Pagan gathering grounds

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

It's taken me long enough. But I've finally started putting up a shield and saying no to people who just want attention. there was someone who was supposed to be like an 'adopted daughter' to me (online) but all she ever did was bitch and moan, giving me sob story after sob story. She claims she has a hard life, but she hasn't been homeless, out of money etc... hell she doesn't have to go through the constant pain of no prospect for work and going through hating her own body and having to go through transitioning and other crap..

 

I know it sounds harsh, but I just can't deal with this kind of crap anymore

 

Sadly that may also be the case with Mythic Night soon

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@Orange Sparks, 

 

I understand your frustration, but I'm afraid I'm a bit confused as to what all of that has to do with in terms of spirituality. I suppose the main question I have is, what is Mythic Night?

[Sphinx-Ara 3,517]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

It's all do with my ability to be psychically empathetic. .Whenever I help someone, it affects me psychically. More importantly my aura. But it depends if they accept my help and then give it in return,or if they just keep shoving me back then keeps giving me sob story after sob story. If I manage to actually help someone, then my aura brightens and I fell good inside, but if it's the latter, then my aura darkens and I feel emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually drained.

 

As for your questions, Mythic Night is a member on here who is/was like a adopted son to me.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@Orange Sparks, 

Ah, ok I see what you mean now. I was thinking Mythic Night was the title of a group or belief system of some kind, but that makes sense.

The idea of empathic and psychic connection I've always kind of teetered on whether I believe or not. Though I have had enough precognitive dreams in my life that I don't doubt it anymore. Especially with one event where my brother spoke the words from a dream I was having. I woke up thinking about what I was about to say next in the dream, and he rolled over in his sleep in the next bed and just literally spoke the words right out of my head. After that, I won't discount anything.

[CheeryFox 23,811]

@@Midnight Scribbler,

 

It's all do with my ability to be psychically empathetic. .Whenever I help someone, it affects me psychically. More importantly my aura. But it depends if they accept my help and then give it in return,or if they just keep shoving me back then keeps giving me sob story after sob story. If I manage to actually help someone, then my aura brightens and I fell good inside, but if it's the latter, then my aura darkens and I feel emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually drained.

 

As for your questions, Mythic Night is a member on here who is/was like a adopted son to me.

 

It's always nice to help others - whether it's physically or spiritually... The drain is too much. Of course, your aura can maintain through other means.

[Laurel 43]

Will any Wiccan be my friend and talk to me about magick. I've always wanted to befriend a witch and learn more about the ancient ways.

[Zoraxe 546]

Not a pagan, I think.

 

But I am interested In learning about pagans today because I'm a huge history nerd and the idea of people worshiping... uh... Zalmoxis again, or something, is something I find neat.

 

So yeah, bumping for interest! I'd like to hear what deities/spirits you guys worship, and how you do it. Your philosophies and such.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

@@Zoraxe,

I'm always glad to see people with interest, even if they themselves don't particularly believe in it. That's really what this whole thread is about, within the limits of the theme. Opening minds, sharing open thoughts, and perspectives, etc. I will start by saying that paganism is a very broad category, many people follow Wicca, but that's just one of many which would be considered pagan. The ancient Egyptian, ancient Greek, and ancient Norse religions are 3 more examples of very prominent systems. The Norse system however is kind of hard to pin down, as most of it was simply passed from parent to child via story, but never written down.

If you're interested in my beliefs, I'll direct you to the spoiler box on the main post, on page 1.

In short, I consider dreams to be like an alternate reality, in which I live while the waking world sleeps. And when I wake up, my dream world sleeps, awaiting my return. Everyone's dreamscape is as unique and individual as they are, all of us living our own realities within the universe inside our minds. In my dreams, I have witnessed many Norse symbols, such as the tree Yggdrasil, the ravens Hugin and Munin, and Odin himself on more than one occasion. Needless to say, I have a personal affection for the Norse pantheon. But as I say in the main post. Belief isn't so much chosen, as it chooses you. The things I believe came to me in visions behind my sleeping eyes.

[AaronMk 280]

Not a pagan, I think.

