Any Pagans out there?

There are a number of Christian chats out there but I can't find any of my sisters and brothers in faith! I would love to hear how all you heathens out there perhaps integrate your faith with your healthy lifestyle.

I'm a follower of the older Celtic faiths. I really like how this faith deals with the balance in all aspects of life eg; human and nature, body and soul, man and woman, God and Goddess. Looking at life this way really helps me deal with the day to day when I realize that even if I have a really bad day I will eventually have a great day to make up for it. Just my thoughts:)

I would love to here your take on life and all its Mysteries.

Red Raven 

I'm not pagan persay, but i find it interesting. I'm not sure what box i fit into belief wise really.

Eight words the Wiccan law fullfill An' harm ye none, do as you will

 Let true beauty show by Juniper

Take a hot bath or shower. Stand in front of a mirror after your shower and look at yourself in the mirror. Look yourself in the eyes and say:

'There is a wonderful magic within me

My eyes are the reflection of the magical worl inside of me.'

Touch your face and say:

'There is a magical world in my soul.

When I touch my face I feel the glow.'

When you're done, say:

'I will love, honour and respect my magical soul,

spirit, body and me,

By the power of three times three

As I do will, so mote it be.

Don't care how many calories in Blackthorne's mead.....I'm drinking it when it is ready! LOL.

How's this for a topic: What is the most magical thing that has happened to you?

Mine would be the first day I started doing readings at a store (that friends had been trying to get me to do for a while), my "brother" and his family walked in to look around. Knew the instant I looked in his eyes when he walked through the door that he was family.  They were only in town for a short period of time so that they found the store and on that day had to be directed by the devine.

August

Legends and Lore for
August
August, the eighth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Summer's rule, derives its name from Augustus (Augustus Caesar).
The traditional birthstone amulets of August are the peridot and the sardonyx; and the gladiolus and the poppy are the month's traditional flowers.
August is shared by the astrological signs of Leo the Lion and Virgo the Virgin, and is sacred to the following Pagan deities: Ceres, the Corn Mother, Demeter, John Barleycorn, Lugh, and all goddesses who preside over agriculture.
During the month of August, the Great Solar Wheel of the Year is turned to Lammas, one of the four Grand Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans and modern Witches throughout the world.

Thought I'd post some info for those interested. Norseroracle I like that topic , have to think on it.

We might get alittle rain today.

Merry Meet! Have a great week everyone.  edit problem with computer or operator and posted same thing over and over

Morning all!! Sorry I haven't posted lately, I've been in Florida on vacation. What did I miss? Any new pagan posters?

Welcome back , luck you. I so sick of this humity and heat.

Hi all, what is everyone up to this week? I'm still hoping for rain. Our thread isn't doing very good. Are we going to let it go or are we going to share info  and learn from each other?

In late August, we celebrate the beginning of the Corn Moon. This moon phase is also known as the Barley Moon, and carries on the associations of grain and rebirth that we saw back at Lammastide. August was originally known as Sextilis by the ancient Romans, but was later renamed for Augustus (Octavian) Caesar

Morning gypsierose!! It's nice to see that you're still here!!

I'm going to the Md Renaissance Festival this weekend for my birthday! Yaaaayyy! Time for drunken merriment!!!!

I'd be pagan but I'm still too Catholic.  *sigh*

I went to a couple of campus coven meetings(?) but I don't really do group things.  I'm more of a lone wolf.  The most I've ever done is cleanse a second-hand pack of tarot cards. 

Pompey: It's okay to be a solitary practitioner.  You don't have to belong in a coven to be a pagan.  And there are a great variety of pagan belief systems out there.  It's finding the right fit for you. 

Personally, there are a lot of similarities between Catholocism and Paganism.  Many 'saints' started out as pagan dieties - especially saints specific to a locality.  It helped converting the heathens back in the old day.  "No, you aren't praying to Bride, it's St. Bridget" (whose feast day happens to be on Imbolg... huh, imagine that). 

I want to learn more about paganism.  Are there any books or sites that you recommend I read?

Janelleganeiro, you can start just by typing in pagan and reading.

Pompey alot of us on here were catholic. I was raised catholic and my Aunt was a mother superior at a convant in D.C.  I was a Baptist for awhile than I said I was mulit-denom.

I decided to go see a counslor to work some problems through with my hub and mother, and one question she ask yesterday was what religion I was - I told her multi denom. I didn't want to spend an hr. discussing my beliefs.

Pompey, I do not belong to a group and don't want to. I enjoy my alone time.

Glad to see you back v850434 Sound like a good weekend. Happy Birthday.

Morning all!

To Be Seen More Attractively

Fill your bathtub with water and scatter some fresh rose petals in it. Light some vanilla candles and/or incense. As you lie in the water, meditate on the image you would like to project and say these words:

'Earth, Air, Fire, Sea Let the Goddess' beauty Shine through me'

Okay all, I found this on page 4, our thread is going bye, bye. I broke my leg so I'm sitting around so if you want's talk I'm around. I don't know when I'm going to work, so doctor tomorrow going to see about getting  a wheelchair for work. I can't stand and walk all day. I have classes starting next monday so atleast I'll have time to read all the info I've been needing to read. Some healing thoughts are needed.

