MENTORS & NEWBIES - How You Chose Paganism

[RainInanna]

Hi guys,

As a mentor or newbie,

How did you come to Paganism? How did your previous spirituality affect you? Why are you Pagan? Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions? Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it? What might make you choose a different path?

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?

[azarathine]

I'm not really sure how to answer this question. I don't even really call myself 'pagan' though, I suppose, that's technically what I'm beginning. My original background is Christian, and it's not that I've abandoned those teachings - it's just that I don't feel the dogma is conducive to spirituality the way I instinctually understand it. I want to have that connection to the divine. I don't think the Christian attitude of pulling onself away from everything that would allow that to happen is...healthy...or even practical.

I don't follow a particular path. I find things that resonate with me, things I nod my head at and go: Oh YES that's it. I draw from numerous sources to create a path that feels right for me. I don't want to just go through the motions of this religion or that path - I want to do it because it intrinsically feels right.

My family doesn't know I'm doing this, of course. Just this weekend my mom was trying to impress the church and God on me (I'm more than happy with the God part, just not the constant church-dogma-church business). To say the least, my parents (who are very conservative) would probably kick me out of the house or at the very least, put me through a guilt trip, if they had any inkling that I'd so much as looked at a pagan book let alone practiced any methods.

My sister, however, is more broad-minded. She supports my tarot habit, and I'm sure she'd be okay with anything else I wanted to mention to her. It just hasn't come up (we don't often see each other). She believes in dreams and willpower and such things, so I think she's quite open to the ideas.

I defiintely want to learn from others, whether they're much more knowledgeable than I am, or whether it's from people who are researching their paths, just like I am. And I'm happy to help anyone and share what I DO know. I love information and knowledge exchange. I can't understand people who are tightlipped with what they know.

Because of my Christian background, I'm still leery of words like "witch, spell, pagan, diviniation." So you might see me dancing around certain terms, even though I know they might apply.

Hmmm...did I miss anything? :)

[novimarra]

I guess I came to Paganism because I'd never had any spirituality before. Being raised a Sunday Catholic, I went through the motions, but none of it ever had meaning to me, and even after trying it still doesn't.

After I found Wicca, so many things clicked for me and it just makes me so much happier to be in touch with life, instead of just... going through the motions. So I would choose to practice solely based on my beliefs.

Right now I need a real kick in the pants to practice more and stop being so passive about religion, like I was before, and I want it to take a more important role in my life, I think. Anything I could learn about the Wiccan path would be helpful!

[Zephyrstorm]

Hmmm... I wasn't raised in a particularly religious family, though my mother is devoutly Christian. My family is religiously diverse and ranges from Southern Baptist to Atheist. I have a lot of siblings and I think only two of us share the same beliefs.

Anyway, I'd always had a bond with nature and animals. When I was twelve, I slipped into depression, for a range of reasons, and I met my first teacher. Though she died shortly thereafter, I knew I was onto something.
The way that I was learning to see the world and the experiences I was having paved the way for me to have a mystical life and helped me to survive some very difficult times.

I have shifted through different types of Paganism over the years, as I have myself grown and changed, and I wouldn't have it anyother way.

These days I still feel very much like a newby in some subjects, and like I've finally come into my own in other ways. That said, the day I stop being interested in learning someone I hope dearly will kick me.

No matter how long you've studied a subject, there's always more to learn, always another perspective that someone else can give you if you're open to listening to it.

Z

[Tanya]

Mentor Here:




As a mentor or newbie,

How did you come to Paganism?

I was in my late teens, and it just felt right to strike out on a path that was more honest about who I was and what I valued, and how I wanted to be valued.

How did your previous spirituality affect you?

I was Catholic previously, and it affected me with a strong sense of the world being bigger than me, and a strong sense of how important ritual is to spiritual stability.

Why are you Pagan?
well, I didn't think the Judeo-Christian construct valued or honored my gender, and I didn't want to spend my life feeling bad about my ****, or being told what I couldn't be because of it.



Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?

no. my parents are hippies.. what is there to rebell against?

Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?

yes, even considered becoming a nun

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it[

my mother's family has a tradition, and as I learned about Wicca I realized it was the spiritual path that complemented her traditional witch practice.... soo....

What might make you choose a different path?
nothing short of being a different person.

Was your family supportive?
my father didn't get it, but he wasn't hostile,.. as time goes on he still doesn't get it.... but then, he really doesn't get females at all.... beyond sex objects, he's always been flumoxed.... so..... my mother was fascinated by what I discovered and is now wholey embracing the family tradition we didn't even know we had.


How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?
I just anounced I wasn't doing Mass anymore and why... they were cool...

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?
despite my past, I'm NOT Dianic. I think male and females are valueable and should be valued equally.

