Wiccans, pagans, etc, please reply...?

Question

What is it you believe in? Is there a creator of the world or is it every man and/or woman for his or herself? Are there gods? Rites to be performed? Spirits? Powers? Rules? Myths? Heroes? All of the above? Why?

Answer 1

The Neo-Pagan religions are quite varied and personal. So what I am saying is my view but that is not to say that another view is wrong. They are just different.

Is there a creator? Not in the Christian sense of the word. My view is that the divine is immanent. In other words the divine and the universe are fully intertwined and there is no external creator.

Are there gods? Yes but not in the conventional sense of the term. What I label as a God or Goddess is symbol that I can understand. It is not possible for me to invoke/worship all energies at once. I use a God or Goddess as a symbol of what I am trying to access. For instance if I am seeking to bring joy to my home, family and friends I’ll invoke Bes. If I am looking for harmony on a more cosmic scale and justice I’ll invoke Ma’at. You might say, “Well your Gods and Goddesses are not real then!” But to me they are. I have spent ime and energy empowering these symbols so they are indeed real to me.

There are many rituals out there and a ton of different books will cover what sort of rituals there are.

I make extensive use of myths. Again a myth is a symbolic story that reveals truth. I’m not concerned about the factuality of the story of Isis and Osiris. I am concerned about what the story tells me about divine love and human love. Most pagans use the myths surrounding the fertility cycles of the year to construct their Sabbat rituals.

Why?

The practices work for me.

Check out witchvox.com more information.

Answer 2

Wiccans and Pagans don't really have a 'bible' or a set of beliefs that all agree on. I believe in a Creator that is neither male nor female. I also believe that there are other spirits/powers all around us (both good and bad)

as for rules, the main one is anything you do will return to you threefold. Some have specific rites they follow, and are almost always tied to the natural/agricultural cycles.

myths and heroes? I think that people have named the powers around them by different names, and that these are the source of myths and heroes - I like to study myths from all over the world

why? spiritual awareness

feel free to contact me if you have more questions

Answer 3

In the form of Paganism I practice, beliefs aren't as important as actions. We worship in a particular way because that brings us closer to the divine, as we understand it... exactly how we describe that understanding is a matter of personal choice, not dogma. We're allowed to "believe" whatever we want.

I believe there are Gods, because I've had experiences that I interpret as meeting them. Other people with similar experiences have drawn different conclusions. I use a set of rituals, because those are the ones I believe make me and the Gods happy... other people use the same rituals for somewhat different reasons.

There's no general answers for all Wiccans, much less for all Pagans, which is a much bigger group. Even in very close-knit groups of the same tradition, covens who've been circling together for twenty years or more, there are different "beliefs"--just like two people can watch the same movie, and believe different things about what the most important part was. The experiences are shared; the beliefs are personal.

Answer 4

Basically, Wiccan witches try to live in harmony with Nature and take responsibility for the environment. Wiccans believe that the Goddess is in everything and is not some force standing out there watching us. In the faith of Wicca, we believe in one deity--the All. We divide that into a male spirituality and a female spirituality. the God and Goddess, or Lord and Lady. Neither the male nor the female is stronger or better or more important. Wiccans also work with the demigods, different, smaller aspects of the All. The All is so big that most witches find it helpful to visualize it in a more personally comprehensible form. Example a witch might keep on his or her alter a statuette of Venus. This Goddess is the epitome of growth, fertility and motherhood. Witches believe in the morals that are common to most faiths.

Answer 5

I believe in trying to do what is best for all people, regardless of who they are or what they believe. I believe there were creators for the world, and that they look after people who try to do good for others. So yes, there are gods. I believe that rites are a way of communicating with the devine, and therefore should be performed when one honestly wants to do them. I believe in spirits and powers, as I see both as parts of all people. I believe less in rules and more in an obligation to do good for other people. I guess I believe in myths, definately in heros, but I don't worship them, as they tend to be mortal. I believe this because this is what I feel is right. In short, my conscience is comfotable with it.

Answer 6

This question has been asked over and over. You may get more insight if you searched for more along this line.

And ditto to what mj says. Check out www.witchvox.com.

The Joseph Campbell Myth series is an excellent read, too.

As for rules -most wiccans/pagans believe in the Harm none rule. It's a wiccan rule, not a pagan rule, but it's a good rule. Karma works.

