Wicca / Pagan
Is anyone on here a wiccan or a pagan ( sorry if they are the same thing!) I'm interested in finding out more but dont know where to start. Can anyone help me?
Please do get your sister to contact me and post on here if she is comfortable. I am very interested in learing more. It seems to be a very misunderstood thing.
Thank you all to your posts so far. I have to say the great thing about this faith is there are no "rules" and everyone is so open minded. Not craming things down others throats. What I find appealing is noone really knows which faith is right, and all faiths interlink. Esp wicca and christian i have found. But with Wicca its all about what you think and feel is right.
i too, am very interested in wicca but don't know enough about it to be convinced by it. i do know however, that i have an extremely deep love for, and bond to nature. i venerate, even worship Mother Nature (for me she's female :)) and love this planet more than anything. i'm saddened by how our society is becoming more and more detached from the natural, wild environment through increasing industrialisation and growing populations. i feel that people are losing their innate bond to nature and with it, a lot of wisdom and innocence. there is just so much we can learn from nature. it pains me so much to see how we are destroying our own life-giving, beautiful Mother through environmental degradation. sorry, this is slightly off topic, so to get back to the theme of paganism- i think it's the belief that makes the most sense of all because if we are going to worship something, then nothing deserves it more than the power that gave us, and is sustaining our lives; i.e. nature.
why put our faith into something as vague and random as a father figure sitting in the sky who has the power to decide whether our afterlife will be all joy and happiness or endless torture? why be completely devoted to a "male power" who apparently wants women to be subordinate to men or who rewards people who murder innocent civilians by strapping bombs to their bodies and blowing themselves to pieces? please don't be offended, i'm not judging other religions, just questioning them. like i said before, paganism is what makes most sense to me. but oh well, people are allowed to believe what they like. i just wish religion wasn't such a cause for conflict :(. i sometimes wonder whether the world would be a better place without religion...
Hi! Nice to see other Wiccans and pagans here. We tend to be avid readers - which is a very physically inactive hobby. I know I read all of the time and surf on the computer. This is why I created a magazine for the pagan community; so that we could take it to the gym and prop it up and read it while on the treadmill! Well, that was ONE reason. LOL.
I'm very glad to meet you all, and I hope we can support each other on our health improving journey. Superficially, there's a sexy red dress at Dillard's right now that I would LOVE to fit into someday. The biggest size I found was an 8. Let's just say, I'm not there, yet. But, I think, especially with the support of people of like mind, I'll get there. Maybe as soon as the middle of next year.
Blessings to all.
Sandy
You all have inspired me. I created a Wicca Pagan group here. Please join if interested in communing with those of like mind.
Okay I didn't read this whole thread, but I wanted to say, I'm wiccan..have been for the past 10 years. However I was raised christian. While I respect my family and I happily attended church when I was young, I just could never stomach the idea of some huge prinicipal type person in the sky just waiting to hand me a detention slip to hell...
Thats how it started anyway, so I started studying Wicca, there used to be a wiccan store minutes from my house and I would sit and talk to the store owner for hours...He was sort of my mentor.
Sadly the store closed after a year....
Sara
My current practices are culled from both the philosphies of Thelema and Wicca, though if anyone asks I'll just say I'm Wiccan rather than give a lengthy explanation.
Nice to see there are others on CC. I felt like the only one.
I am Pagan. I tried on Wicca for a short while, but never could wrap my head around the whole deity thing. Yes, I get that the deities are representations, focal points, if you will. It doesn't work for me. I think my upbringing has a lot to do with that.
I was raised as a Lutheran by an ex-Catholic. For complicated reasons that I won't get into here, the family rule was that we kids must attend Church/Sunday school with Mom and during 6-8th grades do the Lutheran Catechism which ends with taking your first communion. Once we had our first communion, the option of going to church, or searching elsewhere, was left up to us. It was during catechism that I became a Pagan.