[October]

Hmmm...let's see. I've answered this question quite a lot, but here goes again. My mum was what we call Science of Mind (NOT Scientology!), but not very strict and very open-minded about just about everything, and my dad is Roman Catholic. I think he would like to be strict--rather, like my mother to be strict about his religion--but he was too lazy. It actually happened when I was ten and my mother and I were browsing the web and happened upon a black magick site. This sparked a huge conversation about her (rather limited at the time) knowledge on the difference between "white" and "dark" magic. Later that day, I announced to my mother that I was a witch. Later, while in Boise, Idaho visiting an aunt, I picked up Dorothy Morrison's book Everday Magick and Silver RavenWolf's Teen Witch. I still have one of Dorothy's spells memorized that I learned that day. I think my experience with both SoM and RC is that I have a very open-minded mother that allows me to do things I know I probably would not get away with normally, and a great love of pomp and circumstance and elaborate rituals shrouded in history and archane mysticism. I think if I had not found paganism, I would have prefered Catholic; indeed, the only problem I have with Catholocism is that they're so damn Christian! (Which isn't a problem on the whole, it's just not me.) So, as far as rebelling, I don't think so, though my dad would think otherwise. Although, he has been rather more okay with it since Lughnassadh, when he found out that we have feasts on our major holidays. He's rather accepting of large amounts of food...

As far as my chosen path goes, I started with Wicca because that's what's most redily available. However, since I started my book (based as closely as possible on the Celtic culture), and since I discovered Rhiannon, I've done more research and found that the Celtic culture (the real one, not the new-agey stuff they pass off as Celtic) is really much more me. I think I would like to incorporate other practices into it as well, like kitchen/hedge witchery, British Trad, heathenism, etc, the more practical as well as mystical.

As far as my past influencing my learning, I've been on several paths over the years. I started with Wicca and was Wiccan for about 8 years, just to learn "the basics" before I started feeling like it was wrong. Sort of like wearing peg-leg pants over wide hips--it will look great on someone, but just makes me feel awkward. Then I found MW in June and heard of this "Celtic Recon" thing so I investigated. And it was like looking into a mirror. "That's me! That's what I've been trying to say!" My point in this whole thing is that I've practically been a newbie for 10 years, I'm constantly in a state of research. Of course, I'd like to learn from someone else, because I've just been piecing together bits and pieces that may or may not go together. On top of that, I've had one hellish school schedule after another and, I'm part of a group, so I have to stay on top of things. And I'd really like to finally find my path and find out what it's all about.

Basically, I need someone who knows what they're talking about and can keep me on task. (I'm not that hard, I just need direction and reminding every once in a while.)

[Kittee]

Sure I'll play along...

I came to Paganism many years ago because Christianity just didn't feel right to me. Loving God did but the church itself did not.

I believe in an afterlife, spirits and God/Goddess so this path came naturally to me, no matter how many times I've tried to suppress it.

[MariThorn]

Mentor here.
How did you come to Paganism?
I came to witchcraft, the formal learning part, through a friend of mine. We had a girls night out and for the first time I handled tarot, runes, and ouija. (Won't do the last anymore.) I was better than her, and she was a witch. She asked me some questions, and then asked the board of there were any witches in the room. It said yes, and then she asked who? We all figured it would point to her, she was a witch. It pointed to me. Three days later I had my first book and started to learn seriously.

I will say that I have always been close to nature, and that I have always felt drawn to witchcraft. It wasn't until this moment though that I made a solid move.

How did your previous spirituality affect you?
I was raised a Christian, and am well grounded in that path. I have always been spiritual. The one thing that routinely bothered me was the absence of a mother figure. (I have since found that in St Mary.) So I left the Protestant faith, embraced witchcraft, and then finally merged being a witch with Catholicism. It works. It has made me more sure of myself, and has given me a desire to learn all I can and share what I learn with those who want to learn.

Why are you Pagan?
Because I live in the country. Now if you want to know why I'm a witch . . . because I firmly believe there is wisdom out there for us to learn. That the deity, give it what name you will, doesn't want us to stand by idly and be ignorant. I see no conflict with being a wise one and being a Catholic.

Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?
ROFLMAO
My father went ballistic when became a Catholic. You think I'm going to tell him I'm a witch? Luckily he is accepting today of my Catholic path. Mainly because I'm in church and act a lot better than half of his own church members.

Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
Yes, and I still do. Only now I see a lot of errs in how I was initially taught in Protestant faith. I still am a Strong Catholic and I am a strong witch.

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it?
I don't really have a Path, I'm just me. :)

What might make you choose a different path?
Nothing.

