Why Be Pagan?

[Aiste Spirit]

Why do you choose to be Pagan or similarly, why choose to be Wiccan? Just that it coincides with what you already believe or..?

How do you know when you appreciate nature, that it really matters? How do you know when you communicate with the fae, elementals, elves etc that your voice is really being heard, rather than echoing into a vast microcosm of particles? Is it just a matter of faith?

It seems like I can't entirely be sure about anything. Why celebrate Pagan holidays? To show respect for old traditions and cultures? Or more likely, because you see things the way those traditions and cultures do. But what keeps your spirituality in Paganism over other things? What ties your spirit to Paganism or Wicca? What makes you not doubt it enough to fully practice it?

I just ask you these questions because I ask myself these questions.

On another note, I had my friends and myself have a bonfire in this colder season dedicated to the fire elementals. This time of the year, they're the least represented element, so I figured they would appreciate it and could take the chance to charge their warm energies again before it starts snowing. It was freezing and my friends were hesitant but I encouraged us all to do it for them as somewhat of a service. It was early morning and everything was also covered in an icey morning frost, so it didn't seem like we would start a fire easily. Though, I said this was especially dedicated to the fire elementals and all were welcome, the fire started on the first try, frost melted and we turned it into a bonfire. Best fire we'd all personally had thus far.

Now it could of been that the presence of salamander and other fire elementals would have amplified the warmth and intesified the fire and could've been why it started so easily and turned out so well. Or it could just be that there wasn't enough frost and moisture to seriously hinder the burning of the otherwise dry wood. I also picked up a stick that stuck out to me, shaped somewhat like a natural dagger/wand. It has termite carvings in it and in one spot it clearly shows "T y" almost as in like "Thank you". I kept the stick, it's neat. Could this be a "fae gift"? Or is it just a neat stick I happened by?

As much as I love to appreciate nature and the elements, how do I know I'm not just talking about nothing but my imagination when attempting to communicate with or appreciate them? Or is that just up to me to determine based on my own experiences with/without them? If they are there, I really don't wanna miss out on noticing them, ya know?  

[Jezehbelle]

It pretty much fit with what I already believed in.

I had already been studying plants, animals, stars and mythologies for several years when I found out about some of the neopagan religions.

I've always been a dork. Science has sort of proven some of my beliefs -- "life is cyclical, with beginning and end and beginning again", "Mass and Light equal Energy", "within everything, there is something smaller", "we're all connected". Sure, I'm more into earth sciences, but the lifecycles of stars are amazing.

The only pagan holidays I really celebrate are the Equinoxes (sp?) and Solstices. I do like May Day/Beltane and Halloween/Samhain, and sortof celebrate them, more secularly though. Lughnasadh (or, "that one I can't pronounce" occassionally happens to be my birthday too, so I kinda celebrate it. xp

I feel passionate about my faith. Buddism and Hinduism are close seconds though. I haven't been able to get passionate or devoted to other faiths I've tried before. I've studied them, but what I am today just seems like the most natural thing in the world for me.

It all comes down to faith.  

[Anabis]

For me it's a bit of faith and a bit of "Hey! We're Here! PAY ATTENTION!" x3

I think that stick with the 'T y' was no mere coinsidence, it stood out for a reason, after all :3 if it didn't strike you as different, it woulda been just another stick. But that's just my point of view.

I know I'm not just talking to myself when I talk to Anubis - I write him letters, and I can feel him just behind me, reading over my shoulder x3 he may not reply in written or vocals, but he get the letters all the same.  

[Aiste Spirit]

Anabis

For me it's a bit of faith and a bit of "Hey! We're Here! PAY ATTENTION!" x3

I think that stick with the 'T y' was no mere coinsidence, it stood out for a reason, after all :3 if it didn't strike you as different, it woulda been just another stick. But that's just my point of view.

I know I'm not just talking to myself when I talk to Anubis - I write him letters, and I can feel him just behind me, reading over my shoulder x3 he may not reply in written or vocals, but he get the letters all the same.

Yea maybe not. I suppose it's up to each individual to find what's right for them. I just have too much of a sense of it to believe it doesn't exist. But at the same time I have nothing showing to me how much it 'does' exist.  

[Starlock]

How do you know when you appreciate nature, that it really matters? How do you know when you communicate with the fae, elementals, elves etc that your voice is really being heard, rather than echoing into a vast microcosm of particles? Is it just a matter of faith?

