talk to their spirit guide for help in times of need. So really it's like another deity, but for just for you personally. I personally don't believe in this concept so I'm going off what I can remember from my first research. If the concept interests you, do more research as what I said may not be exactly right.

History and mythology are very interesting things in and of themselves, and I could dedicate a whole 'nother wall of text to them. But I won't. Generally societies with extensive mythology had many deities, so you may or may not want to integrate myths into your practice.

Shamanism, in its truest sense, requires a real calling and extensive training. It can involve the use of psychoactive drugs or other means to achieve trance, where the Shaman then is able to heal people's illness and problems.

Druidry is a title shared by several different organisations, such as ADF and OBOD. There are many others, take a look at this list on Wikipedia for more.

Sorry that turned into a wall o' text, but I tried to respond to everything you brought up.

Aubrey_Rose

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Re: Not quite sure how to define my path?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2012, 05:37:36 pm »
Quote from: Ruby~Moon;53359
Hello! :)


I feel a very strong sense of connectedness to nature, as well as to the Goddess, and have come to accept the Goddess alone, in comparison to 'the God and the Goddess'. I am drawn to the practice of Witchcraft and believe it to be a combination of a vast range of different things; I am greatly interested in candle magick, cooking with intent, divination, meditation, herbalism, and more. Personally, I believe magick to be a combination of our intentions and inner strengths, as well as help from the Goddess; I believe in the law of three.

I see both the Sabbats and Esbats as a time for thanking and worshiping the Goddess through ritual;
Ruby~Moon

 
What I highlighted in bold, is a big part of what I personally believe in.
If I had to, I would classify myself as a "green Witch" Or even a "kitchen Witch" . Its an interesting path to learn, if you want to delve a little deeper there. :)

Though, I also think it's important to mention that I am NOT a big fan of labeling, I feel that I have a broader scope to work with by trying not to label myself.

Wiccan's for example, follow a strict path. with rules, and guidelines, and much to much structure for me. (Note: NOT a Wiccan expert here, that's just what I found when I looked into it. No offense intended)

Hope that was somewhat helpful.
If we all lived a little greener, Then perhaps our children\'s children will live a little longer.
--Rose

spoOk

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Re: Not quite sure how to define my path?
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2012, 12:08:49 pm »
Quote from: Aubrey_Rose;53434
What I highlighted in bold, is a big part of what I personally believe in.
If I had to, I would classify myself as a "green Witch" Or even a "kitchen Witch" . Its an interesting path to learn, if you want to delve a little deeper there. :)

Though, I also think it's important to mention that I am NOT a big fan of labeling, I feel that I have a broader scope to work with by trying not to label myself.

Wiccan's for example, follow a strict path. with rules, and guidelines, and much to much structure for me. (Note: NOT a Wiccan expert here, that's just what I found when I looked into it. No offense intended)

Hope that was somewhat helpful.

 
what you do with your witchcraft type things doesnt have to involve what you
worship.
talking of esbats and sabbats sounds more like Wicca to me.
if you must find a label that's fine.
but you could just worship goddess and esbats and sabbats and not feel the need for more of a label than pagan.
Ize bel zafen.
Ize bel daleen.

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