Why are we always defending ourselves by saying what we don't do? Pagan Information Question #1?

Question

As Witches and Pagans here in Y!A's R&S section, we have been trying to justify ourselves by telling folks what we do NOT do as witches and Pagans. Isn't it time that we actually started letting the community know what we DO?

I believe that there is hatred directed against us which is based on a lack of knowledge about what we do, who we are and why we do what we do. Lack of knowledge leads to fear of us, Fear of us leads to hatred of us. In the interest of educating the R&S communtiy, I would like to begin a series of questions that will help to educate others about our various Religions, our ways, whens, and whys of what we do.

This first question will introduce to the community the idea that there ARE many different paths, Religions and even sects of our Religions. So, for starters,

What is your tradition and in a short post, can you explain what your tradition is all about? What Gods/Goddesses do you worship, how, when, where and why?

Bb,
Raji the Green Witch

Let's try and get as diverse a range as possible and educate the community as much as possible.

Labgirl, as you can see, I was aiming for simply a brief overview, not a detailed answer. So, any way that you can give a breif overview would be greatly appreciated.

BB

Answer 1

I am a Wiccan AND a Witch.
I honour the old Pagan Gods and Goddesses, in a way that is respectful to them and meaningful to myself.

My faith is earth or Gaia based, i try to walk lightly in this world.
I do everything within my power to look after this world of ours, many people might say i go to extremes in this, but to me there is no extreme in respecting our world. I believe that the Goddess is the womb of all life.

I believe in reincarnation, and that i am here to learn lessons with an aspiration to evolve into a perfect spiritual being over many lifespans. For this reason i strive to be the best i can be. I live my life as a dedication, and in grattiude to the Goddess.

On a daily basis, i am not much different to any other Mother , Wife, Sister, Daughter , etc. When i wake i give thanks for the new day, I pray and meditate. I do rituals in thanks of all the Goddess gives to us. All the blessings i recieve. I look after my children, and am ever mindful of the great honour the Goddess have given me, in trusting me to their upbringing.
In all i do i strive to make the right decisions, and look for the spiritual in all things.
I honour the wheel of the year, I have my own holy days that we call Sabats. I am mindful of the fact that the seasons like life are everchanging. I respect the fact that there is light and dark in all things in this world, and this is natural.
I am a herbalist.
I use the spiritual and herbal knowledge i have gained to make positive changes in my life, and the lives of my loved ones, and in nature. This is my spellwork. I adhere to the Wiccan Rede and the law of the threefold return, i also abide by the witches crede. ( Information on these texts, can be googled).
I hope this has answered some questions and dispelled some misinformation.
Wonderful Question Raji!
Blessings of the Goddess and Goddess upon us all.
Ariel)O(

Answer 2

I'm not sure how many non-pagans will bother reading these questions, but I applaud the intent! I'm also astounded this question hasn't received a single "you're going to hell" reply!

I'm an Eclectic Solitary Wiccan. I came to the conclusion a few years ago that it was generally better to keep the names of my god and goddess private. I worship an a pretty random basis: basically when I feel the urge or need. I regularly practice within a cast circle but otherwise use little formal ritual. Most of my work is meditative.

I see my path as being about growing closer to my gods and viewing the world as the product of complementary opposites. The spiritual and physical worlds are deeply entwined so that one affects the other and knowledge of one can lead to knowledge of the other. My beliefs tend toward more traditional Wiccan beliefs (as opposed to many of the ideas made popular in the 80s and 90s).

Answer 3

I consider myself to be a Hellenic/Norse Reconstructionist. Which means I believe in the Greek and Norse Gods.

I am currently looking into Asatru (Norse heathenism) as my primary path. But because I believe in the Greek Gods I don't think I could ever choose just one path. I was primarily Greek for a long time, but then I have Norse ancestry which calls me regularly to Asatru. So I practice a bit of both these days.

I also consider myself a Wiccan. I consider Wicca to be my umbrella religion which encompasses both Asatru and Hellenic Reconstructionism.

I was raised Christian and was only christian for 22 years, until last year when I decided to break away and become Wiccan. I also practice a bit of Satanism as well. It was only recently that I can fully say "there is no such thing as jesus/holy spirit" and mean it. I feel so free now since I've broken away! It's great.

I am a polytheist which means I believe in many Gods. Zeus, Hera, Athena, Thor, Odin and Freyja are some examples.
I think Zeus and Odin are my patron deities from each pantheon.

When I label myself I say "Wiccan Hellenic Asatru". I think that basically covers everything. I also have been studying a bit of Judaism which will integrate into there somehow. This is the first year I am celebrating Hanukkah.

Answer 4

Dear Raji,

What a fantastic question to get the information out there!

I'm a Traditional Witch, non-Wiccan. I love and respect all our pagan paths. For me, the magic sings to me in Mother Nature, and I follow the basic precepts of Traditional Craft, honoring our ancestral spirits, and my rituals are fairly private. I practice magic that is real, with focussed concentration and visualization in order to see the necessary steps toward accomplishing a specific goal, and when the goal is visualized as HAVING BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, the way there is before me and all I need to is get up and be proactive in making it happen.

I honor and call upon the Elements, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit. In non-Wiccan Witchcraft, we don't necessarily follow gods and/or goddesses, although some do. We don't have the same "religious" quality about our practices that Wicca has. Traditional Witchcraft is more of a craft than a religion.

What I do as a practial matter as a Witch these days is to be proactive in protecting our Mother Earth, Gaia, who is my strength and care, by being a teacher not just in my professional life, but everywhere I go, teaching people about what they can do to help in so many areas, in particular in fighting global warming, but also in making this world a better place by giving of ourselves, giving of time and money and spirit to help a desperately poor Third World family to buy a goat. For me Witchcraft is not out there in a vacuum or to be thought of as peculiar. It is right here in my hand every time I reach out my hand to help make a tiny piece of goodness happen.