 

But I am interested In learning about pagans today because I'm a huge history nerd and the idea of people worshiping... uh... Zalmoxis again, or something, is something I find neat.

 

So yeah, bumping for interest! I'd like to hear what deities/spirits you guys worship, and how you do it. Your philosophies and such.

 

Tengri is great. Tengri is love.

 

 

That aside, consider for a moment that the term "pagan" is really a term used to describe those who at least are not members of the Abrahmic faiths; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. So you pretty much have a pretty thing ahead of you.

 

As well, some pagan beliefs - at least those pertaining to Europe - are largely reconstructions and understanding them if from an academic standpoint leads down the road of romanticism since the revival in ancient German, Slavic, Finnic, and Baltic faith stems from a romanticist yearning for the noble old days. These being respectively: Heathenism, Rodnoveri, Suomenusko, Romuva.

 

Or for something like Egyptian revival you have Kemetism.

 

Still practicing, unbroken pagan faiths may include: Voodoo/Vodou, Zoroastrianism, Tengrism, Hinduism, Taosim, Buddhism, Jainism, Shinto, and any of the unique global shamanist and animist believes unique to any part of the world and which don't necessarily have a name or may take too long to prattle on.

Edited December 31, 2016 by AaronMk

[Dreamcatcher 31]

I consider myself a pagan explorering many paths leaning towards shamamic

I have native American orcal cards that picked me, I have a strong connection to animals kinda like fluttershy part from the stare lol. I also have a strong connection to the rain, sun and moon. I can control what I dream and have found it easy to do as long as I can remember

I often picture god as a stag but I also believe in the element forces water, fire, earth ect.having there own goddess/gods and I love the plants and stars always reading my zodiac

I strongly believe in the 6th sence too. I've always loved the Roman, greek and egiptan gods/godess and I think that's why I'm still on my pagan journey

[Thuja 3,658]

I feel a bit lost, with everything...  Do I actually need an altar and stuff like that in order to worship and meditate?  I'm still trying to figure it out but it feels like the right path to take.  How does one choose a god or goddess?  How does one know that they've chosen the right one?  Is it a gut feeling?  Or..  Something?  I don't know...

[Randimaxis 8,633]

Though I'm a Baptist, I have friends of a lot of different religions.

Here - enjoy this fun little ditty about letting folks be themselves.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

On 4/1/2017 at 5:12 PM, Thuja said:

I feel a bit lost, with everything...  Do I actually need an altar and stuff like that in order to worship and meditate?  I'm still trying to figure it out but it feels like the right path to take.  How does one choose a god or goddess?  How does one know that they've chosen the right one?  Is it a gut feeling?  Or..  Something?  I don't know...

In my experience, the deity you end up following chooses you more than the other way round. You may see something in a dream, or be inspired greatly by something relating to a certain deity, be it any faith. You don't need shrines or idols to worship, to be pagan (although drinking horns are pretty awesome). All you need is will to experience life and your natural world, and respect for it as equal to yourself in all ways. Knowing that you are merely a part of a larger whole is a step in that direction. Your path will show itself to you as you progress through your internal growth as a person. It will become clearer as you go. You will know it is the right path for you when it appears, because it will resonate deeply in your heart and mind, that this is the right way to go. These spiritual paths are very personal, and may or may not line up with anything perfectly, you may find the wisdom in the teachings of many religions without need for following any given one. All in all, it is very much up to you. No one's path will be exactly the same as your own, such as no tree branch will ever be exactly the same as another.

[Thuja 3,658]

1 hour ago, Midnight Scribbler said:

In my experience, the deity you end up following chooses you more than the other way round. You may see something in a dream, or be inspired greatly by something relating to a certain deity, be it any faith. You don't need shrines or idols to worship, to be pagan (although drinking horns are pretty awesome). All you need is will to experience life and your natural world, and respect for it as equal to yourself in all ways. Knowing that you are merely a part of a larger whole is a step in that direction. Your path will show itself to you as you progress through your internal growth as a person. It will become clearer as you go. You will know it is the right path for you when it appears, because it will resonate deeply in your heart and mind, that this is the right way to go. These spiritual paths are very personal, and may or may not line up with anything perfectly, you may find the wisdom in the teachings of many religions without need for following any given one. All in all, it is very much up to you. No one's path will be exactly the same as your own, such as no tree branch will ever be exactly the same as another.

