Pagan Daybook

by gsx1138 27 Replies latest jw friends

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  Xander

  between's description is very good for how many pagans feel.

  Note that there is nothing that forces you to believe that way, though.

  'Pagan', is, in fact, something of a shotgun term used to describe anyone not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. So, Hindus, Buddhists, American Indians, etc. are all pagans.

  The most basic beliefs all have in common are not plentiful, but are, at least, the core beliefs:

  1) There is no single all-powerful deity responsible for all life and all events

  2) Conversely, there is no single, powerful, entity of evil ruling all other evils in a war against 'god'

  3) As a result, these is no absolute 'right' or 'wrong' - a persons conduct must be ruled by their own conscience and how they would to be treated by others

  4) EVERYTHING has special/spiritual significance. Living things especially are sacred. Which doesn't require a vegetarian lifestyle or wild-eyed pacifism (although some choose those paths) - it just means that if life is taken, it must be with consideration to the natural world, since it is also the spiritual world.
• 

  ugg

  thanks,,,,the above explaination was perfect....
• 

  gsx1138

  Xander pretty much described what I believe. There are other things as well but that is the gist of it. I may be a bit different from other Wiccans in that I prefer science first and supernatural explanations second. I do not think that magick is supernatural but natural.
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  Dizzy Cat

  Curiously, I involved myself with Wiccans years ago and found the whole experience rather spooky. The place I attended was basically full of freaks. Bones, alters, incense, swords, rituals and strange mumbo-jumbo, that made no sense to me whatsoever. As much as I tried to understand, I failed to see the logic in their belief system. Quite liked the weirdo status it gave me amongst friends though :o)

  Then years later, I involved myself with JWs ....

  Is there a pattern emerging?
• 

  JanH

  Thursday - the of Thunor, or Thor, the god of thunder

  Ah, darned. I forgot. But then again, he'll not wake up before well into Friday so what's the problem

  Beware of days when thunder gods have hangovers, though.

  ...and agriculture

  Hah! He can't even keep the cactus in his flat downtown alive.

  - Jan

  Edited by - JanH on 15 August 2002 18:23:39
• 

  Xander

  Then years later, I involved myself with JWs ....

  Hmmm...found some of the wacko wiccans, then the JW....

  Let's see....

  Might be a good idea for you to tell us what religions you are considering next, there, Dizzy...just so we can make sure we stay clear of them!
• 

  Sirona

  Inbetween - you hit the nail on the head there! good description

  Dizzy Cat:

  Curiously, I involved myself with Wiccans years ago and found the whole experience rather spooky. The place I attended was basically full of freaks. Bones, alters, incense, swords, rituals and strange mumbo-jumbo, that made no sense to me whatsoever. As much as I tried to understand, I failed to see the logic in their belief system. Quite liked the weirdo status it gave me amongst friends though :o)

  Then years later, I involved myself with JWs ....

  Yes, very interesting point there. there is logic in Wiccan beliefs, if you look closely enough! lol. admittedly, pagans sometimes include those who wish to be of an elitist class (like JWs). They *want* to be wierd or different. Thats not all of us though!

  Sirona
• 

  gsx1138

  Curiously, I involved myself with Wiccans years ago and found the whole experience rather spooky. The place I attended was basically full of freaks. Bones, alters, incense, swords, rituals and strange mumbo-jumbo, that made no sense to me whatsoever

  I'm not sure what you were doing. It may not have made any sense because noone explained things well enough. Then again, there are many weirdo Wiccans as there are weirdo Christians. First thing I was told when I said I wanted to study Wicca was to study other religions first. It sounds like you got ahold of those kind of Pagans that want to try and be as outlandish as possible. Although I have to wonder what the hell they were doing with bones?
• 

  Dizzy Cat

  Well, they are distant memories now. But the head of the coven (is that right?) was very proud of his collection of animal bones - skulls and the like and had them strewn around the main room of worship, on shelves.

  They gave me litrature on the Wiccan belief system, which I took away with me and ploughed through. My friends sister also tried her best to explain what she believed, which gave me an overview.

  They told me they were a force for good and would create rituals focused upon personal peace and inner development (along with nature worship). But, I became suspicious of their motive, when one member turned up at a meeting with a picture of his ex-wife, who then bound it with twine and we were encouraged to focus negativity upon the item. If I remember correctly, the photo was in a small copper pot in the centre of the circle that had been cast.

  There are other tales .... but, suffice to say, I was outta there. Bloody freakzoids.

  I was convinced after I left that they were chanting evil down upon me, so I returned back to the Bible, where I always felt safe.
• 

  Sirona

  Hi Dizzy

  Sounds like you got involved with the wrong type of coven!!!!!

  Many wiccans ( or pagans for that matter ) are very accepting of others and mostly refuse to do negative magick against them. In some coven classes you WILL find the odd unusual person because the coven class is not going to turn someone away because they are wierd. However, a COVEN itself (not just the class for neophytes) is another matter......most dont' allow people in the coven unless coven members agree first. I think you were exposed to an "outer" coven group who allowed mostly any1 in. In that case, there is no censoring just as there is no censoring about who walks into a church.

  Please dont critisise what you don't understand fully.

  Sirona