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?
My brother knows, and has tried to use it to destroy my relationship with my parents. They are now convinced he lied to them. My great aunt knew, she has passed over. She kept my secret. I won't ever come out of the closet. I did in Philly, and lost a job and was almost evicted from my home. Sorry . . . I fully adhere to Be Silent.

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?
I have no problem in mentoring or sharing what I know, I will not tolerate dabblers though. I take my path very seriously. I would expect anyone coming to me for help to also approach it that way.

Marithorn

[BlackLili]

well, I didn't think the Judeo-Christian construct valued or honored my gender, and I didn't want to spend my life feeling bad about my peach, or being told what I couldn't be because of it.

I <3 you. That's brilliant.

[BlackLili]

I always wanted to "Play witch" growing up, and had all the typical pop-witchy favorite books as a kid; The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy, Witch Week by Dianna Wynne Jones, The Wizard of Oz, and all of Mother Goose.

As I got older, I started learning about Wicca, but saw no place in that faith for me.

I was raised a Roman Catholic, and was an Altar Girl for my church from the age of 10 until I was 13. I knew the rituals for RC masses, weddings, funerals, and baptisms about as well as the priests did by the time I got to high school.

I learned to spread Tarot cards about the same time I was learning the RC mass as an Altar Server, from a girl who had moved into our neighborhood from New Orleans. Her mother's from Africa, and taught her how to spread cards when she was very small. She taught us (we were in GirlScouts together) how to do the New Orleans Rainbow spread, and what she called a Full Reading she said her mother adapted from a divination technique she knew in South Africa. (Don't know what Mom's original divination method actually was.)

About the time I was 15 and my parents were pressing me to finish my confirmation classes and be confirmed with my age-mates as a Catholic, I determined that I had a problem with doing that. Until the time at which I accepted Catholic confirmation, I accepted the premise that I could be a witch and Catholic at the same time. Because I was forced into circular logic and then just outright forced to become confirmed in that faith, I no longer felt as though I could be a Catholic anymore.

My parents forced me into the Confirmation ritual using the logic that this would make me an adult in the Catholic community. "Don't see it as tying yourself down," they said, "See this as beginning your adult journey in faith." (I think they meant their faith.) In my mind, a ritual of that nature is like a Dedication ceremony - it is meant to bind you to your faith so that you may be admitted to learn its mysteries more fully. My parents only response to this argument? "Do it for the presents."

As a result, I no longer felt compelled to remain a Catholic for my parents. If, when they were being totally honest with themselves, they really just wanted me to do it so they could have it done, then fine. I would do it and be done. For my name, I chose "Or." I chose it as an indication that I would never have my choice taken away from me again. (Yes, there really was a Saint Or. He was a 4th-century Egyptian Abbot.)

During this time, I was learning to meditate, to cast a circle, and what fire safety meant when playing with oils and herbs. It felt natural for me to become a Witch (with a capital W now,) and seek my faith as a Pagan. I continued to study my Tarot, and when my friends wanted to hold rituals that our church could not provide for, I was the one they called on to officiate matters. (We were all in Catholic schools, so we were sometimes limited by our choices of ceremony.)

By the time I reached college, I had almost ten years of unofficial witchcraft under my belt, and had decided to go openly Pagan for 5 years already. (I was the tall girl who sang in the school choir because I liked the music, but insisted on wearing my pentacle out on my shirt where everyone could see.)

I tried very hard not to be a fluffy bunny brat when I began. I didn't curse anyone, I didn't bind anyone, I didn't do spells for someone to fall in love with me. I meditated and looked for spirit totems, I went for walks in the woods and "said the magic words" when friends needed someone to tell them their love was valid, or their choices were sound. I became jokingly known as the High Priestess, but never claimed that title myself. (I've never known what I could possibly be a High Priestess of, other than being a smartass.)

Along the way, I've found myself drawn over and over to American witchcraft; paths and processes born of the practices brought over to this country by immigrants and slaves. My practices have roots in Africa, in Ireland, in Mexico and Venezuela, in Renaissance Italy, and in Slavic nations. Wherever people have been oppressed in their homelands, or come here and then been oppressed, I've noticed that these incredibly deep and strong faiths evolve. They are tied together by blood and tears and secrets in the dark and the danger of defying authority. Simply by virtue of being The Underdog sometimes produces a near-palpable faith. You can touch it and taste it in places those faiths congregate and practice. (I've found this in ethnic churches, too.)

These days, I espouse American Witchcraft as my path; it is a mixture of the Catholicism I grew up with, the Jewish mysticism of my grandmother, the New Orleans Voodoo I was taught as a child, along with the Strigori, Hoodoo, Spiritualism, and Haitian Voudon I have studied along the way.

I honor the Gods and the Ancestors as only an American can - I honor them as separate entities and personalities, as they all come together in one Melting Cauldron.

