How many times have you felt lost in your spiritual path?

[-Sky-]

This is a question that has been in my mind for several days now as i was contemplating my own spiritual past. I was baptized and raised a Christian Orthodox but around the age of 14 gradually i decided to walk on a more pagan path.

The thing is that these past 6 or more years i've felt more times lost and confused than grounded and entirely happy and magical. For periods i would study and do rituals and feel the energy of the deities around me but for longer and more constant period i would feel lost, not very motivated, doubtful.

Has this happened to you?Is it natural?

The truth is that i have noticed that everyone questions their faith and face spiritual challenges. I guess being a Christian was easier because i had the guidance and safety of my family and everyone around me. When i changed path i had to learn things and pass spiritual tests alone while having to also face adversity and accusations from others.

[Shaedema]

:hugz: I'm not sure about everyone, but for myself I know I'm not the best scholar or active person in my community. Hell, even my Teachers know I need to be hit over the head with a lighting bolt before I'll actually get around to do the reading and research I should be doing. :bigredgri

And during those times when I'm not motivated I feel the loss of the my Connection to everything else. Not so much a loss of what I hold True, but just...not really getting that feeling of...importance. I just have to keep the conversations going with my Teachers, with myself, and with others that I consider friends (like here and a few other spots).

One of the lessons I had to learn (for myself) was that you don't have to do elaborate rituals or spells to feel the connection to a deity. In fact one of the few things I've taken from my Christian background was a concept that you can just talk to god. And even though the concept was different from the practice I observed I still took the concept to heart. I simply talk with my Teachers and I wait for them to talk with me.

And it is never easy facing questions of faith or spiritual battles. Not even for those that have support and guidance. :) I think finding that support is one of the hardest tasks a person has in their entire lives. But there are places both IRL and online depending on what a person needs. I've found that having online support is easier and more comfortable for myself though I'm sure others have the opposite opinion. :bigredgri The point is there is a support system and a bit of opinionated guidance here and other places if someone was to look. :) (though it took me a few years to find one that fit me, I hope you find one sooner.)

[blackbird]

Hello. I can relate to the sense of sometimes feeling somewhat 'lost' as i have walked along the road, yes. It tends to occur when life has been too busy for too long a period of time. And i feel that i am just on a treadmill. I would describe it as a slight lack of direction. I nowadays tend to view it as a temporary state and not worry about it, often as a result of feeling a bit lost, and looking around, something new has come along and i have just been able to grasp some enthusiasm again and continue along my way with a fresh vigour. I also think there are just 'up' times and 'down' times spiritually speaking, as there are in every area of life. I don't know if that makes any sense! I suppose i mean to say, feeling lost is natural sometimes, and can be a precursor to change, in a good way.

[MammaStar]

This is a question that has been in my mind for several days now as i was contemplating my own spiritual past. I was baptized and raised a Christian Orthodox but around the age of 14 gradually i decided to walk on a more pagan path.

The thing is that these past 6 or more years i've felt more times lost and confused than grounded and entirely happy and magical. For periods i would study and do rituals and feel the energy of the deities around me but for longer and more constant period i would feel lost, not very motivated, doubtful.

Has this happened to you?Is it natural?

The truth is that i have noticed that everyone questions their faith and face spiritual challenges. I guess being a Christian was easier because i had the guidance and safety of my family and everyone around me. When i changed path i had to learn things and pass spiritual tests alone while having to also face adversity and accusations from others.

Are you in my head? Cause I've been feeling this way for over a year now. I just don't know about anything spiritually anymore. I left my community for a few reasons and I feel bad at times about it.
I miss the structure of ritual, whether it is Pagan or Christian. I can't bring myself to walk into a church or seek out a circle.

I'm a mess. LOL

[electricpeppers]

I definately at times feel 'lost' spiritually speaking. I'm going through that phase now, mostly because I'm being pulled in two directions -- choosing between the Greek Gods and the Germanic Gods, argh! Possibly never to be resolved! I tend to think it's my Persian half that likes the Greeks and the English half likes the Germanic.

I think there's different levels of apathy and it's probably a good idea to reassess things about your religion if this happens frequently. You should perhaps ask yourself some fundamental questions about your practice. Do my rituals fulfill me? What do I want from my religion/spirituality? Am I doing enough to sustain myself? Do I need a looser/stricter cultural practice? etc.

I think having a fulfilling and developed daily practice helps things.

