Santanists and Wiccans and Pagans..........?

Question

Ok I want all of you to tell me your story regarding your faith. Include why you chose it how old you were and if you want to teach it to your children. Best story wins 10 points. And also what do you think about ghosts? If you don't want to answer the ghost question, then in a few brief sentences try to dispell one rumor or misconception about your faith. Thanx. (I'm wiccan)

Ok I want all of you to tell me your story regarding your faith. Include why you chose it how old you were and if you want to teach it to your children. Best story wins 10 points. And also what do you think about ghosts? If you don't want to answer the ghost question, then in a few brief sentences try to dispell one rumor or misconception about your faith. Thanx. (I'm wiccan) Mollywobbler why would you assume I'm groping wiccans and pagans with satanists?
I'm wiccan myself and I don't want to practice black magick either. Learn to use logic. And yes erynn I'm a lass. :P My avatar looks nothing like me though. I like your story erynn. And also Mollywobbler the reason I chose satanists, Wiccans and pagans is because they seem very intresting to me and are the most misunderstood in my opinion. No I'm not a satanist.

Mollywobbler why would you assume I'm groping wiccans and pagans with satanists?
I'm wiccan myself and I don't want to practice black magick either. Learn to use logic. And yes erynn I'm a lass. :P My avatar looks nothing like me though. I like your story erynn. And also Mollywobbler the reason I chose satanists, Wiccans and pagans is because they seem very intresting to me and are the most misunderstood in my opinion. No I'm not a satanist.

Mollywobbler why would I group wiccans and pagans with satanists? And the reason I chose santanists,wiccan, and pagans is because they are the most misunderstood in my opinion.

PLEASE IGNORE THE ADDITIONAL DETAILS MY COMPUTER HAS A GLITCH THAT REPEATS STUFF AND MAINLY JUST ANSWER THE FIRST THING.

And those three are my favorite religions.
Besides many others. And no that doesn't make me part of a religion (such as satanism).

Answer 1

Well, I initially started out with three other friends when I was fourteen and we practiced Wicca in our little circle. It was very fluffy and juvenile, but over the few years we were in a group together, I learnt a lot about my own faith, and now I am more eclectic with Wiccan leanings. I don't call myself Wiccan, I call myself a Witch, although I have no problem with solitaries calling themselves Wiccan.

Out of the four of us, I am the only one still practicing, and it has been ten years since my first thoughts on it. I'm not entirely sure what it was that drew me to it, I just remember thinking about it one day without realising it, and went out a bought a few books on basic Paganism and Wicca, and later got books on Witchcraft.

It's pretty much history after that, and today I revere the God Pan and the Goddess Gaia as the Lord and Lady, and I adhere to the Wiccan Rede and Threefold Law.

As for ghosts, I'm not sure. I have never seen one, but my cousin does have the gift to see them, and I have seen the affects they have had on her, so I suppose they exist.

BB
)0(

Answer 2

I got into Wicca about 2 years ago, at the age of 37, while not believing in God (of Christians, even though I was one), I was still spiritual, I had to admit to myself, that in the Universe, anything was possible. After further research, I had found an enlightenment that matched what I had believed all along, Wicca. I, to this day believe the Goddess and God are conceptual and not literal, I find them to be an Intense Force, which is primal and active, within all things, which represents the balance of the universe, the world as a whole, no one part complete without another. Everyone and everything is connected at some level. I refuse to call Wicca a religion as the word 'religion' has many negative connotations with me, I refer to it as 'Enlightenment'.
I would love to teach my children about this enlightenment called Wicca, but I will let them decide for themselves, and yes...I do believe in Ghosts or Spirits. As far as dispelling any misconceptions go, you can tell them that you don't worship Satan (whom we don't believe in anyway) but it won't make a difference to them. And NO I am NOT a SATANIST and Wiccans and Pagans should not have been lumped together!!!

Answer 3

I am more of a Spiritualist (no I do not do what Helena Blavatsky supposedly did) than a Pagan, but I more or less fall into the Pagan category anyway. I worship the Creator (a nameless [ancient Greeks called this being Chaos for me the name itself is a bit inadequate so hence I use Creator] shapeless and formless being that created all of existance) and I also worship Gaea (Mother Earth).

I pretty much follow the Ancient Greek pantheon, but I do come from a Christian background, so I cannot say I have all ways been this way. I still do not challenge what some of the Bible says about the Christians' Saviour, but I am no longer an active Christian, nor do I ever plan to be again. I acknowledge that there are other gods and goddesess out their, but I do not worship them myself. Give them acknowledgement yes, worship them no.

