Pagan gathering grounds

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Welcome to Pagan gathering grounds

A place to share your beliefs, and hear others in theirs.

(Fluttershy approved)  

 

This is not a debate thread!

This thread is simply to share your ideas, and experiences, and see who else might share in your beliefs.

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Paganism is a broad category, and covers a wide range of beliefs from Norse to greek, to witchcraft and even tribal systems of belief that may be very fringe compared to many. For the most part, Paganism is defined by it's close ties to the natural world, where the trees and animals are sacred.

I'll begin by saying that all religious systems are right to those who choose to believe in them. Faith doesn't really get chosen so much as it chooses you. If you never find belief in one, and remain atheist, that's alright too, but the most important thing is to always listen, and never be ignorant to those ideas you don't agree with. Personally I'm friends with Atheists, Muslims Christians, Pagans and Buddhists alike. I favour none over another, because I see the value in all forms of belief to those who follow these ideas, and I encourage all of you to embrace this idea as well.
Love and tolerance!

 

What do I believe in?

 

Firstly I should start by saying that I believe dreams hold much more weight than a lot of people believe. I take my dreams to heart, and try my best to interpret what I'm seeing in them, because I've found more often than not, they are indeed some form of information that has helped me get through difficult times in my life. I've also foreseen things in my dreams, many of which weren't pleasant. One for example was a dream I had about my parent's house getting wrecked by a bad storm. I woke up from that dream to learn my dad had a heart attack during the night. (he survived it though, and is doing well.) But if you know me, I always praise Luna for a very good reason.   

I have been a follower of the Norse pantheon loosely over the last few years. There really is very little written about their systems of belief from ancient times, but the general idea still remains. I have had many dreams about characters that I did not recognize until reading about them later, and even witnessed the world tree in one of them. More than once I've seen ravens in my dreams, and a man in white, bearded and blind in one eye. I believe this may be the wandering Odin.

 

I've always felt an affinity to nature, and always felt that the world of nature had an ambient energy about it that I lack while dwelling in houses and apartments. My father always told me that you were never closer to god than when you were in the forest, and I never really understood how true that was for me until I chose to believe in a higher power. The funny thing is, I started out atheist when I was back in high school, but I always found that I was never satisfied with that idea. It always dug away at me, thinking about ceasing to exist one day. Nothing frightened me more than the thought of eternal nothingness, the lack of consciousness and thought after death. That was the driving force that brought me here, to what I believe in. And I am quite certain there is something beyond death.

If you want to know more about my experiences, or ideas, feel free to ask!

 

 

So How about you?
Do you consider yourself pagan? If so, what sort of thing do you believe in? Have you had any interesting experiences based around these ideas?
 

[Sabrinie 392]

I feel that I was chosen to be a Pagan about 8 years ago. That's really where my journey began. I mainly practice with the traditions of the ancient Celts and Greeks. I do a lot of work honoring both the sun and moon, and feel a very strong connection to plants. I am huge on gardening and see it as a spiritual ritual, not just a hobby. I've been learning to read tarot for a few years now, but admittedly, I'm still not great at it

 

The most interesting experience I've had was when Pan chose me to worship him. I was having a recurring dream that was starting to scare me. It was violent and just really strange; involving me and another girl fighting over a man to marry him in the rain. It took me about two weeks of having the same dream over and over to realize that the man in the dream was the Greek God Pan and he was taking me to marry him. It was really strange, but opened my eyes and heart to him. When I started communicating with him through ritual and prayer, the dream stopped and I never turned back. I'm actually a little obsessed with him now. My friends sometimes call him my boyfriend or lover and my boyfriend Tyler always asks me if I've been talking to my God boyfriend...it's pretty funny actually haha

 

I also worship the Celtic Goddess Brighid. When I was in Ireland, they had a lot of Brighid related products because she was turned into a Saint, but it was nice being able to buy things like Brighid's crosses and whatnot. 

