What's the Downside of Your Religious Experience?

[Morbid]

But as important as these religious paths/spiritual experiences are to us, what's the downside? What's the part of the experience that presents the greatest difficulty in life, perhaps in comparison to more mainstream religions?

I think the biggest downside for me is not exatly the lack of people on the same path as me, but rather, the amount of sheer ignorance and intolerance that I have personally experienced.  I've found that a lot of people find out about my religion, that I practice Witchcraft, etc, and they freak out.  It's like all of a sudden you've grown a second head and developed laser eyes you intend to melt them.  I've been actively practicing since I was in jr high, going into high school.  And boy oh boy when THAT got around school!  And I went to h.s. in a very liberal part of the country, no doubt.  And now that I'm back in the bible belt so to speak, it's even worse. 

[Hrútsvinr]

The work part is almost entirely unrewarding.

Not the religious work, the architecture for doing the religious work.

I've been stalled on doing meaningful Kemetic research for something like two years now because who cares?  Basically.  It's almost entirely thankless, the stuff I think is interesting seems to disappear into the ether, and even if I want to put it together into a thing at some point, meh.

I'm actually getting back to what I have always wanted to be doing with my life, and maybe if I get that sorted out productively I will feel up to having the theology as a bloody side project.

This is exactly how I've been feeling recently about navigating a new path.

Not to mention feeling lonely and having very few to no people in real life to talk about it with.

[Goddess_Ashtara]

The religions and spiritual approaches here at the Cauldron are varied and, by mainstream standards, unusual; presumably we each get something important from them, or we wouldn't be doing this.

But as important as these religious paths/spiritual experiences are to us, what's the downside? What's the part of the experience that presents the greatest difficulty in life, perhaps in comparison to more mainstream religions?

For me, it's feeling disconnected from others: having a lack of religious community. Which is ironic, because my nature-based paganism stems from and strengthens a deep and fulfilling connection to the natural world. But unlike, say, my Christian family members, there's no weekly gathering of like-minded folks to bond with...and while my finding my own gods and writing their myths remains perhaps my most personally important and fulfilling undertaking, it remains exactly that--personal--and only intensifies the gap I feel with others, who have no understanding of the gods as I do. How could they?

I think, along with my fondness for a good debate, it's the need to try to forge a connection on religious matters with others that keeps me coming back to the Cauldron.

There is no downside.  I have developed my own spiritual-religious system, one that reflects my own Weltanshauung and True Will, and my own dreams and goals and aspirations.  My "religion" is a reflection not only of who I am but who I was, and who I am becoming.  I may utilize strength, power, wisdom and beauty from wherever I wish, whenever I wish and however I wish.  I have absolute power over my religious system and can develop and alter and evolve it however I Will.  There are no limits.  No downsides.

Should any "downsides" arise, they are easily remedied.  At least, they are at this time in my life.  There are so many religions out there of which I am free to explore and immerse myself in, and utilize... should I Will. There are so many cultures.  So many people.  So many places and so many resources.  So much strength, so much beauty.  So much power and wisdom.  So many places and things to motivate and inspire me to do the things I Will and be who I Will to be.  I am completely satisfied with every aspect of my spiritual-religious system but that does not stop me from reaching even higher.  One should not stop at the clouds when one can ascend to the stars.

[Ashmire]

I think the biggest downside for me is not exatly the lack of people on the same path as me, but rather, the amount of sheer ignorance and intolerance that I have personally experienced.  I've found that a lot of people find out about my religion, that I practice Witchcraft, etc, and they freak out.  It's like all of a sudden you've grown a second head and developed laser eyes you intend to melt them.  I've been actively practicing since I was in jr high, going into high school.  And boy oh boy when THAT got around school!  And I went to h.s. in a very liberal part of the country, no doubt.  And now that I'm back in the bible belt so to speak, it's even worse.

It seemed like, for awhile in the late 90s and early 2000s, there was a lot more tolerance and acceptance, and then somehow over the last decade that has been going away again.  .

[MamaThistle]

It seemed like, for awhile in the late 90s and early 2000s, there was a lot more tolerance and acceptance, and then somehow over the last decade that has been going away again.  .

I heard someone say the other day that the late 90s was the golden era and it sucks if you missed it! Haha. I was a little young to be actively searching any religious path, but I do remember the time fondly in general. I also remember making a grimoire and staining the paper with coffee. My family thought I was a little weird but they still encouraged it.

Honestly, I think a lot of people are overly sensitive about religion these days, especially with Christianity. was raised Christian and I don't have any damaging memories, but I noticed this increased sensitivity over the years. It's probably what turned me off to it as an adult, even as a Christian I wasn't raised that way.



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[Morbid]

I heard someone say the other day that the late 90s was the golden era and it sucks if you missed it! Haha. I was a little young to be actively searching any religious path, but I do remember the time fondly in general. I also remember making a grimoire and staining the paper with coffee. My family thought I was a little weird but they still encouraged it.

Honestly, I think a lot of people are overly sensitive about religion these days, especially with Christianity. was raised Christian and I don't have any damaging memories, but I noticed this increased sensitivity over the years. It's probably what turned me off to it as an adult, even as a Christian I wasn't raised that way.



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I was in high school around the time (early 2000s), and even in an extremely liberal part of the country, it was 50/50 as far as reactions go.  Some pretty much had the attitude of stay away from me, some didn't really care either way.  I personally really enjoyed screwing with the ones who had the stay away from me attitude.  Apparently if you hold a remotely witchy related book and mutter some mumbo jumbo at someone and star at them intently, they think you're cursing them.  Who knew?

