Welcome to Gaia! ::

I am a recoverig Catholic, I too was brought up in a very heavy Roman Catholis house hold. I went to CCD for 9 years. I was an altar boy, and I was also Confirmed (solder of Christ). On my 13th bday my friend gave me the book " Natural Magic by Doreen Valantine" Kinda as a goof cause we all were into Dungeons and Dragons and I always played the magic user. I tore threw the pages as a whole new universe unfolded before me. I had always been interseted in my Celtic ancestry. I then got Scott Cunninghams " Solitary Practitioner", which changed my life. I started meditating and doing rituals at a crude altar. I formed a relationship with the goddess and god and continued reading on wicca, paganism, and the ways of the ancient Celts. I started writing poems and passages which strengthened my bonds as a pagan. In the past 20 years I have learned alot about the subject, Talked with many people who are "whitches".
I did always have a keen connection with the land and felt as if there were more. I too, since childhood, have collected certain stones and crystals. I have never stopped believing in Faeries, and I do have the ability to see peoples auras, and have an uncanny knack for divination or scring. I dont consider myself a writer but I do LOVE the writen word and find working the craft through writen word and meditation to be my "doorway".
I have 2 children who know all about the Mother and Father and we do give thanx to them both every night at meal time, but I in no way force them or coax them into " being pagan". I will alow them to research and discover there own way of thinking and worshop.
I was forced into catholosism and felt it to be very dark and depressing. The priest were always stern and muttering things about us all being sinners and that we should always ask for forgivness and mourn for the loss of the son of god. As a child it just went against my grain (so to speak). I just knew in my heart that: for 1, How could a holy "male" create every thing in existance, women do the creating and birthing in this reality. 2, I knew that the supreme beings had to be a happy, peace loving, compassionate, Forgiving ( though now in my adulthood I realise there is a ying to the yang). and 3 living life is about keeping your face to the sun, always looking optomisticly to the future, rejoycing life and celebrate the rising sun and being thankful for all the good things in life, not bowing down in sorrow and praying to a dying man on a wooden frame. constanly ona weekly basis asking for forgivness and pennance.

I never had to find my path. It annoyingly displayed itself without any kind of consent whatsoever.

But, I continue to read on, and I continue to learn new things about my wonderful being, my possible heritage, and all that other amazing nonsense.

Quite fun.

Still looking, but my... er... 'father' is kinda pushing me along right now. Heh. Shoulda paid more attention when I was younger. Ah well. Least I'm learning some interesting stuff.

Well... here's an idea...

Every once in a while, Crafy and Matt can hold meetings... make a post, and each of us share tales and learn the ways of the wicca. There, we will all decide if this is the correct path for each individual, and go on from there.

I was raised Catholic but always questioned it, annoyed my mum w/ that, evena s a littel child thought somethign waswrongor missing.Found Wicca , witchcraft, paganism as a teen. Boughtlots of books and read. Thenbecame a mum and put it aside to raise my boys ,Only to feelpulled to it againa couple of years ago. I feelmyself settled and happy w/ my beliefs now, I absolutely love being a witch. I look forward to each full moon and holidays. Love writing my own spells and rituals.

Well, I was baptised when I was a child (In which I pissed in the water >_> )
I was forced to go to church for the first six years of my life. My grandparents (both sets) Are extreme Christians. My grandparents (moms side) are missionaries who were on mission in South Africa.

I found neopagan religion and thought it to be just something I could use to rebel against my family with. I later began to study it and gradually I became very adapt at it.

Currently I've been 'neo-pagan' for almost 8 years.

When a child I used to create rhymes and songs. I'd say/sing them and what I wanted usually happened.

Also when a child I was at an amusement park where we had this 'gold rush' thing.... we'd get a bag of sand and dump it in the water.... then we'd use a sifter and find whatever stone there were in there. I found a quartz. The most beautiful one I've ever seen. And nine years later, it's still with me.

Well, in all my life I new something had been missing, none of the religions that I found matched anything that I believed.. I always knew I was different because there were so many times I would talk to people that nobody could see, and often knew something was going to happen before it did. I was found in my room when i was 4 digging through a box looking for my pink baby blanket. When my step mom asked me why I was looking for it, I told her it was for my new baby sister. She looked at me all puzzled, sure enough a week later she found out she was having a baby.. I wont say the rest of the story... but anyway I remember often arguing with pastors, and preachers when I was a child... I was raised with many religions by moving so much.. However i never found one I believed in, eventually I was forced to be baptised Lutheran, but since I didnt believe in the religion I dont believe that it counts.

Then one day when I was eleven one of my friends gave me a crystal and a note attatched... The note said, may the Lord and Lady help you in your path. I knew that I needed to know more about it.. I learned as much as I could from her before she moved... from there i have had to study by myself.