You're right, I've begun to feel more connected with nature lately, I guess it's something that just takes time but a step in the right direction regardless.  I don't know, I probably still need to figure it out.  Drinking horns are pretty cool though.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Thuja

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

5 minutes ago, Thuja said:

You're right, I've begun to feel more connected with nature lately, I guess it's something that just takes time but a step in the right direction regardless.  I don't know, I probably still need to figure it out.  Drinking horns are pretty cool though.

Exactly, can't rush the spiritual side of things, that all comes at its own pace.  

It took me years to find my path, and to be completely honest, you never really reach an ultimate realization of your path. You simply keep travelling, on and on to each new realization, and always growing. Your understanding of yourself will never truly be complete because you are always changing. But knowing that is part of the secret to the game.

[Thuja 3,658]

1 minute ago, Midnight Scribbler said:

Exactly, can't rush the spiritual side of things, that all comes at its own pace.  

It took me years to find my path, and to be completely honest, you never really reach an ultimate realization of your path. You simply keep travelling, on and on to each new realization, and always growing. Your understanding of yourself will never truly be complete because you are always changing. But knowing that is part of the secret to the game.

I think I'm one of those people that expects to get things right on the first try, like everything should fall into place immediately, I try not to be like that as much as it's made me avoid doing things in the past.  It isn't like I'm running on my schedule alone with this.  How'd you know what was right for you?  Was it a gut feeling or something spoke to you?  Sorry if I'm asking a question you've already answered somewhere on this thread.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

2 minutes ago, Thuja said:

I think I'm one of those people that expects to get things right on the first try, like everything should fall into place immediately, I try not to be like that as much as it's made me avoid doing things in the past.  It isn't like I'm running on my schedule alone with this.  How'd you know what was right for you?  Was it a gut feeling or something spoke to you?  Sorry if I'm asking a question you've already answered somewhere on this thread.

Well, instant gratification seems to be a major problem, but it's not yours alone. I think modern society seems to have drilled that into people. lol I sound like grampone here, but it is true. The internet kinda did that to us as a species. Information at your request all the time. Just something you have to train yourself out of for certain things, cause it can be damaging in some cases.

As for my own path, I could go on for a long time about the specifics, though simply put, I find most of my spiritual guidance in dreams and in meditation. I loosely follow Norse/Celtic deities because they've shown up in my dreams, and have been vivid and inspiring to the point of having changed how I see the world. I have actually spent an entire lifetime in a dream that spanned about 30 minutes in waking time. That, I can't even describe accurately, how it feels to wake up from having grown old, and realizing you're young again. I have recurring characters in my dreams, who guide/test and watch me as though they're preparing me for something. One is an old man with a beard, often taking different roles, but I always recognize him. The other is a black, faceless shadow, which embodies the worst fears you can imagine. Both of them seem very significant, and analogous to Odin and Loki. I've also seen two ravens together, and the world tree Yggdrasil.

[Jeric 46,835]

My wife, Jess, was Wiccan practicing in the Eclectic Tradition (and her path took her through studying several other Traditions before becoming solitary). Even though I didn't share her Faith exactly, I incorporated aspects of it into my general world view, as well as several meditative techniques that helped to bring me closer to my own Faith. 

My oldest child is actually searching his own path now with some guidance from a family friend, his mother's journals and instruction. He appears drawn to what I would loosely call Druidic. 

I'm glad to see this thread exist. 

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

35 minutes ago, Jeric said:

My wife, Jess, was Wiccan practicing in the Eclectic Tradition (and her path took her through studying several other Traditions before becoming solitary). Even though I didn't share her Faith exactly, I incorporated aspects of it into my general world view, as well as several meditative techniques that helped to bring me closer to my own Faith. 

My oldest child is actually searching his own path now with some guidance from a family friend, his mother's journals and instruction. He appears drawn to what I would loosely call Druidic. 

