Culture and your practices

[Akwila]

I find it dull to just regurgitate spells, ceremonies, and rituals from books written by people who neither know you or your culture. Not that, that is a bad thing.

But I was just wondering how many of you out there practice according to your traditional culture.

Though I was born in MT, but I moved away quickly thereafter, and continued to move very often all over the US until I was 10 and I moved to Okinawa, Japan. Since then, I've incorporated old Okinawan and Japanese religious practiced into my life; rather than a wand or athame, I use a single edged Wakizashi, I use sea salts for practically everything and swear by it's healing powers, and most of my literature is scribed and spoken in a polyglot of Hogan, Japanese, and English.... sweatdrop  

[Nomad of Nowhere]

I am ecclectic now, but my culture did lead me to my belief system; I was Jewish, but I found out that much of Jewish tradition comes from Babylonian/ Sumerian beliefs, and that much of the Bible appears to be based off of the myths of these older civilizations, who were pagan. I also found that the Jewish god was historically paired with a goddess called Asherah who was erased, and that the religion shares it's roots, very possibly, with that of the Caananite gods... so I followed Judaism to very ancient middle-eastern polytheism. From there, I noted that many middle-easterners and Greeks had agreed that their gods were the same, and I had noticed the same similiarities anyway, so I accepted that, and eventually saw that many cultures had historically accepted one another's gods as either versions of their own deities, or local ones who actually lived in the country that believe in them.

I live in Texas, and it is largely due to my location that I've had very little contact with other neo-pagans. The closest I'm able to find are Hindu's and a Shinto friend, and that only adds the the fact that I'm extremely ecclectic. I feel very little connection to many of the beliefs from outside of the Eurasian continent, though I do tend to stretch myself all over that region. I recognize most deities, be they Altaic or Celtic, at least with politeness, and would not venture to say that they do not exist. Just to avoid confusion and uncertain theories in practical matters, I often stick to the tales of my Slavic ancestors, such as those of the Veela (Slavic Faeries) and Domovoi (House-spirits). I have also used the Slavic symbol called the Gromovichi Znaci in casting. Even gods who I am almost certain I have seen the counterpart of in other cultures (such as Perun), I will use the name "Perun". My Russian isn't good enough to be useful yet, but I plan on making contact with the Neo-pagan movement there, or perhaps in the Ukraine if others follow Putin's lead in cracking down on "wild-eyed cults" like (and I quote) "methodists".  

[Starlock]

Americans have no real 'traditional culture' unless you happen to be Native American. That's probably in no small part a motivation behind the drive of American Neopagans (and probably most Canadian ones too) to go back to earlier cultural roots where there existed a pre-Christian status. If you have no 'traditional culture' you must 'borrow' one from somewhere, sometimes based on your long-ago heritage, sometimes not.

Because I do some of what would be considered 'pop culture magic/ritual' (or rather, I don't discount that pop culture figures are the equivalent of modern mythological icons with the visceral feel that Zeus or Astarte must have had to their cultures in their day) in some ways I do draw off 'traditional' American culture which loves to produce these modern mythological tales. Because of the nature of American culture too, these tales draw off the world's mythos and are not limited to any particular region of the globe. In terms of drawing upon what you probably meant by 'traditional culture' in this thread, in the 'tradition' of being an American I have little aversion towards drawing off of any world culture for inspiration. If I live in the information age - where I can learn about histories and epochs past at the click of a button - why not? The culture thus in a way becomes globalized in a way it never has been before.

For the most part though, I don't deliberately borrow elements from other traditional cultures. I feed off the more universal common ground of humanity and its mythological themes. For instance, I don't honor any specific deity from any traditional culture. While I won't honor, say, Dionysus as a vegetation Deity, I honor the Spirit of Vegetation in a more culturally universal sense or focus on what's in my own backyard (e.g. uber local). Looking at specific cultural manifestations though teaches me valuable things about both humanity and the Divine essence being categorized.



As an aside, Teague, I know there's Neopagan groups in Texas. One of the podcasts I listen to is put together by a guy in Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth area). Granted it's a big state and perhaps you don't live near there, but they do exist. whee  

[Akwila]

I meant Native American tradition by saying N. America...but that is pretty broad (ranging from the Inuits to the Blackfoot and all in between). Its amazing to me how closely related some of the local Lakota and Souix tribes' are to modern paganism; circles, drums, whistle, singing, dancing, and even spells and herbalism.