 

While I worship Pan and Brighid, I believe that all Gods and Goddesses exist, we just chose which ones to worship (or they choose us). As far as the afterlife goes, I believe in reincarnation, but I think that what happens to you is whatever you personally believe. For example, I would be reincarnated, Christians go to Heaven, etc. 

 

I don't really know what else to say...but if anyone wants to talk about theories or beliefs, I'm definitely interested

[TriMara 42]

I challenged myself years ago to follow wiccan teachings for a year and a day to see if it felt... Right. About a month ago i put my wallet through the wash by accident and finally found that slip of paper i had written that solem vow on. I must admit it brought a bit of a tear to my eye to see that testament to my resolve still with me after 7 long years. With the bonus of hindsight i really had to think about how that little thing i hardly thought about at the time shaped nearly a decade of my life. I felt happier than i had ever been, energized and startlingly complete. Although i dont think ill ever truly believe in any power i cant explain there is an undeniable energy that surrounds me when in nature and meditating with the earth beneath me brought more calm than even the most tranquil moment i had in the city.

 

What is your system of morals?

 

Do you truly believe in the divine, afterlife, magic, etc?

 

P.S as if this need to be said, but i love the whole love and tolerance vibe you guys got going on. 

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@Sabrinie,

The Greek pantheon is an interesting one. I have a close friend actually, who follows that pantheon as well. He has the trident of Poseidon on his chest. I don't really know (cause I've never actually asked) how serious he really is in his following, but I always found it interesting that he followed that pantheon. The celtic lore, I am not quite as familiar with, but I do know a little, and what I do know of, I enjoy immensely. One of my favourite things about those northern pagan groups is the knotwork decoration on everything.

 

As for the afterlife, I have a similar belief, though for me I'm of the idea that all gods and deities are from a single source. They manifest themselves in whichever form suits our personalities, and attempts to guide us. And we, likewise, are merely sparks of that great energy that permeates all things. Dreams, I believe are the afterlife, and gradually over the course of our lives, we build our own dream worlds, which become our realities upon death. This kind of brings in the whole heaven and hell idea in a way, when you think about it. Your dreams reflect what you see in yourself, and if you've done all kinds of terrible things that you feel regret about, you will inevitably have nightmares. Whereas good dreams are the same, this kind of fits well with the hell and paradise idea.


@@TriMara,

Ah, Wicca is popular one, I know someone else who follows it as well, though I must admit I'm not too familiar with it myself. It does seem interesting.

 

My system of morals kind of build themselves around the rule of respect for all things. Freedom of will and action should be paramount unless it conflicts with someone else's. I generally like to be as free flowing as possible in this sense, let the river go where it will, so to speak. I see good and bad as mere perspectives which are relative to the situation.
 

Well, as I mentioned, I consider dreams to be like a vision of my afterlife, as well as a precognitive system at times, and a way of learning from myself in ways I could never do while awake. I don't really know if this is spiritual, but I definitely know science has yet to understand how dreams work. I have literally lived entire lifetimes in one night, from my current age, to the end of my days as an old man. Waking up from that changes you in ways I can't describe. I do believe in deities, I've seen them enough times in my dreams, and for me, dreams are reality until we wake up. As for magic though, I think science is getting us there. lol

Also yes, I thought that was a nice touch to get things rolling. xD That, and the fluttershy approved, her being the animal lover.

[Sabrinie 392]

 

 

One of my favourite things about those northern pagan groups is the knotwork decoration on everything.

 

 

Yes! I love the Celtic knotwork; I just think it's so beautiful and fun to look at. Sometimes when I meditate I focus on a piece of knotwork and let myself get lost in the labyrinth of it. It's a really nice way to focus my energy. Also, I really like your ideas about dreams being reality when we're dreaming. I never really thought about dreams in such an in depth way and would love to hear more of your thoughts on dreams; if you feel there is anything more to say of course. 

 

 

 

Do you truly believe in the divine, afterlife, magic, etc?

