for all Pagan believers....I NEED HELP

[cmdeford]

I've put up 3 or 4 posts, maybe I'm wording things wrong, as of right now, I'm in a pretty dark spot in my life, and finding a name for my religion, or other people with the same beliefs, would help greatly, kinda help me see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, I will list my beliefs (or at least most of them) pertaining to religion, if you could please help me in my search. This has been an ongoing thing for years, and it's gotten to the point I'm almost obsessing. So let's try this:
-my views on gods are slightly different, I don't believe in the typical God thing, as in what they are (yes, more than one) I believe they are ideals we strive to accomplish or be in a sense we would see them as godly, such as fertility, and our minds give them form and a name.
- I believe in karma and the 3 fold rule
- I'm not sure as in an afterlife, what I believe, but I lean more towards reincarnation
- I believe everyone and everything has a soul and energy
- I believe in good and evil not heaven and help or God and Satan
- I believe you should harm none yourself or anyone else
- I believe we should do what makes us happy in life not so much as what a book says such as the bible
- I believe in magick but I pull science in, I believe we are willing whatever we are doing said magick for to happen not so much the herbs do it, I think it gives us something tangeable to work with so we actually feel like it's working instead of sitting on our butts doing nothing about it.
- I do believe however that talismans and such work, but not because our "God" is doing it, but because their are certain properties in the crystals that react with the object we are trying to avoid or certain symbols they do not like



I think that gives you a pretty decent idea , I've thought atheistic pagan, spiritual atheist, witch, and many many more. I just need help, and after I have help, maybe I can help others find theirs too.

Blessed be.

 

[Sees]

I think the best thing you can do is just peek around all manner of pagan traditions and see which give you the "this is me" feeling most...it doesn't have to be absolute love at first sight or give you butterflies in the stomach. Try to empty your cup a bit and see if some of what you are discovering adjusts and reprograms certain ideas you have. Along the way there is a good chance some tradition or other will very strongly stick out as "this is me" and most importantly...no two people of any tradition or religion will see everything exactly alike.

Explore aspects and areas that speak to you most and enjoy things. It's about a healthier and happier worldview and experience of life, not a desperation to find salvation or a specific label. Have fun with it.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I have heard of Satanism. Don't know if it suits you. You believe in magik and talismans and want to do your own thing.

 

[Nietzsche]

I really, really ****ing hate the word "magick". It's just...I hate how it looks. Reminds me of all the worst parts of 90s-era Comicbooks. Like adding superfluous Xs or Zs to a word. But that's besides the point.

Most of my knowledge is pretty firmly rooted in Norse and the other assorted Germanic paganisms, with some knowledge of other European pagan faiths. And to be honest, when you start dividing things into Good/Evil, that's a pretty good sign that paganism might not be for you. It's never Good vs Evil in the pagan faiths. The Germanic traditions are Order(Aesir-Vanir) vs Chaos(Loki, Fenrir, Jörmungandr) vs Oblivion(Nidhogg). The Greeks believed in Old(the Titans) vs New(Olympians). The Celts were largely Old vs New.

About the only 'pagan' path that deals with Good-Evil is Wicca, and that's honestly less "pagan" and more "How Christians viewed Pagans".

 

[Jainarayan]

Not to push Norse/Germanic Paganism, but with the exception of the non-theism, Norse/Germanic Paganism encompasses most of those ideals. Orlog and wyrd are somewhat analogous to karma; re-incarnation is not rejected. I don't know what people mean by "magi(k)c" but I've seen seidr referred to as magic. I don't know enough about it to make a determination.

It's a human trait to want to label and belong but I don't think that what a person believes necessarily has or needs to have a label. I don't think not having a label precludes one from participating in rituals with others if the majority of beliefs overlap. There are many Ásatrúar who don't believe Thor is a huge bearded muscled power bear, but that doesn't stop them from attending a Thorrablót with others who do see him that way.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

I've put up 3 or 4 posts, maybe I'm wording things wrong, as of right now, I'm in a pretty dark spot in my life, and finding a name for my religion, or other people with the same beliefs, would help greatly, kinda help me see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, I will list my beliefs (or at least most of them) pertaining to religion, if you could please help me in my search. This has been an ongoing thing for years, and it's gotten to the point I'm almost obsessing. So let's try this:
-my views on gods are slightly different, I don't believe in the typical God thing, as in what they are (yes, more than one) I believe they are ideals we strive to accomplish or be in a sense we would see them as godly, such as fertility, and our minds give them form and a name.
- I believe in karma and the 3 fold rule
- I'm not sure as in an afterlife, what I believe, but I lean more towards reincarnation
- I believe everyone and everything has a soul and energy
- I believe in good and evil not heaven and help or God and Satan
- I believe you should harm none yourself or anyone else
- I believe we should do what makes us happy in life not so much as what a book says such as the bible
- I believe in magick but I pull science in, I believe we are willing whatever we are doing said magick for to happen not so much the herbs do it, I think it gives us something tangeable to work with so we actually feel like it's working instead of sitting on our butts doing nothing about it.
- I do believe however that talismans and such work, but not because our "God" is doing it, but because their are certain properties in the crystals that react with the object we are trying to avoid or certain symbols they do not like



I think that gives you a pretty decent idea , I've thought atheistic pagan, spiritual atheist, witch, and many many more. I just need help, and after I have help, maybe I can help others find theirs too.

