Eclecticism...

[FireonYce]

When I began my Religious Journey I started like many othere reading up on Wicca. I Loved it. It was so different from all that I knew and allot of the theories and the beliefs I hold still. Its kust that with Wicca, at least the gardnerian branch things are just so etched in stone. I didn't like that. It reminded me to much of Chritianity and the reason i hated it so ( at least here down south) was people were either 100% right or 100% wrong. As I read up on many other religions and how Christianity is suppsoe to be I sort of mellowed out. It took me a while but I no longer held the types of feelings twords Christianty as I once did. I moved to Kemetic beliefs and the egyptian gods. From them I took most of my cerimonial magic and gods from. Like wicca i feel that there is a god and goddess. But they together are the top of the pyramid. I feel that the divine also has many other faces and purposes. So for most of the godds and goddess below the two I worship happen to be egyptian, The only other goddess whom I worship outside of the kemetic trees is Aphrodities. I for some reason have felt a connection to her as long as i can tell. Being a guy allot of people find this wierd, because I don't act feminine in any way. Im not sure why I've always felt this connection with her, I mean I rarely studied the greek or roman gods or goddess at all.

So for the most part I am a Pagan with huge Kemetic and Wiccan beliefs. The two together are the two basics of my religion. I also have stones and crystals in my religion. I use them more than any other tools i have. I once thought of My self as a Stonarian Wiccan but Thats when I held nothing but basic wiccan beliefs. =P The thing is We're all ever changing so I doubt this is the last phase of my religious training. Its just a step along the path. =)  

[Winter Black]

I've always been Pagan. I just didn't know much about witchcraft. This lead me to read Wicca books... And that didn't turn out so well, because I didn't really like most of what I read... Although I do have one or two Wicca-inspired beliefs.

I don't personally follow the Threefold rule of the Wiccan path. That was, in fact, one of the many things that turned me off about Wicca. Though I won't go into those. I mean, there is Karma. But I don't think it hits quite that hard, personally.
Being of both Discordian and Thelemic underviews, I find revenge acceptable. I just don't use magic to do it. Its much easier, and more effective, for me to do it on my own.
And I generally never need, or really want to get revenge, anyways. I'm generally a forgiving person, depending on the situation. Most of the time, I simply stop talking to the offender.

I follow the Goddess Eris (ee-rihs), and the God Eros (air-ohs). Though, previously my patron, and only God, was Dionysus (dye-on-I-suhs). I primarily follow the Greek pantheon of Gods.
Dionysus is my Father God, I should say. Hence my surname. He was with me through my whole childhood, in my dreams, under his Roman name, Bacchus. I prefer the Greek name, however.
A friend of mine suggest Eris might be my Mother God... And that perhaps Eros is, so to speak, the husband figure in my life. This was based on how and when they came into my life.
Eris was usually there, but she generally took the backburner, simply observing my life. It wasn't until I called to her, asking her to please keep me from actually being pregnant (I wasn't, and for that I thank her eternally), because there was an accident, and I needed her protection.
The fact that she stopped merely observing at that point suggests that, being there for me in a time of great need, she see's me, perhaps, as her own child. She's around a lot more, now. And I think she's taking care of me.
Eros showed up around two months before my 18th birthday (so just recently), as my strong connection with my Father, Dionysus, was begining to wane. That is, he was letting me go, because I was going to be an adult now. Eros showed up, and I think Dionysus decided that Eros had much to teach me in adult hood. Things Dionysus couldn't show me, or didn't feel he had the right to show me. My friend suggested that this was "stepping back to let his daughter marry".
In fact, I held a dedication ceremony just this past June, a month or so before my 18th birthday occured. It was the 2nd, and I will never forget it.
But, because I wanted to honor my Fahter, I took his name as my surname that night. And ever since, I've refered to myself as Candice Niko Dionysus. My middle name originally being Nicole.

