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Pagan Practices 101


Simbi Laveau

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Hi everyone ,

A few of the practicing pagans here on UM,have chosen to start this thread,to answer questions for people who are truely interested in other forms of spiritual practice .

This is just for information sharing ,and we do not want anyone trying to cast inappropriate spells,or anything like that .

We would appreciate it if non believers refrained from flames and posts of a disbarraging nature .

We only want to pass on info to people who are truely interested,but have no access to proper information or mentoring from an elder .

All forms of paganism and spiritual practices are welcome

We all come from very different backgrounds ,so it should make for a very interesting mix .

Just to cover the basics ,if someone wants to post a basic circle casting how too ,that would be a great start .

Given I do not follow a wholey wiccan path,and I cannot cut and paste ^_^ ,it might be best if a wiccan posted it,and we can all post our own little special things we do,when casting a circle .

I actually invoke five elements when I cast ,but that's my Chinese theory background creeping in .

If anyone else would like to post an introduction ,and what path you follow,or what you would like to learn ......

The floor is yours .

Xxoo

M

Edited by Simbi Laveau
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Hi I would love to learn more about paganism can you please help me and share with me how I can get started? Thanx Diane x

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Hi I would love to learn more about paganism can you please help me and share with me how I can get started? Thanx Diane x

Hello and welcome to UM

There are many forms a paganism ,and there is more to it than just "magick".

Is there any particular form of paganism that calls to you ?

I think maybe a reading list is in order as well.

If anyone has any books they think are good start points,please post them .

I would say look at some titles by Silver Ravenwolf ,as she has many easy to follow basic books .

And I always recommend Lady Rheas Enchanted Candle book .

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An old ex girlfriend of mine was pagan, wiccan. She was evil beyond words I can't describe, to me and her family. She ended up killing herself last I cared to hear about her.

Well being Wiccan doesnt make someone evil .Sounds like she had problems in general .

Even if you didn't care,I'm sorry . Having an ex commit suicide is still hard.

There are evil Christians ,aren't there ? Men who abuse kids .People who steal .

Evil is in many places,just as goodness is .

Don't let one person make you think all pagans are bad .

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An old ex girlfriend of mine was pagan, wiccan. She was evil beyond words I can't describe, to me and her family. She ended up killing herself last I cared to hear about her.

There are some people who make the craft evil not the craft its self they seemed to be drawn to it like moths to a flame as they think paganism and satanism are the same and distort it for their own gains true warlocks/witches/pagans are not evil they will embrace the world and life with a sense of love and being but I am sad to hear your ex was evil.
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Just so we're clear, define "pagan"? Because I know that it can mean a lot of different things to different people...

Well most definitions of paganism mean non organized religions .

That would exclude things like Muslim,Christian,Jewish,Buddhist ....

Some people feel Buddhism is pagan,but non organized,is the literal definition of paganism .

I assume people will want to know about things like Wicca,OTO and golden dawn,voodoo,Santeria ,native American practices ,,,like that .

We are doing this as more of an information exchange ,and not for debating what's better ,etc etc.

Edited by Simbi Laveau
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Well most definitions of paganism mean non organized religions .

That would exclude things like Muslim,Christian,Jewish,Buddhist ....

Some people feel Buddhism is pagan,but non organized,is the literal definition of paganism .

I assume people will want to know about things like Wicca,OTO and golden dawn,voodoo,Santeria ,native American practices ,,,like that .

We are doing this as more of an information exchange ,and not for debating what's better ,etc etc.

I presumed that that was the sort of thing that was meant. I was just making sure. Because, for instance, a lot of Christians call me a "pagan"; I'm officially a Hindu, and unofficially Buddhist, Taoist, Shintoist, Confucianist, etc. Basically, I'm branded a pagan because I gravitate towards Eastern rather than Western ideology.

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I presumed that that was the sort of thing that was meant. I was just making sure. Because, for instance, a lot of Christians call me a "pagan"; I'm officially a Hindu, and unofficially Buddhist, Taoist, Shintoist, Confucianist, etc. Basically, I'm branded a pagan because I gravitate towards Eastern rather than Western ideology.

That is pure ignorance on their part.

I will probably post some Hindu and Tibetan lore,as most people don't understand it ,for just these reasons .

Better to educate ,rather than chastise .

Ganesh Chanthuri is coming ,I will definately post about it .

If you want to post about some things,just to educate,please do .