 

I do believe in the divine; like I said previously, I believe all divine being exist, we just choose who to acknowledge and worship. And for the afterlife, I think it's different for everyone. I think you create your own personal afterlife based on what you believe in. I think magic is something that's all around us all the time. I see magic coming from plants and animals all the time and I think it's something that we humans do without even thinking about it. Of course, I think there are some who are doing magic on purpose and I've dabbled in it a bit myself, but I think that our natural magic is enough; I don't really like manipulating things or trying to get something out of nature other than it's inherent qualities...I don't know if I explained that well or not lol

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@Sabrinie, 

 

I suppose it depends upon what you'd like to know about them. I know what dreams have been for me, but they may not be the same for everyone. Some people dream very little, but I have always had extremely deep and vivid dreams. Part of the reason I think of dreams as the possible afterlife is my perspective on what the universe it's self is to me. I believe that the universe is it's self, a mind, and we are thoughts and dreams within it. We create our own universes within ourselves, and thus our dreams are our next world to dwell in. Another part of what convinces me of this, is the fact that I seem to revisit the same places in my dreams, and they slowly expand like the fog of war on an unexplored RTS map. I see and experience familiar locations and people like I was awake, but sometimes I travel to places I have never been, only to return to those places in later dreams. It's almost as if I'm building a new reality within my unconscious mind.

 

I actually own a set of Futhark runes, which I use sometimes when I feel as though I'm lost, or unable to see what I must do next. Each rune has a meaning, and when chosen blindly, always seems to deliver the message I need to hear. More than once they've lead me in the right direction.

[TriMara 42]

@Midnight scribbler

What do you think of those of us that have several different dreamscapes we visit? I myself have three or four i seem to visit at random. 

 

As for the concept of the divine i myself am somewhat on the fence and i like to think of the possibility of an afterlife and some sort of eternity but im not entirely sure thats merely my own fear of oblivion making me want to believe in it. Either way its nice to imagine that a piece of us lives on in some way even if i would much rather live forever via science. 

[Twiggy 2,966]

Odinist here. I follow the old ways a little more strictly than others, I have noticed. Mostly by adhering to the noble virtues and observing holidays in the traditional manner. Which is more often than not drinking, fighting, and feasting. Usually in that order.

 

I also make time to go into nature for meditation in order to be closer to the gods.

 

[Blackshirt Brony 415]

Personally I practice a mixture of European heathenism (both Slavic and Nordic pantheons) because that is my ancestry. A lot of people are pretty familiar with Thor and Odin, but not so many are familiar with my actual religious system which is Thelema.
 
"Who calls us Thelemites will do no wrong..." - Liber AL 1:40
 
I believe every person on Earth has a "True Will," or a unique and innate way in which they affect the Universe. The Thelemic phrase "Do what Thou Wilt Shall be the Whole of the Law" is both a strict doctrine and an absolute freedom. A strict doctrine because, a person has no right other than to do his Will. It is an absolute freedom because I believe no person may be hindered for any reason if what they are doing is truly their Will, and there are also no authorities, divine powers, or holy books which may claim jurisdiction over the individual Will of any person.
 
In regard to death, I do not believe in an afterlife, but in reincarnation. From my understanding if you do not accomplish your Will in this life, someone else will show up and do it for you.    Because I believe a person's Great Work to be their truest essence and identity in life, there can be no death so long as the True Will persists.
 
 

 

 

What do I believe in?

 

Firstly I should start by saying that I believe dreams hold much more weight than a lot of people believe. I take my dreams to heart, and try my best to interpret what I'm seeing in them, because I've found more often than not, they are indeed some form of information that has helped me get through difficult times in my life. I've also foreseen things in my dreams, many of which weren't pleasant. One for example was a dream I had about my parent's house getting wrecked by a bad storm. I woke up from that dream to learn my dad had a heart attack during the night. (he survived it though, and is doing well.) But if you know me, I always praise Luna for a very good reason.   

 

 

I'm glad there are others who have become as fascinated by the phenomena of dreams as I've been! I feel like it's kind of a bad thing that so many people ignore their dreams, as I have always found mine to provide valuable insight.

