what is your faith?

Post by **Kei Kawazu** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:24 pm

I don't operate on faith since its honestly made things worse in my life. I focus logically when Im trying to understand magic and the occult and supernatural and such. Besides I think understanding a process gives us more ability or potential than just having faith in a process.

Also for an example on this outside of religion, culture can have some tedious rules or behaviors or taboos and the like. If logically those are simply a waste of time or theres better alternatives, then it'd make sense to change rather than stick to the old system.

autumnAria · Post by **autumnAria** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 8:32 am

I was raised a very conservative christian and I felt strong ties to a deity but I kept finding that my ideas of god did not match up with what was represented by the christian doctrine. I now believe in an ultimate creator god under whom are many many many other gods. I am closest with the Greek and Roman gods and I interact most with Hermes and Flora. I do consider myself a witch though, not a wiccan.

Post by **ladywhitewolf** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 2:46 pm

I was raised Jewish. After having my Bat Mitzvah I decided I no longer wanted to go to temple anymore. Basically the only Jewish holiday I really like celebrating now is Hanukkah. Currently I am interested in all different religions and I am a hard polytheist Pagan with leanings towards animism and Shamanism.

Dream Wolf · Post by **Dream Wolf** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 4:51 pm

I'm something of a Polytheist, I believe that all religions have the same basic Root, and that they are all connected in some way.

My theory is based on the numbers 3 & 7. They appear in almost all religions; The Holy Trinity, Father Son Holy ghost, along with the seven major Arch Angels. The Trinity Goddess, plus the Five basic and two 'extra' elements Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Spirit, Light, Shadow.

In older texts about the Norse gods Odin was not the All Father, he was the son of the All Father, and if you think about those gods you have three Nords plus seven major gods and goddesses.

The same with Greek/Roman gods, you have the original god, and his children, seven of which are more prominent than the others, plus the three fates

The way I view it is that all the gods are real and they all have the same origin. With angels taking the place of lesser gods in the Jewish Muslim and Christian religions.

I've been doing a lot of research to help me improve on this theory, and doing has shown me alot of things that even people who practice those religions weren't aware of.

A good Example is a legend on the Fenris wolf who has recently piqued my interest.

Everyone knows about his two oldest sons Skoll and Hati, according to a story from a small nomadic group that travels in the northern portion of Scandinavia Fenris had two other sons and a daughter, by a goddess called Bjorgdis, one son that guarded the souls of children by illness or injury, and another that (this part intrigues me because of my Magic Name) devoured nightmares. The daughter protected children born in the early spring from sickness.

I plan to put up some of the old legends I'm translating, I've managed to translate four so far, I'll post more on this one when i finish the trans later today (its slow because I have to look up the the Translations word by word since Norwegian isn't a language i have learned)

Celticgladiator · Post by **Celticgladiator** » Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:30 am

Interesting insights, being heathen myself it's nice to see the all father mentioned

Priest of Anubis · Post by **Priest of Anubis** » Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:29 pm

My parents are both Protestant Christians. So I was raised in that style of Christianity. It took me years to get to the point where I decided my mom couldn't force me to believe in a religion I never agreed with. That was probably sometime in the 3rd-5th grade years of my life (my memory of it is getting really sketchy now). I had never believed any of it. The whole idea of the world being controlled by one immortal male definitely didn't make any sense to me. Then finding about the whole "gays are abominations" thing sealed that deal (not to mention women not being viewed as complete equals). I spent the next two years bouncing between atheism and agnosticism. Then I remembered how I had always loved the ancient Egyptian religion. I stayed Kemetic (the term for someone who believes in the ancient Egyptiam religion) from 8th to the very end of last summer. English class in freshman year introduced Taoism to me, and I thought it was a great philosophy and because of that, I added the Ying-Yang as it's own deity. Then I started looking at Wicca. I actually only looked at Wicca at first because Sully Erna, the lead singer of Godsmack, is Wiccan. I liked it enough, and now I'm am eclectic Wiccan. I'm happy because had I stayed Christian, I would of had to deal with having a belief system that hates me (I'm gay, and it seems that's a major issue to Christianity)
It's been a long, odd path for me to find a set of beliefs that worked for me. Not to mention my mom makes fun of witches whenever she hears the word Wiccan. Although, it's nice to have finally settled into a belief system.

