This is a stupid question but I'm going to ask anyway thread

[maenad nuri]

Ren Dammit

Alright! I might have found a home in this thread, being new and unaware of most everything!

What does the term "fluffy" mean?

It means to be willfully ignorant, which can come out in many ways, but probably the best example is when, in the face of overwhelming evidence, a person still believes something horribly wrong.

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Does mugwart really make you dream more if you bathe in it?

no idea

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Is white sage important? Are herbs in general important?

Depends on what sort of practice or ritual, or religion you are.

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Are prophetic dreams a common thing?

For some. And sometimes, yes and sometimes no.

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Is it true that a dream another has about you is more likely to come true? (i.e. a dream about how you will die or where you will meet your mate)

No idea --- but only likely for confirmation bias.

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What's the best book for a new kid like me to dive into? Something informative and interesting with explanations on common terms would be nice. I'm sure this information is posted elsewhere but I'll admit my impatience. biggrin

Depends, what are you interested in? What pantheon, if any?  

[IH_Zero]

I've never heard of bathing with mugwort to induce dreams. Placing a sprig in your pillow, yes, and another way, that I'm not going to bother listing here, as I don't want to be responsible if someone makes themselves sick or dead.  

[That Damn Goblin]

Pantheon. Like sect? Of course there are sects....
I would assume I would need a source on that to begin with. I'm definitely in the fluffy category on this. Is there a thread for those scathingly unaware of the basics?  

[maenad nuri]

Ren Dammit

Pantheon. Like sect? Of course there are sects....
I would assume I would need a source on that to begin with. I'm definitely in the fluffy category on this. Is there a thread for those scathingly unaware of the basics?

Pantheon means the different gods, like the Greek Gods, the Norse Gods, the Egyptian Gods, etc....  

[Namikikyo]

I'm really glad this popped up, I know I have some really stupid questions. sweatdrop

I am new to Hellenism, I mean I've searched almost everywhere and found Greek to really be the only Pantheon that hasn't been a turn off the moment I've learned more about it. Everything just kinda leads back to it for me.

Anyways, aside from my babble, Upon ghosting around this very informative thread. I saw Tea mention something about Magic being impious to Hellenic practices and/or deities.

But I practice Witchcraft, And even though I do it completely seperate..

Will it mean that I'll have to drop Witchcraft completely?

sweatdrop I really feel annoying for asking this, But I figured now would be better then never.

 

[TeaDidikai]

Ren Dammit

Does mugwart really make you dream more if you bathe in it?

You'll need to know the Latin name for the plant in question. Common Wormwood, aka, Artemisia vulgaris is known as Mugwort along side Artemisia douglasiana, known amongst some native peoples of the Western North Americas. The Miwok, as I recall, used it to ward off dreams of haunting spirits.

I am not familiar with any chemical agent that would have an affect on the sleep patterns however.

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Is white sage important?

Guess that would depend on your needs, no?

The use of Salvia apiana was introduced into Neo-Paganism via the Americas, as the plant was used by numerous tribes for ceremonial applications in the South Western United States.

It's use within these traditions was primarily a function of purification. My personal unsupported opinion is that because of it's medicinal applications, the burning of the sage was held to have similar spiritual applications.

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Are herbs in general important?

I shudder to think of how dreadful my cooking would be without them.

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Are prophetic dreams a common thing?

What do you consider "prophetic"?

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Is it true that a dream another has about you is more likely to come true? (i.e. a dream about how you will die or where you will meet your mate)

I haven't seen any empirical evidence for this.

That said, I'm hard pressed to believe that Tsuzuki is going to deflower me, nor do I believe Nuri is going to sneak into my room and cut off my hair in order to make a belt for Deo so she can turn into a doe. Call me funny that way.

There are dreams and there are Dreams.

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What's the best book for a new kid like me to dive into?

To Ride a Silver Broomstick.
You had to know it wasn't really that- right?  

[IH_Zero]

TeaDidikai

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What's the best book for a new kid like me to dive into?

To Ride a Silver Broomstick.
You had to know it wasn't really that- right?

You damn near gave me a heart attack, until I moused over that link.  

[TeaDidikai]

Namikikyo

I mean I've searched almost everywhere and found Greek to really be the only Pantheon that hasn't been a turn off the moment I've learned more about it.

What elements of the theology do you enjoy? For example, which sets of Maxims do you agree with? Do you revise them to your modern culture? What justification do you hold for doing so if such is the case?

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Anyways, aside from my babble, Upon ghosting around this very informative thread. I saw Tea mention something about Magic being impious to Hellenic practices and/or deities.

But I practice Witchcraft, And even though I do it completely seperate..

Will it mean that I'll have to drop Witchcraft completely?

It didn't mean such for the ancient Greeks it would seem.

That being said, what do you consider Witchcraft?

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sweatdrop I really feel annoying for asking this, But I figured now would be better then never.

I don't find you annoying. But for the Witchcraft thing, we need more context. There are some practices included in Witchcraft that could be impious no matter how you slice it.  

[TeaDidikai]

AngryRobotsInc.

TeaDidikai

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What's the best book for a new kid like me to dive into?

To Ride a Silver Broomstick.
You had to know it wasn't really that- right?

You damn near gave me a heart attack, until I moused over that link.

 

[Czidnoma]

Stupid question in the same vein as the one about communication with gods vs. delusions.

How do you feel energy? For instance, someone in another thread here mentioned that it's possible to change the shape of the aura. How do you feel the aura? And things like Reiki attunements, how do you feel those?  

[kage no neko]

What does it feel like to meditate? (I've failed at meditating so far..)

And if you're supposed to keep your mind clear when meditating, how can you contact the gods at the same time?  

[IH_Zero]

kage no neko

What does it feel like to meditate? (I've failed at meditating so far..)

And if you're supposed to keep your mind clear when meditating, how can you contact the gods at the same time?

I don't follow methods of meditation that require clearing the mind, so I can't really elaborate on that one.

I have trouble clearing my mind, being unmedicated for ADHD (Inattentive type). I work this to my advantage, though, by using a method that I'm not even entirely sure should even be called meditation (I don't use the term myself, since I'm not sure there). I simply let my thoughts come unhindered, without trying to control them, and let them go down their paths. See where they go, and whatnot.

It's fairly calming, and I find I can be more focused overall if I do this.  

[kage no neko]

But what does it feel like? Just calming?  

[TeaDidikai]

Czidnoma

How do you feel energy?

Depends. Some peoples experiences are... umm... more ethereal than mine. Talk about third eyes and astral projection and stuff. I'm a bit more pragmatic myself. I use my hands.

I know this sounds cheeky, but it really isn't intended as such. When I have talked about this stuff with others who didn't train with me, they talk about mystic harmonies and the Third Eye and a bunch of stuff terms that came out of the Westernization of other traditions during the inception of the New Age movement.

People who have learned along side me or from me describe a far more corporeal experience. They are using their vision to see and their skin to sense tactile sensations.  

[IH_Zero]

kage no neko

But what does it feel like? Just calming?

It's really the best way to describe it. It's one of the few times the tempest that is usually my thoughts is generally calm (it never really stops completely). I can remember things afterwards, when usually my memory does not clearly go back more than a few days, or at all past a few weeks (sans great effort to remember). I can focus on something for an extended period, when usually my mind drifts within a few moments.

But as said, I'm not entirely certain what what I do should even be called, let alone if it's meditation.