I have a major problem and I would apperciate some advice from my fellow sisters or brothers. For many years now I've been a wiccan but my fiance, the man I love with my heart and soul, is a devout christain, a southern old-fashion baptist to be correct.
My father is also a former baptist preacher turned wiccan which gives me some hope of change. But I can't enjoy any of my normal holidays or rituals with out feeling ..well..ashamed. I go to church with him every sunday and I do enjoy the sermens. But I hate the dirty looks I get when I'm never moved to run to the alter with all the other lemmings. My tarrot card are dusty I haven't pulled them from thier hiding place in almost 6 months. He has begged me to throw them out. He fears they bring the devil in.
I had to bless our new house in secret I don't think he would have done anything or gotten mad but I know it would upset him. I grew up in the baptist church but i chose this path and I hate that I feel ashamed for wanting to follow it. He is never mean about it, he never forces his faith on me, its just the horribly dissipointed looks. Once he even broke down and cried saying he feared for my soul. It just breaks my heart so.
Please any advise at all would be helpful.

nikkiddy--

I'm in basically the same situation except it's my parents. My father is a deacon of a southern baptist church and my mother teaches sunday school there. They don't know that I'm pagan and they won't for the same reason that you have just talked about. I already get that disappointed look when I turn down there offer of going to church with them. I can't imagine what they would do if they knew.

I feel like an incredible coward. I'm very impressed by you though it really takes a lot of courage to stand up for what you believe! I have always believed that what I see as "The Truth" is not always what everyone else sees as the truth. Your husband might always believe that his faith is Truth but he also has to realize that your truth is not the same as his. Am I making sense or am I just rambling again? LOL!!

Christians always talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus/God but what they don't realize (or just refuse to see) is that even people who follow another path have a personal relationship with there own Gods/Goddesses. Faith reaches the very core of your soul, your most intimate part. It is always going to be personal and because there are so many different types of people it would be crazy to think that our souls would all be the same and therefore should all follow the same path.

I'm sure your frustrated and depressed at your situation but somehow you will find someway of compromising. Have you ever sat down and explained to him exactly what Wicca is?

Unfortunately when people hear Wicca or Pagan they automatically think devil worship. But that is just a stigma that we pagans will have to deal with. After all the followers of the largest and most powerful religion in the world were the ones that decided that we are evil. Christianity is a blind faith also, they don't need to see the absolute truth, they just believe it because thats how America was raised and the guy in the funny hat or the guy with the collar told them so. You know the song Jesus loves me? Well of course he loves me 'cause the book that was written thousands of years ago by 1000 different men in 20 different launguages and translations with 100's of inaccuracies can't possibly be wrong!

Well I feel your pain Sister.  Hopefully I've been some help (or maybe you helped me for giving me a chance to rant LOL)

I keep checking this post as often as I can hoping that it's still going.

This is what I like to see though. Anyone having a problem being spiritual or otherwise is welcome to any help their Brothers and Sisters can give!

Red Raven

(WoW this is a long post!!! Sorry!)

awww gypsierose, i'm so sorry about your leg! how did it happen? may you mend quickly :)

nikkiddy- that's a pretty tough situation you're in! i agree with red raven, you should sit down with your husband and take the time to explain to him what wicca is and that it is in no way evil. your post reminded me of a similar situation i experienced- my good friend is a very devout christian and the day i told her i was pagan she got reaaally upset and started rambling about devil worship and lost souls. i tried really hard to convince her that paganism is not in the slightest bit evil and that i didn't believe my soul was damned just because i did not believe in a christian god. it was tough but she finally grudingly accepted my faith. i think if your husband is in the slightest bit open-minded, you will be able to make him not only accept your paganism but believe in the good of it.

good luck!

nikkidy - definately speak to the fiance about your concerns, but try to phrase it in ways that he can understand, and show the parallels and perhaps he can come to think of it in ways that make his mind relax, for example: when you are calling on the divine male spirit, it is like calling on Jesus or the Christian god and when you are calling on the divine female spirit, it is like calling on Mary.  Maybe he can reconcile it in his mind that way. 

If you both love each other as much as you say, then you both will be able to bend and compromise to make each other happy. 

First off, Thank you all for responing it makes me feel better to know someone else understands my problem.

I have sat with and spoken to him about what wicca is and that it's not evil or devil worship. I also compaired The God and Goddess to Jesus and Mary. We often have long talks about the bible and religions in general. I tend to be much more open minded but to his credit he is not narrow-minded or hateful about it. He just simply says he can't understand how I can believe in such things when I was raised "the proper christian" way. And I always respond That I don't see how he can't understand it.

To me it just seems so simple and answers all my questions. But for him it's just confusing. I can't make him understand or accept it all I can do is wait I suppose. I just wish I didn't feel ashamed when i know i shouldn't.

My step mother has found her own way in blending christinaity and wicca...she calles her self the wiccan-christan. lol She and I have sat down to explian wicca, her way, and his comment after leaving was "she's a complete looney" which made me feel awful yet when he saw my face he said "I'm sorry baby..I just don't get. and I don't think I ever will. But I do love you no matter what you chose. and I always will." It never causes any fights, It's not a relationship ender, It's just my inability, my fear that if I do practice openly and force him to accept it then it will become that fight. It would be the same if he forced his religion on me..which he doesn't.