Post by **Riyoki24** » Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:02 pm

I'm of mixed faiths. I think more cosmic faith. Like I can use magic drawn from stars, moons, and other planets, planes, elements, and time really.

Post by **Violet** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 8:56 pm

I come from a German Lutheran background. I have not discussed my new faith with my family yet, and considering my transition gives me all kinds of feelings of uncertainty.

I researched pagan paths for a long time before I found Qabalistic and Goetic Magick, many texts of which are translated from German. This is the place where I've found my personal truths and grown to understand myself more completely.

I feel often like there are a lot of similarities in this religion to Lutheranism. I do not want to bash the Christian faith, but pretty much everything about it is wrong for my life. However, Qabalistic paganism has a similar scholarly, accumulative bent that is in line with my nature.

We are all so different. As I write this I marvel at the thought of expecting anyone else to believe or practice like I do. I wonder how anyone can expect it. The freedom to choose one's own path is so essential.

Post by **SnowCat** » Fri Dec 28, 2012 11:05 pm

I was raised Catholic, with Mormon influence from my dad's side of the family. I started questioning things when I was 11. I refer to myself as Wiccan because it gets the fewest confused looks from the general public.

Frosty

brythonicwitch · Post by **brythonicwitch** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 7:29 am

I was raised in a loosely Christian household. I went to Sunday School when I was young, the choice was my own but it did not fit with me so I stopped attending church. My parents were never churchgoers. I never really felt as if I belonged in the Christian belief system throughout most of my life. When I was 17 I found Paganism. I began to read up about it and began to identify as a Pagan when I was 18. I started with Wicca, then my path evolved into hedge witchcraft and eventually Druidry. Now, at the age of 29, I identify as a Druidic witch as I still practice the Craft.

Moonstone Ivy · Post by **Moonstone Ivy** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:38 pm

I was raised in an anglican family but I always wanted to follow a religion which was more nature-based. My friend is a wiccan so I started researching wicca and following the wiccan traditions. That has evolved quite a lot and I now follow the Celtic Shamanism path but I practise wicca still too and belief in animism.
I think its vital for people to choose the path (or mixture of paths) that suits them

CassJasper · Post by **CassJasper** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:45 pm

Raised by a Christian Catholic who secretly practiced Santeria and an atheist, I was never sure of what my faith was until my 20s.
I consider myself a solitary Wiccan practitioner who believes in the feminine and masculine energies and faces of one Being. I also am a firm believer in walking in the white light in all my spells and practices and refuse to harm anyone. I have done spells that I feel question my feelings on the latter statement but they had always been to protect myself and my family. I am believe I have a non "ancestorial" spiritual guide who I speak to for guidance.

AirLady · Post by **AirLady** » Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:56 pm

Christian.

Post by **MOTHERofDRAGONS** » Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:15 pm

I must say, I'm NOT WICCAN, but there wasn't an option for just witch.
I'm a hodgepodge of many types of witches... I don't like labels. I don't like the term "black magick" or "white magick" because there needs to be a balance. If all you ever know is positive, when negative sideswipes you from left field, how are you to defend yourself?
If all you ever known is negative, how are you to open your heart to positive?
A middle ground must be kept.

MAMA

Post by **Melindrose** » Thu May 30, 2013 1:26 am

I have changed, I believe that I am on a journey and good, bad, rhp, lhp, I will be what I will and there needs to be more options, wicca is a religion, witch or wizard is not.

Everything Under the Moon