[~*Sacred*~]

Every day, all the time.

Then I realized the only reason I feel lost is because I'm constantly changing, and I'm constantly changing because I'm constantly learning and evolving. Then I realized how could that be seen as being lost? It's not lost, it's growing. And now I'm content.

[Caitlin.ann]

I usually always feel lost spiritually. My skeptical nature mixed with my constant second-guessing is really bad for mystery religions. It would be so much easier if I could be Christian again..and it was but it just doesn't feel "right". It also seems that once I find something something else comes in and tries to take its place if that makes sense. In short I can't make my mind up about spirituality.

But its fun exploring. :p

Really the only constants are: Following the wheel of the year and venerating ancestors and researching dieties/spirits.

ETA: Forgot to add I'm a domestic diva..cottage witchcraft has remained very fairly constant as well.

[David19]

I usually always feel lost spiritually. My skeptical nature mixed with my constant second-guessing is really bad for mystery religions. It would be so much easier if I could be Christian again..and it was but it just doesn't feel "right". It also seems that once I find something something else comes in and tries to take its place if that makes sense. In short I can't make my mind up about spirituality.

But its fun exploring. :p

Really the only constants are: Following the wheel of the year and venerating ancestors and researching dieties/spirits.

ETA: Forgot to add I'm a domestic diva..cottage witchcraft has remained very fairly constant as well.

I couldn't give you karma, but, I agree, and I'm in a similar situation, I used to feel really passionate and feel really great about the paths I was exploring, but, lately, I haven't felt that in awhile, there's still certain things that I really enjoy, like, I like, Tibetan Buddhism, the Jewish Kabbalah and Gnosticism, and, yet, I still feel drawn to Paganism, so, I guess, what I'm doing is learning about them, and see which one pulls to me more, or find a way to combine elements of each.

I'd say it's definitely perfectly natural to experience this, Sky, so, don't worry, just be yourself, be true to yourself, and do what makes you happy, maybe it will be a religious path, maybe it will be one with deities or maybe you'll be a Non-Theist, it doesn't matter, just do what you enjoy :) :hugz:.

[Toriach]

Sometimes you are truly lost. But sometimes you may just be going through a period of spiritual ennui. There are times for myself that I just can't be arsed. I am about as mundane as a sock, and about as connected as a dead phone. And I don't care. I'm just plain burnt out on the mumbo jumbo and the hocus pocus.

Most of the time I'm plugged in and active. But sometimes it's like I take a little vacation.

The state can sometimes feel like being lost on your path especially the first time that you experience it. In time you'll learn the difference and your own methods for coping with each.


This is a question that has been in my mind for several days now as i was contemplating my own spiritual past. I was baptized and raised a Christian Orthodox but around the age of 14 gradually i decided to walk on a more pagan path.

The thing is that these past 6 or more years i've felt more times lost and confused than grounded and entirely happy and magical. For periods i would study and do rituals and feel the energy of the deities around me but for longer and more constant period i would feel lost, not very motivated, doubtful.

Has this happened to you?Is it natural?

The truth is that i have noticed that everyone questions their faith and face spiritual challenges. I guess being a Christian was easier because i had the guidance and safety of my family and everyone around me. When i changed path i had to learn things and pass spiritual tests alone while having to also face adversity and accusations from others.

[amidalen]

I have felt lost a few times. First from christianity at 12, then I was agnostic till 22. Now sometimes I feel lost on the pagan path (scared that it is only because of my illness that I felt anything at all) but Bast always pulls me back. I know She is real and not just in my head but sometimes it does feel that way.

[Kcheez]

I feel lost almost all the time now. I'm in college so I have no real time to do anything, much less anything religious. I'm also in the South, so no metaphysical stores around here for me to explore for motivation. I keep wanting to drift into agnosticism, but I can't leave Athena behind...every time I start to doubt, I can feel her pulling me back in, saying "Oh no you don't."

I don't feel any motivation to meditate or pray, but she's still there, aloof as always.

[MoonBreath]

oh man, i know exactly how you feel! I've felt confused for a quite awhile now! i think i've got it all figured out in my head, and then i start doubting myself again! it's like a roller coaster ride that's making me nauseous! lol! pagan, pantheist, agnostic, atheist, labels sure do seem like a pain sometimes! Pagan wise, i've never been real into the whole elaborate ritual thing. I figured a lot of other things in my life were organized and planned out, i don't want that in my spiritual path! lately though i've adhered more to my skeptical side, and i'll always be an agnostic atheist, but i also can't deny the fact that i'm drawn to pagan related things. I can doubt and incorporate my agnostic atheist side, and at the same time decorate my new house with goddess/god/pagan imagery that inspires me, and find meaning in archetypes and symbolism.