Now, I do work with other Gods in the Greek pantheon. When I need their help, like good friends, they will oblige. But I have also been known to occasionally dabble with the Norse Gods and Goddesses. Not always, but once in a while.
This is because a lot of my beliefs on how the world was created, how it will end, and my mannerisms, and most of how I live my life, is all based on Asatru (or, if you like, Norse Reconstructionalism) beliefs and moral structures. Things like Ragnarok, and the Nine Noble Virtues, and honoring your ancestors... And I plan on putting my final request, in my will, as having a Viking Funeral.
A Viking Funeral, incase you aren't familiar with the term, is when you are placed in a small boat, with your most personal of belongings, back then that would include your sword/axe/bow/ect., and then set afire, and sent to drift, burning, at sea. The ultimate of cremations. You body burns, and you are returned to the most primordial of Elements, the Water. This was mainly because the Vikings were a Water-faring people.
The reason I wish for a funeral of this type is spilt into three reasons. The first reason is that the literal translation of the word Hell is "in the ground". Therefore, I don't wish to be burried, as it would mean being put in 'hell'.
The second reason is that I love the water, more than anything on the planet. I love to swim in it, I love to drink it, and I love to watch its waves, gentle or harsh, crash upon the sand or rock.
The third is a more scientific reason. It is because we are made up mostly of water. And so it would be the ultimate return to where we had come from.
And, hopefully I will have lived a nobel and virtuous life... Perhaps a hero's life... And I will go to Valhalla.

I be you're wondering just how I could have been "Pagan all my life". Its got a lot to do with my dreams as a child. I can never hope to fully explain them, so I will merely go with the basics.

When I was very, very young... Perhaps before I was old enough to talk, I had dreams of the Greek God Dionysus. Of course, when I was old enough to ask his name, he gave me the name Bacchus. But these days, I tend to stick to the Greek names of that specific set of Gods.

In these dreams, we would be in one of the most gorgeous forests, in a small clearing, sitting at a make-shift table that stretched nearly the lenght of the feild, though only, I would say, about four feet wide. It was covered in food, and drink, and toys, and the most beautiful bronze plates and silver forks, and golden, jeweled cups.

And all around were beautiful women ranging any age from 15 to 35, in different outfits, ranging from skimpy and tight, to loose and billowing.
And in these dreams, among the Maenads, I would sit in the lap of the most beautiful young man, with lightly curling, soft brown hair, and the most soft hazel eyes. And he was Bacchus, he was Dionysus. And he would call me petnames, like white daughter, sweet heart, dear heart, and beautiful child of whitefire.

And so it was that in my dreams, I would sit among these gorgeous adults, and drink grape juice, and eat all kinds of meats, and breads, and cheeses, and fruits. Anything my heart desired, my Bacchus had there for me.
And he would talk to me, comfort me, sing to me, or simply hold me as I spoke of the things I had needed to get off my heavy heart. He spoiled me, and he treated me gently, and he loved me.
And really, this God was my father. Not by blood, oh no. But because that was the role he seemed to play for me in these dreams. My own father I saw rarely, because he would work all day, until late at night.

And so, I worshipped this beautiful man who would presume to be my father-figure. I loved, and honored, and worshipped him. And when I was old enough, I began to research his name, and one night, during the dream, I called him Dionysus. And he smiled. It had seemed he had wanted me to figure out his identity on my own.

And more recently I found out why he used the nicknames with the word white in them. You see, my real name, Candice, is an ancient Greek word. It means, roughly translated, white, whiteness, whitefire, or glowing. This was a sign. You see, this mean that I was meant to follow the Greek Pantheon. This Greek God, and this Greek name of my own.

And so, here I am, a Pagan born, a Pagan raised, and a Pagan I shall die. I was not so much drawn to my path, as I was born to it. Destined to it. And now I am immersed in it.

I hope you can understand.  