[mommydx3]

Newbie Here...

Q. How did you come to Paganism?
A. I have always felt drawn in some way or another, but never let myself explore pagan paths and most of that was due to my Christian upbringing and being fearful of eternal life in hell and all that kind of stuff. When I truly explored what being Pagan meant, I had one of those "Ah Ha!" moments.

Q. How did your previous spirituality affect you?
A. Made me fearful to question any other path. I was brought up to believe that there was one way and everyone else was "lost" eternally.

Q. Why are you Pagan?
A. Mostly due to a strong feeling of it just being right for me.

Q. Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?
A. Yes, but I never abandoned the religion totally. I've "played along" for many years about sharing the same views as my parents but believe those days will soon come to an end.

Q. Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
A. Not really, I has always been skeptical. There are so many inconsistancies in the Bible that it was hard for me to tell someone else about my faith or try to convert anyone. So mostly I just kept it to myself.

Q. If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it? What might make you choose a different path?
A. As of yet, I have not chosen a specific path, but have specific interests and eventually plan on making my choice.

Q. Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?
A. My husband is supportive, and no one else really knows. I don't know if I could ever totally come out to my parents. I think it would probably send my father into cardiac arrest.

Q. Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?
A. I'm not leery of learning from others and I know the signs of cult behavior or how to spot abusive leaders. This comes from being a member of a church that doesn't like it when members leave.

[ranran]

Q. How did you come to Paganism?
A. I grew up Christian and grew up in a Pentacostal home. I have been exposed to many sects of Christianity. I even attended a Baptist Seminary. I began questioning the Bible and it's historical validity. After that I nearly converted to Judaism, but had problems with that as well.


One day I was thinking about why it is that Jesus would condemn people to hell for not calling him G-d. If he was G-d, or if there is only one way to G-d and Heaven, why are people not born with that knowledge “hard-wired” into them?


After that, there were many unrelated things that put me on the PAGAN path. Mostly it was due to researching the Mystery Schools of the Ancients.


Q. How did your previous spirituality affect you?
A. I feel like I was lied to for 30 years. Other than that I learned that there is no single answer for everybody and that relating to the Creator is a personal thing and is neither right nor wrong.


Q. Why are you Pagan?
A. That is the term used for those not of the Major faiths.


Q. Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?
A. No


Q. Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
A. At first, I began thinking that all Christians were idiots, after a bit i saw that there is no single answer for everybody so I just let it go. While I don't believe the bible is historically accurate, there are a few good things to be learned from it.

[Nitefalle]

How did you come to Peopleism? How did your previous spirituality affect you?
I came to Paganism through a love of history and the idea of ancient things. I have always loved ancient history and myth and my first exposure to this was through the venue of Norse Magic. It just absolutely fascinated me to think that people would still do things now that ancient people did. (I was 12, what can I say?) This caused me to really think about the Catholicism I was raised with and think about the fact that it didn't catch my interest or fulfill me the same way. Due to Catholicism, I have a deep appreciation for Mystery and ritual. Transubstantiation rules! :smileroll

Why are you People? Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions? Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
I felt strongly that I should have a spirituality that made me *feel* something, and I never felt anything in Church. This made me sad and gave me the freedom to seek something that made me happy, to put it in a nutshell. I never rebelled against anything, it was my choice and I let my parents know, but nothing else really about it. I'm still a little picky in whom I relate to on a Pagan level.

If you have a specific People path, why did you choose it? What might make you choose a different path?
I came to a Celtic (soft) Recon path after many years of resisting it, in retrospect. The gods finally called to me in a way I could not resist or ignore and I have been on this path ever since. I am also very interested in a Germanic path, though not as a Recon, as that is also a large part of my heritage. There isn't just one thing or another that made me choose this path and if it ever evolved into something else, I would take it as part of my spiritual journey.

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?
Um......no :lol: My mother took it very personally, my father doesn't ever talk about it (don't ask, don't tell policy). My sister thinks I'm a godless heathen and my brothers don't really care. Normal family stuff.

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a People mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?
I don't know that my past effects how I teach others, but I think it definitely helps me relate to others of a Christian background. I love to learn and I love to learn from others, so I don't think that had an effect on it at all.

[seapearls]

Hi guys,

As a mentor or newbie,

How did you come to Paganism? How did your previous spirituality affect you? Why are you Pagan? Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions? Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?

I first encountered Paganism as most people through Wicca when I was in basic training in 1997. There was 1 or 2 girls in my flight that went to Wiccan services. That was my first hearing of it. Then it came up again I do not remember where in 2003 after I had our first daughter and I began reading about paganism online and a few months after that, we moved to Missouri and my neighbor on base was Wiccan. It was after that move that my studies really took off.

