A couple questions...

[Gamma Akutabi1228]

biggrin My first q is, How do I start out on my path? ive been luthern for 17 years too long and im just confused...lol

My second question is, could any one who is willing send me a description of their religion? Ive been calling myself pagan for a year now but i still dont have an 'official' path to go on. I'd like to understand better everyones beliefs with you (and not a book, cause i have a very hard time reading) telling me.

My third, kinda personal, is, How did you know (if you switched over to Pagan or Wiccan, etc.) that that was the path for you? I love hearing people tell me their stories because its just nice to listen to.

Heres mine if ur interested:

I started questioning my faith at 6, but I was scared to disobey god in fear of hell, then a bunch of questions arose in my head like 'Why would Lucifer burn people? Why not train them for a heaven and hell battle? Why would god hate so many people? How can he be all loving?' and etc. I always asked my gma about it and she always said 'thats just how it is'.
I saw a ghost when I was little, and i used to play with fairies and elves with my sister (they were pretend) when we were little and hang out in nature just cause we felt happy there.
I never understood why god would hate forests either, they were fun biggrin
Anyway, I always knew something was out there, but not something according to the bible. Something peaceful and beautiful.
One day, about January 2008, a Celtic (or at least i think it was Celtic) pagan clan/coven was outside in the wood around crow creek (when I lived in WY) They were singing a lot of songs, and each one made me cry out of happiness. The hymns at my church scared me and made the people around me seem like androids almost.
Ever since then Ive been trying to find my path in paganism, because i know thats whats right, and thats what i feel like i have to do. I want to worship and celebrate the gods and goddesses in the old ways. I want to be apart of what looks happy and hopeful.
i dont just want i suppose, I feel like its pulling me toward it, like i need it...

In short, I suppose music turned me, lol.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

If you're serious about being a pagan you'll have to make your peace with reading wink there's really no way of avoiding it.  

[Gamma Akutabi1228]

Sanguina Cruenta

If you're serious about being a pagan you'll have to make your peace with reading wink there's really no way of avoiding it.

im dyslexic... it gives me a ridiculous headache (i even make my computer use speech) is there audio books? XD
what books would u recommend?  

[Midnight Magpie]

If you can make your computer read the words to you, then it shouldn't be a problem for people to send you a lengthy description of their faith. We've all done more reading and self-discovery looking for our paths than most people do in a lifetime. Lol. If you ask for a description of a pagan's faith, it's very likely you're going to get a hell of a lot of words. Even if they don't explain it to you, and reference you to websites or books, you're pretty much stuck reading or having your computer read it to you.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

In that case, you're probably best off buying ebooks. I'm not sure many come in audio book form, but with an ebook you can probably get your computer to read out parts of it when you start to get a headache.

I can't recommend you anything at the moment, because you're not starting out with much of anything. If you want to find a more specific path for you, start out asking yourself some questions. At this point there's probably little that will fit you just right, but an idea of what's important to you in what religion you practice will give us ideas of what to recommend, and thus what books to suggest.

So, things to start thinking about are:
your concepts of deity (how many are there? think of monism, pantheism, panentheism, soft and hard polytheisms, henotheism, etc etc);
how you view the "natural world";
your view on land spirits, animism, the elements etc;
your view on group work;
any particular pagan cultures or pantheons you feel drawn to;
things you consider taboo or would not like to see in your religion;
how much structure you are looking for;
the ritual form you prefer (highly structured, ceremonial, very loose, different each time or always the same, etc);
the types of holidays you would like to celebrate
etc.

There are lots of religions around that people here don't practice, but that we know about - if you give us a little detail on what you're looking for, we may be able to find you a good website or something.

Steampunk: the more major issue is for people to be bothered writing it out wink  

[Gamma Akutabi1228]

Sanguina Cruenta

In that case, you're probably best off buying ebooks. I'm not sure many come in audio book form, but with an ebook you can probably get your computer to read out parts of it when you start to get a headache.