Why do you feel the need to have it 'matter' or for it to be 'heard' in the first place? Really ask yourself why. I find that I don't even ask this question, so simply asking the question is saying something about your path. Perhaps I don't ask the question because I find there is intrinsic meaning in everything... there's no question of it 'mattering' or being 'heard' because all actions have meaning and are heard in the way they are meant to be. Sure, it might not have some far-reaching cosmos-shaking meaning, but not everything is supposed to be or can be like that, right?

Why celebrate Pagan holidays? To show respect for old traditions and cultures? Or more likely, because you see things the way those traditions and cultures do. But what keeps your spirituality in Paganism over other things? What ties your spirit to Paganism or Wicca? What makes you not doubt it enough to fully practice it?

The seasonal cycles are celebrated to keep us in touch with the rhythms of Gaia. I can't speak for other paths who don't focus on seasonal festivals. It isn't just respecting where we came from with human ancestors... it transcends that and applies to the very flesh we all come from and the flesh we'll return to when we die... the soil of Gaia. I very rarely find myself doubting these things because they are basically factual statements. It's just how things *are.* Some people choose to ignore the way Gaia works... going about their lives completely oblivious of the environment around them. As an Earthwalker, I don't do that. I tune into those cycles and recognize their meaning. This is a sort of mystery that can't be taught. Sometime in the future you'll just... get it. Something will click.


I also picked up a stick that stuck out to me, shaped somewhat like a natural dagger/wand. It has termite carvings in it and in one spot it clearly shows "T y" almost as in like "Thank you". I kept the stick, it's neat. Could this be a "fae gift"? Or is it just a neat stick I happened by?

One of the things I came across relatively early in my readings said something like this. In the magical paradigm of thinking, there is no such thing as cooincidence. Everything holds intrinsic meaningfulness. Sure, you could just say you just 'happened by' the stick, but if it has already given you this much pause, it already holds greater signifigance than that, doesn't it? Truly in the end, meaningfulness is largely assigned by the bearer. Ask yourself: would you rather walk through life believing that these things are meaningless, or would you rather assign some deeply personal meaning to them? That's only a question the individual can answer.

As much as I love to appreciate nature and the elements, how do I know I'm not just talking about nothing but my imagination when attempting to communicate with or appreciate them? Or is that just up to me to determine based on my own experiences with/without them? If they are there, I really don't wanna miss out on noticing them, ya know?

You won't ever know with absolute certainty that it isn't "just" your imagination. Keep in mind that New Age/occult/Neopagan/magical paradigms do NOT place the same value on imagination as mainstream society. Imagination is not synonymous with 'not real' or 'purely fantasy.' Imagination is magic. Imagination is powerful and as real as anything else that is physical. Still, true mystical experiences cannot be manufactured simply by 'imagining' them. Techniques that involve imagination (such as visualization) can help them to occur, but these experiences are always in part a passive phenomena... you don't really control them or bring them on.  

[Redwing~Shadow]

I see pagenism as more than a religion but a concept of understanding urself and free expression. I see myself as being able to understand more with the world around me and being able to understand myself. Im neo pagen but I tend to use other religions concepts as well like Shamenism and Druidism. Im pagen because I dont belive that certian sins and doings are wrong, I belive that the world has more that one source of power other that just one god and I see it important to being able to understand yourself and being able to understand life around us. I see it as a an acceptance and a way of life.  

[MaleficentSnape]

I didn't necessarily choose paganism. It chose me.

I started out life as a Christian. Neither of my parents went to church or anything, but I always knew there was something more than just us. So I began to explore options of faith at a young age. I was 3 when I started going to the Baptist church down the road from my house. I went there off and on until we moved when I was 14. My parents never went with me, but they would drive me there and drop me off and come back to get me after the service was over.

When I moved, I learned that there were other branches of Christianity besides Basptist. And since the Baptist minister never could answer all of my questions about the Bible, I began to explore other denominations. I tried Methodist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, non-denominational, Mormon, Church of Christ, Church of God, and Pentecostal. But no matter where I went, my questions were all met with the same response. "Pray about it" or "Read the Bible because your answer is in there." I began to think that if even the church leaders didn't know and weren't man enough to admit they didn't know the answers then I should try looking somewhere that I might find some answers.

I was always drawn to nature, even as a little kid. I loved the wind and the rocks and the creek running in the woods behind my house. I always hated people who littered or cut down trees or were mean to animals. I can remember crying when I was about 5 years old because a little boy at the day care center was hitting a tree with a baseball bat. When we got the internet when I was 18, I had the chance to branch out from Christianity, which was not working for me. And I found paganism there. I didn't know there was a religion that respected nature. So I began exploring that further. It definitely fit me.

