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Malkosha
January 8th, 2003, 08:39 PM
Greetings all!

As a complete newbie, I have so many questions that I’m not sure where to begin, which in its own way is quite fun. As an “official geezer” designated of course by my children, I have spent most of my life in pursuit of the material and physical things. You know the game. The idea is to collect as many expensive things in life that we can and when we die the one with the most stuff wins. Dumb game IMHO.

During this time I’ve experimented with many different belief systems including a short time with Tarot card reading … It seemed to be successful but I’m not so sure it was a natural power or the fact that I’m very good at empathizing with people (the later I would guess). The truth is that it’s past time for me to balance myself and deal with my spiritual side.

I have so much to learn and in fact I’ve not yet come to the realization of just what I don’t know, if that makes any sense. I enjoy learning things however if for nothing else but the simple joy of learning. There are some things I do feel that I know, even though that may change, and that brings us to question time ;)

I have hard time with xian agenda and policy. Please don’t take this as a flame, because its not meant in that way, but that path is closed to me out of choice. I do believe that there is a Divine “something” but as an uninformed human it’s far beyond my understanding. I also believe that this Divine is everywhere and in everything … earth, sky, rocks animals and in us. In fact there may be no difference between the Divine and all of creation because the Divine is creation itself. Add to this the belief that because of this connection we, as a part of the Divine, can use those same forces in accordance to our gifts. It’s the study of how to use those gifts, whatever mine may be, that have brought me here.

As to the questions, I’m not sure there is actually a God or Goddess in the traditional way they may be thought of. Traditional that is for a person raised in the xian faith. I can understand the concept of Gods and Goddesses being a facet of this Divine idea though, but I have a hard time with the concept of actually worshiping a “facet” when you could go for the Divine her/him self. What is the benefit of having a God and Goddess? Do I have the wrong idea or am I misinformed? Am I at the wrong site and instead should be somewhere else like a New Age or disgruntled xian site? Do I fit in the Pagan or Wicca mold? I think, and that’s used very lightly, that I understand some of the concepts here but I’m having a hard time rationalizing them.

Perhaps I’m trying to make my beliefs fit the system instead of finding the system that fits my beliefs. Perhaps I need my own system. The only thing I am sure of is my tendency to ramble and given the forum … no pun intended … I can be very long winded. Be well.

Siarlas
January 9th, 2003, 01:31 AM
holey moley! so many thoughts running around your head!

reminds me of me :T

ok, yes there is a lot to learn. Especially when your just starting to look into what's out there. But thankfully we have this new contraption called the 'web' and it has all this amazing information on it!
Don't worry about whether or not you 'fit in' here. This is a place for everybody no matter what you believe. Everyone here is quite welcoming and are quite happy to answer any questions you have.
You don't have the 'wrong idea'. There is no wrong idea. What you explained is a belief that I have heard mentioned before... just wish I could remember where.. ugh..
You shouldn't worry about fitting a mould either. You're beliefs sound like they fit in with Pagan ideas... I'm not sure about Wicca though... I'm not too well versed on them...
You got the idea in your last paragraph though... Don't try and make your beliefs fit one of the systems, but find one that more closely matches what you really believe in.
There's another post in this forum where I linked some pages of my own bookmarks for Tranquility and your welcome to have a look at them.

Anyhows... sorry it sounded all jumbled, but I'm just about to finish work and I'm very tired and I had to keep going back to look at your post. But I hoped that helped somewhat.

Raevyn
January 9th, 2003, 01:34 AM
Originally posted by Malkosha
As a complete newbie, I have so many questions that I’m not sure where to begin, which in its own way is quite fun.

Welcome to our forum.


I can understand the concept of Gods and Goddesses being a facet of this Divine idea though, but I have a hard time with the concept of actually worshiping a “facet” when you could go for the Divine her/him self. What is the benefit of having a God and Goddess?

*nods* I can certainly understand that. For many people, seeing the God and Goddess is a way of identifying with All (that's the name I use for an all encompassing deity). Instead of trying to visualize or work directly with All as divine energy, which can be difficult to do because it is so abstract, some say "this is God and this is Goddess". By doing so, they ascribe human elements to divine energy - instead of trying to visualize the magnificence of all the divine energy in the universe, they work with a symbol of it, and call it God and Goddess.

Or, you could say, God and Goddess are what some mere mortals can relate to as divine - it's kind of how one "plugs in" to the idea of divine energy. If it's easier for someone to relate to the God and Goddess, it is preferable. Instead of spending time trying to relate to abstract energy, or divineness that is beyond comprehension, they relate to the God or Goddess as an archetype; as an intermediary between us and All. Instead of trying to work with the entire diamond of All, they focus on a few facets.

This is not at all an uncommon Pagan belief, and is something I'd held for awhile myself. It can also fit into Wicca.

Wicca requires, in my humble opinion, a few fundamental beliefs;
- a belief in balance and polarity - a God and Goddess (though I see no problem with thinking of those polar opposites as something we can relate to as part of All because Wicca also includes...)
- unity - we are all part of the divine, and the divine part of us. The God and Goddess are within us.
- the divine exists in nature (for some, the God is the sun and the Goddess the moon, or the Goddess the earth)
- cyclical celebrations and observances to recognize the "turn of the wheel"; the change of seasons as sacred representations of the cycles of life and death, and the cycles of the God and Goddess
- the rede as advice - the rede being a long poem chocked full of pointers for Wiccans, in particular the words "an ye harm none, do what thou wilt". Those 8 words are commonly referred to as "the rede" by themself, and what they mean is "if you harm none, do whatever you like", and thus to be mindful of your actions - if you harm no one it's ok, but if it might harm someone, you need to think about it and possibly face consequences

I think Wicca also requires dedication to living it, not just reading or writing about it - that might include doing rituals and spells, or meditating, communing with deity, protecting nature, etc. Wicca traditionally also used to require certain practices and tools, though many don't feel those necessary anymore.

This is just the "Raevyn's basic overview of what she thinks Wicca is", of course. Others will think differently, but I like to list what I think are jumping off points - what I think I could say is basically what makes up Wicca.

From there you have to decide how to apply the principles to your life, how to use the rede, and how to celebrate, etc.

Within Paganism, there are multitudes of paths with their own principles, rules, and myths. Paganism does allow for a lot of flexibility though, and your idea of deity does fit in.

I hope this helps a bit, and if you need clarification your questions are more then welcome.

Malkosha
January 9th, 2003, 11:32 AM
Thank you all for the responses. I know my thoughts can seem quite jumbled, but then again its because they are ... its a natural state for me :D

I'm in the process of doing a lot of research at the moment and trying to organize my studies into something resembling coherent thinking. Thankfully, this is a great forum with lots of friendly people and some valuable info .... just have to love that search button heh?

When I learn what questions I need to ask I'll be back. Be well.

Raevyn
January 9th, 2003, 11:53 AM
Get used to having jumbled thoughts, it's not abnormal for those of us who aren't brand new to Paganism ;)

I love the search function/button too :D