I need your ideas please

[EternalHearts]

I pretty much have to agree with what everyone else has said: the only person that can decide this is YOU.

But, I do have some advice for a person seeking a path for themself. Study the gods of various cultures, particularly the cultures/myths that particularly appeal to you. For example, I'm of heavy Celtic descent, but the Hellenic Theoi have always held a large part of my heart. Through studying aobut them, as well as myslef and the various traditions centered around each, I found my way to the Theoi and am a very content Hellenic Polytheist. No one path will be perfect for you, but that is where UPG comes in. Not to mention the many varried traditions within any one tradition. I can only speak for Hellenic traditions, but you have strict Recons, Pythagoreans, Neo-Platonists, Mystics, Orphics, Hellenic Wiccans, etc. Each group has their own ideas on the nature of the gods and the afterlife and everythng else. But, start with the gods/spirits that call to you the most; everything else will fall into place as you develop a reationship with Them.  

[saint dreya]

Lady Nadji

phoenix_shadowwolf

um, there is no ancient druidism. there's modern conjecture on what they might have done, but no tradition offers a 'this is definitely what the druids did'.

ooops sorry. redface sweatdrop I'm not really an expert or anything yet, but thanks for pointing that out.

no problem. but, would you please take it out of the poll.  

[TeaDidikai]

Why are so many laboring under the impression that we chose our path and not the other way around?  

[saint dreya]

TeaDidikai

Why are so many laboring under the impression that we chose our path and not the other way around?

mebe that's how it was for them. it didn't find them, or at least, it appeared that it didn't find them...

personally, i made my path, and found out that the group i now work with is along the same lines as my path. coincidences found me seeing indicators of their group fairly often, and finally, literally, driving me there. my goddess then reaffirmed her presence. but otherwise, i made my own path, to my knowledge.  

[TeaDidikai]

phoenix_shadowwolf

TeaDidikai

Why are so many laboring under the impression that we chose our path and not the other way around?

mebe that's how it was for them. it didn't find them, or at least, it appeared that it didn't find them...

personally, i made my path, and found out that the group i now work with is along the same lines as my path. coincidences found me seeing indicators of their group fairly often, and finally, literally, driving me there. my goddess then reaffirmed her presence. but otherwise, i made my own path, to my knowledge.

wink Good. Don't mind people saying as much. Just wish they would say as much.  

[Pelta]

To be honest I think there's too much mentality these days of peoples' pagan paths being cut and dried and served to you on a silver platter. Everyone wants the quick and easy fix, but the fact is, there aint none. It's easy to pick a path description that appeals to you and say "Ooooh! purty! I'm gonna be that now!" and go on your merry way. And what have you learned? Nothing. That may be a bit harsh, but it took a bloody long time for me to find out what was right for me, and in the end i ended up half creating it/ it half creating me. Along the way i studied pretty much everything I could find, got bogged down in loads of places and got stuck for a long time in a disheartened skeptical hell. But in the end i finally did create/find/become the path I was meant for, and everything i did along the way was crucial to helping me find it. So my advice to you is read around, study everything and anything, find what bits you like and what you dont, and why. Personally I don't think there needs to be such a rush to jump into a particular faith that might not be the best for you. Take your time and research it more. Then when you find your path and dedicate yourself to it, it'll be more likely to be the right one.

And if you're asking people online for help choosing your path, I don't think you're ready to commit yourself to one. Nothing wrong with that. There's no reason to rush into something you might regret later.

Hope it all works out for you!  

[TeaDidikai]

missmagpie

To be honest I think there's too much mentality these days of peoples' pagan paths being cut and dried and served to you on a silver platter. Everyone wants the quick and easy fix, but the fact is, there aint none. It's easy to pick a path description that appeals to you and say "Ooooh! purty! I'm gonna be that now!" and go on your merry way. And what have you learned? Nothing. That may be a bit harsh, but it took a bloody long time for me to find out what was right for me, and in the end i ended up half creating it/ it half creating me. Along the way i studied pretty much everything I could find, got bogged down in loads of places and got stuck for a long time in a disheartened skeptical hell. But in the end i finally did create/find/become the path I was meant for, and everything i did along the way was crucial to helping me find it. So my advice to you is read around, study everything and anything, find what bits you like and what you dont, and why. Personally I don't think there needs to be such a rush to jump into a particular faith that might not be the best for you. Take your time and research it more. Then when you find your path and dedicate yourself to it, it'll be more likely to be the right one.

Bingo!

I think this comes from the fact that so many people are used to seeing the majority of those around them (The joys of the world being 1/3 Christian eh?) have a set path, feeling like they need one- also the sense of legitimacy. An agnostic-kinda-sorta Christian isn't uncommon, but with so many people in the neo-pagan scene having insecurities about their faith- the search for the quick answer is very appealing.  

