why choose paganism?

[info seeker]

hey everyone, im a college student taking a "new age religion" class. I have been reading a book titled "Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves" by Sarah M. Pike for my class. The author writes alot about her experiences, especially at festivals such as Starwood, ELFest, Wild Magick, Rites of Spring, etc. I am curious about several things and hope you can address the following questions:

- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major
attractions/ beliefs?

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?

Thank you for your help in advance. I am sorry for not being too familiar with the religion. I find it very interesting and seek further knowledge. Authors of texts we read in class tend to be very opinionated!!! Thanks !

[Sequoia]

- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major attractions/ beliefs?
Well, the thing is, I've always held similar beliefs as I do now. It was merely the fact that before, I never knew there was a word to call it by :) I don't follow "paganism". . . I follow my heart. I just happen to belive that God has a few thousand other godly buddies up there ;)

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like? About the only "festival" I've attended was something a friend threw for Beltane. . . And it was like any other family barbeque ;) hehe talking, food, fun. . . all that good stuff! We didn't really do any ceremonies or anything.

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions? I'm going to try not to "preach" anything other than the morals I belive in, such as treating everyone equally, and that everbody's beliefs are just as valid. . . certainly, I will practice my religion and share it with my children, but I will not object if they want to go to bible school, or to temple with their jewish friends, or anything like that. I look at it as a wonderful learning experience. Just to keep an open mind, I think, is the most important thing I'll teach my children. And to follow their heart.

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society? I think the hardest part is that so many people don't quite understand. They hear "wicca" and either they think the devil or they think of something they saw on TV. They hear "druid" and they think of some weird hermit guy scrabbling around in the forest. They hear "Pagan" and they either hear "devil worshipper", "rebelliant teen", or "atheist", and few people seem to know just what "pagan" even really means. They think it's one single religion, when it's not, it's an umbrella term for many different life paths that don't have names, but aren't the mainstream ones. (and it's kinda funny to say "mainstream" or "not mainstream" because luckily enough, my town seems to be about half pagan! ^^; it's just the area, I guess hehe)


hope that helped! ^_^ nice to see you here, and never hesitate to ask questions!

[Myst]

Originally posted by info seeker
- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major attractions/ beliefs?

Paganism highlights men and women being equal as well as the constant need for personal growth (spiritually and mentally) and tolerance for others. I love being part of a religion that is growing and changing, dynamic and always challenging and exciting.


Originally posted by info seeker
- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

Yes in fact I help run an annual Pagan festival in the area. It is about a week long and has rituals and celebrations, a bardic competition, dancing, drumming, concerts, arts & crafts, and lots of interesting and exciting workshops. You learn tons there and meet lots of Pagans *and* have tons of fun.


Originally posted by info seeker
- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

Actually we're going to raise our children with exposure to any and all beliefs they are interested in. They will have the choice to join rituals and be a part of Pagan festivals, and they will be encouraged to go to Church or bible camps if they like, study other belief systems, and find their own way.


Originally posted by info seeker
- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?

I actually get more problems about my Pagan beliefs from other Pagans then anyone else. I've never faced persecution or ridicule for being Pagan from nonPagans. These days (at least in my area) Paganism is widely accepted. My entire family, all my friends, and my fiance's family know and support my beliefs.

[manstranger]

Originally posted by info seeker
hey everyone, im a college student taking a "new age religion" class. I have been reading a book titled "Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves" by Sarah M. Pike for my class. The author writes alot about her experiences, especially at festivals such as Starwood, ELFest, Wild Magick, Rites of Spring, etc. I am curious about several things and hope you can address the following questions:

- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major
attractions/ beliefs?

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?

Thank you for your help in advance. I am sorry for not being too familiar with the religion. I find it very interesting and seek further knowledge. Authors of texts we read in class tend to be very opinionated!!! Thanks !

1) Freedom to define my own morals and opinions. Enough stated there i think ... they are of me, and my religion should be of me too, imo.

3) As Pagans, but w/o making them. If they don't get the same feeling i do out of it, no biggy. After all, i didn't get it from my parent's religion.

4) I would say people's opinions about it. Some are willing to change when they are wrong, but others are dead set that you do this, don't do that, and basically think they know more about you, your religion, your life, and your family than you do. That annoys me.