Other things I do as a Witch is I use what I call my "Witch gifts" to see truth and give good counsel. I have gone through some experiences as a Witch and before I became a Witch which made me understand that self-honesty is crucial in doing craft work. If I don't know myself and if I am not honest with myself, I can't "see" into another. When I get real, I can usually see what is happening to someone, and I anticipate what they are about to say bc I know what they are thinking. This is a gift that helps me, as a Witch, to counsel people who are going through some serious problems.

So, as I see it, some of the things I do as a Witch are working to save our world, working to make the lives of those less fortunate to be better and happier, teaching, and counseling.

There's more, but my post is already sort of long, so I will end it with blessings to you and to all who read this!

Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 5

Sweetness, there's always been fear or hatred directed against someone off the main path. They can kiss my furry little behind if they can't understand that not all of us want to walk on concrete. Some of us like walking on grass instead. I mean very few any harm -- unless of course I am threatened first, then like most mammals, I have a tendancy to bite back.
I'm an Ecclectic Happy Pagan Person who is a Tree Hugging Dirt Worshipper. I prefer a Trinity in my worship such as in a Family unit Mother, Father, Holy Child and can't figure out why most patriarchal religions have taken the matriarchal out unless they're scared of what She'll do to them. I ran away from Organized religions as soon as I was able and haven't been back as the reasoning I have in this is such : Faith will move mountains; Religions kill people.
I use not ritual as I don't like it and use magic sparingly. I am of the thought that magic is best left so that no one can see that you've used it at all.

Answer 6

First of all, I don't see a hatred for Pagans or Wiccans in my community...
Second, I am not sure as to what specific path, or even if there is a specific path (except my own) that I am following. I am Earth bound and follow the Laws of Threefold.
I do some candle magick, and helping people with the use of herbs and teas and crystals, I have recently started reading Tarot cards. I am strictly a novice though I see myself as a positive influence on my community and people who come to see me for help or even just a listening ear. I offer comfort and unconditional love to those around me. Because I have learned that I am no-one to judge anyone else's life nor the choices they make in it.
In regards to my worship of specific Goddesses and Gods, I follow the Pagan/Wiccan calendar and have added my families birthdays as other days of celebration, and I follow the Moon as well.
This is an interesting question and I will check back often to see other answers posted.:D

Answer 7

I agree with you -- Pagans spend way too much time on the defensive, talking about what they don't do. Let's talk about what we really do and believe. Great question!

I am a Thelemite. Thelema is the Greek word for "Will," and a Thelemite is one who seeks to find their True Will, or true path and purpose in life, and to do their Will. The Law of Thelema is, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under Will." Our most important holidays are the Three Days of the Book of the Law -- April 8th, 9th, and 10th, marking the anniversary of the reception of our "holy book." Traditionally, Thelemites read a chapter of the Book of the Law on each of the three days. We also celebrate the solctices and equinoxes. Our primary deities are the Egyptian gods Nuit, Hadit, and Ra Hoor Khuit (Horus).

I'll go into more detail in your next question.

Answer 8

I would describe myself as an Eclectic Pagan Witch.
Until quite recently, I would have used the term 'Wiccan', but I feel my path doesn't fit so much with the main Wiccan ways.

I was raised in the Anglican church, but when I was about 14 I felt it was no longer the path for me, and felt drawn to the nature based and female balanced Pagan religions.

As an eclectic, I feel an affinity with Gods and Goddesses from various pantheons, but mainly Celtic and Norse ~ possibly due to my Scottish ancestory.
I don't come from any 'tradition' {as far as I know}.

As a solitary I don't really ritualise, and I very rarely practise magic. I have 'talks' with Spirit and the Gods every so often, and try to keep myself in tune with nature and the moon phases.

Answer 9

Asatru - Norse/Germanic

It's about living with honor. Being honest. Discipline and being self-reliant. A lot of Asatru follow the Nine Noble Virtues (of which I listed some).

The Gods/Goddess I personally have connected with are Tyr (of course), Odin and Frigg... the first 2 approached me, I approached Frigg. There are many others, this is my personal connection. I share everything with Tyr, cause he's a silent one who takes in all info and is honest when it comes to making a judgement. I share my struggles with my studies with Odin, as well as beer ;-) And with Frigg, I share my family life and when I attempt to try a new "craft". I worship them with my entire life. I have also done what is called a blot (Bloat). It's a sharing of "mead" (I use beer, Killians Red) with the Gods. First I Hail the Aesir, then the Vanir, then my ancestors of whom most were German, Welsh and Scottish (lower Scotland). It's a recognition... a connection and a sharing. It's just natural. I've done it in my backyard... on my land just south of my house and in my kitchen. =)

I am new to the ritual parts of this... the blot, the sumbel - I haven't done yet - but it all just falls into place as I go, so I don't worry about it.

Great idea, Raji =) It is getting rather old trying to explain what we Don't do. It leaves it open to even more assumptions and speculation.

Answer 10

You might like my videos i recently did on You Tube.

I am eclectic Wiccan, I see all Gods as being similar Anthropomorphic nature deities that posses in many respects the same archetypal nature. Therefore, if I find a God that has a certain archetype that I need to call upon, I'll do a ritual for that God or Goddess.

I am Wiccan because I see it as the new evolution of Witchcraft neo Pagan reconstructionist religions. Wicca is such because it recognizes the accomplishments of the past and embellishes on them.

Many people say that Wicca is bastardizing the Old Religion, I think it is saving it.