 

May I ask what is your opinion on "astral" (etheric) projection? Are these experiences which people have just lucid dreams? I have had an "out of body" experience of my own, and yet I can't help but be skeptical of the wild claims which some have made about this occurrence. The mind can be highly deceptive.

Edited May 20, 2016 by SpiritoftheRadio

[Twiggy 2,966]

 

 

May I ask what is your opinion on "astral" (etheric) projection? Are these experiences which people have just lucid dreams? I have had an "out of body" experience of my own, and yet I can't help but be skeptical of the wild claims which some have made about this occurrence. The mind can be highly deceptive.

It's up to you to discover. Mine could not be confused as a dream, as it was the result of a sorcery. Dropping the pagan language, what I mean is I smoked DMT and left the known fucking universe. It was very much real, to me at least.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@TriMara,

 

Well, as I said, dreams are unique to everyone. Though, like you, I thought I did have just random dreamscapes, none seemed to mesh. It wasn't until I was older that I started to have dreams that wove them all together into a coherent place, which continues to grow. It was like I was finally finding those missing pieces of the puzzle. Perhaps this just has yet to happen, or perhaps your dreams are much different than mine in structure. it's hard to say.

 

On that topic I always like to come back to the rule of energy. It can never be destroyed, only change it's form. It is my belief that the universe is infinite, like a fractal pattern. Everything is energy, and as I've learned, everything exists in paradox. Wavelengths make up everything. I've done my share of reading about quantum physics and relativity, and I've actually found much of it just reinforces my beliefs.

 

@@Twiggy,
Ah very cool. I actually went to a Yule gathering with a bunch of Odin followers last December. It was awesome, they had so much mead, I was loaded within the first couple hours. xD
They did a beautiful ceremony, with a bonfire and a burning of offerings. It was something really unique, I was glad to have been there. I'd never had a good sized group who was as interested as they were.

 

 

@,
Pretty well along the lines of how I think. I may see it in a different perspective, but I do understand where you're coming from.
As for dreams, yes, I totally agree. It's a terrible waste to ignore your dreams. With astral projections, I know this isn't just a lucid dream, because I've done both. Astral projection I've only done once, and it was by accident, but I remember seeing my hallway, after floating up through my wall. I have heard a lot of stories of people seeing things they couldn't have seen because they were asleep a room away from what they saw, but did anyway somehow. A close friend of mine (while on mushrooms) watched himself cross the street in third person. I can't say I ever experienced that, but he claims it happened, and I know he wouldn't lie.

With Lucid dreaming, that is complete control of your dream realm, and I actually found it somewhat frightening at first because of how it works. Once you realize you're dreaming, the world you were in falls away into blankness, and you just float into a void, until you conjure something up. You literally control all things, places, themes, people, etc. It's basically godhood within your mind. You can even train yourself, as I did, to lucid dream, though it's not easy.
 

Another phenomena that I am unfortunate enough to have experienced is sleep paralysis. My mind wakes up inside a paralysed body, unable to hear or see, or even tell if I'm breathing or not. I usually panic thinking I'm slipping away into death, and that's usually what gets me awake again.

[TriMara 42]

@midnight

I have multiple dreamscapes of places that exist irl that seem to be different versoins, ive also noticed that the person i am in each different dreamscape is vastly different than myself however this never feels alien or out of place oddly enough. What do you think? I find people's veiws on dreams fascinating in their implication. My own interpretation has been that these are different versions of an ideal sense of self that i can exist in breifly without committing to. The only reason i dont think they are all one place is that i know that the same person exists in each dreamscape making 2 of the same person existing in the same world impossible (even in the logic of dreams.)

 

Sorry if im derailing a bit. I just find such topics fascinating dont you? 

[Twiggy 2,966]

 

 

Ah very cool. I actually went to a Yule gathering with a bunch of Odin followers last December. It was awesome, they had so much mead, I was loaded within the first couple hours. xD They did a beautiful ceremony, with a bonfire and a burning of offerings. It was something really unique, I was glad to have been there. I'd never had a good sized group who was as interested as they were.