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That is pure ignorance on their part.

I will probably post some Hindu and Tibetan lore,as most people don't understand it ,for just these reasons .

Better to educate ,rather than chastise .

Ganesh Chanthuri is coming ,I will definately post about it .

If you want to post about some things,just to educate,please do .

Very good.

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I presumed that that was the sort of thing that was meant. I was just making sure. Because, for instance, a lot of Christians call me a "pagan"; I'm officially a Hindu, and unofficially Buddhist, Taoist, Shintoist, Confucianist, etc. Basically, I'm branded a pagan because I gravitate towards Eastern rather than Western ideology.

East/West it doesn't matter paganism is older then both trains of thought a true pagan be it a Buddhist a witch or what ever you want to call yourself is one with mother nature hence all things are alive with their own wealth of being. :tu:
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An old ex girlfriend of mine was pagan, wiccan. She was evil beyond words I can't describe, to me and her family. She ended up killing herself last I cared to hear about her.

Thats dark man

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- post removed -

I didn't get about half of that because of the filters. I wasn't trying to be sardonic, by the way. In retrospect I see it could be interpreted that way. It was serious advice. The only medicine for a wounded soul is love.

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I didn't get about half of that because of the filters. I wasn't trying to be sardonic, by the way. In retrospect I see it could be interpreted that way. It was serious advice. The only medicine for a wounded soul is love.

I'm sorry bones ,no one meant any harm .....,this is obviously has not healed yet for you .......maybe you need to do something for some type of closure .

I don't know what religion you are,but maybe you should light her a,candle ,or say some prayers,or have prayers said.

In the catholic tradition,they have a mass said .I would go with my mom and light candles at church .

In Jewish tradition they light candles on the anniversary of the day,but my ex boyfriends mom lit them every night .

In Santeria,we light them a guardian angel candle ,to help them find her way . It also helps the living to say good bye .

It's up to you ,but I think you need to look closer at your feelings about this ,because it isn't healthy for you to still carry this burden with you ...

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I presumed that that was the sort of thing that was meant. I was just making sure. Because, for instance, a lot of Christians call me a "pagan"; I'm officially a Hindu, and unofficially Buddhist, Taoist, Shintoist, Confucianist, etc. Basically, I'm branded a pagan because I gravitate towards Eastern rather than Western ideology.

Technically Hindus would be considered pagan, because paganism technically includes any polytheistic (or atheistic, I feel) religion.

Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller", "rustic"[1]) is a blanket term, typically used to refer to religious traditions which are polytheistic or indigenous.

It's pretty loose on definition, and I think it's one that a lot of people don't really understand.

I have to go to work now but later perhaps I'll work on a bit of a glossary for this thread, may be helpful :)

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Technically Hindus would be considered pagan, because paganism technically includes any polytheistic (or atheistic, I feel) religion.

Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller", "rustic"[1]) is a blanket term, typically used to refer to religious traditions which are polytheistic or indigenous.

It's pretty loose on definition, and I think it's one that a lot of people don't really understand.

I have to go to work now but later perhaps I'll work on a bit of a glossary for this thread, may be helpful :)

Yes,but even catholics have saints ,and the virgin Mary .

So its a bit of semantics I think .

And who would be calling it pagan ? The catholic church ....so its a matter of perspective as well .

So many people are Buddhists,and it is organized ,granted ,its not like they have something like the Vatican.

I actually always thought there were more Buddhists ,worldwide,than any other religion ,given you have indian,japanese and china,all predominantly some form of buddhist ......

I was very wrong,its catholics .

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Yes,but even catholics have saints ,and the virgin Mary .

So its a bit of semantics I think .

I agree, in my understanding pagan was a term early christians had for pretty much any non-christians they came across, excepting the Jews of course.

And who would be calling it pagan ? The catholic church ....so its a matter of perspective as well .

So many people are Buddhists,and it is organized ,granted ,its not like they have something like the Vatican.

I have heard christians refer to buddhists as pagans :D

I actually always thought there were more Buddhists ,worldwide,than any other religion ,given you have indian,japanese and china,all predominantly some form of buddhist ......

I was very wrong,its catholics .

Hrm. My guess would have been either Hindus or Christians (incl catholics)

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Hi,

I started reading about Wicca a few years ago and I can communicate with spirits as well. I've tried to cast a few simple spells, like protection ones and I can't figure out why they're not working as well as they should. Any advise?

