For Pagans and Wiccans...?

Question

I mean this with the utmost respect:
What exactly do you practice? Do you worship any kind of idol or deity? What do you believe in? Do you practice the occult? What made you decide to practice this belief? and any other information you can give me about your ideals and beliefs.

I'm asking this because I like learning about different beliefs and in no way am I ridiculing anyone or trying to impose a faith onto you.

I would appreciate nice answers. No mind your own business type thing, please

The reason I used such general terms is because I don't know any better. If i knew more then I wouldn't have grouped Wiccans and Pagans together.

Answer 1

You ask a lot of questions, but I think you are sincere in your interest. My interest began in 1980 and I was formally initiated into Wicca in 1982. My interest was partially the result of reading Starhawk's The Spiral Dance and Marion Weinstein's Positive Magic: Occult Self-Help. These are two books I consider "classics" and I highly recommend them.

I view divinity as dualistic, an equal God and Goddess representing balance in nature. The God and Goddess are also frequently referred to as the Horned God and the Triple Goddess. The exact nature of the deities varies between Traditions and individual practitioners, but in general, all gods are one god, all goddesses one goddess -we are all worshipping the same entities, regardless of what name we give them. The names may represent distinct aspects, but they are aspects of a greater whole.

Personally, I resonate with Cerridwen, one of the great megalithic pre-Christian Goddesses of the Celtic World. Although she embodies all three lunar aspects of the Goddess, Maiden, Mother and Crone, she is primarily worshipped in her Crone aspect, by and through her Cauldron of Wisdom, Inspiration, Rebirth and Transformation. Cerridwen's cauldron is an ancient feminine symbol of renewal, rebirth, transformation and inexhaustible plenty. It is the primary female symbol of the pre-Christian world, and represents the womb of the Great Goddess from which all things are born and reborn again. Like the Greek Goddess, Demeter, and the Egyptian Goddess, Isis, Cerridwen was the great Celtic Goddess of inspiration, intelligence and knowledge, and was invoked as a law-giver and sage dispenser of righteous wisdom, counsel and justice.

For me, Wicca is spirituality. Wiccan is a path to higher consciousness. Wicca as more than ritual and spells but a fully developed Path to self-realization.

For more information, I suggest you read the books mentioned earlier in my answer, and the following websites:

Wicca for the Rest of Us
http://wicca.timerift.net/

Wiccan Spirituality
http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/index.html

The Witch's Voice
http://www.witchvox.com/

Answer 2

I'm a Pagan, I am a sole practioner and have been since 9/3/2003. It's what I always knew. My family never pushed any of us into the path of christianity. I went to Sunday school a couple of times, was not impressed. I read their bible, couldn't really believe all that was written.
I don't really pray to any diety, I like the idea that the Goddess Bast may watch over me & mine because I love cats, so much.
Forgive me but I may not have this correct, I think the Wiccan Reed says" Do what thy wilt, but harm none."
I sort of practice that; however, being human, My personal reed goes like this" Do what you will, but harm nothing, unless it suits your purpose or someone ticks you off."
I have practiced what is hidden from most. I believe what goes around comes around and vice versa.
I have always been this way. I joke sometimes about "the powers that be." I'm an herbalist, I cast spells, make charms. At my house we celebrate the autumn harvest Sept. 22, in some circles also called "Mabon"
We honor the 8 Sabbats of the year. I don't consider myself a follower of Wicca because my family has been doing this for more generations than I can remember. It has always been so.
I always thought everyone did these things until I went to school & learned it wasn't that way at all.
Have I covered everything?
Big Pet peeve: I cannot stand it when others not of our beliefs call Samhaim, October 31st, the devil's holiday. It just aggrivates the daylights out of me.

Answer 3

One can't really give an overview of an entire religion or belief system over Yahoo Answers, (you might try Wikipedia to start out for general info) but I will attempt to answer your more specific questions.

I am an eclectic Wiccan. I worship two deities. I do not worship idols. Occult practices are those practices that seek hidden knowledge. Wicca is very much a part of the occult, but its really not as scary or dramatic as Hollywood and tabloids would tell you. The ethics and worldview of Wicca makes logical sense to me, and my experiences tell me that my gods exist and that they are reachable.

Answer 4

I have been a Witch and Pagan since 1954 and I have never had another religion. I was born in a small farming community in Northeastern Ohio near to where my ancestors came and settled in.

I am part of an agrarian family tradition and the way we look at the Goddess and the God are as spiritual parents. They gave us life, they provided us with fertile land and we protect the land and manage all the animals so that the land is never over-burdened and the resources destroyed.

I've been able to trace my family connection to magick back five generations to my GGGrandmother Mary Ervine. She passed her skill and knowledge on to her daughter and then down through our family till now. That knowledge included herbals, green witchcraft and a wonderful oral tradition through story telling. My Grandmother used to tell me stories about the world using a plucked snap dragon bloom which she would pinch the base and make the bloom open and close as if it was telling the story.

Please come visit my site where you can learn more about the craft and my family.

