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Chexala
cat whisperer
☆☆☆ Penpal
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03-04-2009, 08:00 PM
When I hear paganism or wicca, my first thought is always the New Age section of bookstores. I spent some times in middle school dabbling in that section, and eventually came away with the feeling that most of the books shelved there were...well, very insipid. I realize that sincere paganism and wicca are anything but insipid, but that's always my first thought. I know very little about either faith, except the barest, stereotypical bones.
Regardless, I totally support peoples' freedom to practice them. However, I think it's important that people understand the context of what they're doing. That is, paganism then is not the same as paganism now. Even someone practicing very historically accurate rituals is going to have a very different experience than someone who practiced the same ritual 1ooo years ago. There's nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I feel like practitioners don't always appreciate the difference.
edit:
@Byaggha: I've never heard of reconstructionists before, but I just looked it up a little, and I think I would get along with them quite well. The ancient context can never be recreated, so I appreciate that there are people dedicated to research and study who are working on ways to update the old ways for our times. (:
Last edited by Chexala; 03-04-2009 at 08:13 PM..
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larry the snail
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03-04-2009, 09:04 PM
e_e Godless heathens.
XD KIDDING.
One of my best best friends recently switched to be a wicca. He was an atheist, so I guess this is step up. He always thought life was meaningless less and hopeless, and now that he has something to believe in... I feel like his life has improved slightly.
I don't have a problem with any other religion. I have always been taught to respect other religions and to approach the subject cautiously. I've been beat up and spat on for being Mormon, so I know how it feels to be looked down on for your beliefs. It's not a fun feeling.
I love learning about other religions, actually. Especially main religions like Islam and Christianity or Judaism. They are so incredibly similar.
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Paranoid Cricket
Dead Account Holder
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03-07-2009, 02:26 AM
Aaaah, Larry, you made me chuckle so much with the first remark. ^-^
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Tetki
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03-07-2009, 03:43 AM
I have been interested in possibly switching to the Wiccan religion. I am currently a Christian and have been all my life but I just don't feel like thats the religion for me. I've looked into alot of other ones and have thought of studying more into the Wiccan religion. I like alot of the things I have learned like the major respect they have for the earth and stuff. But before I even consider taking it on as a religion I will have to learn more about it.
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fairywaif
Flitting free Girl
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03-07-2009, 03:50 AM
My sister was wiccan for a while, and my little sisters friend may be creating a coven. I agree with some of the ideas, but I think I'm a hopeful agnostic for now.
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Kierys
Some kind of pixie-thing
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03-07-2009, 04:36 AM
There aren't many covens in my area. Some friends of mine were thinking of creating one, but I said I wasn't ready to join a coven yet. Still studying. And I greatly agree with what you said, Byaggha, about researching your sources as well. The guy I am reading right now, Gary Cantrell, is not too bad. The book is Wiccan Beliefs & Practices: With Rituals for Solitaries & Covens, and it's not too bad. I'm not all the way through yet, since I seem to have misplaced it. It's always disappearing on me....
Edit: Oh, I also got a few books from my husband's friend. She had a couple volumes on Enochian magick, I think it was? Anyone practice who might be able to enlighten me with some firsthand experience? Two of the books are written, I think, by a Gerald J. Schueler. The other's by Donald C. Laycock. Any word on these authors?
Last edited by Kierys; 03-07-2009 at 04:47 AM..
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Byaggha
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03-07-2009, 03:04 PM
Oooh. I dunno much about the Enochian Keys on the whole, but I'd be interested in knowing if those sources were good ones too. If anyone knows, please share! :D This sort of thing has always facinated me. =3
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Rhoswen Vevila
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03-07-2009, 04:12 PM
I grew up in an Irish Catholic family, and converted to Paganism six years ago. I've never been to a coven meeting or anything, but solitary suites me just fine. Because I'm Irish/Native American I figure such an earthy religion is in my blood. When I was in Sunday school I was really unhappy with how close-minded everybody was, and when I found Paganism I was so elated! I don't cast spells very often, but when I do it's so invigorating! I love Paganism and everything that goes along with it!!
One question for whoever may know, what is the difference between Paganism, Wiccan, and Druidism? Is there a difference?
:heart:
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Byaggha
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03-07-2009, 04:30 PM
Yep, there is.
Pagan is an umbrella term that encompasses every faith (according to most definitions) that isn't 'of the book' - so everything that's not Islam, Christianity or Judaism. This can include Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as any number of indiginous faiths, and the whole gamut of modern recreations of older faiths.
Wicca is a specific Pagan faith, begun by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s. It revolves around worship of the Lord and Lady of the Isles (two very specific deities that are revealed once you join a coven). It's a faith made entirely of priests and priestesses of the Lord and Lady, and is oathbound, meaning you really don't get the meat of practice until you're initiated. =3
Druids were the lawgiver class of the Celtic people centuries ago, who had an oral tradition - when they died, mainly at the hands of invaders, most of their lore was lost. There have been modern attempts to recreate the practices, but most of what they did was taken over by modern jobs like lawyers, judges and whatnot, and since most of their lore was lost, the attempts have been kind of spotty, scholarship-wise. In modern times, it's most often used as a label for people who believe they're practicing the Celtic folkways, but since Druids weren't really a faith in the past, modern Celt Reconstructionists aren't fans of calling what they believe this.
Hope that helped! :D
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~Midnight Dreams~
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03-07-2009, 05:23 PM
I dont know much about wicca, but I've done some research on it..
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Rhoswen Vevila
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03-07-2009, 07:07 PM
Thank you Byaggha, I love learning new things!!
:heart:
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Byaggha
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03-07-2009, 07:16 PM
You're welcome. =3
I admit I don't know a whole lot about the inner workings of most faiths under the umbrella, but I do have a pretty big circle of pagan friends and sometimes pick their brains for info about things. XD If you want more specific stuff, I can probably find it eventually. Just a matter of hooking up with the right people.
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