I had no previous spirituality to affect me. Yes I was raised Presbyterian but never felt it and hated the idea of church. So to answer the last question, no I did not feel strongly about my previous spirituality.

I am Pagan because I realized that it described the type of kid I had always been, outdoorsy with nature always, always daydreaming of a different time, times of old. It explained why organized religion repulsed me as a kid and where my place really was that I had never heard of because I was raised in the south in the bible belt.

There was no teenage rebellion here. I was 23 years old when I started my studies.


If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it? What might make you choose a different path?

Originally I started out as an eclectic pagan leaning towards wicca because that was my introduction. (the gateway religion as it it called) 2 years later that all changed for the complete opposite to Asatru/Heathenry. As some would say "it chose me", I think that fits. The year after I began my pagan studies I started teaching myself genealogy out of the blue. Within a year of researching I realized that my deceased relative were practically yelling at me from their documents to do more and og deeper. Then I tapped into a huge line of my grandfathers (d.12/06) which hooked into royalty and winded back to Normandy, then to the Franks and to Vikings etc something clicked in my head. (a line I have traced and retraced multiple times for accuracy) Already a memeber of MW, I came back to the forum and started inquiring on a German/Norse path. With the help of Rick I began studying that and is fit like a glove. I could go on but I'll stop here.

I do not think there is a path that could sway me away from Heathenry. A couple months ago I connected a line of my grandmother in the same long line of my grandfathers at William the Conqueror, this further solidifies my lineage. Yes these were heavily Catholic people which I'd blessed to be descended from if I wanted to be Catholic, my heart is just not there. I say that if the the last Pagan king Old Gorm and some of the most famous vikings in history are in your tree, you go Pagan!

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?

My father is very supportive which I was not expecting. If his new best friend hadn't been practiving Shamanism perhaps he'd have been different. Now my father knows other Pagans back home but he is not pagan. His friend Kirk opened his eyes to a new world of religion. My mother and sister are sort of supportive, it first I think they thought it was a phase. Now they have realized it's not. It isn't spoken of much but they do not comdemn me or anything. I'm still somewhat in the closet with the rest of my family because some just wouldn't understand. I have an aunt and cousin that know and have no problem with it though.

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?

It helps my teaching style and focus to make sure people know their options before they commit to something. I wish I had seen Asatru in the beginning but I know it wasn't wasted time because I still learned a lot. Not trying to dog Wicca but I see too many people jump into it not knowing their may be another path that fits them better. That's why I like to to introduce completely new pagans to all paths first. To make the best of their time and show them how many options they really have since Wicca is usually all that covers the bookshelves. Luckily that seems to be slowly changing.

[Artiste-LiLi]

[quote=BlackLili;3270152]I always wanted to "Play witch" growing up, <snipped>

You sound a lot like me....only I was "playing witch" and didn't even realize that, THAT is exactly what my family was! LOL! We didn't call it "witchcraft" or "being a witch"....what we did was "just the way things are done". I also tried "being Catholic" for a time.

<snipped>
the Jewish mysticism of my grandmother, the New Orleans Voodoo I was taught as a child, along with the Strigori, Hoodoo, Spiritualism, and Haitian Voudon I have studied along the way.


Ahhhhhhh.......all the wonderful things I am most interested in!

Nice to meet you!
LiLi

[RoseRhythm]

How did you come to Paganism? How did your previous spirituality affect you? Why are you Pagan? Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions? Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?

I discovered it when I was 13 and, although I have more knowledge of the subject, nearly 10 years later I've practiced nothing and feel like I really probably am no smarter on the subject. I think this is a result of not being raised religious in any way by my family, and thus I feel like I don't have the drive for it. It's an in the background kind of thing...and I hate that. I want to bring it forward, but obviously...need help.


If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it? What might make you choose a different path?

I don't have any chosen path yet, I'm just following my intuition but I'd like to have a path one day.


Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?

My family probably suspects but I haven't come out to them. Having not lived with them in years, I probably never will. I don't see a reason to, really. My Bf knows I'm all witchy, lol, and supports me but really wants nothing to do with it as he is anti-religion/spirituality entirely. That makes me a little uncomfortable...actually really uncomfortable practicing around him, but I deal.


Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?

I have a lot of trouble staying focused, I jump around from one topic to the next so quickly. I have so few friends, that I need a friend to teach me, but not be afraid to give me a swift kick in the ass when I start to fall apart. :hehehehe:

[Denikke]

How did you come to Paganism?
When I was pretty young (think about 10) I had a friend who was always imagining new games for us to play. For a while we were dinosaurs..lol...and then one day she came up with being witches. That game lasted for almost a year, and in that time I stared to do some research. I found a bunch of sites on wicca (what I thought at the time to just be modern witchcraft instead of another branch of paganism) and everything on those sites just hit me. It was everything I believed instinctively, in a nutshell. I've followed the Path ever since. More recently I discovered that eclectic paganism fit me much better than wicca. I haven't changed my beliefs, just the title I used to descibe it.