I may not be a genetic SE. Asian but I was raised there. That to me is more important than actual blood. If I were to practice my genetic culture I would be some uber Catholic Pagan and probably end up in the Santeria type stuff ( I am Irish/Spanish).  

[Nomad of Nowhere]

Well, the U.S. does have a vague sense of culture, but it's a bastardization of others. The family unit can differ though- especially if it's a jewish family. That culture has survived independently from it's land of origin for much longer than the U.S. has existed.

Still, on many fronts of the world, the religions that neo-paganism draws from are often motivated by cultural pride, or become symbols of it. Even so, it's hard to miss that all such beliefs center around the idea that the spirits being worshipped exist on their own, a nameless essence that can only be identified as an archetype. Even many names of gods in a culture ((When translated to English)) are simply identifications of them by their nature, and might simply mean "Good-Striker" or "Lord of Wind."

Yes, I have met a few Wiccans in Texas, but only in passing.  

[WebenBanu]

Hm... I have to say that neither my country of origin nor my ancestors' countries of origin have anything to do with the cultural orientation of my spiritual practice. In fact, if you'd asked me about a decade ago I would never have guessed that I'd anything to do with Egypt- ancient or modern! It's one of those things which I still reflect on every now and then as a pretty big, ironic surprise. *shrugs*

And yet, once I really began to study it... I was so deeply impressed and moved by what I found there. Really, the ancient Egyptian spiritual concepts and philosophies speak to most of my greatest concerns, and I've learned and grown a lot through them. I used to mix other pantheons in, but as time went on I became more and more focused on ancient Egypt- and the other gods and goddesses kind of went Their separate ways.

I still believe in other gods and goddesses, and have fond memories of some of Them. I will attend Their worship sessions with friends sometimes- when I'm invited by other people who actually live and work with these deities. But for myself, I'm not very ecclectic at all. I have found my insights into the religion and the worldview to become deeper and more meaningful the more I learn about this one specific culture, and the less I try to mingle other worldviews along with it. 3nodding But I've always been an avid reader and love mythology and philosophy from any culture- so I still read about other paths from time to time. I just don't feel compelled to practice them.  

[goddess_elppy]

Yeah... I'm drawn to ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Mayan civilization. A little bit to ancient England too. LoL, mostly the ancient civilizations, go figure. xD But anyway, I've had a fascination with Greek myth for about 10 years now, and I used to know ALL the stories and everything. Egypt and England are kind of low on my list, simply for the fact that it's more the culture than the religion that fascinates me. As for the Mayans, I was in a world cultures class when we were studying them, and something just clicked inside. Like, I had this deep feeling of connection to them. It was crazy. I haven't really researched them much yet, but I think that since archaeologists are getting more and more information on the Mayans, it should be increasingly easier to learn about the religion and the culture and everything like that. I don't really practice anything though... I've gotten lazy in my spirituality. ^^;;;  

[Canned Toast]

I was raised Presbyterian in central North Carolina. I got most of my morals there, but none of my beliefs.

There aren't many remains of older cultures and religions here, so I'm pretty sure none of that affected me. What really even brought "religion" to the forefront of my mind was my pagan friends. I was fascinated by their beliefs, and from there searched for my own within myself. It's almost like I simply remembered them, having developed them in a past life. If that makes sense.  

[Akwila]

Canned Toast

I was raised Presbyterian in central North Carolina. I got most of my morals there, but none of my beliefs.

There aren't many remains of older cultures and religions here, so I'm pretty sure none of that affected me. What really even brought "religion" to the forefront of my mind was my pagan friends. I was fascinated by their beliefs, and from there searched for my own within myself. It's almost like I simply remembered them, having developed them in a past life. If that makes sense.

Totally. I was on Catholicism of all things! Who knew that paganism would have been the thing to turn my crank ya know?  