Answer 5

There are several Pantheons (God Groups) that people worship in. What, who, and how is worshipped depends on the Pantheon Belief.

The Western ones most Pagans are into- Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Celtic, Asatru (Viking), and Native American (there are mutliple pantheons here, too).

There are several good books on the the market to read. A good Bookstore to visit is East-West Bookshop. Or hopefully your local library.

I believe whatever and however you pray that makes you comfortable.

By the occult, do you mean divination? Yes, I do.

We have all lost faith in the religion we were brought up with or just need a change of scenery.

A great place to learn more, and network with other pagans- Pantheacon. It's held in Feb in San Jose, Ca. Look on www.ancientways.com for more info.

Answer 6

What exactly do you practice:
the religious practices vary from religion to religion.
(the Asatruars don't practice the same thing as the Hellenic polytheists)

Do you worship any kind of idol or deity:
Every Pagan religion has a Deity(ies) of some sort.

What do you believe in:
I'm not sure that i understand this question, you should be more specific.

Do you practice the occult: the Occult and Pagan religion are two different things, but yes some do.

Answer 7

as you can see from your answers there is no right or wrong way to be pagan...

i have been pagan for more than half my life, and i follow the wiccan rede (harm none) and the three fold law (everything you send out comes back x3).

i consider myself to be an eclectic pagan because i've taken things from several paths and made them my own. most pagan beliefs are nature based and center on the changing of the seasons.

i follow a celtic goddess, but when i need male energy there is a god that i also call upon.

i hope this helped and wasn't too confusing.
bright blessings to you.

edit
wiccans are pagans...but not all pagans are wiccan.
don't let it bother you. it wasn't a big deal.

Answer 8

Pagans and Wiccans should not be lumped into one category. The Occult is also a subject upon it's own. They are all different. Worship of diety or dieties is/are also different.

Again, saying "... this belief..." is incorrect. You are over-simplifying and lumping completely different subject matter into one category. It's like saying, "If you are not in the United States, you must all be in some other country, what country are you in?"

If you want details or you want to see what people do, go to www.witchvox.com to visit people in your area. But remember, each individual is an individual, each group is a collection of individuals of similar beliefs but may be totoally different from another group professing the same beliefs; some follow what they think is traditional but is not, but may be; others make their own tradition up or modify what is known or invented from fiction. Everyone is differnet, everthing is different.

Answer 9

I follow the Hellenic (greek) and Kemetic (egyptian) Pantheons.
I've studied Norse but have found it to be out of date with current times. (who prays to warriors nowadays) Norse and Celtic is my blood, but I find Celtic to be a bit strange and Norse to be out of date.

I pray to Zeus mostly. He has answered my prayers.

I believed in Christianity all my life until recently, when I finally broke away and became 100% Pagan. It feels good to be free :)

I became Pagan when I was 16. (I'm 23 now) I think my Paganism is also an extension of my environmentalism and Native American beliefs as well. I have many Native American beliefs and call that part of my Paganism the "Shamanic Path", or the "Red Road".

I follow the 3 fold rule and the Wiccan Rede. I also believe in Karma now as well, though before I never did. The Gods kinda nudged me in that direction.

Answer 10

Hi there! Thanks for not being a jackass!

I am an eclectic Pagan, meaning my beliefs are somewhat mixed and not well-defined according to any books or set dogmas or proto-dogmas. For an example, I am one of the few Pagans who is monotheistic and uses no idols for ritual or worship. I do practice the occult, but I only started actually "practicing" after I had plenty of knowledge and witnessed sessions of my own. How I arrived here was a long series of nearly-inexplicable, but connected events that showed me the general, but rarely seen, wrongs of the world.

I feel that there is no absolutely right religion. If there were, there would be no need to do searching and growing, which is what life is about--advancement. The God I know is not a dictator; rather, (s)he wants humanity to advance to a point in which humanity would actually understand hir and see hir for whom (s)he really is.

Sorry if this seems confusing, but I hope it helped!

Answer 11

Hi. I consider myself to be an agnostic monotheistic witch, and although technically I'm not Pagan or Wiccan, I think I can probably bring something useful to the discussion.

I believe in a single deity, who I refer to alternately as God or Goddess for no other reason than to reinforce to my own mind that the Deity has no "gender."

As for the witchcraft part, basically, I look at spellwork as just a different more intense type of prayer. A traditional Abrahamaic prayer takes little thought: be humble and respectful, ask for what you want or give thanks, and then carry on about your day. I do pray in this manner as well, but when I do spell work, there is much more focus. I light candles that have symbolism to me - usually I light 5 - one each for my body, mind, soul (what I believe to be the part of each individual that is eternal), and spirit (the part of the Deity that dwells within me), and a big candle for the Deity.

I know in Abrahamaic religion, it is acceptable to many to ask for things like "please, God, let him stop being mad at me" or whatever, but I believe that such a prayer askes the Deity to interfere with another person's free will, so I try not to ask for such things. Instead, I try to ask things like "Please make me worthy of forgiveness" or "Please help him to see the truth of what happened."

I hope this helped.

Cheers!