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As Paganism is an umbrella that encompasses quite a number of concepts and practices, I pulled some information from wiki here that explains further some of what falls under Paganism (or is associated with it in some way). I noticed wiki doesn't mention things that could be considered paganism so I added those from other sources as well. This is not comprehensive and parts could be inaccurate, feel free to add to it and discuss :D

Neo-paganism describes what I tend to think of when I hear "pagan".

Polytheism: the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals. The deities of polytheism are often portrayed as complex personages of greater or lesser status, with individual skills, needs, desires and histories; in many ways similar to humans (anthropomorphic) in their personality traits, but with additional individual powers, abilities, knowledge or perceptions. Polytheism cannot be cleanly separated from the animist beliefs prevalent in most folk religions. The gods of polytheism are in many cases the highest order of a continuum of supernatural beings or spirits, which may include ancestors, demons, wights and others. In some cases these spirits are divided into celestial or chthonic classes, and belief in the existence of all these beings does not imply that all are worshipped.

May include: Ancient Greece, Buddhism, Shintoism, Christianity, Hinduism, Serer, Wicca, Reconstructionism

Shamanism: a practice that involve a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to encounter and interact with the spirit world. A shaman is a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits, who typically enters a trance state during a ritual, and practices divination and healing.

Pantheism: the view that everything is part of an all-encompassing immanent God, or that the Universe (or Nature) and God (or divinity) are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, or anthropomorphic god. Pantheism denotes the idea that every single thing is a part of one Being ("God") and that all forms of reality are either modes of that Being or identical with it.

May include: Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, Judaism, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, Theosophy

Animism: is a set of beliefs based on the existence of non-human "spiritual beings" or similar kinds of embodied principles. Animism encompasses the beliefs that there is no separation between the spiritual and physical (or material) world, and souls or spirits exist, not only in humans, but also in all other animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural environment. Animism may further attribute souls to abstract concepts such as words, true names, or metaphors in mythology.

Animism is not the same as Pantheism, although the two are sometimes confused. Some faiths and religions are even both pantheistic and animistic. One of the main differences is that while animists believe everything to be spiritual in nature, they do not necessarily see the spiritual nature of everything in existence as being united (monism), the way pantheists do. As a result, animism puts more emphasis on the uniqueness of each individual soul. In Pantheism, everything shares the same spiritual essence, rather than having distinct spirits and/or souls.

May include: Shintoism, Serer, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Neopaganism

Contemporary Paganism, Modern Paganism, or Neopaganism: refers to a variety of modern religious movements, particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various historical pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe.Although they do share commonalities, contemporary Pagan religious movements are diverse and no single set of beliefs, practices, or texts are shared by them all.

Contemporary Paganism has been characterized as "a synthesis of historical inspiration and present-day creativity", in this manner drawing influences from pre-Christian, folkloric and ethnographic sources in order to fashion new religious movements. The extent to which contemporary Pagans use these sources differs; many follow a spirituality which they accept is entirely modern, whilst others attempt to reconstruct or revive indigenous, ethnic religions as found in historical and folkloric sources as accurately as possible.

May include: Goddess Movement, Heathenry, Neo-Druidism, New Age Syncretism, Eco-Paganism, Occultism, Reconstructionism, Queer Paganism, Wicca

Santeria, Voodoo, Vodoun, Umbanda: Beliefs and practices vary widely from sect to sect and tend to be very complex, but all share some or all of the following traits: Syncretism or associations between traditional Yoruban or Bantu religion and Roman Catholicism, the practice of Animal sacrifice and trance possession, spirit mediumship, sympathetic magic, and elements of medieval Goetic magic and kabbalah. All of the sects are Monolatrous, believing that the Gods are all aspects of an unknowable Supreme God.

Asatru (Odinism): Asatruar tend to be Pantheistic, believing in a multitude of Gods. Most Asatru believers choose to identify with one God in particular, and to a tribe, as the Asatru pantheon is divided into two groups, the Aesir and the Vanir. (Odin is an Aesir, Loki a Vanir.) The Asatru pantheon includes traditional Norse Gods and Goddesses, elemental spirits, and Guardian spirits. Ancestors are venerated as well. Politically, Asatruar tend to be conservative and family oriented. The Asatru afterlife is tripartite;warriors slain in battle go to Valhalla, and the good and evil are sorted into Hel (paradise) and Hifhel, respectively.