We throw the best parties. That's one of my favorite parts. We all make our own mead and take them to the celebrations. We compare recipes and compete to see who's is the favorite.

 

I had the best only once so far. It was for last midsummer and it was a black cherry melomel that came out far better than expected.

[SugarfootWillie 383]

Ohh shit another Paegan thread! What it do fam!?

 

I've got stories on stories about things I been through especially over the last three years. In a loose sense I consider myself paegan, but I don't do much for the elder gods except the occasional "word up" to whoever I happen to want to at that moment. In a more technical light, I discovered when I was taking Religions of the World 201 that I'm a Taoist, and there are a lot of directions that can go. Magick is pretty banging. More of a lightworker when I run with it. I've been to the astral so many times, it's like a second home. I haven't projected since I've gotten more serious about Taoism and began practicing Taiji. Instead of having my spiritual focus on Godhead, it took a much more close-to-home relationship in that the same presence in the stars is in the mundane.

 

I'm gonna stop there, started to ramble. Not before I share some art that also lays out my thoughts on this subject.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2016 by SugarfootWillie

[TriMara 42]

We throw the best parties. That's one of my favorite parts. We all make our own mead and take them to the celebrations. We compare recipes and compete to see who's is the favorite.

 

I had the best only once so far. It was for last midsummer and it was a black cherry melomel that came out far better than expected.

 

Omg im infinitely jealous, any advice on a first time brewer? Ive only done cider so far but i love mead and have imported tons through a local liqour store. 

And to make sure im still on track here what do yall do for celebration wise? 

[Twiggy 2,966]

 

 

Omg im infinitely jealous, any advice on a first time brewer?

For mead, some sites will suggest just using a bland yeast food so as not to dilute the honey flavor, but I've noticed that the yeast food leaves a rather odd aftertaste. What I use when making straight mead and not a melomel is one orange and a couple of those tiny boxes of raisins. One would think citrus would stand out quite a bit in it, but it hardly dilutes the flavor, if at all. And even if it does it tastes pretty damn good. The raisins do nothing, that I have noticed, to the flavor.

 

Do NOT use a grapefruit. I accidentally got one instead of an orange one time, said "fuck it" cause I didn't want to go back to the store, and used it. I was the only one who could drink it because I like grapefruit lol.

 

 

 

And to make sure im still on track here what do yall do for celebration wise?

Bonfire, booze, and blood. Also a lot of food. We eat, get drunk, then spar with each other. We've all become pretty good fighters because of it. Outside of my tribe and my father, I have never lost a fight.

 

That's the party part though. We also make offerings to the gods. We do not burn them, however, like the experience @@Midnight Scribbler, had. We offer food and drink. To make an offering, we take it out to the woods away from the party and leave it on a rock. If it is eaten, then the offering is accepted.

 

Protip: There are a lot of bears and coyotes where I live. Offerings are always accepted.

[Eloquence 2,076]

Ooh, a Pagan thread? How exciting!

 

I don't talk all that much about the details of my faith, I could be considered more of a private practitioner, but I do consider myself a Pagan and am always excited to see and talk to fellow Pagans.

 

I will discuss my religion more around those I grow more comfortable with, but I suppose here I can say at least that I do not adhere to a particular pantheon, but I do have a particular Spirit that I feel a great reverence towards. She is my guide and mentor, and through Her I have learned very much.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Holy smokes this thread got active   
Just gonna show you all this, it's my rune set and drinking horn.

 

 

 

@@TriMara, 

 

But if you are only that person in the dream, and only having one dream at a time, then it stands to reason you could very well be just seeing two different places in the same world, just from a different vantage point from your waking life. The world to you might be very different, say to me, or someone else. You merely have the opportunity to see it through someone else's eyes, as though they were your own, understanding that world from their perspective, with all their experience instead of your own. Would I be right in guessing this? I'm just kind of wrapping my head around what you describe, cause it can sometimes be difficult to explain intangible things like perspectives and dreams.

