 | |
| Main I Sites I Journal I Interests I Gallery I Library I Paganism I Guestbook I Links I Extras | |
I came to know about Paganism because one of my interests, though I hope this doesn’t appear to be shallow or plastic, is from reading Fantasy novels. I suppose that even though I never realised it at the time, that these stories had a profound impact on me. One of the fantasy novels that is based very much on paganism, particularly the branch known as Asatru or heathenry, is the Lord of the Rings. Having said that, when I first read Lord of the Rings, which would be about 10 years ago now, I was very much unaware of its connections with paganism (and, the mention of Yule, in the book, I thought referred to Christmas, rather than the Winter Solstice!). Another source that introduced me to paganism is the history/archaeology book, Heaven’s Mirror, by Graham Hancock, and the Egyptian, Roman and Greek Pantheons were the first I was introduced to, followed by the Mayan/Aztec Pantheon, and then finally, the Hindu one. It might come as a surprise, but other than the King Arthur and Robin Hood mythologies and the Green Man, I know very little about the Celtic Pantheon. I have to wonder why that is. Is it because hardly any writings or lore of the Pantheon has survived, or is it because we have been deliberately kept in the dark over them? Or it may be that I’ve just not looked in the right places! There are some aspects about paganism that I don’t understand, at least, not yet, anyway. One of these is the magical aspects, (i.e. divination, spell casting, crystal healing, etc), and the main reason for that is because it conflicts with my sense of logic (i.e. what my knowledge of science tells me), is that these things aren’t possible. As a result, I have to ask the question of why do pagans believe that magic exists, and is it possible for me to be a pagan if I do not? This is one aspect of paganism which makes me reluctant to meet other pagans, as I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes over it! The acceptance of gay/lesbian and bisexuals into paganism is another aspect that concerns me at the moment. The reason I raise this question is because I often wonder if people become pagan to justify certain ways of behaving because other religions such as Christianity, won’t accept them (the same principle applies to heterosexuals who “sleep around,” etc). It may be a throw-back from my previous religion, but I have to wonder about this. Relationships are about commitment, which will hopefully; result in a stable environment for the upbringing of a child or children, and this is universal in all religions. I just hope that people become pagan for the right reasons, and don’t use it as an excuse to act amorally. My final concern are hierarchical groupings. I have no problem with an experienced pagan teaching beginners (how else would they learn?), but groups which are similar to freemasonry or a cult, because one of the main aspects of paganism is that it is self-determined. As paganism is very individualistic, I hope I don’t encounter that. Three things about paganism I would be interested in to study further are: the Wheel of the Year, animal spirit guides, and the Green Man. My religion before I was pagan was the Church of England (Protestant). However, I do not consider myself to be a Christopagan, which is where you blend Christian beliefs with pagan practices. Five things I appreciate about my previous religion are: the morals instilled in me, the importance of family, helping others, the sense of community and a love of nature. Three things I wish I could change about my previous religion are: the discrimination based on gender and or race, the exploitive attitude towards nature and the belief that JUST believing in Jesus but without actually following his teachings to be the road to salvation. One of the main things that turned me away from Christianity was the intolerance of other cultures and the “me” attitude of a lot of its members. I remember reading a book written by a Christian preacher for people who suffer from depression and one of the things it tried to put across is that people get depressed because they don’t have a fancy car, etc, and it countered that by saying God wants them to have a fancy car, etc, but at the time that they are depressed is not the time for them to have one, or some stupid tripe like that. I have suffered from depression, (or made to think I did), but the reason for that was the deaths of my mother and other people that were close to me, combined with finding it difficult to get into the career I wanted. It had nothing to do with the lack of possessions, and people who claim to suffer from depression because of that aren’t suffering from depression, more like they’re just a greedy, selfish person. I still have the up most respect and high regard of those who truly follow the teachings of Jesus, but not for those who use the religion for hateful or selfish purposes. It’s unfortunate that it has been corrupted so. I am attracted to paganism because it incorporates these important elements. People become pagan by deciding that paganism reflected what they already believed, i.e. it wasn’t chosen for them, or imposed on them by someone else. That people are naturally orientated towards their own greatest growth or development, a freedom unfortunately denied many people, either through discrimination or capitalism. Interconnectedness – I have always thought this, for example, ecology. All parts of the universe are sacred and endowed with a form of consciousness or spark of intelligence. It is worth noting that the spark of intelligence or consciousness, (some may call it the soul); I have always considered to be present in all living things, whereas Christianity and even science in some cases, have considered this to be present only in humans. I consider this division to be artificial and another reason why I have chosen the pagan path. Last, but not least, personal responsibility for one’s beliefs. The pagan traditions I am most interested in right now are: Asatru and Druidism. The reasons why I am interested in Asatru are: with the Prose and Poetic Eddas, there is much information about Norse Mythology and the Pantheon, it has a set of virtues or goals to live by and I seem to have an affinity with it more than I do with any of the other Pantheons. I am interested in Druidism because I am a writer and environmentalist. Druidry seems to fit in with my interests, both artistically and scientifically. Having said that, I have little interest in aspects of Celtic traditionalism, such as Morris Dancing! The reaction of my friends and family, (at least those who matter), has mostly been very supportive. |
bravenet.com