Answer 7

Those are alot of questions, and easily answered.

Gaia is the creatrix (of this world), self created, born of Chaos, mother of all the Gods, including her own mate. She is the Material aspect of the universe. Chaos was all that was before her, Chaos is energy without form or direction. With the creation of the Gods and energy gained direction and with the creation of Life, form. We are all formed of the same stuff, Gods and Humans, and plants and animals, the stones of the Earth, the Sea, the Moon, the Sun, we are all part of the same. No, it's not every man/woman for him/herself because we are all connected. Everything we do, our very moods has an effect on the world around us.

Yes, of course there are Gods and spirits. They are conscious energy without form, though some have the power to give themselves a form, they are not locked into it like we are.

There are three major powers in this universe, and all are connected. The first is Energy, without it, there can be nothing else. The second is Consciousness, without it, there can be nothing new. The third is Matter, through material existance we glorify the Gods and Goddesses. We don't even need to pray to them, or give them offerings or make statues of them to do this. We glorify them by gaining knowledge, by creating, discovering and inventing and by loving. Gaia specifically is honored by making creative and responsible use of natural resources. These are Her gifts to us and we honor Her by using them responsibly.

There are so many Gods, only very few of them are jealous Gods. Most would prefer to have a few devoted followers to lavish gifts upon than billions of sycophants. Most Pagans chose a few Gods and Goddesses as their Patrons, but rarely honor them exclusively.

Yes, there are tons of Pagan myths. Homer, Hesiod, Orpheus, etc. are just a few authors who have recorded them. There are more, many of their names are lost to history. The walls of the Pyramids and Temples in Egypt give us many myths as well as do Temples throughout Europe. There are many different myths though, many different belief systems. Most Pagans see myths as Metaphore, as most ancients did as well. Seeing myths as literal truth is really a new Christian concept.

Of course there are heros, and prophets too. Many Pagans see Jesus as a prophet, you may be surprised to know. But there are many, every century has one or two.

Rites, yes, every new and full moon, every equinox and solstice and the cross-quarter days we gather together to give offerings to the Gods, pray to them, celebrate the season, and ask for blessings for the community. We gather in a circle, light candles, say prayers and chants. Many of us also have daily rites we perform at mealtimes, at dawn or before going to bed.

Why?
Er. Why not?

Answer 8

not all pagans are wiccans....one can be pagan and still believe in the "Christain God".....and the only rule is "An it harm none, do what ye will" - it's called the Wiccan Reed....but it is basically the same thing as the Christian "Do unto others....."
Paganism is basically an earth based belief system....there are many beliefs that are pagan in nature...Wicca is one of them, but there is also Druidism, Witches (they are not neccessarily Wiccans) among many, many others...there are several types of witches...kitchen witches, hereditary, etc....they are all connected by the "basic" beliefs of Paganism, but can have significantly different ways of doing things.....some Pagans believe in one pantheon or another....some only have 1 deity that they adhere to....yes...there are "rites" and "holidays"....they are called sabbats....there is a link to describe each of them....this is where Christianity got it's holidays from....as far as afterlife...some believe in reincarnation...some believe in a place called Summerland....they can all be different, and yet follow the same path....that is what makes paganism more of a "spiritual" path than a "religious" one....there is a lot of info on this subject if you just go to any search engine and type in pagan, but here are a few links....

another user is trying to argue my point about being pagan and a christian at the same time....that is NOT what I said at all....please understand that what I am saying is that a person can follow the "pagan" tradition and lifestyle and still believe in the Christian God as their deity....but not neccessarily believe in him in the same manner as a Christian would....I know several of them that do, and that doesn't make them any less Pagan, or any more Christian......a pagan can can believe in ANY deity they choose...or any combination of deities...the actual "meaning" of the word pagan comes with a lot of confusion. It has been used through the centuries to mean many things....city dweller is one...hedonist is another....heathen... there are many meanings, and many uses....it's up to the individual who chooses to follow a "natural" path as to what it means to them and what they want to believe in.....

Answer 9

Well, if I don't believe in any superior being, it would be ridiculous for me to perform rites, or follow special rules, wouldn't it?

I believe only in what I can (or others can) see or prove by scientific means.

Answer 10

I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages.

Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made.

Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.

He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried.

And He rose on the third day, according to the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to judge the living and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.

In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.