My ex-husband was not happy about my choice and demanded that I give up magic and go back to being a Christian again. (I was 23 at that time). So, in respect to him, I did. But it didn't make me happy. I ended up leaving him a few months later and my new husband totally respects my desire to be pagan. In fact, he also came out of the broom closet and is pagan as well. smile  

[Aiste Spirit]

MaleficentSnape

I didn't necessarily choose paganism. It chose me.

I started out life as a Christian. Neither of my parents went to church or anything, but I always knew there was something more than just us. So I began to explore options of faith at a young age. I was 3 when I started going to the Baptist church down the road from my house. I went there off and on until we moved when I was 14. My parents never went with me, but they would drive me there and drop me off and come back to get me after the service was over.

When I moved, I learned that there were other branches of Christianity besides Basptist. And since the Baptist minister never could answer all of my questions about the Bible, I began to explore other denominations. I tried Methodist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, non-denominational, Mormon, Church of Christ, Church of God, and Pentecostal. But no matter where I went, my questions were all met with the same response. "Pray about it" or "Read the Bible because your answer is in there." I began to think that if even the church leaders didn't know and weren't man enough to admit they didn't know the answers then I should try looking somewhere that I might find some answers.

I was always drawn to nature, even as a little kid. I loved the wind and the rocks and the creek running in the woods behind my house. I always hated people who littered or cut down trees or were mean to animals. I can remember crying when I was about 5 years old because a little boy at the day care center was hitting a tree with a baseball bat. When we got the internet when I was 18, I had the chance to branch out from Christianity, which was not working for me. And I found paganism there. I didn't know there was a religion that respected nature. So I began exploring that further. It definitely fit me.

My ex-husband was not happy about my choice and demanded that I give up magic and go back to being a Christian again. (I was 23 at that time). So, in respect to him, I did. But it didn't make me happy. I ended up leaving him a few months later and my new husband totally respects my desire to be pagan. In fact, he also came out of the broom closet and is pagan as well. smile

Thanks for sharing your story.

This is part of the same reason I'm drawn to paganism. I've always liked being outside and being in nature. I've also been a big animal person as well. I find more respect and understanding for both in paganism.  

[Aiste Spirit]

This is the stick



And this is where it says TY



Got my new camera today.. So I can share that now.  

[Redwing~Shadow]

those trees almost look alive, and i mean in a trippy way, their living either way...  

[Redwing~Shadow]

oh, wait, thats the stick still right?, that looks neat. 3nodding  

[Starlock]

Oh gods... is that an ash twig? Please go look at this site on the emerald ash borer. The snakey marks in the wood could have been caused by that insect. They'll have diagnostics on the site. Depending on where you live, you should burn that stick immediately. The stupid ash-annihilating non-native bug has already spread into Illinois.

Er... yeah. My Eco-nazi alarm just went off. It could be nothing too. xd  

[Winter Black]

Why, why, why? The reason is because I no long need to ask myself why.
Why am I part of it? Because I believe in it, because I love it, because it calls to me, and it captures me, and it holds me rapt, and in awe.
Why do I celebrate the holidays? I don't, most of the time. I celebrate a select few, and anything that doesn't fit me doesn't matter.
Why do I believe in the Gods? Because they call to me, I see them in dreams, they speak to my heart, and they caress my thoughts when I need them. How do I know? Because I believe it, and I feel it.
Why do I stay a Pagan? Because I've studied everything else, and nothing fits me better. Because its all I've ever known, it all I love, it all I have, and it keeps me whole.
I've answered all the "Why?" questions. And I was only able to answer them after I'd fully accepted my own faith.  

[Aiste Spirit]

Winter Black

Why, why, why? The reason is because I no long need to ask myself why.
Why am I part of it? Because I believe in it, because I love it, because it calls to me, and it captures me, and it holds me rapt, and in awe.
Why do I celebrate the holidays? I don't, most of the time. I celebrate a select few, and anything that doesn't fit me doesn't matter.
Why do I believe in the Gods? Because they call to me, I see them in dreams, they speak to my heart, and they caress my thoughts when I need them. How do I know? Because I believe it, and I feel it.
Why do I stay a Pagan? Because I've studied everything else, and nothing fits me better. Because its all I've ever known, it all I love, it all I have, and it keeps me whole.
I've answered all the "Why?" questions. And I was only able to answer them after I'd fully accepted my own faith.

Thanks for your reply  

[Winter Black]

Its really no problem. ^_^