Guest ephymeris Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 When I left christianity I checked out paganism. I've always been a fan of mythology and I wished some of these myths and personas were real. Unfortunately, I couldn't really believe any of it was really "real" and therefore, despite the fact that I loved ritual and tradition and belief, I couldn't put my heart and mind into it. My venture into paganism was really just a "drive by" occurance. At the time I just really wished for magical thinking to be true and for there to be some godlike creative force in this universe. I've realized I'm just incapable of truly believing in either. Nowadays I'm often glad I don't believe that there is an allpowerful, arbritary force that rules the universe or my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 I will join any religion where I will get loads of sex for free. Any recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 I will join any religion where I will get loads of sex for free. Any recommendations? Catholic priest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted September 18, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted September 18, 2009 I will join any religion where I will get loads of sex for free. Any recommendations? Catholic priest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRDWarrior Posted September 20, 2009 Share Posted September 20, 2009 Well, this may or may not apply, but I'm actually looking forward to celebrating Halloween this year without any guilt whatsoever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Well, this may or may not apply, but I'm actually looking forward to celebrating Halloween this year without any guilt whatsoever Isn't that the truth!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autonomous Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Well, this may or may not apply, but I'm actually looking forward to celebrating Halloween this year without any guilt whatsoever Isn't that the truth!!!! Oh yeah you can do the whole traditional Samhain thing and lay an extra place at the table and leave the door or window open and invite the spirits of your dead ancestors in to celebrate with you, tee hee! On a less cheerful note, I am missing Paganism so much that I've even started entertaining the idea of trying to make Christianity work. I know it's just to fill the gap. I know I need to learn to fill that gap without anything supernatural but I have no idea how, nothing seems to work. I just felt so perfectly me as a Pagan, it was like coming home, I was happy every day just knowing I was part of it. Now I am a grumpy cow in a dull, dead world. I wish I could believe in it, it's just so fun and so me. It was like coming home,and back to myself. Damn bloody rational thinking!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Well, this may or may not apply, but I'm actually looking forward to celebrating Halloween this year without any guilt whatsoever Isn't that the truth!!!! Oh yeah you can do the whole traditional Samhain thing and lay an extra place at the table and leave the door or window open and invite the spirits of your dead ancestors in to celebrate with you, tee hee! On a less cheerful note, I am missing Paganism so much that I've even started entertaining the idea of trying to make Christianity work. I know it's just to fill the gap. I know I need to learn to fill that gap without anything supernatural but I have no idea how, nothing seems to work. I just felt so perfectly me as a Pagan, it was like coming home, I was happy every day just knowing I was part of it. Now I am a grumpy cow in a dull, dead world. I wish I could believe in it, it's just so fun and so me. It was like coming home,and back to myself. Damn bloody rational thinking!! I don't see why you couldn't participate in the rituals, enjoy yourself, and realize that it's not really supernatural. It's like going to a movie - you enjoy yourself, get into the plot, and disengage your rational mind (as much as possible), and then put your rational mind back into gear when you go home. And remember how much fun you had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I don't see why you couldn't participate in the rituals, enjoy yourself, and realize that it's not really supernatural. It's like going to a movie - you enjoy yourself, get into the plot, and disengage your rational mind (as much as possible), and then put your rational mind back into gear when you go home. And remember how much fun you had. That is exactly what I do. I enjoy all of it, the spirituality, the rituals, the openness to do whatever and explore my heritage at the same time. But I do not believe in gods or goddesses as supernatural beings, they are just manifestations of our imagination personifying natural elements and human ideals. That's just fine with me. I know what you mean, autonomous when you say that being pagan felt like coming home. That is how I feel. Its bit tough though, since a lot of pagans are just as wacko as some Christians, but there is no reason to associate with anyone you don't agree with. I have always practiced alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellincoffee Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I started reading about Wicca in the spring. I find it very interesting, but I'm more attracted to it for its appreciation of the natural world and the integration of beauty and "spirituality" than I am the idea of spells-- I can't take that seriously. That's one of the reasons I've started to call myself UU, though -- theirs is an approach that incorporates humanism and the good parts of "earth-centered traditions". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vomit Comet Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Catholic priest? Well, maybe if I get to supervise a nunnery.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolution_beyond Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 I went pagan for a while - I had my own pantheon, which was fairly eclectic but with a strong Greek-Roman element because of my interest in astrology (I was obsessed with Linda Goodman at the time) I then got more and more 'rational' with my beliefs but I soon became a pantheist (God is the Universe itself) Then I became an atheist. More recently I have been getting back to a pantheist point of view. The difference from my previous pantheism is that I no longer think The Universe/nature is conscious. I see it as a powerful presence that you can tap into, but I wouldn't say it is conscious - it is too 'other' to talk of as if it had a human mind. But I am realising that pagan gods can be powerful symbols that can help us humans to understand how we feel about nature, how we relate to the cosmos, some of the deeper elements of reality and our place in it - and some of our own human moral and developmental experiences. So I am back to constructing my own pantheon from eclectic sources - this time I am even including some Dungeons and Dragons deities so that I don't forget that gods are human symbols, created by the human mind. Nature in itself is divine I think, it is a powerful and mysterious presence and it is only fitting that we would want to worship it. Nature is also morally neutral (morals are human things) and non-conscious - it is more a felt energy than a conscious mind. The symbol I use to understand nature in-itself is Cernunnos, or Obad-hai - or sometimes I think of the strange creatures in the film Pan's Labyrinth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw393 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 Hi, I am wondering if anyone here left Christianity and went into paganism or witchcraft? I was a pagan for about 2 years until recently when I have become more of an atheist. I still miss it though, and wish I believed in it, which is probably why I'd like to talk about it!! I've been Pagan for three years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MultifariousBirdLady Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Hi, I am wondering if anyone here left Christianity and went into paganism or witchcraft? I was a pagan for about 2 years until recently when I have become more of an atheist. I still miss it though, and wish I believed in it, which is probably why I'd like to talk about it!! It's getting close to two decades now since I became a Pagan... starting maybe a year after I left Christianity permanently. My beliefs and practices as a Pagan have shifted quite a bit since I started. There's a lot of room within it to learn, experiment and change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I found myself in pagan beliefs when I shed all the false layers of christianity/general Abrahamism from my beliefs and thoughts. The more I live, the more I believe that I was pagan to begin with. And not just because I love nature, or I like shiny silver stars or anything. It goes far deeper and wide than any "superficial" reason. And perhaps my path leading me to it wasn't filled with pure logical reasoning, but I tend to be an emotional person. It's part of who I am, just as I think being pagan is part of who I am. I was the weird kid who talked to trees. Yes, I really did. I cried when trees were cut down, but found solace in the fact that they would rot and make other life possible. I also accepted at a very young age that I would die, and hoped that my body too would nourish the Earth. I prayed to the Moon. I still love standing in the Moon's light and just letting everything else fade out. I adore the Ocean. I believe both the Moon and the Ocean has spoken to me. As well as forests. I've seen spirits and ghosts. I've talked with dead relatives in dreams, as well as deities, dreaming and waking. I've been called crazy, down right schizophrenic before, and I really don't care. Denying what I heard and knew was far more painful and damaging that listening ever has been. No entity has ever told me to kill myself or others. Nothing I've heard/seen/experienced has ever done anything but encourage me to love more, be more aware, and conserve our beautiful planet. Christianity encouraged me to fear others, hate myself, and despise this world. Which is the real mental illness, really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I found myself in pagan beliefs when I shed all the false layers of christianity/general Abrahamism from my beliefs and thoughts. The more I live, the more I believe that I was pagan to begin with. And not just because I love nature, or I like shiny silver stars or anything. It goes far deeper and wide than any "superficial" reason. And perhaps my path leading me to it wasn't filled with pure logical reasoning, but I tend to be an emotional person. It's part of who I am, just as I think being pagan is part of who I am. I was the weird kid who talked to trees. Yes, I really did. I cried when trees were cut down, but found solace in the fact that they would rot and make other life possible. I also accepted at a very young age that I would die, and hoped that my body too would nourish the Earth. I prayed to the Moon. I still love standing in the Moon's light and just letting everything else fade out. I adore the Ocean. I believe both the Moon and the Ocean has spoken to me. As well as forests. I've seen spirits and ghosts. I've talked with dead relatives in dreams, as well as deities, dreaming and waking. I've been called crazy, down right schizophrenic before, and I really don't care. Denying what I heard and knew was far more painful and damaging that listening ever has been. No entity has ever told me to kill myself or others. Nothing I've heard/seen/experienced has ever done anything but encourage me to love more, be more aware, and conserve our beautiful planet. Christianity encouraged me to fear others, hate myself, and despise this world. Which is the real mental illness, really? Your post reminded me of Lord of the Rings. The Ents, the powers of nature, unseen forces... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Ents rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Ents rock. They also are fabrications of imagination just like other myths and deities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Ents rock. They also are fabrications of imagination just like other myths and deities. Maybe imagination is bigger than most think. Don't claim to know the truth, just know what I think I know...I think. :-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight-mindwanderings Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I had more religious experiences reading LoTR than the Bible. Its my sacred text hehe. But I'm a freak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MultifariousBirdLady Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I had more religious experiences reading LoTR than the Bible. Its my sacred text hehe. But I'm a freak. You know what, I know a Christian who said just about the same thing with respect to both LoTR and especially the Silmarillion. Very unusual fellow, and very much a mystic. Great guy. Not a typical Christian at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VacuumFlux Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I kinda wish I could believe in some sort of higher being(s). I'm an atheist, but sometimes I lean towards mysticism. I've been doing more meditation lately and though it's great to get back to delving into the deeper parts of myself, I miss the sense of connecting to another being. I used to be able to conjure up a sense of God. I'd talk to Him, He'd talk to me, and He really cared about me. Then one day I realized that I could manipulate that feeling, that "the one voice in my head that didn't belong to me" was actually just me, trying to give myself what I want. I feel so alone, and I think it's unreasonable to expect to find the sense of love and compassion that I crave from another human being. Or even from a set of other human beings. I wish I could let myself conjure up a sense of an "other" to love and be loved by so I wouldn't be stuck trying not to drag affection out of my friends at times when they're having a bad day and would be better of with me being supportive or just leaving them alone. Or maybe I just need more friends that I can be safely open and honest with. And a romantic relationship would be nice. Maybe then I wouldn't feel such a urge to make up imaginary friends. Edit: I forgot to say that I used to think about becoming some form of pagan for the cooler gods, and the goddesses, and the feeling of connection with nature. And trees, I like trees. I wish I could talk to them, or have an out of body experience and be a tree for a while, or at least form a telepathic connection with one. I've tried. It didn't work, and that was sad. And then I realized that sitting really still next to a tree makes you a bug magnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MultifariousBirdLady Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I used to be able to conjure up a sense of God. I'd talk to Him, He'd talk to me, and He really cared about me. Then one day I realized that I could manipulate that feeling, that "the one voice in my head that didn't belong to me" was actually just me, trying to give myself what I want. I feel so alone, and I think it's unreasonable to expect to find the sense of love and compassion that I crave from another human being. There are different ways that Pagans think about Gods. Some people do consider them to be aspects of the mind, or archetypes originating in the subconscious. If these views are true, then although they aren't "real" in the sense of being independently external beings, they are "real" in the sense that they are parts of ourselves which can respond to our attempts to communicate with them. Perhaps because they arise from the subconscious, they seem to be able to offer valuable insight that isn't always available to the conscious mind. With respect to finding a sense of love and compassion within oneself, there are a number of religions and philosophies which suggest that this approach is beneficial. In Wicca, for example, there is that part of the Charge of the Goddess about finding what you seek within yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddity Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 I've considered Paganism on and off for a while now. Most of my information comes from Google (and a bit from YouTuber's vlogs), and I want to pick up some of the recommended reading sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightangel1282 Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hi everyone! I just joined the site a few days ago, and this is going to be my first post! YAY!! To answer the opening post, I am an Eclectic Witch who converted from Roman Catholicism when I was 17. Blessed be, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts