How many SDMB pagans?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

Sake, if you hate religion, fine. Go ahead and hate religion. I’m sure you came to your conclusions about religion the same way I came to mine, through experience, research, and conscious decision. That’s the way it should be. Nothing wrong with that. I don’t much care for organized religion, either. That is why I worship as a solitary.

I more or less have created my own religion. I worship a Goddess. I have not given her a name, nor do I address her by any of the thousands of Goddess names already in existence. I do not have an altar. When I worship, I’m generally standing on the landing by the back door of my house, taking just a few minutes away from cleaning and taking care of kids, looking up at the sky.
I do not belong to a coven or sect. Just me.

I did not choose this path to belong to a group. I do not practice this because it’s hip. I do it because it makes sense to me. It makes me feel good. I have noticed positive changes within myself since I found this way. It works for me.

I also do not believe that what I do is an “old” or “ancient” way. It is based on ancient ideas, but current Wiccan and Pagan practices have evolved, just as all the other religions have. No religion is the same as it was a thousand years ago.

For starters, Wiccans didn’t exist in 1645. Witches did, though. Wicca is a pretty new thing. And though they may not be “ostracized,” way too many people still think that if you say you practice witchcraft, you must be a) a Satan-worshipper, or b) deluded by Satan into thinking that he does not exist, so you only think you’re practicing white magick, but you’re actually a Satan-worshipper and you just don’t know it. :slight_smile: Reactions usually run the gamut from “oh, okay” from the more open-minded to “Quick! Somebody get me an exorcist!” from the hardcore Christians. Shoulda seen the look on my husband’s face the first time I mentioned my lack of belief in a separate Bad Guy (he’s a lapsed Pentecostal. Left when church members started telling him that certain chords he played were demonic. Now he still believes in Satan, but he’s sure Satan actually digs what he plays).

Okay, my son just woke up from his nap. I’d better go get him, and leave some space for other posters. :slight_smile:

Cristi, Slayer of Peeps

I made my husband join a bridge club. He jumps next Tuesday.

(title & sig courtesy of UncleBeer and WallyM7!)

42

Well said, Cristi. Much of what you’ve written describes me as well.

I think “ostracized” wasn’t quite the word I was looking for, but I was thinking of what evilbeth said about her workplace. Pagans having to put up with that kind of attitude in the office doesn’t exactly sound welcoming. On a personal note, I’ve been as open as I can be with my mom about what I’m reading and thinking, and she’s not thrilled but is dealing with it. My dad, on the other hand, is completely unaware, and I may never be able to tell him-- he’s a wonderful, wonderful man but he’ll fear for my soul. Ok, that’s not being ostracized, but it’s not fun, either.

I’m off to order some more books :slight_smile:

Gamera is really neat, he is full of turtle meat, we’ve been eating Gam-er-aaaa…

43

From www.m-w.com :

Main Entry: pa·gan
Pronunciation: 'pA-g&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere to fix – more at PACT
Date: 14th century
1 : HEATHEN 1; especially : a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome)
2 : one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods : an irreligious or hedonistic person

  • pagan adjective
  • pa·gan·ish /-g&-nish/ adjective
44

I’m working on the hedonistic part so I can become a born-again-pagan. My kids are real pagans, though, they were never baptized or initiated to religious customs.

45

I think that time is already here! Check [urlhttp://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/006893.html]it out!

“You don’t have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die.” --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!

A Jesusfied sig: Next time I covet thine opinion, I’ll ask for it!

46

That should, of course, be this

“You don’t have insurance? Well, just have a seat and someone will be with you after you die.” --Yes, another quality sig custom created by Wally!

A Jesusfied sig: Next time I covet thine opinion, I’ll ask for it!

47

Well, I’m a heathenous sonofabitch turned Agnostic.

As an aside, I think it’s really cool that there are so many Wiccas and assorted pagans on this board.

I recently got a hold of a copy of “Watchtower” on my ride home from work on public transportation.

