Pagans; tell me about it

[toothfairy73]

I would describe myself as spiritual. I believe in life after death, I believe in reincarnation. I believe in the power of crystals. I believe in asking the universe and thanking it for helping me.

I recently read that the definition of paganism having beliefs that do not conform to one of the main religions.

I'm curious. If you are pagan, how would you described yourself and your beliefs, how do you practice? What do you do? Do you meet with other pagans? If so where?

.....anyone....?

Hi, you may get more traffic if you change the title of the thread.

A little too direct, demanding perhaps.

There is an ongoing pagan/wiccan/witchcraft thread, perhaps you may like to visit.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/philosophy_religion_spirituality/3437092-Any-Witches-Here-Part-5

Hello, happy to answer :)

Paganism is an umbrella term for a multitude of belief systems. It's a tricky one to pin down because it is so varied and personal. It's also worth bearing in mind that some people will have negative associations with the term eg. by conflating paganism with satanism (which is ridiculous as paganism is not derived from Christianity) or some practices in parts of Africa relating to witches, neither of which are representative of contemporary paganism in western culture. Equally, some people (including pagans) use the terms pagan and wiccan interchangeably, which is incorrect and confusing. Wiccans are pagans but most pagans are not wiccan. Hope that little summary helps!

I currently describe myself as a pagan and an atheist, however I'm still exploring the latter (that doesn't make me agnostic). I'm also a witch, which is just a way of saying that I practice magic. My identity is not fixed, it is part of a personal journey. That said, I have identified as pagan for the last 15 years.

What do I do and how do I practice? I pay attention to the natural world around me. I observe the turning of seasons, I appreciate the phases of the moon, I walk in old woods and feel a connection to nature there. I try to make conscious choices about the way I live and how it impacts on my environment. Sometimes I personify aspects of nature as a way of feeling a deeper connection to the world that I live in. I don't believe in reincarnation of the conscious soul, but I do believe that my energy goes back into the universe.

I know other pagans but not through seeking them out, they just happen to be people that I know. I did dip my toe in the local pagan moot (meeting) a long time ago but it wasn't for me.

Feel free to ask more specific questions, happy to help.

I'm a pagan (or Neo-pagan to some).
Think of it as a disorganised religion - no specific beliefs, obligations, religious laws, etc; whilst not atheist, there's no particular acceptance of 'higher power'.
My story of arrival at paganism is a long and strange one; but the key part for me is about the world view I constructed and how it fits.
I don't believe in divine creation. Depictions of the creation of the universe in Norse and Olympian myths can be read (for me) metaphorically for what science terms the big bang. Olympian - celestial being swallows it's babies until it explodes (cut open) and everything bursts forth (bit like a neutron star then). Norse - fire and ice clash and stuff was produced as a result; gets a bit odd in the details, but as a description of opposing forces (pressure and gravity) to create a massive explosion.....
In a more practical vein, it seems strange to me that any divine being would have any interest in the lives of any of the 7billion people who are around currently. There's the whole endless debate about why a god would allow bad things to happen, etc. Olympians pretty much figured the Gods demanded deference and were largely petty and cruel. Norse posits that Odin and Freya sought fallen warriors for Valhalla and Folkshalla for Ragnarok, but beyond this the Gods didn't really give a fig for any of us (though Thor had occasional bursts of interest). Everyone else lived, died, went to Hel (single L), and none of them cared. That seemed more reasonable to me - the Gods simply let us get on with it, either with amusement or complete disinterest. Of course, it Gods are merely metaphors for massive scale forces of cause and effect that we can't truly conceptualise...then this holds true still.