Kemetism (ancient egyptian revival): Egyptian neopaganism, i.e. neopagan revivals of Ancient Egyptian religion which developed in the United States from the 1970s onwards. There are several main groups, each of which take a different approach to their beliefs, ranging from eclectic to polytheistic reconstructionist.

Hellenismos (greek revival): a modern faith reconstructing the rich religious traditions of Ancient Greece.

Ceremonial Magik: It is nearly impossible to define a set of beliefs that is common to all Ritual Magicians. However, most accept Aleister Crowley’s definition of magick as “the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.” Ritual Magicians are primarily concerned with “transcendental” magick (conciousness raising) rather than natural or sympathetic magick (folk magic designed to achieve worldly ends).

Romuva (lithuanian revival): a polytheistic pagan faith which asserts the sanctity of nature as well as the practice of ancestor veneration. Adherents of Romuva believe that the souls of those who die continue to exist in the afterlife and stay with the living family and descendants, prior to reincarnation. Confession is based on preserved Lithuanian pagan customs and archaic pre-Christian folklore.

Druidism: Druid Revivial groups focus more or less on personal interpretation of Druidry, leading to a wide variety of beliefs within the Recon community. Among the attitudes held in common is a deep reverence and respect for nature, and an affinity for woodlands. Ancient Celtic runes, and a divination system based on the Celtic Ogham alphabet are also commonly used by modern Druids.

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For those interested in a different path but one that might be more authentic to them I recommend the following books:

ChristoPaganism: An Inclusive Path by Joyce and River Higginbotham

Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age by Patrick Dunn.

Dunn's view is also more academic since he is a college instructor so check out his blog: http://pomomagic.wordpress.com/

I am a Christian witch. There are not many of us and those who exist are so varied in approach so it is understood there is no single way to be a Christian witch.

My preference is for low and folk magic which can help me as a modern person living in a city. Spells are simple and based on need and are usually devised by myself although I can borrow some ideas from others but the end product is highly customized and personal while still being simple.

For the very few who might possibly be interested in networking PM me. No questions about this path, you either understand and accept, or not. There is no need to convince anyone. I also speak very normal without the need for merry meet and the like. Keep it ordinary.

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Sigh..... Every time we do Paganism we get off on the definition of Paganism. How for the purposes of the thread it is Neo-Paganism and it one of the many Earth based mystery religions. Mystery religion means it is non-revealed without a single source. No sacred text (Bible, Quran, Vedas) or guru (Jesus, Buddha, or Mohammad) like person.

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Hmmm I guessing pagan then.... I'll help with shamanic practices :)

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I'm very interested in how say wiccans interact with their deities/spirits? Is it indirectly through lore and ritual or is it face to face some how?

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I agree, in my understanding pagan was a term early christians had for pretty much any non-christians they came across, excepting the Jews of course.

I have heard christians refer to buddhists as pagans :D

Hrm. My guess would have been either Hindus or Christians (incl catholics)

Christians have the monopoly on sheer numbers, with about 2 billion followers.

Muslims have around 1 1/2 billion, give or take.

Hindus have about a billion (most of whom are in India).

And beyond those three the numbers start to get smaller (for instance I think Buddhists are something like 375,000,000, most of whom are in China).

And atheists/agnostics comprise more than Hindus, with around 1.12 billion if I recall. But then, they don't count as a religion.

Edited by Arbitran
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For those interested in a different path but one that might be more authentic to them I recommend the following books:

ChristoPaganism: An Inclusive Path by Joyce and River Higginbotham

Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age by Patrick Dunn.

Dunn's view is also more academic since he is a college instructor so check out his blog: http://pomomagic.wordpress.com/

I am a Christian witch. There are not many of us and those who exist are so varied in approach so it is understood there is no single way to be a Christian witch.

My preference is for low and folk magic which can help me as a modern person living in a city. Spells are simple and based on need and are usually devised by myself although I can borrow some ideas from others but the end product is highly customized and personal while still being simple.

For the very few who might possibly be interested in networking PM me. No questions about this path, you either understand and accept, or not. There is no need to convince anyone. I also speak very normal without the need for merry meet and the like. Keep it ordinary.

Interesting combination, a Christian witch. Rather like a "gay Conservative", you don't hear it very often. I take it that all the places in the Bible condemning witches aren't important then?

Edited by Arbitran
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