I must say, you people are influencing everyone with your spells and making people fall in love with you and making money from it and stuff. :rolleyes:

Sheesh…what a bunch of crap, contributed by the JWC.

ME

48

It’s easy EvilBeth, you just tell them, “I don’t believe in your sky-god,” and if they insist that he is not then say, “his power comes from the heavens.” :slight_smile: I have had that problem before. I went to a Catholic university and I can’t tell you how many times being a heathen got brought up. (For the record, I used to read Tarot for one of the nuns…she was AWESOME!) Anyway, tell them that you have been documenting all their harassment (you have, haven’t you) for X number of months and if they don’t stop you have more than sufficient evidence to take legal action . Since your boss hasn’t done anything to stop their harassment he will be held equally liable. Tell them that every time you even hear any conversation that even remotely involves you, Pagans, Gays, or other minorities in any type of negative sense that you write it down in a special notebook that you keep with you at all times. Then you actually have to start doing it. If they don’t shut up and leave you alone after that then you have to follow through and start submitting their harassment. If the HR department doesn’t do anything inform them that they are legally responsible to provide a workplace free from harassment and that your boss has not done anything then tell them if it happens again then you will be filing a lawsuit. I informed a coworker who kept saying nasty things about gays and me that every time I heard him say that, I made a note of it and showed him a log in a notebook (I also had it on my private email) and that if he didn’t stop I would send it to our HR department. It has not happened since then around me. He knows better now.

I hope this helps.
HUGS!
Sqrl

SqrlCub’s Arizona Adventure

49

Hey, Cristi, thanks for the response - from your post, I don’t think you are worshiping to belong, but to be at peace and experience something greater.

However, I still don’t understand why anyone would identify with Wicca. They believe:

  1. The Deity is immanent and transcendent.
  2. Every living entity has a spirit which is connected to and part of every other spirit. Humans are part of Nature.
  3. Divinity manifests itself through all living beings. Nature itself is divine, as is the Cosmos.
  4. God and goddess images are recognized as aspects of a greater divinity

So man is a God, trees are Gods, heartworms are Slimy Gods, methane is a Gaseous God, asteroids are Space Gods, etc. :rolleyes:

If everything is devine, nothing is unique.

Yet to be reconciled with the reality of the dark for a moment, I go on wandering from dream to dream.

50

I’m a neoPagan! I’m a Faerie-tradition/eclectic Wiccan/Witch.

51

Put in an amusing manner, yes. Or to be precise (in my belief system), those are manifestations of the God and Goddess.

Why not?

52

I personally think that nearly every living thing has some spirit. But I do try to be practical about things. I don’t worship trees, but trees do serve a purpose, so I try to show them some respect. As for heartworms, methane, and asteroids, well, I’m still fairly new to Paganism, so my personal jury is still out on them. :wink:

Now to parrot matt_mcl, “why not?”

Cristi, Slayer of Peeps

I made my husband join a bridge club. He jumps next Tuesday.

(title & sig courtesy of UncleBeer and WallyM7!)

53

I think everything is “alive” and has divinity in some sense. That makes everything special in its own sense in some way or another. Following this line of thinking, everything also has a purpose whether we can see it initially or not. I could talk more but I don’t really feel like it today. (I had a bad night last night.)

HUGS!
Sqrl

SqrlCub’s Arizona Adventure

54

Why not, huh? Because divinity presupposes free will and subjectivity. My will to enjoy a Spring waterfall has been trumped by the objectivity of its divine nature (and mine). Only if one of us is non-divine can the moment be real and full of beauty. Otherwise we are but narcissistic actors playing our parts in a trite, empty theater. That’s why.

Sqrl, you said:

Sure, and everyone has large, iridescent dragonfly wings, whether we can see them or not!

On a personal note, I hope you’re doing better now - look for inspiration to the Squirrel Kami!

Yet to be reconciled with the reality of the dark for a moment, I go on wandering from dream to dream.