BOS; Pagan testimonies; relationship with nature; share your thoughts?

[Unveiled Artist]

It doesn't have to be Wicca. In general, if it's not to private, maybe we can exchange tips, things we put in our Books (if we have any) or memorized "spells" or incantations that others may learn from (wouldn't be right to use other people's spells).

I was thinking of creating a "Book of Shadows" and I thought, well, maybe that is just in Wicca. I'm not a Wiccan; why, would I create a book like that? Then you have the differences between traditional witchcraft which doesn't have the Book while modern witchcraft practitioners do.

I wonder if those who practice folk/culture "magic" write down their work.

We can learn from each other's testimonies? How did you become a pagan? What brought you to earth-related faiths? What brought you towards mythological faiths?

--
I guess, for me, I haven't really thought of writing a book of shadows. If I did, I'd work with written symbols. Something about creating my own sounds modern but then again, making it personal is always a good thing. I don't have many spells, if any. I'm trying to think of incantations to talk with my family who many are deceased. Things like that.

As for how I became pagan, I really haven't became one just figured out I was. I never called myself that, it just made so much sense that believing in it was just extra since it's a fact, in my opinion.

I wish I can learn more from nature. I like the corresponding with the seasons.. but do we really build a relationship with the earth? What are some ways we can do that?

Some things to think about.

 

[Nietzsche]

My path to Heathenry is quite simple. Fascination with the culture that it created/created it. I learned more about the myths and decided to practice it to gain better understanding of the people that did so before me. Magic came later. I enjoy doing practical, or stage, magic and decided to try the more ritualistic stuff because I'm a whore for theater.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

My path to Heathenry is quite simple. Fascination with the culture that it created/created it. I learned more about the myths and decided to practice it to gain better understanding of the people that did so before me. Magic came later. I enjoy doing practical, or stage, magic and decided to try the more ritualistic stuff because I'm a whore for theater.

I haven't studied heathernry, what do you practice?

 

[Nietzsche]

I haven't studied heathernry, what do you practice?

'Nother word for Asatru.

 

[Sees]

I grew up studying religions heavily, carrying different texts with me to read everywhere I went...bugging family about religion constantly, even visiting all the local churches and such to ask questions. At one point I was especially fascinated with how tied together certain traditions were with various cultures...the ancestral/cultural traditions. Their path seemed more than some beliefs they keep in their pocket while living like everybody else - but an actual way of life and way of connecting with the world. It felt very awkward though that the ones which most considered exotic, cool, special, beautiful, etc. didn't have anything to do with my ancestry and cultural heritage.

Once I found out a little about the Euro pagan traditions revival, startes digging and digging, I felt a huge sigh of relief. More I learned about Ásatrú/Heathenry, more I became hooked and had several insight "ah-ha" moments/experiences. Very quickly it felt like a perfect match for my intuitive spiritual views and what resonates most deeply in me. I could see it buried in the culture around me and the wisdom of family lessons, values, habits, holidays, language, etc.

Much later on I realized it was more like lifting a curtain than finding something out there I was looking for. Hidden in plain sight and always who I was/am.

 

[Jainarayan]

My path to Heathenry is quite simple. Fascination with the culture that it created/created it. I learned more about the myths and decided to practice it to gain better understanding of the people that did so before me.

Once I found out a little about the Euro pagan traditions revival, startes digging and digging, I felt a huge sigh of relief. More I learned about Ásatrú/Heathenry, more I became hooked and had several insight "ah-ha" moments/experiences. Very quickly it felt like a perfect match for my intuitive spiritual views and what resonates most deeply in me. I could see it buried in the culture around me and the wisdom of family lessons, values, habits, holidays, language, etc.

Much later on I realized it was more like lifting a curtain than finding something out there I was looking for. Hidden in plain sight and always who I was/am.

Pretty much the same for me, though I am not into the magic aspects (yet?). I draw runes occasionally but I am in no way proficient at interpreting them. I check a couple of sources. I just had a conversation with Thor this morning that I don't think he'd mind I share. I asked him why it took so long for me to find him; the answer I got was what does that matter, I found him now.