I can't recommend you anything at the moment, because you're not starting out with much of anything. If you want to find a more specific path for you, start out asking yourself some questions. At this point there's probably little that will fit you just right, but an idea of what's important to you in what religion you practice will give us ideas of what to recommend, and thus what books to suggest.

So, things to start thinking about are:
your concepts of deity (how many are there? think of monism, pantheism, panentheism, soft and hard polytheisms, henotheism, etc etc);
how you view the "natural world";
your view on land spirits, animism, the elements etc;
your view on group work;
any particular pagan cultures or pantheons you feel drawn to;
things you consider taboo or would not like to see in your religion;
how much structure you are looking for;
the ritual form you prefer (highly structured, ceremonial, very loose, different each time or always the same, etc);
the types of holidays you would like to celebrate
etc.

There are lots of religions around that people here don't practice, but that we know about - if you give us a little detail on what you're looking for, we may be able to find you a good website or something.

Steampunk: the more major issue is for people to be bothered writing it out wink

your concepts of deity (how many are there? think of monism, pantheism, panentheism, soft and hard polytheisms, henotheism, etc etc); a lot...XD I dont know what soft and hard polytheism

how you view the "natural world"; Thats a hard question, do you mean what do i see when i think of a natural world? a forest or an unpolluted world

your view on land spirits, animism, the elements etc;I believe everything has a spirit, including each element

your view on group work; I like working in groups, i feel safe and not alone

any particular pagan cultures or pantheons you feel drawn to; Celtic (idk y, im only like 10% celtic in heritage)

things you consider taboo or would not like to see in your religion; Well, I dont believe in theft, killing (in any way, shape or form), lying, etc, but i dont think you go to hell for it. I believe it is the body's mind is whats wrong, not the souls

how much structure you are looking for; i dont understand. Are you saying how organized would I like it to be? well, id like to have a solid idea of everything, but ways to express that idea i think should differ (hard to answer, lol)

the ritual form you prefer (highly structured, ceremonial, very loose, different each time or always the same, etc); I havent really thought of ritual before, I figured i'd worry about that when I found my path, but I practice small rituals, like thanking the goddesses/Gods for food and life and etc.

the types of holidays you would like to celebrate
etc. The general ones, like Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, The solstices, etc.  

[rmcdra]

I might be able to provide some clarity on some of these questions.

Gamma Akutabi1228

your concepts of deity (how many are there? think of monism, pantheism, panentheism, soft and hard polytheisms, henotheism, etc etc); a lot...XD I dont know what soft and hard polytheism

Soft poly - Alll gods are god and all goddesses are goddess. Or All gods are aspects of one God (or Goddess).
Hard poly - the idea that Gods are distinct individuals from each other and aren't part of some overarching God (or Goddess).

Quote:

how you view the "natural world"; Thats a hard question, do you mean what do i see when i think of a natural world? a forest or an unpolluted world

I could be mistaken but I think she means what is natural to you in your world? Example - If you believe in gods, gods aren't supernatural but part of what you see in your "natural world".

Quote:

any particular pagan cultures or pantheons you feel drawn to; Celtic (idk y, im only like 10% celtic in heritage)

Are you attached to the Celtic Gods? This might be a bit problematic since most Celtic Gods will only accept worship from those who are members of Celtic culture (language, customs, more than what I can recall at this time...). Others here my be better equipped to provide resources explaining why that is.  

[Esiris]

Gamma Akutabi1228

biggrin My first q is, How do I start out on my path? ive been luthern for 17 years too long and im just confused...lol

It kind of depends on which path you want to follow, but I recommend taking a hard look at why you're leaving your faith and what you're looking for and why.

Quote:

My second question is, could any one who is willing send me a description of their religion? Ive been calling myself pagan for a year now but i still dont have an 'official' path to go on. I'd like to understand better everyones beliefs with you (and not a book, cause i have a very hard time reading) telling me.

I'm multifaithed. I practice witchcraft and hoodoo. I do a lot with peristyle and I am seeking based on an experience I had a while back- and the experience has me looking into being initiated into Wicca. Because of that, I'm currently working with a Gard coven.

