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

[`Blaise]

UPG?  

[Ashley the Bee]

`Blaise

UPG?

Unverified Personal Gnosis - a bit of gnosis/knowledge that a person obtains that might not be valid for other individuals.

Others of this flavor include:
SPG - Shared Personal Gnosis - where two or more people have the same gnosis, hopefully independently from one another ^_~

CG - Confirmed Gnosis or CPG - Confirmed Personal Gnosis -- when the knowledge gained can be corroborated with mythology, etc...  

[Recursive Paradox]

We could try to come up with a name for Earth Based Neopaganist spirituality like ADF has right here. Or in a different thread.

I thoroughly searched throughout the internets to make sure that Etherism wasn't used for anything else. And I firmly promise that if I find a group that is using it and was using it before me or find out that a closed culture group used it, I will drop that name like a hot rock.

I'm not terribly attached to it as it is utterly arbitrary. ^.^  

[`Blaise]

are there any pagan traditions that don't incorporate magic, besides some form or other of eclecticism?  

[TeaDidikai]

`Blaise

are there any pagan traditions that don't incorporate magic, besides some form or other of eclecticism?

A few. In fact a large chunk of what we would consider "magic" is a modern inclusion- so some of the older traditions would be found amongst Recons.

I believe I have come across sentiment from Hellenics that suggest magic is impious. I know of many Asatru who will use futhark, but wouldn't consider it magic in the common sense of the word.  

[Recursive Paradox]

This may or may not be a stupid question but:

What are some of the motivations that prompt a culture or a cult/religion to close itself off from outsiders? Or even just start out closed off.

It's hard for me to understand or figure out the why because I never had any reason to close off Etherism and even benefited from bouncing my ideas off other people by revealing my material and the logic that arose from my personal gnosis.

I figure a good number of people in this guild could shed some light on it for me.  

[TeaDidikai]

Recursive Paradox

This may or may not be a stupid question but:

What are some of the motivations that prompt a culture or a cult/religion to close itself off from outsiders? Or even just start out closed off.

Most of the ones I am familiar with are a result of oaths made from deities X to group Y or by virtue of cleanliness standards.

So within my tradition, there were oaths and even tell that certain violations of purity laws by the people would lead to the extinction of the people.

For YHVH, the Mitzvots are prescribed laws made to bring his followers in line with his will, violations of those generate sin which separates them from him.

Are there cultural factors? Sure. The Rroma have been able to persist because we separate ourselves to different degrees. We see five hundred years of history where governments have instituted assimilation programs where Rroma children are placed with non-Rroma parents and denied their culture as an alternative means of extermination.

The Gael suffered a similar prohibition against their culture under English Rule.  

[Recursive Paradox]

TeaDidikai

Recursive Paradox

This may or may not be a stupid question but:

What are some of the motivations that prompt a culture or a cult/religion to close itself off from outsiders? Or even just start out closed off.

Most of the ones I am familiar with are a result of oaths made from deities X to group Y or by virtue of cleanliness standards.

So within my tradition, there were oaths and even tell that certain violations of purity laws by the people would lead to the extinction of the people.

For YHVH, the Mitzvots are prescribed laws made to bring his followers in line with his will, violations of those generate sin which separates them from him.

Are there cultural factors? Sure. The Rroma have been able to persist because we separate ourselves to different degrees. We see five hundred years of history where governments have instituted assimilation programs where Rroma children are placed with non-Rroma parents and denied their culture as an alternative means of extermination.

The Gael suffered a similar prohibition against their culture under English Rule.

Ah I see. Those seem like a pretty good set of reasons. Since my thing doesn't really have purity laws (although the worship ban could definitely prompt closing the path at some point, depending) it wouldn't really come up as a reason to restrict entry or use.

And no one has tried to exterminate my religion or me (yet... x_x) so I wouldn't have that motivation to close it either.  

[Taliah]

Here's a question I'm still having trouble answering...

When meditating on gods and pantheons, and otherwise searching for the right path that befits you.... how do you know when it is a god reaching out to you, or your own fanciful and desperate mind playing tricks on you?  

[saint dreya]

Recursive Paradox

We could try to come up with a name for Earth Based Neopaganist spirituality like ADF has right here. Or in a different thread.

i'm hoping someday to come up with a potential (flame fest) workshop/presentation for coming up with a different title and dropping "druid" from usage.

not all ADFer's use that title, though, as i would like to remind some. some feel particularly alienated from using that title as they aren't attempting to use any Celtic/Gael inspired material and specifically are geared towards another hearth culture. all to often, a Hellenic/Germanic ADFer says "i don't use the title because i'm not one - i don't worship those gods, i don't follow that culture, etc".

there are enough people in the organization who do not wish to use the D word. and there are equally enough who feel completely justified in using it. it is an uphill battle to explain to just those in my local grove why i refuse to use the term and why i think ADF shouldn't on the whole.  

[TeaDidikai]

Taliah

Here's a question I'm still having trouble answering...

When meditating on gods and pantheons, and otherwise searching for the right path that befits you.... how do you know when it is a god reaching out to you, or your own fanciful and desperate mind playing tricks on you?

First- are you able to tell the difference between awe and psychodrama?  

[CuAnnan]

TeaDidikai

In fact a large chunk of what we would consider "magic" is a modern inclusion- so some of the older traditions would be found amongst Recons.

I always get a bit tetchy on the subject of "magic".
It's not a word native to my culture and to attempt to lump a lot of divergent concepts together under one term grates on me a little.  

[niamhybeag]

Although sorcery is mentioned in some translations of early law texts.  

[CuAnnan]

niamhybeag

Although sorcery is mentioned in some translations of early law texts.

As an umbrella term or in reference to a particular set of practices?  

[Taliah]

TeaDidikai

First- are you able to tell the difference between awe and psychodrama?

Awe is where you find yourself inspired, or rather, amazed by something (God, Natural forces, etc.). Psychodrama, I'm not really sure I've heard of before.