How did your previous spirituality affect you?
My beliefs haven't changed. Grown maybe, but not changed. Ever since I can remember this is the system I've believed in. Organized religion just never sat well with me.

Why are you Pagan?
I'm pagan because that's what I am. I'm not christian, I'm not jewish, I'm not muslim, I'm not buddhist. I do believe in a higher power, but never got over the idea that there being only a masculine god, with no femininity involved. I've always felt that the old ways were better (for me anyways) than the beliefs of today and what's older than the most ancient of beliefs, paganism.

Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?
I rebeled not against their beliefs, but against the fact that some of them now felt that they needed to *save* me. When I didn't have a named path, it was ok. I guess they always hoped that I would find christianity on my own, but once I had firmly established my own path, it got a lot more difficult. My friends have been really understanding, but my family (specifically my father) still has a long way to go.

Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
I did, and I still do. Like I've said, my beliefs haven't changed, only grown.

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it? What might make you choose a different path?
I do have a specific path. It's the eclectic path. I chose it because I never felt drawn to any other specific path. I've always prefered to follow my own path and part of the reason I didn't believe in organized religion was because of the fact that they have certain beliefs that can't or shouldn't be questioned or altered. I prefer to forge my own path rather than take the one more traveled.

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset"?
My family (my grandparents who I live with) weren't unsupportive. My grandpa doesn't really care either way, and my grandma doesn't really like it, but she's never interfered in any way. She's uncomfortable with the whole concept of witchcraft, mostly because she doesn't understand it. She's always loved the Native American belief system, and so I've been trying to get her to warm up to witchcraft by pointing out the similarities.


Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?
I think my past DOES make me slightly lerry of learning from others. I've never had a true mentor before, only people who have tried to drill things into me, instead of learning along with me and sharing their knowledge. I think it also effects the way I like to learn. I prefer a teacher to be someone I can go to to ask questions and get their point of view. I dislike when a teacher gives me what they say to be the *one and only* answer.
I'm a newbie now, but if I ever was to mentor someone, my experiences would definately affect how I taught. I would definately make sure to encourage my student to explore all options. No one way is *THE* right way. Everything is open to discussion and interpretation, especially in spirituality/religion.

Denikke

[Windsmith]

How did you come to Paganism? How did your previous spirituality affect you?My mother is Protestant Christian; my father is Jewish. I was raised Christian, but Judaism was strongly present in the house. It gave me a strong respect for both religions and an even stronger confusion. If the 2 religions were so different, how could they both be right? How could either be right? And once I got to college and started learning about Hinduism and Buddhism and Islam, it was pretty much all over for Christianity and me.

I started looking around at other religions and found Paganism (specifically, Wicca) through some college friends. I needed several years of searching and tweaking to find the branch of Paganism that works for me, but I've never regretted the choice to step onto this path.

Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?I don't feel much of anything about my previous spirituality. Some of its basic tenets are sound; a lot of its adherents are crackpots. I don't agree with much of what I learned from the church I grew up in, but I don't hate it or think it's Teh Ebil. I do often use its practices and rituals as a point of reference for explaining things in my own religion, because so many people in everyday America are familiar with it.

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it?One thing that first drew me to Paganism was the reverence for Nature as/for itself, instead of just "This cool thing that God did." Although I didn't realize it at the time, my search for a path was a search for a path that put that Nature-reverence front and center. Pantheism is that path for me in terms of beliefs, and Reclaiming Witchcraft is the practice of that path in terms of putting beliefs into action.

What might make you choose a different path?Who's to say? When I first found Reclaiming, I couldn't imagine anything moving me from that path. Now, though I still identify as Reclaiming, I have definitely moved into what I guess you could call a different lane on that path. Who knows what the future holds?

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset"I sat down with my parents and told them that I'd found a new spiritual path. I tried to explain what Paganism was and what it meant to me. They took a while to come around. Mom kept asking if I worshipped the devil. I offered her my copies of The Spiral Dance and When, Why, If..., because I could tell she wasn't really listening to what I was telling her and might get a better view from a more cohesive presentation. At this point, I don't know how she feels about my path or if she truly understands it, but she's become much more accepting, in her way - always sends me articles about Paganism from her local paper. She does still sometimes say that if I ever decide to come back to the church, that "Jesus will welcome me back." Dad just doesn't say anything about it. He doesn't like to talk about Big Stuff. If I hadn't married a woman, he might still be ignoring the fact that I'm gay.