 

@@Twiggy,

That's amazing. Mead is byfar my favourite drink when it's done well. It's unfortunate the little friends who make the ingredients are being killed off by poisons mankind has been spraying all over things. That said, I've never tried my hand at brewing mead myself, cause I just don't have the money currently for a jug of honey unfortunately, though I'd love to try one day. I have helped my friend distill moonshine rum in his basement though. xD

 

 

 

what do yall do for celebration wise?

 
Personally I like to give a small moment of my time during the solstices and equinox, and if I can, share a toast with a friend to the advent of the next season. I haven't been able to attend many gatherings, though I would love to if I could locate groups in my area.
There was a day a couple years ago that was supposedly the day Ragnarok was meant to happen, and I drank all kinds of mead that night. I threw a party with a bunch of friends, and thought "If it happens, at least I'll go out with my drinking horn full of mead, and my friends by my side" And secretly, I'm always waiting for some world changing event. xD

 

@@Eloquence, 
That's quite alright, it's good to see so many people joining in and participating in some form of natural spirituality though either way. I can say I once was met by a female deity in a dream. She came out of the world tree and spoke to me, though I wish I could remember the exact words. I can say that I've never felt more euphoric or bathed in love as I did when in that being's presence though. I woke up feeling withdrawal from it.

And now that I've seen someone post artwork, I suppose I should share some of my own.

Firstly, the dream I had of Yggdrasil, I chose to paint. There was a tunnel beneath it, leading down its roots to a city beneath. I spent a whole lifetime over the course of this dream. I met friends, made a family, and lived among people who existed in this city. At the end, I climbed the roots back up again, and was greeted by the female deity I mentioned above. When I tried to return down the tunnel, it was blocked, and guarded by an undead hound. I titled this one "Ethereal Gateway"

 

Next I have a knotwork I did for my parents during Christmas.

 

And one more, so I don't spam too much all at once. A sketch I did, heavily influenced by the artist Alex Grey. The molecule as some of you may guess, is in fact DMT.

 

 

[TriMara 42]

Dreams are weird i just feel like im seeing things through eyes that are not my own but might have been? Dreams are the realm of feelings imo so logic is a little hard to apply. But i feel like im seeing the same place multiple what if scenarios. Like in one dreamscape someone who passed away irl didnt in that one and in a different dreamscape they are still passed away. Ive done alot in logging the differences between them so somethings im confident in others less so. One way or another its fascinating and although i can lucid dream it feels oddly... Wrong to do so when im in one of those dreams. 

I know im not making a lot of sense but i hope you get the gist of what i mean XD

[Carl Poppa 464]

I'm not super spiritual, nor do I spend much time seeking out the spiritual or researching existing faiths; I do this kind of thing occasionally, but I tend to believe that whatever spirituality a person has, whether it connects to a religion or not, is something that is found within.  It's what you believe, and as such the preconceived notions about religion and spirituality held by most organized religions seem kind of... stifling to me.  A lot of people are influenced without finding their own path and I find that to be quite sad.  Not saying that those religions aren't the right path for certain people, just saying that each person's spirituality is as unique as that person.  No two people worship/etc. in the same way.

 

Personally, I am an atheistic wiccan.  I do not believe in or follow any gods, though I do see the appeal of some of them, and instead I find spirituality in nature and magick.  The magick in question is not spells or black magick in the way people usually think of it, though.  It's more like there's a force that connects all life and flows around us.  It is not sentient, but it is benevolent; however, it is also manipulated, directly or indirectly, by the actions of all that life, creating an ever-changing force that surrounds us.  I've noticed that it's very easy to tell when a place has been positively or negatively affected by those who were there, and my family (myself included) have had encounters with things that seemed sentient that I assume to have been spirits; some of them benevolent, others downright evil. Whether these things were actually "real" or not is irrelevant, to me, as they all served some purpose to those who observed them or met with them.