Blessed be.

Hello, and good luck. I'll see what I can contribute to your confusion! Or rather, its diminishment!

I'm a modern animist; I think you sound very animistic in your beliefs--pragmatic, not as concerned with transcendence and theology and the other stuff that seems to dominate Western thinking and experience of "religion," but recognizing the commonality between ourselves and other living beings, and even the inanimate things in the universe. Check out Graham Harvey's works for a starter.

Animism, as it is coming to be understood (see the various authors in Harvey's Handbook of Contemporary Animism--a large and expensive tome, but you should be able to get it through a local library) is largely about the practice of proper etiquette with the other-than-human persons with whom we share the Earth, that is, establishing and maintaining a relationship with the spiritual/material persons we interact with every day as we pursue our own existence, and they pursue theirs.

Animism typically occurs within a culture, and pervades every aspect of daily life; it isn't just for Saturday or Sunday--so it tends to be very foreign to Western thinking and experience. While I see people being animistic every day (talking to their car or their computer, making offerings to them so they'll work, etc.), it's a kind of disjointed folk religious practice, at least in my experience here in the US. The problem with that is that if you're in a Western culture, it's unlikely that you will find many with common beliefs (at least at the level at which I practice and experience animism). However, there are a great many folk who embrace some, even many of the animistic beliefs and practices you say are yours. The options you list above are certainly good descriptions, but there are other possibilities out there, as several of the other responders have also noted. How I've solved the problem so far is that I'm a sole practitioner, but I do socialize with some of those practitioners of other pagan traditions, because we share some beliefs and practices, and because we're also tolerant of each others' differences.

I hope this is useful to you.

 

[cmdeford]

Thank you all for your input/opinions/thoughts it has helped, I'm still doing my research to find that "it's me" feeling. I know a lot of my views don't seem to fit under one per se religion or set of beliefs. Even if I could use an umbrella term to put a name to it would make me feel better lol. I guess that this is a human thing at this point just the human need to feel I belong in or to something. My search continues I'm looking into eclectic paganism at this point but I will keep all comments in mind as I continue.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

- I believe they [the gods] are ideals we strive to accomplish or be in a sense we would see them as godly, such as fertility, and our minds give them form and a name.
- I believe in karma and the 3 fold rule
- I believe you should harm none yourself or anyone else
- I believe in magick

Trust me, you're a Wiccan. You may not agree with everything you hear in Wicca, but it's not like joining the Scientologists: you're allowed a mind of your own!

It's never Good vs Evil in the pagan faiths. ... The Greeks believed in Old(the Titans) vs New(Olympians).

No, unless you mean that the world is not seen as a battleground, God versus Satan. There are certainly moral codes and punishment for transgressors. Look at the Negative Confessions in Egyptian religion, read the Hindu texts, consider the Delphic Maxims, like "Shun evil, Praise good, Practice justice..."

The relation between the Titans and the Olympians is complex, but the Titans are only though of as "other" to the Gods in Orphism. All Hellenes worshiped Kronos and there were cults for Prometheus, Leto, Themis, etc.

 

[Nietzsche]

No, unless you mean that the world is not seen as a battleground, God versus Satan. There are certainly moral codes and punishment for transgressors. Look at the Negative Confessions in Egyptian religion, read the Hindu texts, consider the Delphic Maxims, like "Shun evil, Praise good, Practice justice..."

The relation between the Titans and the Olympians is complex, but the Titans are only though of as "other" to the Gods in Orphism. All Hellenes worshiped Kronos and there were cults for Prometheus, Leto, Themis, etc.

I was referring to the former. The notion of 'Evil God' vs 'Good God' and what not.