2) Sorry, i forgot to do them in the right order. No, I haven't. Haven't felt the need to take classes. I know what i feel i need to know about myself and my faith, or am seeking to know it. Having someone tell me what they beileve about so-so topic isn't that appealing to me. jmo. No humble about it.

Yeah, i think we are opinionated ... because most of us came from different faiths that are just as opiniated ... than changed because of differeance of opinion. I think. thats how it is around here, at least.

[mato]

1) always was a pagan, so it is the natural choice for me. I find other religions and spiritual paths are not for me (and I am massively self involved :D).

2) Na I cant stand them, they are far too... cheerful for my taste.

3) If (and that's a big if) I have kids they will be raised as pagans but made aware of other paths and allowed to freely study them without my interferance (well too much at any rate, have to be a responsible parent and know what they are getting into...) and if they wish with my interferance.

4) grrrr... Explaining to people (even other pagans) that I am not going to eat their children, and that I dont want to harm any one, contrary to what they have been taught.

[astrokaiju]

- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major
attractions/ beliefs?

Puma Hime gave almost the EXACT same answer that i would have...

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

i was in England during the most recent Winter Solstice, so i went to visit Stonehenge. it wasn't an organized festival, but there were a bunch of other pagans there, including visiting Maoris and local Druids. i think i was the only foreigner besides the Maoris...anyway, it was six in the morning and the place opens at ten, and even when it does open they lead you around the stones on a little path with an electric fence. you don't get anywhere near them. so we all broke in and climbed the fences, and watched the sun rise from right in the middle of the stones. there was CHAOS-lots of dancing and drumming, people shouting and climbing on the rocks...the old guy who seemed to be the offical of the Druids said a few words, and the Maoris sang some native songs. it was possibly one of the most significant experiences of my life.

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

of course i will let my children be free to make their decisions. even if wanted to preach paganism to them, it would not even be the same religion as i follow, because the paganism i believe in came from inside of me, and from my experience. so it would defeat the entire purpose. not to mention, you know...religious oppression...free thought...etc.etc.

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?

hmmm...i have yet to meet any challenges, but i know that other people face them. all the christians i know support my beliefs. atheists, however (including my parents), often throw stuff in my face about religions being the "opiate of the masses". but if that's the worst i got to deal with, i'm pretty lucky.

[MammaStar]

Originally posted by info seeker
- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major attractions/ beliefs?

I was raised in another faith, Catholic. As I got older, I realized it wasn't quite the right path for me. So I started too look around. I knew that the major religons (ie other forms of Christianity, the Jewish faith, etc.) weren't for me. I investigated Native American beliefs, Buddihism (sp?), etc. That eventually lead me to Wicca to Paganism.


- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

Not yet. I'd like to, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet.



- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

I have a 10 year old son, and I'm slowly starting to introduce him to my path. I didn't start my path until he was nearly 7 years old and I kept it hidden from a lot of people back then as well. I don't "preach" per say to him, but like my Mom did with me & my brothers...I tell him to respect everyone and everything he comes in contact with. From the squirrels that live outside our house, to the kid that sits next to him in class. He likes the idea of more than one person "up there" watching over things. He says it makes better sense. to quote my darling boy. "Well, mom, it's takes a Mommy & a Daddy to make a baby, so why wouldn't there be a Goddess & a God?" Ain't he great.


- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?

The only challenge I have faced has been within myself. I am still in the "broom closet" for the most part. Only those close to me know my path. Because of my neighborhood and the people my son goes to school with, I don't feel comfortable enough to be openly "Witch-y". Though, I do wear my pentacle all the time and I don't always remember to hide it, especially at work, where I thought I'd have the most trouble. So far, nothing. Either they haven't noticed or they just don't care.

[Ball-Bhreac Ròn]

- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major
attractions/ beliefs?
Well...my mum's best friend had always been pagan, and it just seemed like such a...green religion (does that make sense??). It was just so much deeper than anything I'd ever read about, and it suddenly made sense to me.

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?
I've worshiped them on my own but I haven't been to an actual big festival -type thingy.....wish I had tho :(

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?
Free to make their own decisions, obviously...if they express an interest in paganism, I'll give them all the info I can to help them. I hope they do choose paganism, as it's what I considder the 'right' religion, but ultimately it's their choice.