 

I also do the occasional tarot card reading (though they can only make educated guesses, as the future changes every time we turn down a different path) and firmly follow the one mandate "If it harm none, do as ye will."  Dreams do seem to have significance for me oftentimes, though the afterlife is a bit of tricky area for me; I don't really believe in one at this time and never really have.  I lean more towards reincarnation, but I'm not all that positive about it either.  Then again, death being the absolute end doesn't really bother me too much, so it's not all that big of a deal to me to decide about that kind of thing.  I'm sure as I grow older I'll have more definitive thoughts on the subject.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@TriMara, 

I kind of get where you're going there.

From my understanding, dreams are always reflecting yourself in waking life. Your subconscious mind records things you're not aware of, and things deep in the mind come forth in the dreamscape. Things will change from reality, and be bizarre and maybe not make sense, I think because some things are meant to stay in that realm, and not be brought back here. Other things are, as you said, emotion based. These are often what I like to think of as the lesson dreams, which teach us things about ourselves. How we react to things, even nonsensical things, can say a lot about us.

A good example I can think of where something didn't come back with me into this waking world, was a dream I had where I was having a conversation with someone. I woke up, mid sentence, speaking in complete jibberish, but it made total sense when I was communicating in the dream. I couldn't even remember what it was I was talking about to the dream person before I woke up either.
Then again, another time I had a similar dream, again speaking in dream with someone. This one I woke up, and my brother, who was sleeping in another bed not far from me, rolled in his sleep and spoke the sentence I was about to say in my dream before I woke up.

@@Carl Poppa,
You have an interesting outlook, though I must make mention that I think the use of the term Atheist isn't quite right. You strike me as more agnostic Wiccan, seeing as you seem to believe in some spiritual things, even if it isn't deities. To claim atheism, you would have to not believe in anything that goes outside the realms of scientific acceptance. And believe me, there's nothing wrong with going outside the box.

I totally agree about the energy in a place, I've felt it myself. Feeling that tension in the air before you even know someone is there, let alone angry. The very term, "emotion" basically boils down to energy in motion, which is what we are. I believe we project that energy outward into our surroundings, like a wave in an ocean. That energy, if intense enough, can even cause the moment to imprint it's self like memory on a place that transcends time. It's all connected to our consciousness.

[TriMara 42]

@carl Poppa

Someone after my own heart right here. Glad to meet someone with similar ideas, what brough you down this path if you dont mind me asking? Do you meditate at all? 

[Trinitron Keys 89]

At Long Last *throws his hooves in the air at the sheer magnificence* Scribs, you really outdid me on this one. Thanks for helping bring us all together, I was starting to think there was only me and one other Pagan here.

 

My journey started with me studying Matriarchal Kabbalah, in search of new power and ability. I had abilities already, part of the time I wondered, where does this energy that powers it all come from? What is mana's Source?

 

It is said that when one reaches the point in life to ask the big questions, you are contacted by your patron deity. Sometimes it's the deity of war, business, wisdom, peace, love, the oceans, the herds, or even technology.

 

Mine turned out to be none other than the top of the Pantheon herself, the Goddess of the Universe. Throughout history, she has been known as Xaos, Nammu, Ki, Hera, Amaterasu, Tinka, Mari, and Lady Liberty. For every Twilight Sparkle, there is a Princess Celestia. She is mine, and I take pride in being a faithful student and hero. Most days when I'm not studying Magick I monitor current events for anomalous occurences, whereupon I alert my proteges, the younger heroes and heroines, or take action myself, when it's close enough and the situation requires a Sage's touch. And after the action is over, we party. It's not a luxurious life, but definitely a noble one.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Trinitron Keys

[Carl Poppa 464]