[Kain Wynd]

Christo Minaverus

When I began my Religious Journey I started like many othere reading up on Wicca. I Loved it. It was so different from all that I knew and allot of the theories and the beliefs I hold still. Its kust that with Wicca, at least the gardnerian branch things are just so etched in stone. I didn't like that. It reminded me to much of Chritianity and the reason i hated it so ( at least here down south) was people were either 100% right or 100% wrong. As I read up on many other religions and how Christianity is suppsoe to be I sort of mellowed out. It took me a while but I no longer held the types of feelings twords Christianty as I once did. I moved to Kemetic beliefs and the egyptian gods. From them I took most of my cerimonial magic and gods from. Like wicca i feel that there is a god and goddess. But they together are the top of the pyramid. I feel that the divine also has many other faces and purposes. So for most of the godds and goddess below the two I worship happen to be egyptian, The only other goddess whom I worship outside of the kemetic trees is Aphrodities. I for some reason have felt a connection to her as long as i can tell. Being a guy allot of people find this wierd, because I don't act feminine in any way. Im not sure why I've always felt this connection with her, I mean I rarely studied the greek or roman gods or goddess at all.

So for the most part I am a Pagan with huge Kemetic and Wiccan beliefs. The two together are the two basics of my religion. I also have stones and crystals in my religion. I use them more than any other tools i have. I once thought of My self as a Stonarian Wiccan but Thats when I held nothing but basic wiccan beliefs. =P The thing is We're all ever changing so I doubt this is the last phase of my religious training. Its just a step along the path. =)

Just because you are a male doesn't mean that you can't have a connection to Aphrodite. She is the Goddess of love and beauty, and men are just as capable of love and beauty as any woman.

twisted  

[Kain Wynd]

If you're going to put pronunciation notes on the names of the deities, it would help if you got it right.

Eris = EH-ris
Eros = EH-rohs
Dionysus = DEE-ah-NUI-sos

I don't mean to insult you, so please don't take it that way for it's not my intention at all. It's just that, if you bother to include a pronunciation guide for the proper way to pronounce the names of the Greek deities, it helps to know the correct way to do so. I know this because I've studied a bit of the greek language, and I happen to be a Hellenic pagan (one who honors the Greek deities).

I do understand what it is that you've described in this post, for I've gone through the same thing when I was younger. Selene, the moon, has been with me for a very long time, as well as Artemis and Hecate. Everything about me, since my birth seemed to focus around the night and the moon in particular, and I have since come to know and live my path fully.

Do forgive me for correcting you, it's just that it bothers me when people choose to try and pronounce something and make a big deal about the way they pronounce it as though it's the correct way, when it's not. I don't make a big deal about pronunciation since everyone has their own way. But if you're going to do it, do it right.

twisted  

[Winter Black]

It is to my understanding, as gathered from Pantheon.org, that the proper way of pronouncing it is, in fact, ee-rihs. If you click the link, even, on the right side of the screen, under pronounciation, it does in fact state that the way it is said is, for all intents and purposes, "ee-ris".

And for the record, I have never heard it pronounced "dee-ah-nui-sos" in my entire life. neutral Pantheon.org once again contradicts you. (Though, in my browser, that particular page is messed up, and the pronounciation key is a little lower than it should be.)
And, since my own name is Greek, I think I have an understanding on how the names should be said.

And your correction of Eros was irrelevant, since eh-rohs and air-ohs are pretty much the exact same pronounciation, spelt differently. The only difference is that when I see "eh" I automatically think of that word that everyone says Canadians always say, which is spelt "Eh", and pronounced as an uppercase A. And since I do not say it "Arohs", but "airohs", that is the way I spelt the pronounciation.

Edit:
And besides, the Gods themselves seem to have no problem with the way I pronounce their names. Even in the dreams I have, they've never once tried to correct me, or shown any signs that I was saying their names wrong.  

[Kain Wynd]

ANd I too do not have a problem with the way you pronounce the names of the deities. However, if you're going to provide pronunciation guides, make sure you do it right.

In linguistics, Pantheon.org is consideredd incorrect for the pronunciation of the names of the deities that you provided.

Once again, I'm not trying to detach from your own worth as a follower of Dionysus. It's my aim to tell you that if you, as a person, are going to provide pronunciation guides for words that people already know and recognize and have been saying for longer than you've been alive, then you should at least have the decency to get it right, or not even bother. How you personally pronounce the names of the deities doesn't matter. But if you're going to tell other people how to do it, make sure that you are right and check your sources.

twisted  

[Winter Black]

How is giving the way I have been raised to pronounce them wrong? Its my opinion that if the Gods consider it right, than what you call "linguistics" should not matter.