I was about 14 or 15 when I started questioning or changing what I believed in spiritually (or religiously if you wana put it that way), and I completely converted to what I believe at about age 20. As I stated above I was raised in a Christian family, and I now live with my grandparents who are deeply religious. Though they are not fanatical aboout what they believe, they are just strongly opinionated, but not forcful with what they believe if that makes any sense at all. I do practice magic (though I need more study and a LOT more meditation to help me focus), and I also believe in rebirth (not reincarnation).

Yes I would teach it to my kids (when or if I choose to have them [I am single and have no s.o. I also may adopt a kid at some point]), but I would not stand in their way if they chose to follow a different faith.

Oh heck yes I believe in ghost, I believe that ones conciousness goes somewhere after we die. I cannot accept the idea that we experience nothing after we die; that when we die our concious mind fades away like the ink in a centeries old manuscript. Who knows we all might just hover there in space with nothing more to do than scare people, and play Monopoly. ;)

Peace Out and Blessed Be to All
)O(
24 y.o. Pagan College Student

Answer 4

You could have asked this question of all of the faiths. Why are you linking Satanists with Wiccans and Pagans? You yourself know they're not connected and by lumping them together you're just encouraging the people that don't understand the differences to have more reasons to misunderstand. I am studying Wicca and have no intentions whatsoever of practising black magick. Regarding your question about children, my husband and I will let our children choose their own religion/faith. I'm 40 yrs. old and have searched most of my life for a spritual path that was right for me. I've found it in Wicca. Wicca teaches love and tolerance.

Answer 5

I have practiced and studied many religions. I grew up in a Christian home but realized that Christianity, Christians and the bible contradict one another in words and in actions.I also found Christianity not to be pro-animals and don't even believe animals have souls.So instead of just accepting that religion is man made lies I pursued other faiths. I started with Judaism, then Gnosism (which I found out was Christian Mysticism), then some Islam, then Hinduism and then finally Paganism as a whole. I then found Discordianism which it is basically exactly what I've been doing all the time. Discordianism is about studying any religion but never adobting it as your 'only true' path. We accept that any path is 'true'.

"IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT IT IS A MISTAKE TO HOLD FIRM BELIEFS."

Answer 6

Okay, but you asked for it. (Seriously, it's a long story, but I'll try very hard to keep it short.)

I was born into a Christian family made up of varying sects. Father was always "trying on" different sects, so I've been in every one of them that Christianity has to offer. I was a naturally inquisitive child and would ask lots of questions--questions no one could answer. I was very unhappy with it, especially after being told it was not "proper" for a girl to ask such questions!

I took comfort in the forests around our house and spoke to the wonders of nature around me. I didn't know that could be a religion. I thought the sects of Christianity were all there was. As I grew older, I learned there was a name for it. Nature worship, paganism, druidism, wicca, depending on how I persued it. This knowledge gave me more hope and joy than I'd ever felt before.

By the time I was a teen, the only thing that held me to Christianity was fear. I was afraid that if I left, god would make me sick or kill my family. I hated god but continued to pray to him.

It was finally my husband, an Asatru, who gave me the strength to embrace the faith I'd held in my heart since childhood. Astoundingly, nothing bad happened to me or my family when I did this. Things only got better. I realized that, for the first time in my life, I was happy. I no longer had to fear divine wrath or judgement. I was free to live my life and it was at last okay to be happy.

When my husband and I have children, we will teach them about both of our faiths, as well as others. They will be able to choose for themselves. Faith (or lack therof) is a personal matter and should not be dictated by anyone, even a parent. No matter what their choice, we will love them.

As for ghosts, I'm a believer. On our honeymoon, my husband and I saw the spirit of my grandfather, who had been dead for three years. I like to think he was acknowledging our marriage and welcoming my husband to the family.

Answer 7

Firstly, Wiccans are pagan. Like it or lump it. They're also Neo-Pagan. As are most other forms of reconstructionalist/made up religions.

Pagan is a non judeo-christian. Like it or lump it. Which, for my purpose as I can't spell the other word, is one whose religion is based on the old testemant - this includes muslims and mormons.

now.. i'm a 'pagan' - a neo pagan, of norse leanings. Though I and those like me reffer to ourselves as 'heathens' in prefference to pagans, for the sake of simplicity I'll describe myself thus.
I have been for a very long time. Since, and most people will love this, I was 13 years old. I came by it when I came by my rune stones. I was given a book on them as some fortune telling toy because, lets face it, at 13 everything is amusing.
Well, I liked them. I loved them, in fact. I became devoted to them and their uses, and learned them very well indeed. And so, of course, I began to learn norse mythos. Which I can tell you, IS NOT EASY. There's virtually nothing out there. And what is out there, is not very acurate.
I do not beelive I will go to Valhalla. Or Sessrumnir (Which would be ValFreyja's hall. Who gets first pick of the dead. Half the warriors go there, to all those fools who think they're headed to Valhalla). That, I should point out immidiatly. I'm not a warrior, I'm not in the armed servaces, and I'm certainly not intending to be. I expect to go to Hel, perhapse. And there to rest.
I learned what I could about it and continue to do so, and I use my runes to guide some of it, my common sence to guide the rest of it, and a good dose of skeptisism twice annally to remind myself how foolish this is and not to take myself too seriously.
No, I would not teach this to my children, should I have them. I might teach them to use the runes, perhapse - when they're 14 or so.