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?My past in Paganism will probably have the biggest effect. I've taken many classes in the Reclaiming tradition, so I'll probably follow that model as a mentor. There may be lessons and lesson-plans, but the student is a co-creator of the experience and is expected to be fully engaged in the process. The Reclaiming process is also an active one. So there would be far more exercises than there would be reading assignments.

[Mysterious Willow]

How did you come to Paganism?
When I was about 10 I started feeling like being Catholic wasn't me. My friend got me into Wicca even though I didn't know what it was called. I soon took off and surprised myself to learn that many of the things felt oddly familiar to me. Kind of like a forgotten memory. Well, I was a little scared but after doing research I found out what it was and felt better. I've been practicing it ever since, so in a way it came to me.

How did your previous spirituality affect you?
The only thing that really affected me was the whole one God and Devil part. It was really hard for me to get it out of my mind so it wasn't bugging me. I knew if I didn't then it would get in the way of me and my new path. The one God thing was easier to over come. I just looked at it as two separate but still one. In one thing I read it said that the God and Goddess are one with everything but since the human mind can't picture this (for some unknown reason) they split it into two. Made since to me :hahugh:. The Devil thing was a little harder. After doing more research and reading the history of where the Devil came from and everything that did it for me and I got over that one too.

Why are you Pagan?
Because I feel that it fulfills what I believe in and how I think better.

Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?
No I didn't. It was a gradual move. I didn't hate my last religion or do it to piss off anyone it was something that I did for myself because it came and called to me.

Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
Yes I did. I prayed, went to church, did everything that all Catholics were suppose to do, but it didn't fulfill me.

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it?
My path is Eclectic Draconic Wicca. I choose it because not only are Dragons involved but I take pieces of everything that I find or research and fit it into my path.

What might make you choose a different path?
Honestly, I'm not really sure. I guess that if I learned about it and tryed it out maybe if it caught my interest.

Was your family supportive? How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?
I haven't come out of the broom closet yet, I know the second that I do my mom will throw me out if not then reject me. She is a Catholic like I was but I feel like there is a side to her like it doesn't fulfill her either, but sadly her mind is just too deep in it to see my side. I tried the whole asking none connected questions to try and build up but she attacks me over it so I just stopped. My friends however where more than supportive and interested. More than likely when I do tell my family it won't be until I move out that way I don't have to rely on them. It may sound harsh to some but it really isn't. Who knows maybe after she has had time to think then she will listen.

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others?
Yes I believe that it could. Everyone has their own past and life and everyone learns and teaches differently.

Could it affect how you like to learn?
Yup same as the last question.

Does it make you leery of learning from others?
No it doesn't. I'm a very open minded person and love to learn new things whether it's something totally new or something I thought I knew about. Not to mention I like learning what other people have to offer.

[MoonMystSpirit]

Hmmm...This really made me think.

Well, looking back now I was pagan before i knew what pagan was. I was meditating before i knew what it was - so as they say hindsight is 20/20.

When i was between 10 - 13 years old my mother started going to church, and taking my and my little sister with her. From the first day i walked in, i just didn't feel right. This was my first exposure to any sort of religion. I went with her for about a year, then declared i was an atheist. Granted, i didn't know anything about any type of religion - and thought you either believed in god and the church, or you didn't. Looking back, that was my way of saying that i was rebelling against their wishes and wanted control over finding my own path.

For years after that, i admit, i did rebel and had deep issues about the fact that i had been baptized at 8 years old, and had no control over it - why hadn't anyone asked ME what i wanted??

After i got out of high school i "chilled out" alot, and naturally was drawn towards paganism / wicca. When i started reading about it, it was like my soul had come home. I didn't know there was a name for what i was believing / feeling / doing!

I don't feel the same way about the church, i think it's an interesting religion - and i'm a big believer in the wiccan rede, which i think outwardly as well, along with applying it in my own life.

As far as "coming out of the broomcloset", i don't think i've ever stood up around my family and said "i'm a witch" (or something to that effect). My mother years ago found a very open/spiritual path along the tao / buddhist lines - and we've had discussions surrounding religion and spirituality - and most of the literature i read has something to do with some sort of paganism.

I think that my years of searching helps me be a better "student". I'm a student of life itself, and being able to learn from the way i acted when i was younger helped me a great deal. It helped me in the way of being accepting of people and their beliefs, and wanting to learn about them. It also made me hungry to learn - once this new world opened up for me i saw just how much there was out there that i didn't know about.

maybe i was just a naive kid...lol!