Also, why do you put the twisted smiley at the bottom of all of your posts? I, to be honest, consider that smiley to mean that there is mischief in the post its attached to.  

[Kain Wynd]

Winter Black

How is giving the way I have been raised to pronounce them wrong? Its my opinion that if the Gods consider it right, than what you call "linguistics" should not matter.

Also, why do you put the twisted smiley at the bottom of all of your posts? I, to be honest, consider that smiley to mean that there is mischief in the post its attached to.

Sweetie, nevermind the smilie, for it is irrelevant and has nothing to do with the post. It's my own personal choice to add that.

Secondly, I've already said that I, personally, don't care what you call the gods that you honor and worship. That is between you and them. However, if you, as a person, are going to provide a linguistic key to the proper pronunciation of their names, it helps if you get the pronunciation correct. Otherwise, don't bother putting it in. That's all I've said for three posts.  

[Jezehbelle]

I've heard BOTH pronunciations, the "dye-on-I-suhs" one more, however.
It really just doesn't matter that much, and there's no need to nitpick or get upset.

Simmer down, please. sweatdrop  

[Redwing~Shadow]

I cant really say what way my path goes. I have a stronger path toward celtics and druids than any of the other paths. I pretty much make my own path as I go along. I chose pagenism as my religion because u can choose how you want to worship and what you want to belive. I find it as more of a way to help me find my real self, which I have needed for some time, but other than that I find myself free of choice. I honestly perfer the druid path since the druids were such down to earth people. I have an easier time to understand their ways then other paths. But I am also a fan of the celtics. I find myself mixing the two up, when if you think of it they are pretty much the same.  

[Rioto_Kish]

(I felt that I should actually answer the thread topic, considering I posted some of my useless thoughts a while back)

I consider myself an Eclectic pagan, with Egyptian influences. About three or four years ago, I was first introduced to paganism by my friend who's Wiccan. I've been reading about all kinds of pagan beliefs and paths since then, and I've settled on calling myself Eclectic, because my beliefs are so varied. I believe that whatever I do, will return to me (not necessarily three-fold, but it will come back) I follow the Rede of Lycian Wicca, and at the moment, the two gods that I am trying to communicate with are Wepwawet and Seshat.  

[Azana Brown]

I'm currently so Eclectic, I'm not sure what to call myself. I'm still somewhat searching for my path in what little free time I have here at the University. Being here, I can see how people can often get so bogged down and lost that they die inside. I'm determined to not allow that to happen to me, though this cold winter is making things difficult.

I feel slightly envious of people who have things so sorted out. I have basic ideas and notions and theories...but they haven't taken a full form yet. I hope they do someday soon, though. It sucks feeling somewhat lost spiritually, and the last thing I want to do is get roped into some religion where I'm just told what to do.  

[deathcomes_onsilentwings]

I started out Wiccan, but then I turned to more Paganistic beliefs. I don't know... I still haven't figured out everything that I believe or what category I fit in to. I'm still searching- still looking. But for now, I'm an Eclectic.  

[PoeticVengeance]

The beginnings of Etherism are extremely Eclectic, and at this point its coalesced into quite a nice pagan path, one that seems to actually have been adopted by a few other people who read over my work.

It has certainly sparked debate and interest into the fields of energy manipulation and magic through its channeling techniques, so I'm glad that its making people think.


Although at this point I refer to myself as an Etherist instead of an Eclectic Pagan (I follow partially the Etherist's Discord path slightly, but I haven't written that to a viable medium yet, you'll have to wait. lol) I am still very aware of my Eclectic past and the Eclectic roots of my beliefs.


I look upon them and other Eclectic paths with fondness.


Edit: lol, forgot to hyperlink you to the Summary of Etherism. I'll make a wiki for it really soon, I totally promise! ^^