Arguing with the pastor over the difference between what Jesus said and what the pastor said he meant almost got me kicked out. In the end he said that I could not possibly understand the context unless I read the entire bible. So, being an obstinate little witch, I took that as a challenge. It took nearly a year, but in the end, I decided that what Jesus actually said made a lot more sense than what all my Christian teachers told me he meant. Thus, I became a Pagan before I understood the meaning of the word. And to this day have never leaned towards any deity........Kay
Sounds like several of you are actually Deists. There's a nice summary of Deism on wiki. Essentially, it's the believe that there is a divine force, but it's not an entity. More similar to gravity than a god...you can't bargain with it, and it doesn't require your worship. Not unlike gravity, it doesn't especially care whether you believe in it's rules or not, but there are some.
How do I incorporate this into my life? The force in question pushes me to live in harmony with the earth and other people. WHen I'm in dissonance with them I feel guilt or anxiety or sad or what have you; it's a signal to examine my life and bring it back into line. I view my body, this earth, and the other people on it as precious but fragile gifts which should be both enjoyed and husbanded carefully. It therefore becomes a spiritual imperative to recycle, treat others well, volunteer, donate to charitable organizations, eat well and love well. Do I live up to my ideals? Not by a long shot, but it's worth trying. I have no idea if there is an afterlife or not, so it's important to get the most out of this one and give as much back as I can. Occasionally I meditate which is when I express my thankfulness. Maybe a positive attitude is in someway helpful to the world? Unlikely to be harmful...
Harm none~
Damn devil worshippers. haha....
I only read the 1st page of responses so I hope I'm not being redundant.
I'm a Christian and I don't think there is anything wrong with being a Wiccan or Pagan. I only worry when people are being cruel/unkind/harmful to others. In the Bible, there are plenty of things that I don't agree with. Just like in any religion, there are things that I think "man" slipped in. That is were the "sin" as we say is found. I think that as long as we treat others the way we want to be treated, why should anyone judge us?
As far as where to find info on Wiccan beliefs, I would say visit a book store and find a comfy chair and a nice cup of coffee with your name on it. There is a great place here in KC called Aquarius that specializes in things of religious nature such as Pagan religions. It's a really fun place to explore.
Original Post by fortius:Retarded troll. "haha". By the way, I do know people who are Satanists, some LaVeyan, some, as you put it, "devil worshippers". Not the same as Wicca. Why don't you LEARN something about this before you make ignorant comments?Damn devil worshippers. haha....
Hello all,
I've been practicing Wicca for about 20 years, now, and I have had tremendous, wonderful experiences with it.
kittensmom: I started with Scott Cunningham's "Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs" and "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner". Cunningham was a perfect way for me to gently ease my way into the world of magick.
I also participated in "open covens" on the Sabbats for the first year. I'm sure you could find one near you on the 'Net. Just be sure to protect yourself energy-wise by imagining yourself inside of a sphere of light.
Also, if something you read or are told doesn't sound right to you, then it probably isn't. Trust yourself and listen to your inner voice.
Aaand, I guess we'll be having a merry meet over in the groups section? See you there...
Ahh, Fortius, forever misunderstood...
Original Post by spirochete:
I don't think Wicca is a recognized religion, so I really wouldn't know. I personally wouldn't go through the hassle. I mean if I got fired because someone found out I read Tarot and have the occassional Circle, I might do something. Reading crap online at work, eh, I can do that at home.
According to the military Wiccan is an organized religion. There was this debacle about wether a practicing Wiccain can have a pagan symbol on his tombstone or not. They have Christian Symbols, Jewish and Muslim, so why not? I'm of the frame of mind that faith and religion are a personal connection with "God", so no one should point their finger and say " that's not right!", as well as make fun of me because I am a Catholic. Its surprising how many negative comments I have recieved as a Catholic!
Original Post by coffincritter:
Original Post by fortius:
Damn devil worshippers. haha....
Retarded troll. "haha". By the way, I do know people who are Satanists, some LaVeyan, some, as you put it, "devil worshippers". Not the same as Wicca. Why don't you LEARN something about this before you make ignorant comments?
Haha...I'm joking. *pinches her cheeks* I guess Wiccans and Pagans are almost as sensitive about their religion as Muslims. I thought it would be obvious that I was joking... next I will write J/K for the humor impaired.
I personally knew Anton Lavey when he was still living, yet his church did not literally worship the devil.
Want to be a leader?Start your own group!
