Yep, good book. For me about the first 100 pages were a good read. I'm not into ceremonial stuff of any sort, so the rest of it was interesting but useless.

One does not seek to be pagan: to be pagan seeks the person.

always a pagan.. and sadly i find it the hardest thing trying to find a pagan man...

Just after college, I began experimenting and learning about Druidism and Native American Lore. I had always been a big fan of mythology, reading Japanese, Norse, Celtic, Greek, and Egyptian myths as a child. In college I read Mesopotamian myths as well, then after college, legends of the Lakota Sioux and other tribes.

My path is less elemental and more spiritual....more shamanistic, perhaps even mystic. I do not practices rituals, although I have done so in the past. I find that the mind and spirit are often capable of being in tune on their own. For instance, I have tendency to understand animals. I have had visions of past lives, one of which I discovered after the fact was part of Celtic legend. I also had a vision that told me my future wife was going to be a dancer (my friend Windsinger had a similar vision concerning me when he was helping me learn). Now within the past two weeks, I find out that my girlfriend is a dance instructor....15 years after I had my original vision.

I enjoy Inipi ceremonies for cleansing. Meditation for relaxing and visions. Sometimes I will perform a vision quest, like when I went in search of my totems and spirit guides. Now one of them has a family of seven living within my yard, and I can gather feathers freely. I have an authentic red pipestone peace pipe which I can decorate with the feathers to enhance it.

I walk my own path, but learn from many. I have learned from many religions, found their similarities and thrown out the dogma. When I do perform a ritual, it is either Sioux or Celtic in origin. However, my spiritual thoughts are a blend of religions from around the world.

Stay away from the darkness though....During my first vision quest, I was pursued, and almost dragged down into it. This happened after being unable to complete the 4 cycles of the Inipi ceremony. The cleansing was incomplete before I attempted the vision quest. My totem Hawk saved me (lifted me back up the spiral, then gave a red arrow with hawk feathers which pointed West for my answers), but I failed to complete the quest. I had to learn the rest of my spirits from other visions and experiences.

For instance, Wolf came to me as I was meditating during Tai Chi class, he then showed me one of my past lives, one that I had in common with my best friend for he also had a vision. It was his first.

Most of this happened about 15 or 16 years ago. Now I keep it hidden for the most part, but it is always a part of me. Sometimes it shows, like with animals.

WHEN I ATTENDED CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL! I woke up to the lies and didn't like what I seen finally!

Let us just say I do not walk in the path others choose to walk.

Jesus most certainly is not my savior. I am my own salvation or damnation!

And in truth there is freedom and misery!

Pagan is a very general term there are sects of paganism ;-P

TECHNICALLY a Pagan is anyone NOT of the Christian faith. To call a Wiccan a Pagan actually is an insult. Same to call a Druid a Pagan. Pagans were actually more associated with Satanics.

Now frankly if I had a chance to have Tea with Lucifer I would take it. I really am curious what the personification of evil has to say about the grand scheme of things. I am curious to see how evil I really am by that.

Personally I live to find balance. As I see it I am of good and evil. Good things can be done for evil reasons like "helping" a woman in an effort to get between her legs for some self fulfilling sex! Likewise bad things can be done for good reasons like taking a baseball bat to a crazy ex boyfriend who will not take no for an answer!

Frankly like religion everything I knew about good and evil got thrown out the door!

That's the Christian definition of a "Pagan".

The Christians basically equate a "Pagan" to being a "Heathen" and so for Christian-oriented-religions the terms "Pagan" and "Heathen" are used interchangeably and basically mean the same thing.

So like you say, Christians define "Pagans" to be anyone who's not of the Christian (or Abraham Faith).

However, that's not the root of the term. The root of the term simply means "rustic" or "rural" and originally referred to people who worshiped nature as God, or worshiped the "Divine Essence of Nature" (in other words, they saw "God" in nature).

I personally don't even bother using the term "Pagan" precisely because of the way that the Christians have blasphemed the term. The Christians try very hard to belittle and degrade any and all spiritual religions or philosophies that don't cower down to their oppressive dogma.