I hope everything works out well for you. Just breathe and relax and i'm sure you will be fine and find the understanding that you seek! :hugz:

[LostSheep]

Oh, i've no idea what you'd call my sprirtual path, if indeed you'd call it a path. There's elements of all sorts of things that I find resonates with me, but none that I could say I fit into completely. But as I take the view that it's all more or less different ways of approaching the same "reality", whatever that might be, then I try not to let it worry me, too much. For instance, as I see it, it's perfectly possible to combine elements of Christianity with a view of the deity (whatever it may actually be) as being here and now, rather than up above and remote. It needn't deter from exploring the mythology surrounding any or all of it, as long as you remember that mythology wasn't necessarily intended to be taken as absolute literal history.

[Allytria]

"I tend to think it's my Persian half that likes the Greeks and the English half likes the Germanic. "

Um....what?? The Persians weren't all that thrilled with the Greeks. Why not seek out information on Enki/Ea or Ishtar or Aruru or Anu....those are some names for Mesopotamian Deities!

[RuneicResearch]

I'm constantly lost, always tring to find my way, both spiritually, and in life. For me, as it is with many others, both personal life and spirituality are closely intertwined. I was luckily born into a very open and understanding family, but was sworn into the church as a child at my grandmother's insistence. With a pretty much clear slate ahead of me, I had the opportunity to do what I wanted, what I felt was right. However, with that freedom came a lack of guidance. Couple that with self doubt concerning a rather... colourful family history, and here I am.

At many points, I feel as if I've found my place, but then at others I'll lose it. I've got no real destination in mind, so I suppose I'm lost in freedom.

[WildThing]

Frequently. But then, usually it's because I'm so easily caught up in circumstance and my brain loves to go all emo-depressive on me when I least expect it...and I just lose sight of what matters. Other times...it's just like I can't...CONNECT, with anything, or anyone...let alone Spirit.
It's not always easily remedied, either. It takes muddling through, and sometimes it passes on its own.

With any kind of faith, and us all being human, we're all occasionally struck with things like doubt, uncertainty, and temporary insanity. *solemn* My life is often way more fantastical than I'd reasonably expect it to be, and I often wonder about my sanity. But just because I'm crazy doesn't mean that my experience aren't real. It's real enough...and I get second opinions, in case that reassurence don't help.

Besides, I have the Gods hanging around to smack me upside the head when I really wander too far off my beaten path.

[TheLittleWitchy]

Oh you really aren't alone! I started searching into Paganism at 14 too, first Wicca and kinda stuck with it until I was around 19. I say kinda because I drifted away from it alot and felt kind of uncertain and questioned certain aspects of it a lot.

Then when I was 19 I looked into cottage witchery and green witchcraft, which I know is right for me, especially cottage witchery. However over the past few months I feel that I need something deeper and more spiritual and meaningful. Thats when Druidry came knocking. I feel that being a cottage witch for example is very practical. I will always be a witch, I know in my heart it is right for me. But maybe Druidry could help me on a more spiritual level?

I guess the only thing to do is search lots, read up on various paths and dip a toe into each one. I have done this with a few different paths, Christianity, Buddhism, Wicca, witchcraft, Hoodoo, etc. You just have to find the right one which you can truly connect to. :)

[childofcrow]

I'm pretty sure that everyone feels lost at some point or another. For me, it's almost always the winter - I hibernate spiritually. I think a lot of it stems from the fact that we're almost always self-directing ourselves, and that we have to do all the work - there's not pope or archbishop telling us what we should and shouldn't be doing.

[Selba]

Welcome to my mindset for the past couple years. You're constantly changing and your religious views/lifestyle has to change with it.

[sparrowspirit]

I find myself constantly lost. I left Christianity at 14 even with all my many accomplishments within the church... I found paganism and wander for a bit, I've gone from Agnostic to Wiccan to some form of Buddhism, and now I'm a bit lost even more. I currently have a statue of Green Tara on my alter along with my tiger's eye and jade mala beads and my sparrow totem animal wood carving but nothing has clicked yet. I haven't reached the light bulb.

all I know is that I work well with metaphysics and the energy that's all around me. I take it in and work with it all the time. I'm good at visualization

I guess things will focus eventually, but for now, I still question. :uhhuhuh:

[OpenHands]

I can't say I've ever really felt lost since I found my gods, but I have certainly hit some spiritual doldrums over the years. Winter is a challenging time as well as any period of upheaval in my life. My practices slip away and my focus shifts to mundane matters. Eventually, the empty feeling begins to pull me back because, deep down, the gods are my family and my religion is home.

I'm probably due for having that "lost" experience again at some point though. And maybe in a way it's a good thing if it keeps me from getting too comfortable.

[David19]

I find myself constantly lost. I left Christianity at 14 even with all my many accomplishments within the church... I found paganism and wander for a bit, I've gone from Agnostic to Wiccan to some form of Buddhism, and now I'm a bit lost even more. I currently have a statue of Green Tara on my alter along with my tiger's eye and jade mala beads and my sparrow totem animal wood carving but nothing has clicked yet. I haven't reached the light bulb.

all I know is that I work well with metaphysics and the energy that's all around me. I take it in and work with it all the time. I'm good at visualization

I guess things will focus eventually, but for now, I still question. :uhhuhuh:

Just wanted to say, I'm in a similar situation, I'm a bit lost now, but, I think I'm on the right journey.

Also, it's good that you still question, and you should never stop, even when you find your path that's for you, don't stop questioning everything.

[SilentDreams]

I don't know if I've always felt lost, perhaps afraid is a more accurate term for me. I've often felt fear and I think that stems from questioning my faith and beliefs when I feel like I'm at a stand-still. When I hit that "plateau" I sometimes start to doubt myself.

But I always come back to the love I have for my Mother and Father and their caring for me. That solidifies me and makes me feel very grounded. I still don't always have the answers I need but I know that they're with me on this crazy road and will help me step where I need to.

I think I last felt truly lost probably about the time I joined MW. I'd finished one part of my spiritual path when I'd walked away from my Christian upbringing and I was torn. Between all the pathways that I'd never been exposed to, including the ones I'd forge for myself.

I still get insecure at times but I just focus on Eros and Persephone, my loves, my everything.

I think the best advice I have for people feeling uncertain or lost is to firstly, remain calm. Being at a crossroads is not a bad thing. It's not a time of misunderstanding or being alone. It's a time of transformation and a great opportunity to find out more about yourself. The second bit of advice is to listen to your heart and soul. Let your instincts take you where they're meant to go.

You'll find your way. :)

[OpenHands]

Just wanted to say, I'm in a similar situation, I'm a bit lost now, but, I think I'm on the right journey.

Also, it's good that you still question, and you should never stop, even when you find your path that's for you, don't stop questioning everything.

David, I just have to say that I really admire your ability to take the time to encourage others in the midst of your own search and struggles. That's not an easy thing for everyone to do. :) Hope you're doing well these days.

[David19]

I don't know if I've always felt lost, perhaps afraid is a more accurate term for me. I've often felt fear and I think that stems from questioning my faith and beliefs when I feel like I'm at a stand-still. When I hit that "plateau" I sometimes start to doubt myself.

But I always come back to the love I have for my Mother and Father and their caring for me. That solidifies me and makes me feel very grounded. I still don't always have the answers I need but I know that they're with me on this crazy road and will help me step where I need to.

I think I last felt truly lost probably about the time I joined MW. I'd finished one part of my spiritual path when I'd walked away from my Christian upbringing and I was torn. Between all the pathways that I'd never been exposed to, including the ones I'd forge for myself.

I still get insecure at times but I just focus on Eros and Persephone, my loves, my everything.

I think the best advice I have for people feeling uncertain or lost is to firstly, remain calm. Being at a crossroads is not a bad thing. It's not a time of misunderstanding or being alone. It's a time of transformation and a great opportunity to find out more about yourself. The second bit of advice is to listen to your heart and soul. Let your instincts take you where they're meant to go.

You'll find your way. :)

I want to say, that's really great advice, and, IMO, very true :thumbsup: :).


David, I just have to say that I really admire your ability to take the time to encourage others in the midst of your own search and struggles. That's not an easy thing for everyone to do. :) Hope you're doing well these days.

Thanks, I like trying to help people, so, I do what I can. I'm doing ok, sometimes, I get insecure, and sometimes feel really lost and confused, but, I'm ok :).

Thanks again :hugz:.