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?
Hmmm...when people come up to you and say stuff like 'I want this guy to fall in love with me, give me a spell.' I try to explain to them the ethics and that it wouldn't work anyway, but in the end I get sick and just tell them to ask him to the cinema. :p

[Mercuria]

- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major
attractions/ beliefs?

I never actually made the decision conciously. When I was a child I used to pray to Isis and Osiris, I believed in magick and felt close to the earth. So I suppose I've always been pagan even though I didn't know what to call it.

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

No, I've never attended one. I don't follow a particular path like wicca or druidry, so have never been to a festival. I plan to go to some and take part in general pagan group activities though. I think it would be interesting (and fun) to join in.

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

Children are a long way off for me, so I haven't given it much thought yet. I think I"ll probably do what Myst mentioned. Expose them to different religions/beliefs and let them choose.

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?

Often the only knowledge non-pagans have is from glamourised hollywood movies/TV like the Craft and Charmed, or they come from a Christian "you are all satanists" viewpoint. It's quite irritating to have to explain what paganism is really about all the time. This is changing though, and generally people are quite tolerant.
One of the most annoying things is that people assume you are wiccan if you say you're pagan. While there's nothing wrong with wicca, it's certainly not the only religion included under the paganism category.

Mercuria

[ambiaka]

I had to respond to one of your Q's in particular. I have mostly the exact same answers to all the Q's except one. I go to pagan festivals, I organize pagan festivals in the midwest, 2 a year for 9 years, now I'm down to one, but I attend all I can. I plan my entire summer around traveling to festivals. They are fabulous beyond belief, I love the big ones like Dragonfest in Colorado or Pagan Spirit Gathering in Ohio, There was Heartland outside Kansas City , I went to festivals in FL when I lived there, I'm going to TN for a spring gathering. I always meet incredibly cool magical people, have great ritual experiences, and get to live in a pagan town for a few days, in a pagan community where everyone has similar outlooks and freedom truely rings. I am most passionate about festivals and retreats and the great transformative experience they can be, no, I don't do drugs or even drink, if it's allowed, I'm a dry and ecstatic pagan. I learn so much, so many pagan chants, how other people do stuff, great merchanting at the big ones, so much to experience and never enough time at a fest, I encourage all pagans to go to at least one, you'll always learn something. O.K. off my soapbox.

[Shy Hawk]

Originally posted by info seeker
- Why did you decide to follow paganism? What were the major
attractions/ beliefs?

- Have you ever attended a "magikal" festival? If so, which one and what is the experience like?

- How do you plan on raising your children, given many pagans have descended from the religion they encountered growing up. Are you going to preach Paganism or let your children be free to make decisions?

- What are the hardest challenges, if any, in practicing paganism in society?


1) I don't know that I exactly Pagan...I have been on my path (whichever path that is) for a few years now. Like most of us, it started with a different religion (the one we were born with) and I started to search for more...I have dabbled in most faiths. I find that, not labeling my faith is important to me, so I don't. That's the way it works for me. I consider myself mostly a Green Witch...There is much information on that here, if you do not know what "green witch" entails.
2) Never been to a festival, would love to. They are (I hear) great experiences.
3) I plan on exposing my children to faith and religion (not nessessarily the same thing. Not raising them specifically Pagan or any other religion. My parents raised me as a Muslim, but with the freedom to explore everything. I would like that freedom for my children, without the stigma of a religion behind it. I am not anti-Christian/Jewish/Muslim or any other religion, so I would not be upset if my child was interested in any of them....so long as they stayed openminded and tolerant.
4) I have not really faced much opposition on my religious views. In fact....it hardly ever comes up. I do not wear anything that "distinguishes" me as a uh......non-Mainstream-worshiper. And, in the work place, and such, I feel that bringing up personal matters, such as faith and politics (unless with friends) is not always a smart idea. If only for peace keeping. Mind you, I am not afraid of anything/anyone....but my business is my own.

Hope this helps you. By the by, I am an 18/Female from Ohio. I thought perhaps that would help you with documentation and whatnot.
~Hawk