[Shawn Cameron]

How did you come to Paganism?
It was a very long walk down a bumpy path… I was the one that got my family to start going to church in the first place… I was five and looking out the window of the car one day I asked my mother why we didn’t go to church, when she said we just didn’t I asked if we could and wala! We started going to a Penicostal church in which my moms best friend from school had married the pastor. Years later when I was a teenager I started looking up Christian witch craft and found a very, very lovely sight that had a 13 moon lesson plan and the only difference between their practice and mine was that they believed in the feminine divine and where very connected to nature, meditation and ritual… well I tried to stick with the lessons but as with most things I feel away from them after a wile but not the beliefs and the desire for more…

I did a lot of research on many religions from a scollerly point of view and always found myself drawn to nature based religions finally I decided to do more then just look at it scollerly and start to look at them spiritually and it felt like things clicked… slightly, there where still things missing, I tried to believe that all gods where one god and all goddesses one goddess and that those two where in fact the same thing too that way I wasn’t going against my original Christian faith which I had dedicated so much (it felt like it at the time) of my life to. Well that didn’t last to long because it just didn’t feel right… then after a one last talk with my former pastor (he had kicked my mom and I out of the church when my mom was going threw a divorce and started to date someone else before the papers where done) I finally jumped over the knifes edge I was walking on into fully calling and considering myself a pagan. It was only after meeting Odin and then Loki in Meditation that I started to look into Asatru and from there into a more Shamanistic path like Northern Tradition Paganism

I’m not really sure where along that line I began to believe/know that all gods where not one god and all goddesses one goddess… I think it was when I tried to think of Loki and Hiemdoll being the same god… no… just no… and they all just feel so different to me. In the end though… I feel like I have come home to a family who has been waiting for me to come home and has welcomed me back with open arms.

How did your previous spirituality affect you?
Half of the time it would make me feel like I was loved like a father to a child, someone who could forgive and love unconditionally but the other half of the time I was so scared… not for myself but for the loved ones I have that didn’t and don’t go to church and what would happen to them, and yet I was never one to push my beliefs on other people so I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Why are you Pagan?
Because its who I am.

Did you rebel against your parents or friends' religions?
I’m 21 years old I can’t rebel against them anymore even if I wanted to! Did I back then… not really.

Did you feel strongly about your previous spirituality?
Yes, I was always a very spiritual person, in a sence I still feel strongly about it but not any more or less then I do any other religion, I think they are all valid and write in their own way for different people.

If you have a specific Pagan path, why did you choose it?
It feels right.

What might make you choose a different path?
if it feels more right (which I’m sure is close to but not completely imposible)

Was your family supportive?
Not really… I have told them but they all seem to be in denial, like I’m making some kind of on going joke and its not really true, or that I’ll grow out of it soon, but they aren’t upset by it.

How did you "come out of the broomcloset", if you have? If you haven't, do you think you will?
I tell them stories about it all the time and when they ask “but your not really…” I say “yes I am.” Then they just laugh and say “No your not.” And change the subject.

Consider how your past shaped who you are now as a Pagan mentor or newbie. Could it affect how you teach others? Could it affect how you like to learn? Does it make you leery of learning from others?
Speaking as someone who knows herself surprisingly well I know that I learn best when I’m working with someone… if I’m left to my own devices with no one to report to or share them with or ask question then they just kind of filter off and I stop doing them at all only to try and pick them up again months later…

[Am3thyst3R4yn3]

I was raised southern baptist. it didn't really effect me it just was for me. When i was 16 i began to ask question of my precher about many things. the contradictions in the bible. what happened to all the people before christ came? Various things like that. When my preacher could not answer these questions satisfactorily i started to question even further what i was believing in and why in the world i was letting a man who was just has human as i was tell me how to live my life and how to relate to divinity. So i looked into other religions.

my segway into paganism began with looking into my own family history and discovering that we had a cherokee shaman and an irish witch in the tree. So i began to study my behind off on those subjects. I think what ultimately made me choose paganism was two things. my postcognition didn't label me possessed or certifiable in pagan circles and there was alot of sense in what i was hearing, most of which fell right in with what i actually did believe in the christian world.

I stayed in the broomcloset for a few years at first but then I got tired of hiding who and what I was from those i was closest to. So, I told them one by one. At first my mom threw a fit and told me that my grandfather, whom i virtually idolized, would never have approved of my choice. then in later years she began to ask me what it is that i believe and practice and now she still disapproves but is accepting of my choice. my brother stopped speaking to me for a few years, but we are starting to get back on speaking terms. my sister, didn't care. now I have a pentacostal best friend who thinks i am weird but enjoys discussing the differences and similarities in our belief systems with me and respects that i am pagan. I also found wonderful and warm understanding and support from my uncle who is a christian minister.

I don't think that my past has made me leery of learning from others. If anything, it has simply taught me to think for myself and make my own choices. I actually much prefer learning from a person to learning from books.