 

[Seeker of Ka]

I've put up 3 or 4 posts, maybe I'm wording things wrong, as of right now, I'm in a pretty dark spot in my life, and finding a name for my religion, or other people with the same beliefs, would help greatly, kinda help me see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, I will list my beliefs (or at least most of them) pertaining to religion, if you could please help me in my search. This has been an ongoing thing for years, and it's gotten to the point I'm almost obsessing. So let's try this:
-my views on gods are slightly different, I don't believe in the typical God thing, as in what they are (yes, more than one) I believe they are ideals we strive to accomplish or be in a sense we would see them as godly, such as fertility, and our minds give them form and a name.
- I believe in karma and the 3 fold rule
- I'm not sure as in an afterlife, what I believe, but I lean more towards reincarnation
- I believe everyone and everything has a soul and energy
- I believe in good and evil not heaven and help or God and Satan
- I believe you should harm none yourself or anyone else
- I believe we should do what makes us happy in life not so much as what a book says such as the bible
- I believe in magick but I pull science in, I believe we are willing whatever we are doing said magick for to happen not so much the herbs do it, I think it gives us something tangeable to work with so we actually feel like it's working instead of sitting on our butts doing nothing about it.
- I do believe however that talismans and such work, but not because our "God" is doing it, but because their are certain properties in the crystals that react with the object we are trying to avoid or certain symbols they do not like



I think that gives you a pretty decent idea , I've thought atheistic pagan, spiritual atheist, witch, and many many more. I just need help, and after I have help, maybe I can help others find theirs too.

Blessed be.

Sounds like an Aethist Witch.

 

[Cassandra]

I've put up 3 or 4 posts, maybe I'm wording things wrong, as of right now, I'm in a pretty dark spot in my life, and finding a name for my religion, or other people with the same beliefs, would help greatly, kinda help me see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, I will list my beliefs (or at least most of them) pertaining to religion, if you could please help me in my search. This has been an ongoing thing for years, and it's gotten to the point I'm almost obsessing. So let's try this:
-my views on gods are slightly different, I don't believe in the typical God thing, as in what they are (yes, more than one) I believe they are ideals we strive to accomplish or be in a sense we would see them as godly, such as fertility, and our minds give them form and a name.
- I believe in karma and the 3 fold rule
- I'm not sure as in an afterlife, what I believe, but I lean more towards reincarnation
- I believe everyone and everything has a soul and energy
- I believe in good and evil not heaven and help or God and Satan
- I believe you should harm none yourself or anyone else
- I believe we should do what makes us happy in life not so much as what a book says such as the bible
- I believe in magick but I pull science in, I believe we are willing whatever we are doing said magick for to happen not so much the herbs do it, I think it gives us something tangeable to work with so we actually feel like it's working instead of sitting on our butts doing nothing about it.
- I do believe however that talismans and such work, but not because our "God" is doing it, but because their are certain properties in the crystals that react with the object we are trying to avoid or certain symbols they do not like



I think that gives you a pretty decent idea , I've thought atheistic pagan, spiritual atheist, witch, and many many more. I just need help, and after I have help, maybe I can help others find theirs too.

Blessed be.

Why do you need a herd (people with the same beliefs)? And if your beliefs change, will you seek another herd? Why do we need beliefs at all? Why not simply go with what the latest science and personal experience tells us? Why not let our insights grow as we go along?

Why want to be tagged, and labelled and be misunderstood, generalized, rejected as a result? Do you need to be member of a belief group to be social or be accepted with others? Do you need a cross-dressing guy to tell you what to believe? If you want ritual group behaviour, why not go to sport games or something more innocent.

What is wrong with remaining a true individual?

 

[V lad i mir]

1) 3 fold rule. who will multiply the energy you send? nature well balanced - you will get what ever you spend( only if you well balanced too). 2) afterlife. I hope you know- physical body is not you, this is what you got for some period of time for spiritual evolution. physical body can only mutate , if not in proper surrounding ambience. 3) everyone and everything has a soul and energy. everyone and everything is a soul and energy. 4)good and evil.creation and destruction. everything have beginning and end. every end is not final - every end is new beginning. life have a spiral structure. every spin start at the same point but level up or down, depends on what your direction is in a life. 5)you should harm none yourself or anyone else. harm to yourself , self destruction - voluntary change the plan of your incarnation can cause downgrade on life spiral to retry your failed mission. you can harm others only if they are try to disturb or even stop your evolution( trying to kill you or your family,somebody else. destroying your property or using force to take your freedom( by the way - your freedom end, where others freedom begin). 6) we should do what makes us happy. but not on someone else account. 7)I believe in magic, but I pull science in. Any magic is result of some action. if you understand it - this is just an action, if not - magic. 8)...that talismans and such work... signs and symbols control world (Confucius). this is not necessary to be a crystal. look at dollar bill, christian church, american Indians talismans... P.S. This is all from Russian "paganism" ( have no idea why people call it paganism). want little more from it? ok. smallest time frame - 1 sig ( 1 sig approximately is 30 fluctuations of the electromagnetic wave of the atom caesium. 1 sec..=302096358 sigs. want more? threenine distant distances( sorry, untranslatible) - 27 distant distances that corresponds to 139 862 005150 828,5 kilometers or 934 906,5 astronomical units or 15 light years. Вера ( believe) in slavic protolanguage mean - knowledge of the initial light of the truth ( Knowledge of processes in nature, planet and space, purpose of life and a way to live right). is it a paganism? is it a religion?