We celebrait Yule (yes, we. No, I won't expand on who we are, but it's nothign supernatural or that requires interesting drugs), and that would be it. Yule being a norse celebraition to begin with ;). May the mead flow!

And we do not tend to get on with Wiccans as Wiccans. No offence, we just don't.

On ghosts, I am skeptical. Spirits, I accept, but I can't help but feel most "ghosts" are nothing more than electromagnetics and creeky flourboards. It could happen, but I expect it usualy does not.


This is a bit simplistic and far from covers my natural sarcastic nature or love of all things metalic and pointy. Even those of us who arn't warriors love a little of the fighting ;)




p.s.
for everyone who is about to and has insulted satanists: leave the buggers be. Satanism has some very, very cool points. (depending on which one of the 3/4/5 schools of thought you adhere to)Ye gods.

p.p.s.
I don't care about misconceptions of my faith as long as no-one assosicates me with Asatru or Odinists.

p.p.p.s
I'm reporting everyone who decides to convert the wiccan lass (?) who posted this as harrasment. Answer the question. If you can't, don't.

Answer 8

I am 30 years old just starting out on my path to Wiccan. It really started when I was a child, I could not believe in god as my family did. I dabbled a little as a child but with no real idea as to what I was doing, did not get very far.

To me,the Christian,Catholic and Babtists beliefs just don't make any sense to me. Never have even as a small child being forced to go to church.

Recently I started checking into Paganism and found that what it teaches, is what I truely believe. I like the fact that it does not center around a bunch of rules claiming what is right and what is wrong. But allows you to take what you believe in and allow it to work with you. Never claiming that what you are doing is wrong.

You have the right to take as many different parts from different religions, meditaion, magick, worship of Mother Earth and many others and combine them all for yourself.

Atleast that is what I have understood from my research and studies.

If any one in my family would like to understand it more, I would love to help them, But I will not make them learn it.
My children believe in god and go to church. They know I don't, but we do not let it interfer with our lives together.
I have still yet to tell the rest of my family (brother and sisters) about my choice. But then in my family, we don't speak to each other often.

My boyfriend also believes in god, he has many reasons to do so, but again we do not let our beliefs stop us from having a life together.
In fact, he has shown interest in my choice, even buys me things for my religion. Books, candles, pentagrams and other such things.

We may disagree about god, but that is all. There is no pushing each others religious choices on to the other person.

As for ghosts or spirits, I do believe in them. For most of my life, any house I lived in has had one or more spirits living there also. Some are nice, others are not.

And for those that are not nice, it is not easy to live with them.

Well I hope I did not offend any one with my words.

Good luck to all on your journey.

Blessed Be and Merry Meet.

Answer 9

I follow the Teachings of Ifa. It is a Yoruba tradition in Africa.
I was about 12 and i was about to write an exam to go to another school. So my mom took me to see her spiritual mother. When we got there my mom told her that she want to light a green candle for because she knew that green candles represented success. But the lady told her that green was not for me. She that my mom should light a pink candle with a pink rose for me. I started doing it then and for every exam i had i would light it and then every time i had to study i would light it. So it became a permanent thing in the house. One day a friend of mine came to my house and saw the candle and he went to it and drop three drops of water on the plate that it was in. Then he started telling me about the lady that i was lighting the candle for. Mother of all sweet waters and anything sweet giver of twins and so much more OSUN. I told him about dreams that i had and it turned out that she was one of my guiding spirits.
Him and i stopped talking but before i met a lady who is a priestess and now she is my spiritual mother.
From twelve to now i just keep getting deeper into it. And i love it.
As a contradiction, people like to think of us as people who work obeah. But i do not give a hoots a$$ what they think.
If i work obeah then fine. All i know is that all my guiding forces under the guidance of the creative force, i call him Olodumare, i have been really happy. I had obstacles and they help me remove them. I have a great job and life is nice.

Answer 10

I was raised christian, I left when i saw them fight over who has the true sect, I had a boss that had a book about Taoism. ten years later, after i deconverted from christianity, i picked up another book about Taoism, my heart filled with a joy i never felt as a christian, I knew this was where i belonged.

I believe in ghosts, i have for a long time, its just my soul was supressed from seeing any for so long:( sometimes i see my animal guides.