I'm glad to see this thread exist. 

That's awesome. Always good to see others with open minds like that. I've always found that exploring things outside your current views is always a good way to expand and grow your understanding of things. Even if you don't follow something yourself, learning the reasons why others do is important regardless.

I meditate on the Futhark Runes of the ancient Norse a lot myself, and they've shown me a lot of things. But I've dabbled in Buddhism and Hinduism and other things as well. Nothing has resonated for me quite like the Nordic pantheons, but I do value the wisdom and understandings taught in other faiths. Many of them are so very much in line with one another, I feel all of them fundamentally aim for the same goal, just by different names and traditions.

[Rebel the Wolfgirl 5,585]

So I'm not certain if this thread is still active or not, but hi, I'm Rebel and I consider myself a naturalistic (or atheist, if you prefer) pagan. While I don't believe in the literal existence of gods, I believe that to reduce the gods to symbology does them a disservice - yes, they might in my view be purely human-created metaphor, but they are archetypes in the most Jungian sense of the word: they transcend the boundaries of culture and become something more. A quote from the essay compilation book Godless Paganism: Voices of Non-Theistic Pagans sums it up best: "The gods are archetypes, but the archetypes are gods." Or to quote Alan Moore, "The one place Gods inarguably exist is in our minds where they are real beyond refute, in all their grandeur and monstrosity." Stories are powerful things to me, because they can quite literally change how you think about and see the world.

I worship the Greek and Norse pantheons, but for the moment I'm currently focusing on the latter. I consider myself an eclectic revivalist, studying the historical record to see how the Norse gods were worshiped then and from there figuring out new and personal ways to worship them in the here and now.

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

Holy smokes, this is a topic thread I had all but forgotten I made until now. Good post there Rebel the Wolfgirl
In fact, I think my beliefs have refined a bit since I last posted here.

Interesting that you're drawn to Norse pagan, that is also what I primarily identify with. I would say in many ways my views on things are not dissimilar from your own, though I do believe in the entities some call "gods". I just don't regard them in higher respect than other beings exactly. My view is that all entities have similar potential, some are just more aware or trained in their potential than others. In that sense, I do regard even you or I to be among said entities. The universe is all made from the same things.

[Props Valroa 26,051]

I do not believe in the literal interpretation of Gods being actual beings but rather metaphors for things found in nature and in the universe. Although the term 'God' to me is a fairly loose concept. I believe that primarily the planets themselves may emit certain energies and frequencies that can affect things on Earth, although I am still skeptical of the idea of that. I generally find the general sense of being a 'Pagan' a lot more appealing than being a Christian, personally speaking.

Ultimately I believe everything is part of a one and all encompassing whole, and that there is no separation of self from this all encompassing source. Some call it God, some call it other things. I see that a lot of religions are actually talking about the same thing, just in different terms which get people to divide themselves based on those terms - when the message is actually - we are all one. I do not believe in the 'divine' aspects of things, either. There is no divine. We just don't understand it, so we call it that. 

 I don't particularly agree with the idea of worshipping anything, as in my eyes, humans themselves are Gods as we have what other forms of life on this planet don't - free will. I find that the idea of bowing down or worshipping something, is surrendering your own internal power. It's always been my belief that power comes from within, and it's in all of us equally. Some have called my beliefs rather Buddhist, I don't put a specific term to it as I'm constantly searching for better answers and a more consistent worldview.

I used to consider myself Christian years ago, along with family - but my family has collectively stepped away from Christianity completely and embraced this manner of viewing things - that would probably be considered Pagan, but it's purely individualistic to me. Really what I am trying to do is remove selfishness and egotistical natures from my own self. I was pretty into my own ego a while back and I want to completely step away from it and focus more on the natural world. Seeing from personal experience, selfishness is a way to ruin in all aspects and I find it pretty important to constantly self check yourself. Selfishness is unfortunately, a large portion of all types of religions and how people follow them in my experience, which is why I do not consider myself religious.

Am I spiritual? Sometimes I think the universe sends messages in occurrences and events, I believe in things like Auras and general senses beyond our own, but I do not know much to really say much beyond that.