[MamaThistle]

I was in high school around the time (early 2000s), and even in an extremely liberal part of the country, it was 50/50 as far as reactions go.  Some pretty much had the attitude of stay away from me, some didn't really care either way.  I personally really enjoyed screwing with the ones who had the stay away from me attitude.  Apparently if you hold a remotely witchy related book and mutter some mumbo jumbo at someone and star at them intently, they think you're cursing them.  Who knew?

My family is pretty conservative, but most (at least the ones I respect) never bought into the "conservative Christian" thing.

People are so weird, I don't know why they care? I am pretty private, outside my immediate family, but I've never had anyone be too rude to me personally.

[Morbid]

My family is pretty conservative, but most (at least the ones I respect) never bought into the "conservative Christian" thing.

People are so weird, I don't know why they care? I am pretty private, outside my immediate family, but I've never had anyone be too rude to me personally.

My family is weird in that regards, my grandmother was and remains an active and practicing Witch.  So we had that to start with.  As far as everyone else, I don't hide things like that, but I don't broadcast it, either.  It's really none of anybody's business, but we choose to be here in a like-minded community. 

[Emma Eldritch]

I heard someone say the other day that the late 90s was the golden era and it sucks if you missed it!

I assure you that the 90s also sucked.

[MamaThistle]

I assure you that the 90s also sucked.

I grew up in the 90s and I loved it. I wasn't a teen yet though.


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[MamaThistle]

My family is weird in that regards, my grandmother was and remains an active and practicing Witch.  So we had that to start with.  As far as everyone else, I don't hide things like that, but I don't broadcast it, either.  It's really none of anybody's business, but we choose to be here in a like-minded community.

That's awesome and that's my approach too.



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[Waldhexe]

The religions and spiritual approaches here at the Cauldron are varied and, by mainstream standards, unusual; presumably we each get something important from them, or we wouldn't be doing this.

But as important as these religious paths/spiritual experiences are to us, what's the downside? What's the part of the experience that presents the greatest difficulty in life, perhaps in comparison to more mainstream religions?

I really like being creative and organize rituals in small groups, but sometimes there are phases when everyone of the group is stressed from work and didn't really prepare much apart from bringing some food - then it's sometimes a bit difficult...this year I really wished in some moments the group was a bit bigger with more people contributing so I don't always have to prepare much and can just go there and others would lead the ritual. If the group was bigger - say 6 or 10 people we could take turns with 2-3 people having the hat on for this ritual and 2-3 for the next and so on. If you're only 3-4 people, you always have some part of the hat on...

[Jainarayan]

For me, it's feeling disconnected from others: having a lack of religious community.

I think this is it for me. I attend temple semi-regularly (once or twice a week, more or less) I am not Indian nor does my family practice Hinduism. As one of the very few westerners at temple, I sometimes get strange looks from people. Not disapproving, but curious. Whatever the intent, it's a bit disconcerting, especially children staring at me. 

Tl;dr version: I often l think I do not belong there and should just worship at home.

The downside to Buddhism is online. Sounds catchy! Until you run across these online Buddhists who seem to practice all their perfections offline....

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Please! Don't get me started about on-line "ponga pundits" (blowhards)!   Many on-line Hindus are among some of the nastiest, most arrogant, self-impressed people you can ever encounter. And it's not valid to say "it's just the internet", because they are passing along information that can be very confusing, or even downright false.

[Jenett]

But as important as these religious paths/spiritual experiences are to us, what's the downside? What's the part of the experience that presents the greatest difficulty in life, perhaps in comparison to more mainstream religions?

My particular religious witchcraft tradition has a particular focus on transformation. (Specifically, we focus on the phoenix as a symbol in several ongoing ways.)

On one hand, this is fabulous. My life is better in pretty much every way because of it.

On the other hand, I've done two long-distance moves (with all the financial costs, complications for social community, shake-ups in other parts of my life, disruption of other projects like writing, all the stresses of finding new places to live, doctors, figuring out how daily life works here.) It's possible my original move to Minnesota was also related, so that'd be three long-distance moves.

It's shaken up relationships - it's not the cause of the end of my marriage in 2005, but it was certainly a contributing factor. Because of the inherent complexities of transformation doing different things for different people on different timescales, group coherence was a struggle at times.

I sometimes forget that other people don't have the learned tolerance for that level of upheaval (or the skills involved in getting through it, because the only way out is through) and then have to remind myself that they're doing the things they need to, and they get to make their own choices.

And most of all, I'm currently at "I really like where my life is right now, and I don't want another significant shake up in the not too distant future." (There are cycles in specific practices that make such a shift more likely at about 4 year intervals: I'm two years into one. Two years ago I did one of those long-distance moves.)

[Emma Eldritch]

But as important as these religious paths/spiritual experiences are to us, what's the downside? What's the part of the experience that presents the greatest difficulty in life, perhaps in comparison to more mainstream religions?

Honestly, the greatest difficulty for me is simply getting tired. I have now been pagan long enough to have personally witnessed cycles within the community and also long enough that sometimes I forget what it feels like for people new to paganism and magic. This results in a sort of weary "here we go again" attitude sometimes, and it means that I am not always as open hearted or patient as I would like to be.