Faith Help Thread

[Mika Lockheart]

To be on the safe side i would certainly call you a pagan of sorts. you may not believe in a Christian god persay but do you believe in a deity in general or a oneness? If you aren't sure you could also just say you're spiritual of sorts. Hm.

Now I might have to go and look this up.  

[Beautiful Propaganda]

I think I need advice >.<; I haven't been active for a while, I'm sorry. I was a really spiritual person about a year ago, and then I went through some really bad stuff in December/January and since then I haven't felt anything about religion. When I prayed it seemed like there was nothing there, any spell I tried didn't work, and Ive felt like part of me is missing. I really want to get back to being serious about religion but I don't think I can on my own.  

[loveblackbutterflies]

Beautiful Propaganda

I think I need advice >.<; I haven't been active for a while, I'm sorry. I was a really spiritual person about a year ago, and then I went through some really bad stuff in December/January and since then I haven't felt anything about religion. When I prayed it seemed like there was nothing there, any spell I tried didn't work, and Ive felt like part of me is missing. I really want to get back to being serious about religion but I don't think I can on my own.

I know I'm about 3 months late to reply to you about this, but I just want to tell you that if you want to be spiritual, it will happen, so theres no need to force it. Do simple things, like take a walk, and see if you feel different around nature, or if you can afford it you could buy a plant. I think owning a plant makes you more aware of how much attention they need, and through them, the world. I think it's the simple things that make a religion, just as much as the big fancy rituals. I'm sending good thoughts your way. I'm sorry about december/January, and not replying sooner.  

[Azekual]

I have been looking for where I fit in the cosmos, sometimes harder than others. I don't worship a god or goddess, because I don't feel as if I'm meant to. I feel as if I'm supposed to draw my power from the universe itself, not it's manifestations. I don't like the rituals or the struggles to keep everyhing from wanting to kill you. it's just.....a strange feeling  

[Periwinkle_the_Eevee]

I'm just having plain ol' trouble. I want to believe in a deity, I really do, but I just can't. I feel like I'm missing something, and my spells don't work very well. I TRY to meditate, hoping to find something. But I don't know how. How do I know when I've found them? And I can't find any covens or fellow pagans at all, this is the only place I can really come to. My parents have forbidden me from visiting the only metaphysical shop I know of after taking me only once. "The instant I walked into that BLASPHEMOUS shop, I began to feel sick." said Mother. I can't practice Wicca in the house, they interrupt me while I'm meditating, they won't allow me any privacy (I ask nicely...), they force their religion (Christianity) down my throat, and the church pastor keeps showing up in my house to talk to me. "I heard about you finding Wicca, and I'm really concerned. I just wanna talk to you about how God loves you, etc." The other day, I totally snapped. I threw my backpack in his face and screamed and cussed him out. "GET THE F$@% OUT OF MY HOUSE AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!" I know I shouldn't have reacted like that, but a girl can only take so much. What should I do? Please help me....  

[LadyofKnives]

Azekual

I have been looking for where I fit in the cosmos, sometimes harder than others. I don't worship a god or goddess, because I don't feel as if I'm meant to. I feel as if I'm supposed to draw my power from the universe itself, not it's manifestations. I don't like the rituals or the struggles to keep everyhing from wanting to kill you. it's just.....a strange feeling

Where you fit comes to you. It isn't something you find right away either. I was interested in Polytheism for as long as I remembered but I never fit until one day and then I knew it was right. Though that is something different/closely related to yourself it is an example. You don't have to worship a God or Goddess, you have to find what is right for you.
And perchance, what do you mean by "the struggles to keep everything from wanting to kill you." ? Is there something following you or do you fear that?

Periwinkle_the_Eevee

I'm just having plain ol' trouble. I want to believe in a deity, I really do, but I just can't. I feel like I'm missing something, and my spells don't work very well. I TRY to meditate, hoping to find something. But I don't know how. How do I know when I've found them? And I can't find any covens or fellow pagans at all, this is the only place I can really come to. My parents have forbidden me from visiting the only metaphysical shop I know of after taking me only once. "The instant I walked into that BLASPHEMOUS shop, I began to feel sick." said Mother. I can't practice Wicca in the house, they interrupt me while I'm meditating, they won't allow me any privacy (I ask nicely...), they force their religion (Christianity) down my throat, and the church pastor keeps showing up in my house to talk to me. "I heard about you finding Wicca, and I'm really concerned. I just wanna talk to you about how God loves you, etc." The other day, I totally snapped. I threw my backpack in his face and screamed and cussed him out. "GET THE F$@% OUT OF MY HOUSE AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!" I know I shouldn't have reacted like that, but a girl can only take so much. What should I do? Please help me....