Christianity has truly been the most religiously bigoted and religiously hateful religion ever devised by mankind. There can be no doubt about it. They use Jesus as an excuse to belittle and destroy any spirituality that doesn't conform to their religious bigotry. It doesn't matter how righteous or divine the other spirituality might be, they will use Jesus as an excuse to destroy anything and everything that doesn't cower down to their dogma.

They don't even bother considering whether the other spirituality has loving moral values or anything. They don't care about any of that. All they care about is destroying anything that doesn't worship Jesus as the one and only God. And they don't care who gets destroyed in that process, that's totally irrelevant. Just as long as Jesus is held up as the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords", that's all that important to the Christians. Nothing else matters.

Christianity isn't about good moral values, it's solely about using Jesus to belittle all other spiritual views no matter how beautiful or loving they might be.

Truly. That's its only single-minded goal. Nothing else matters.

Geez, Abra. You have become as hateful and angry as those you accuse. You are way off base and you speak from a place of anger.

You have become what you hate.

I know.

It's true. I really need to stop talking to Christian fundamentalists. They more I talk with them the more I despise what they stand for.

Although, your right, it not the religion itself, it's just those hardcore fundies, really.

But you know, it really is true that the people who PUSH the religion do use it in that way.

Fortunately the vast majority of followers of the religion don't push it like that.

I guess it's just the people who abuse it in that way that really disgust me. And, yes, you are right, talking to them only causes me to be just like them.

I really need to just quit talking to them.

Actually there are nice versions of Christianity around.

Here's really cute one, I think:

http://www.avalongrove.org/

In fact, Catholicism isn't bad either.

It's the hardcore Protestant fundies that incite and inflame such a high level of disgust within me. They just so remind me of the Crusades and Witch Burnings. I can so easily see them being the ones who would lead or direct such activities.

I actually use these forums to "vent" those negative feelings.

The problem is that everyone gets burnt from the steam. Lot's of collateral damage that was never meant to be.

Whoooooosssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I've actually been thinking of taking a different approach altogether and actually "become a Christian" in a similar manor that the Avalon Grove Church did.

I'll just make up a little web page describing my "Christianity", and claim that I'm a Christian who holds those tenets as my "interpretation" of the scriptures.

That's probably the best way to handle it. Just like the Avalon Grove Church did.

Then when I meet a Fundy I can just say, "I am a Christian", I just disagree with your interpretations is all."

I know exactly what ye mean andy being of the druid faith myself ;-)

So is it better to laugh with a sinner or cry with a saint?



(SINNER, SINNER, SINNER, SINNER!)

Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future. ;-P

Huh?! Wha...?! Where did you get that from?

No Wicca, Druid, or Shamanic Practitioner I know takes offense at being called a Pagan!


And technically a Pagan is just a dweller of the country, rather then city life. I am a literal Pagan, even though I'm an Atheist.

Look, I knew Black and White witches in my time. There is a difference. Now many Druids I have met across the years along with Wiccans are hard to offend at all but there are those who resent the insinuation even vicariously of being Satanics. Frankly Black witches and others who practice dark arts worship dark forces, and likewise "Satan" being a Christian creation is not recognized by them except as a Poser faith that has nothing to do with what they worship. Heck, I even met ONE real gray practitioner who walked between the dark and the light. The rest of the Gray are Buddhists!

Ommmmmmmmmmmm...

My priestess was sent here from Ireland to help form the ADA and she has no problem with being called a Pagan, I'd prefer to be called a heathen but I don't care either way. Celts, druids, wiccans, odinic, thorshipers, and anyone who is not christian is a pagan.

I resent bein called a wicca, since druidism is older than that but thats just personal taste ;-P

I am not a label

That still doesn't make sense with regards to Pagans. Most Pagans don't count Satanists as Pagans, since Satan is a Christian concept. However, if you start discussing the differences within Satanism, then those who worship Lucifer or Set, could be considered Pagans. But those Satanists don't worship the Christian version of Satan. They worship the older, purer versions of the Middle Eastern version of Lucifer the LightBringer or Set, an Egyptian god. Dark maybe, but still Pagan.

Black or white witches are still Pagans but they aren't Satanists.

Only the fluffy bunny worshipers make a difference between black, white or gray. Everyone can be one or all, depending on the need.