The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Sorry for the bad title.

Anyway, I have a question. What drew you into your current religious paths?

What is it about your current religion that appeals to you?

Why, out of all the religions avaliable, did you pick the one you picked?

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to judge anyone's reasons. One's spiritual/philosophical/religious/etc. beliefs are an intensely personal matter. I'm simply curious as to why the individuals on this forum took the paths they did.

 

For me it was all about connectivity and balance; the idea of an energy that flows thru us all and keeping that energy balanced. These were concepts I had always believed in, but I didn't know there was an organized (even if loosely) religion or path that also centered about these things. So I just went looking. And I came up with Wicca. Since then (that was many years ago) my philosophy and outlook have expanded and shifted a little bit, I encompass more now, but those beliefs are still held very central to me.

Sorry for the bad title.

Anyway, I have a question. What drew you into your current religious paths?

What is it about your current religion that appeals to you?

Why, out of all the religions avaliable, did you pick the one you picked?

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to judge anyone's reasons. One's spiritual/philosophical/religious/etc. beliefs are an intensely personal matter. I'm simply curious as to why the individuals on this forum took the paths they did.

I started out Neo-Wiccan. It was what I could find in the bookstore that matched best with what I believed. From there on out, I adopted Techno-Pagan practices first, before turning to hedge- and kitchen witchery. I enjoyed all those paths and eventually found a mixture that worked in the Eclectic Religious Witchcraft Tradition I was initiated into. This is about twelve years worth of practice.

A very short while ago, I finally took the leap to do what I've been wanting to do for a long, long time; convert to Hellenismos, Greek Reconstructionism. I've always felt most at home in this pantheon and I started to feel I was doing the Greek Gods a disservice by forcing them into rituals with Circles and Elementals and Athame's. I wanted to honor Them as They want to be honored, and no longer in the way that was convenient and familiar to me. And so I turned my entire religious practice around and it's the best decision I have ever made.

 

 

 

 

Just wanted to thank you all for sharing your experiences. I greatly appreciate it and hope to hear from others too.

My gratitude.

Sorry for the bad title.

Anyway, I have a question. What drew you into your current religious paths?

What is it about your current religion that appeals to you?

Why, out of all the religions avaliable, did you pick the one you picked?

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to judge anyone's reasons. One's spiritual/philosophical/religious/etc. beliefs are an intensely personal matter. I'm simply curious as to why the individuals on this forum took the paths they did.

 
To be honest, I didn't really choose it. I just started reading about the Aztecs. Then I read a little more, then a lot more. I then studies Aztec philosophy and religion. At some point I realised that I had 'gone native'.

Personally Aztec philosophy and religion appeals to me because of a large variety of reasons, and I couldn't go through them all. The thing that impresses me most about Aztec religion and society is how the Aztecs were able to create a functioning and effective moral system without resorting to the use of 'good vs evil' terminology and the emphasis on personal discipline and a balance between self moderation and enjoyment of life.

Sorry for the bad title.

Anyway, I have a question. What drew you into your current religious paths?

Sheer chance for Kemeticism, an apparent calling from Athena (and maybe Zeus) for the Hellenic path I'm poking at right now.

In the case of Kemeticism, it was more like Bast came around and said, "okay, since Asatru didn't work for you, come over our way." In the case of Hellenic paganism, it was more of a draw I felt, tried to resist, then followed once I realized that maybe there's something important to explore.

What is it about your current religion that appeals to you?

I love the complexity of Kemeticism. I also like the symbolism and use of mythological context. Also, the Netjer have been truly gracious to me. If I were in their position, I probably already would have punched myself in the face.

I very much like the concept of piety and practice in Hellenic paganism, at least so far.

Why, out of all the religions avaliable, did you pick the one you picked?

I didn't pick Kemeticism, not right away. It took me about a year to decide that yeah, this works. Bast picked me up and dusted me off after my adventures in Asatru. (Anpu has always been around, too, but I not as much as Bast, I think, and he's definitely a quiet deity.) I started worshipping Bast, explored the culture surrounding her more, and fell in love with the religion. Later, I started worshipping Anpu as well, and feel it's about time to start worshipping more Netjeru.

If I start practicing Hellenic paganism, which I might, you could even say I didn't pick this path. Though I felt a draw, I resisted and it was Athena (specifically) who brought me here.

Sorry for the bad title.

Anyway, I have a question. What drew you into your current religious paths?

What is it about your current religion that appeals to you?

Why, out of all the religions avaliable, did you pick the one you picked?

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to judge anyone's reasons. One's spiritual/philosophical/religious/etc. beliefs are an intensely personal matter. I'm simply curious as to why the individuals on this forum took the paths they did.

I came to my faith through my interest in the Middle East which led me to Sufism, as well as my fascination with Aleister Crowley and Thelema. I guess my Arabic neo-pagan faith is a combination of mystical Islam and Thelemic/Wiccan pre-Islamic Godforms. There are so many strange words in that last sentence haha.

I can see why. I know Wicca and its derivatives have a rather large following amongst nonheterosexuals (a Pagan friend of mine included), although it does seem somewhat puzzling given that Wicca does, from what I know, build its very metaphysics upon a foundation of gender essentialism and what we might call a 'cosmic' heterosexuality (note: I am not bashing Wicca! Just making an observation of an apparent paradox (yes, I know many nonheterosexual Wiccans make certain modifications to broaden things out somewhat, and I'm not criticizing that either)).

It might not be that difficult of a stretch, given that most of us know how to get along just fine and even embrace the greater heteronormative world? I'm sure philosophical modifications are quite necessary for most, though, so serious props and kudos for those who have figured out how to make it work for them. Don't think I could.

Which is funny coming from someone who is attempting to reconstruct many lost tenets and practices of a religion and culture obscured by history, where this is common also. Dualism provides the foundation for almost the entirety of Mesoamerican thought, complete with a sort of emphasis on binary gender, but for some reason it's much more palatable to me, and much easier to compartmentalize so that I can extract teachings that are relevant to me. I suppose it's easier because this cosmic dualism is not the true face of nature and divinity, but rather how it often manifests in the physical world, so that's easy for me to deconstruct and reform to allow for a third "other" option, I guess.

As a creative type, it's amazingly comforting to know that the ultimate creative force in and behind the universe probably has no concept of any of this.