First thing is first, calm down, take a deep breath and then let everything go. I have never been put into one of those situations so I cannot say for definite what to do but I can give you advice.
For some people it is very hard to accept Wicca or any Pagan religions. It is easier, in my opinion, for others to accept Agnosticism or Atheism than a religion that involves more than one God or Goddess. I think what you ought to do is have a sit down with your parents. Without getting mad, because that can destroy your chances, have a one on one without the priest. Say this is how I feel, why you feel it and how them not accepting it affects you. You should come to a compromise on what you can do and what you cannot do in the house. Whatever you do, keep emotions out of this.
As for the priest, have a sit down with him. Tell him that God would have wanted him to accept everyone, as you are his child too. Tell him what you do has been chosen by and you are who you are because of God.
And if you need to and cannot get them to accept what you are, here is an outlet. You don't need anything fancy, the Gods and Goddesses will understand if you are trying to reach them.

I hope this helps dear.

Edit by Mod: Please don't double post - it's against our guild rules. Instead, hit up the edit button. wink

If you're unsure of the definition of double posting, or our rules for that matter, then our Guild Guidebook should answer all your questions.  

[Rebel_Dynasty]

This seems to be an older thread, but I still feel the need to post.

First, I'll throw in some background info. I've been an Eclectic Neo-Pagan for seven years or so. For those first six years, I believed myself to be a Solitary Wiccan (I know, I'm not the first and I sadly will not be the last). Once I had this error pointed out to me in complete clarity, I still didn't fully accept it. I guess it was sort of a shock. Once I came to the realization that it wasn't my spiritual experiences that had been false, but merely a misnomer on my part, I was okay. I also realized that before I had been corrected, I had already been distancing myself from the title of Wiccan.

Now, the issue I have is this; because I obtained so much of my learning from books, and haven't been exposed to many other Pagan, Neo-Pagans, or anything under this particular umbrella term-and because all of these books have had differing opinions on one thing or another, I find that my own beliefs and practices are somewhat muddled.

In the first few years, I did a lot of experimentation. The problem I'm finding now is this: I can't seem to make up my mind whether I see my deities as A) One Goddess and One God, B) One Goddess and One God with many different "faces" and archetypes, who have physical forms but are also part of everything (this also seems like a contradiction) C) All different deities from different pantheons as themselves, or D) Not as literal Goddess and God at all, but as thought-forms.

I keep jumping around, which only causes more confusion when someone directly asks me these questions (and there seems to be a great deal of disdain for soft polytheists, which I find a bit offensive. If I do fit the description of soft poly, I can hardly help it. Everything I've learned has been from books, my experiences, and other sources. So naturally, of course I'm confused as all heck).

I really want to stick to one, because I feel my practices may improve if I have more clarity. The deity issue is the only issue I actually have. Everything else in my spritiual practice makes perfect sense to me. Sure, there are things I may add in as time wears on, things I want to try. I may even discard a bit of info that rings false with me (especially after learning a lot of my reading sources have derived so much from Margaret Murray, who gave false information-whether it was unwittingly or not, I don't know), but that's the thing about Eclecticism. As I mature, so too will my spiritual practices. The main foundation of what I believe will remain the same, and so will a lot of elements-but, other things will come and go.

Anyway, I wondered if anyone else had this source of problem, and if so, how did you manage to figure out what deities worked for you (if any?)

I'm hoping if I meditate on it long enough, it'll come to me, but in the meantime, any input would be much appreciated.  

[this wretched thing]

That is very common. For some people its one or the other, other's find it a group of what you've listed, and then there are those who don't even think of deities.

For myself, I belong in the middle option. They are Universal; they are One and they are All. The God came from the Goddess, and together they are one being. Many people from different cultures view them in different forms, the face and power that can relate most to their customs and beliefs; that's what helps us, their followers, to find our own pantheon because they appeal to us in different ways.

As the God and Goddess are Universal to me, they are also just forms of thought. They are what I think of when I think of Creation, as I cannot see them (I have yet to have dreams of them). A higher being gives me peace of mind, to think I'm not running around aimlessly in life. In my mind, I can speak directly to them, and believe I can sense them around me. They are as spiritual as they are mentally stimulating.

Point is, you can view the Goddess and God however you want. I have a friend who sees her Goddess as a purple, barefooted dwarf. And she has conversations with her! Another says he can see his God etched in the trees, and when he's feeling emotional, his God asks him to touch the trees to downsize the overwhelming feelings.

One last friend says that they're everywhere. Even what you breathe. That we are from the Goddess and that makes us Godly as well, as we are of her, apart of her.

Meditating should help you, and a prayer before bed so you can ask for prophetic dreams.