I don't yet know if the northern peoples are my culture and heritage, I won't know until I get my tax refund and can pay for that damn DNA test I go on and on about. But even if it turns out that I have little to no Northern or Germanic blood (though I think it highly unlikely I don't), I am still Northern in my heart and soul, and identify as such. Hence being drawn to Heathenry, the religion of my spiritual (at least) kin. In my heart and soul I am Viking!

 

[Nietzsche]

Pretty much the same for me, though I am not into the magic aspects (yet?). I draw runes occasionally but I am in no way proficient at interpreting them. I check a couple of sources. I just had a conversation with Thor this morning that I don't think he'd mind I share. I asked him why it took so long for me to find him; the answer I got was what does that matter, I found him now.

I don't yet know if the northern peoples are my culture and heritage, I won't know until I get my tax refund and can pay for that damn DNA test I go on and on about. But even if it turns out that I have little to no Northern or Germanic blood (though I think it highly unlikely I don't), I am still Northern in my heart and soul, and identify as such. Hence being drawn to Heathenry, the religion of my spiritual (at least) kin. In my heart and soul I am Viking!

Where is your family from?

 

[Jainarayan]

Where is your family from?

The best I know, being able to go only back as far as my paternal grandfather is Collesano Sicily. There are no records to be found before him and my grandmother. Collesano is a tiny town in Palermo Province which is heavily Norman influenced. To the best of my knowledge they and their contemporaries were laborers and seamstresses. Our surname is an occupational title derived from Latin. However, given the nature of the occupation, I highly doubt it was given to laborers. It is the Italian version of an occupational title given by William the Conqueror to one of his knights. That is the only attestation I can find. The name either traveled to the Mediterranean via the Norman conquests and migrations, or it is a common Latin word. I don't want to reveal it here, so I'll send you a conversation. You may know even more about it.

 

[Seeker of the Ancients]

Well I was born into a 7th Day Adventist household. I never truly felt a connection to the faith however. The religion felt so dry and colorless... and the god of the religion felt distant at best. So needless to say I was never really a church boy, and finding out that god apparently deemed me worthy of the same fate as people like Hitler simply for loving men didn't help the matter.

However, I do remember that I always had an incredible fascination with the Gods and stories of Greek myth. The Gods seemed so vibrant and their personalities as shown in the old tales made me feel as if I understood them. They felt real, present. And the lessons in the stories of the Gods and their heroes were more than just commandments that didn't make sense. I remember reading a book of Greek myths while on my way to my future high school's open house and I couldn't put it down. I thought "Wow... Wouldn't it be wonderful if we worshiped these gods instead? If we could see the world as the Greeks did?" But of course I couldn't actually worship them. I mean, it was a "dead" religion. No one worshiped them, or so I thought. Besides, I didn't even know if I was Greek. What would it look like if I started worshiping Gods that did not come from my culture? So I ignored my heart and went about my life, trying to find spiritual meaning as I went. I tried everything from Christianity to Agnosticism and everything in between. Even spent some time as a Buddhist before realizing it wasn't for me.

Then, while I was in my Junior year of college, I stumbled across a documentary on the Greek Gods. I watched it, thinking it would be interesting. Almost immediately I began to feel familiar emotions. The wonder, the excitement, the curiosity and above all, a desire to learn more about these mysterious beings. Only this time I was older and no longer cared if the world didn't share my beliefs. So I started digging up every bit of information on the gods that I could find. Apollo in particular drew my attention, given my love of music and his temperament. Then I stumbled across a wiki page detailing the Hellenism revival movement. It was like a light bulb finally went off after all these years... I wasn't alone. There were people who felt and believed just as I did and I'd never realized. The rest, as you say, is history.

In the end I guess my coming to Hellenism was a bit like what Sees said in his post. I want to say I converted, but in truth, I've always followed the gods. It just took 21 years of my life for me to realize it and stop trying to fit the mold society made for me. I still have a long way to go, but I'm willing to walk the path and I know I've finally made the right choice.