[Boadicia]

It is difficult for many Americans to find a connection to their cultural history. Culturally speaking, a lot of people are "trapped" over here. I'm one of them. African-Americans especially may have a difficult time establishing such a connection because our ancestors were deliberately cut off fromt them, and geneology just isn't my thing. My family, unfortunately, keeps no oral traditions of anything, so I find it difficult to find a rapport with any culture, though my family history is a mix of African, European, and Native American.  

[Electra Luna]

Well, I know for me if hard to connect to my culture. I'm eclectic blending Hindu and Buddhist gods, with Tao verses and my personal ideas ( there is a bunch of other stuff, but these are the major ones).

Quote:

As Boadicia said African-Americans especially may have a difficult time establishing such a connection because our ancestors were deliberately cut off fromt them, and geneology just isn't my thing.

Its true, I feel no connect to that culture or those people. Its hard to connect yourself with people who you don't feel connected to. I'm just following my inner voice and what it tells me.  

[OregonLoveShaman]

I have definitely been influenced by Native American traditions, mainly of the Salish of the Puget Sound area. As a little boy, I lived next door to Janet McCloud, sometimes referred to as the Rosa Parks of the American Indian Movement. Her decades of activism led to the Bolt decision in 1974, which restored some treaty rights.

When I was 4 years old, her son Jeff, about my age, was over playing with me in the yard. He brought my attention, at one point, to a bear, who was reaching into an apple tree near their house (a field was in between our house and theirs). I ran into the house to get my mom to come out and see, but by the time she got out there, the bear was gone.

I hadn't seen a bear in the wild since then until in November 2003. Then I was walking to my camp one night after a meeting of the local Green Party, feeling inspired with lots of thoughts on my mind. I was walking a trail surrounded by thick manzanita woodlands, and I heard a snort - like a dog snort, only this was like a really big dog - just off to my left, sounded like it could have been just 10 feet. I stopped in my tracks and listened, and there was the sound of a large animal moving just out of my sight. Eventually a large bear came out onto the trail where I could see her in the moonlight - moon behind me. She looked down the trail at me from about 20-30 feet ahead. And I caught some movement behind her - a momma bear. Eventually she walked up the trail ahead of me. After a couple of minutes, I followed. I saw her and the cub turn right off the trail where I turned left off the trail to go to my camp.

About 11 days later, I did the unusual thing of picking up an Oregonian newspaper. Even more unusual for me, I happened to glance the obituary. There was Janet McCloud's obituary. It felt like a message to me. I call that bear Spirit Bear.

Since then I've had many encounters with bears. I now have another momma bear with two cubs in the woodlands where I'm now camping - I call her New Moon Momma Bear, since I usually encounter her and the cubs around the new moons. There's another bear that has a napping spot about 50 feet up the hill from my camp - I don't have a name for him, but he has the longest snoot of all the bears I've seen up there.

Janet McCloud was of Chief Sealth's (Seattle's) family. When his people were being relocated, he was asked if he had any requests. Instead of asking for things his people needed, he ask that the animals be taken care of. I feel like part of my charge is to take care of the bears - mainly by being a voice for them...  

[D3sertFl0wer666]

My family is from Italy and Japan. I follow the practices of Stregheria, which is a pagan religion from Italy. I've had to learn all I know about it from my own research online and in out-of-print books, since there isn't knowledge about it in my family. But I believe it was practiced by some of our ancestors.  

[blindfaith^_^]

I was born in America. My heritage is mixed, though the strongest fragment is probably my half Italian part. A lot of my family life, culture and flavor has been influenced by this (when I went to Italy there were a lot of aspects I'd labeled eccentric on my families part which were commonplace there).

For a bit I was interested in stregha heritage, and there are some basic aspects like the evil eye and what not which are all common in my family along with their strong Roman Catholic faith.

Parts of that I'm sure I carry with me as part of my norm, but for the most part I draw on what is natural for me. It isn't really cultural in nature or from some generic book X. It's just how my faith manifests and flows in my own life. Some of it is a materials, space, and time budget but more of it is just how things work for me.  

[Necriathon]

I have studied many different pathos and religions. I mixed the ones I felt most attuned to with my own beliefs that are mainly based on planetary/celestial worship and my obsession with what the old ones believed was the beginning and what will be the end of the universe and all that is in it. I chose N. America because it is my own belief system and that's where I am from.