Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'm still setting up but feel free to post already!

hello everyone

i know i have not been around here much so most of you wont
know me and i apologize for that, also for my lack of english spelling.

What this is all about.
I have been intrested in the spiritual world ever since i can remember,
and think that honouring and respecting nature and spirits is
important. But latly i have been thinking about what kind of
religion i am, if to call it a religion at all. So i have come up with
a way to solve this, i want to do research into wicca, paganism and
all those other terms/religions i have read about it in here.
It made me very curious and i would love to find out as much as
possible and to discover which fits me best.

What i'm asking for.
I have always loved writhing school essay's as they get me deep
into the subject and leave me full with new knowledge about a
previous unknown subject. Thats why i decided to see this as
a school essay to. But instead of getting my information from the
internet i would like to get my information from talking to you all.
So i hope you will be willing to share your knowledge with me and
teach me about anything you think i should know.

How i would like this to work.
I'm going head into my search as seeing it as a school essay,
meaning i will ask a lot of, maybe, stupid questions. Also i would
love to see this as a discussion, hearing everyone's opinion and
reasons for thinking and believing the way they do. So feel free
to discuss, defend and free your voice and opinion. Also if you
can come up with any question you would like to have anwserd
then please let me know so i can add it into the essay. See this
as a guide to every struggling and undecicive person out there,
what would you like to teach them so they can make a well informed
chioce before choosing which path they will walk?

About me.
My name is Kim, i'm backpacking through australia right now but
originally i'm from the netherlands. I have 2 sets of tarot decks,
angels and Gaia, i love playing with them and with my crystals.
I also feel very connected with nature and with animals, i see
them as companies and try to listen to their signals, just as
nature, for example the wind, i believe it has a voice in some
way. Call me crazy, i'm just me. So yeah feel free to ask me
anything you want to know and i hope your willing to help me
out in finding out whats really me.

And yes i realizes there are several FAQ's in the cult about the
questions i'm asking but like i said i would like to get my anwsers
from people not just by reading guides cause thats just facts,
that doesn't make me understand, if that makes sense.

Head question:
Which religion/faith fits me best?

Chapter 1
Wicca

- What does the word Wicca stand for/mean? -
...

- What is wicca? -
Traditional Wicca is a specific pagan religion, that has specific core beliefs and practices. It is an orthopraxic, mystery religion, that is oath bound and requires coven initiation (usually man to woman, woman to man). It has specific deities (in this case the Lord and Lady of the Isles) and is fertility centered - not earth/nature centered.

- What is its history? -
Wicca was founded in the 1940's by a man named Gerald Gardner. It is based on the practice of witchcraft (as passed down by the New Forest Coven), as well as bits and pieces from other older pagan religions/practices, free-masonry and ceremonial magic.

- Why do people practise/believe in it? -
Wicca is the priesthood of the Lord and Lady of the Isles. Those who practice it, have been called to serve them.

- Who can do it? -
In theory, anyone...however in order to claim the "title" one must be initiated via lineaged coven. This lineage is an initiatory lineage (not "bloodline"), that traces back to Gerald Gardner and the New Forest Coven. In order to be initiated, one must first find a coven that is accepting students for training and also be found a "proper person".

- Where do they do it and why there? -
Covens can circle almost anywhere.

- What is there to know? -
You will not find all that much info on Trad Wicca from books or on the internet, and a large bit of what is discussed in this guild (and most others for that matter) does not refer to Trad Wicca. Most of what is discussed refers to Eclectic Neo-Paganism paths (which are often mislabeled as Eclectic, Solitary or Neo-Wicca), which are based on the non-oath bound (outer-court) parts of Wiccan practices. It is always good to note the difference between the two, as there are many who won't recognize any claim of "Wiccan" outside of traditional paths. That isn't to say that one's practices and beliefs are necessarily invalid, but simply that they have often been mislabeled.

- What exactly are they? -
A lot depends on what culture one is talking about. While some maybe similar to others, each culture has it's own ideas, myths/lore regarding the nature of their Gods. So again one would need to define what Pantheon one was talking about, before the question could really be answered.

- What are the choices? -
Also depends on what path/religion you are interested in. Some of the major Pantheons are...

Greek
Kemetic
Celtic (though the Gael culture is a closed one, so many of these Gods/Goddess are not open to be worshiped outside of that culture)
Norse
Wiccan (actual names are oath-bound to non-initiates)

- How do you chose, can you pick more then one? -
Some paths already have related Gods/Goddesses, so if you are on one of those paths, then you would have to follow as required by whatever path you are on.

If one is on an eclectic path, you would study various pantheons, the myths/lore and see which ones you seem to be drawn to. Once you are feeling pulled in a direction - you can try communication with said God/ess - either though prayer, ritual, offerings, etc... to see if they are interested in you.

In general - unless there are any tradition specific prohibition from worshiping other Gods, you can worship as many different Gods/esses as you want. The key is that if you are working with different Pantheons/Cultures - keep them separate. Each culture has/has their own practices, beliefs, myths/lore, etc..., they don't usually mix all that well with others.

- How do you worship them? -
This is something that would be tradition/culture specific. It's a matter of studying/communicating with the Gods you have been called to, and using the forms of worship that are appropriate to them.

- What are tarot cards for? -
Tarot cards are primarily a diviniatory tool that allow the user to glean information. What this information is depends on who you ask but can vary from insight into the future to answers to questions asked. Tarot has also been used as a tool for meditation, and visualization practices, as well as a tool in magical workings.

- What is the history of crystals, how did the believe in them start? -
this one might be hard to answer because I think it dates back into prehistory, and therefore there are no written records of its origins. but some stones such as amethyst have interesting myths that surround their metaphysical powers.

If I may tell the story: amethyst was original wept by Dionysus after he killed a priestess of Artemis the tears were stained purple and thus the stone was born, and it had the power from Dionysus to do what its namesake (in Greek) says "to protect from intoxication"