@@Midnight Scribbler Actually, no, "atheistic" is the right term, thanks. Atheists in a broad sense have nothing against spirituality, and the definition of "atheist" is very simply, "a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods." Agnostics believe that gods may or may not be real--I do not believe in any gods. By default, this makes me atheistic and not agnostic. I see no reason why others can't believe in a god or gods if that is right for them, but for me, the existence of a God or gods is not a comforting or good thing at all and I simply do not believe in their existence. I'm totally cool with those who believe in gods, but it's not for me, and that's all atheism is, is not believing in deities. Stereotypes can lead one to believe that it's a complete lack of spirituality, but that's not it at all. :3

 

Most forms of Wicca actually follow a Goddess, some a God, and some are very organized while others are looser and more up for interpretation. Atheistic Wicca isn't the most common subset, but it is existent beyond myself and I did not coin the term, actually. It's just followers of the mandate I mentioned who have some spiritual connection with the broad faith but do not believe in the Goddess or her counterpart. :3

 

I do believe in spirits and magick and in the ability of humans to consciously manipulate energy in an attempt to change things. I believe most of this is outward manifestation, as the world around us is influenced, directly and indirectly by what we do. Spirits may just be manifestations of things that exist in our minds--fears, hopes, sources of comfort, warnings, etc. I don't think they are necessarily ghosts or what have you. I also find that certain places, typically in nature but sometimes within civilization, have auras that are capable of bringing us great senses of inner peace and serenity, as well as places that can do the opposite. This doesn't really directly relate to theism or atheism and can exist alongside either in one belief set.

 

@@TriMara I don't really meditate, no, though I probably should. As for what led me down this path, well, in honesty, my parents did. They taught me some of their Wiccan beliefs growing up, and while I don't necessarily agree with everything they taught me, they were always very open and accepting and fully encouraged my siblings and I to be our own people. For a little while I denied all spirituality, because, as I said, I don't believe in gods. I live in an area where just about any deviation from the norm is met with extreme resistance and people think that Wicca is the same as Satanism and they automatically assume that's evil. So I'd just make things simple by identifying myself as "atheist." A term that's not inaccurate, but that omits a part of it. It's not the only part of myself I denied, and during the biggest turmoil of my life, I found myself in a place where I needed to be honest with myself and with everyone; with that came embracing the spirituality I'd already had all along and exploring it further. With that came a greater understanding of why people turn to faiths I don't fully understand and a greater acceptance of different beliefs. I am very firmly against judging a person based on their religious/spiritual beliefs and in general believe that diversity is not only healthy, but necessary (perhaps in part because I've always been quite different from other people) and that all people should be respected equally unless they are not respectful, in which case, you should do your best not to waste your time or theirs interacting with them.

 

I've kind of rambled, but I hope I answered your questions.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@Carl Poppa, 

I suppose the internet and certain people I've met have given me the wrong idea then. Everyone I've ever met who claimed to be atheist has basically believed in absolutely nothing of spiritual nature and wouldn't pay any attention to it if science couldn't explain it. (which to be completely honest seems rather ignorant to me, buuut) But the definition of it's self only seems to relate to the existence of gods, so I see you're right. My bad. xD

 

@@Trinitron Keys, 
I'm glad to see so many of us have made it here, and I can only hope more do! I was actually surprised myself with just how much activity this thread has, most threads I start tended to die off within the day, but this one seems to have attracted a bunch of positive attention, and that makes me happy.   Even more still that other people believe in things I do, it's kind of refreshing to read all of these posts.

 

What is mana's Source?

Interesting you use that word, I haven't seen many people use it outside of the video game realm. You also mentioned having patron deities come to you at the time of awakening, and I fully agree, that seems to be exactly what happens. For me, I was also greeted by the universal mother spirit, she came to me in the form of the world tree in my dreams. Later on in my life, when I really started to dive into my spirituality, I reached a critical point where I changed everything about how I lived and acted. Subsequently, about 3 nights later from the day I began, I had a dream where I saw myself in 3rd person with a third eye. Then I started to have dreams with a recurring character, who I believe was Odin. Often I see the black crows in pairs during my every day routines. I don't have ravens where I live, but I feel there is a presence about the crows that serves the same purpose. Thought and memory watch me closely.