Quote:

My third, kinda personal, is, How did you know (if you switched over to Pagan or Wiccan, etc.) that that was the path for you? I love hearing people tell me their stories because its just nice to listen to.

I'm happy with my path- but it doesn't have all the answers. I don't know if Wicca will help me find the answers I am looking for or not- I just know I need to understand something beautiful I was given and that Wicca might help.  

[Gamma Akutabi1228]

Quote:

any particular pagan cultures or pantheons you feel drawn to; Celtic (idk y, im only like 10% celtic in heritage)Are you attached to the Celtic Gods? This might be a bit problematic since most Celtic Gods will only accept worship from those who are members of Celtic culture (language, customs, more than what I can recall at this time...). Others here my be better equipped to provide resources explaining why that is.

They just...idk how to explain... the goddess brigit, god lugh, and cernunnos stood out to me and they just seem right...
^^'  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Gamma Akutabi1228

They just...idk how to explain... the goddess brigit, god lugh, and cernunnos stood out to me and they just seem right...
^^'

Bridgit and Lugh are Gods of the Gael religion. Cernunnos is from Gaul. They are two different cultures, and two different religions.  

[ncsweet]

Sanguina Cruenta

Gamma Akutabi1228

They just...idk how to explain... the goddess brigit, god lugh, and cernunnos stood out to me and they just seem right...
^^'

Bridgit and Lugh are Gods of the Gael religion. Cernunnos is from Gaul. They are two different cultures, and two different religions.

Scorplett has noted (if I'm not mistaken) that Bridgit and Lugh may not be of the group of Gods that are specifically oathed to the Gael, so they may be open to worship by "outsiders". I'll have to see if I can dig up where she mentioned it.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

ncsweet

Sanguina Cruenta

Gamma Akutabi1228

They just...idk how to explain... the goddess brigit, god lugh, and cernunnos stood out to me and they just seem right...
^^'

Bridgit and Lugh are Gods of the Gael religion. Cernunnos is from Gaul. They are two different cultures, and two different religions.

Scorplett has noted (if I'm not mistaken) that Bridgit and Lugh may not be of the group of Gods that are specifically oathed to the Gael, so they may be open to worship by "outsiders". I'll have to see if I can dig up where she mentioned it.

You're right that they're not oathed - they're of the next generation after the oath was taken so it doesn't necessarily apply to them. They're still gods of that pantheon, though.  

[Gamma Akutabi1228]

Sanguina Cruenta

Gamma Akutabi1228

They just...idk how to explain... the goddess brigit, god lugh, and cernunnos stood out to me and they just seem right...
^^'

Bridgit and Lugh are Gods of the Gael religion. Cernunnos is from Gaul. They are two different cultures, and two different religions.

Ive learned that brigit and lugh were irish, and cernunnos is the common name for the horned god, which is also hu gadarn, a druid god of the forest, fertility, life, etc.......
could be wrong, but thats what i learned in mythology/religion class  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

Gamma Akutabi1228

Ive learned that brigit and lugh were irish, and cernunnos is the common name for the horned god, which is also hu gadarn, a druid god of the forest, fertility, life, etc.......
could be wrong, but thats what i learned in mythology/religion class

Who is this "the horned god" you speak of?

Gael are the Irish Celtic people, yes. Cernunnos is totally continental, though. Hu Gadarn is a Welsh legendary hero neutral  

[Danny Cheltyka]

Question 1: Well... I don't really know. xd I am still struggling to find my own path as well. I guess both our stories are sort of similar.

Question 2: I am calling myself pagan like you just for now.

Question 3: It all started sometime in middle school (I don't remember when) when my friend began talking a lot about witchcraft. At first I tried to repel from such ideas because I was raised Catholic, but I have begun to open my mind to just about everything since then. For a few years we both forgot about it until one day I was hanging out with the same friend and another. The subject was somehow brought up in our conversation, and I suggested we should look into it more.
Also I have been getting feelings that my life is a pointless and meaningless void on the path to nowhere. Ever since I started looking into Paganism a shaft of light seems to have brightened my hopes just slightly.