[Pelta]

TeaDidikai

missmagpie

To be honest I think there's too much mentality these days of peoples' pagan paths being cut and dried and served to you on a silver platter. Everyone wants the quick and easy fix, but the fact is, there aint none. It's easy to pick a path description that appeals to you and say "Ooooh! purty! I'm gonna be that now!" and go on your merry way. And what have you learned? Nothing. That may be a bit harsh, but it took a bloody long time for me to find out what was right for me, and in the end i ended up half creating it/ it half creating me. Along the way i studied pretty much everything I could find, got bogged down in loads of places and got stuck for a long time in a disheartened skeptical hell. But in the end i finally did create/find/become the path I was meant for, and everything i did along the way was crucial to helping me find it. So my advice to you is read around, study everything and anything, find what bits you like and what you dont, and why. Personally I don't think there needs to be such a rush to jump into a particular faith that might not be the best for you. Take your time and research it more. Then when you find your path and dedicate yourself to it, it'll be more likely to be the right one.

Bingo!

I think this comes from the fact that so many people are used to seeing the majority of those around them (The joys of the world being 1/3 Christian eh?) have a set path, feeling like they need one- also the sense of legitimacy. An agnostic-kinda-sorta Christian isn't uncommon, but with so many people in the neo-pagan scene having insecurities about their faith- the search for the quick answer is very appealing.

I can understand that. I've never been Christian so I've never experienced the joys of having a doctrine fed to me, but I can see how it would have such an effect on the mentality of those who were. It'd be really nice if there were a quick answer... But if there's anything I've learned from my experiences it's that there isn't. You have to work for everything, and that's what makes it so much more worthwhile in the end. Because you've actually achieved something. As opposed to someone else achieving something and then latching on to it. But I can see the appeal of it.
I guess it's just a lot easier to know you're walking on firm ground, as opposed to trying to wade through quicksand...  

[Mnemosyne of Rivendell]

I first of all don't think you should ask advice of anyone who's not either a close friend or a family member. Choice of belief is far too personal to be left in the hands of people who are basically total strangers.

That being said, I think eclecticism is the best way to go. That way you can suit your path to what you believe now. Sound good? I think so.

Or! You can take the choice that many people take: No religion. You believe what you believe, but you don't have to confine it with a name or a set of rules.  

[TeaDidikai]

Mnemosyne of Rivendell

I first of all don't think you should ask advice of anyone who's not either a close friend or a family member. Choice of belief is far too personal to be left in the hands of people who are basically total strangers.

Because people who have experience couldn't possibly know what they are talking about, nor could they provide insights that could lead someone to research and learn about something outside of their social group's awareness.

Quote:

That being said, I think eclecticism is the best way to go. That way you can suit your path to what you believe now. Sound good? I think so.

Unless you have something against raping other people's traditions.

Quote:

Or! You can take the choice that many people take: No religion. You believe what you believe, but you don't have to confine it with a name or a set of rules.

Which is Eclecticism without calling it such.  

[Tsuzuki]

TeaDidikai

Quote:

That being said, I think eclecticism is the best way to go. That way you can suit your path to what you believe now. Sound good? I think so.

Unless you have something against raping other people's traditions.

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Every new religion has such eclectic beginnings. As long as you understand and appreciate the things you are incorporating, and you don't masquerade as the original, I see no problem with it. Of course, having a legitimate right to such traditions is also a definite plus. If incorporating elements of a religious tradition into something else were rape, you would be committing rape every time you applied it to your daily life. Religions are alive, and so are the components they are made of. You can't stick them in a box and hope they stay the same forever. The parts they are made of spread like the wind whenever people interact naturally.  

[TeaDidikai]

Tsuzuki

TeaDidikai

Quote:

That being said, I think eclecticism is the best way to go. That way you can suit your path to what you believe now. Sound good? I think so.

Unless you have something against raping other people's traditions.

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Every new religion has such eclectic beginnings. As long as you understand and appreciate the things you are incorporating, and you don't masquerade as the original, I see no problem with it. Of course, having a legitimate right to such traditions is also a definite plus. If incorporating elements of a religious tradition into something else were rape, you would be committing rape every time you applied it to your daily life. Religions are alive, and so are the components they are made of. You can't stick them in a box and hope they stay the same forever. The parts they are made of spread like the wind whenever people interact naturally.

My problem with Eclecticism is the tendency to take all the pretty sparkles and leave behind the rubble in their wake.

For example- to run around claiming to be an Eclectic that draws from Domari tradition, when all you do is jack the talisman tradition and leave the sacrifice within the creation behind because you don't want to get blood and dirt under your nails because "it's gross!" is annoying, insulting and arrogant- and out and out not okay in my opinion.  

[Mnemosyne of Rivendell]

TeaDidikai

Tsuzuki

TeaDidikai

Quote:

That being said, I think eclecticism is the best way to go. That way you can suit your path to what you believe now. Sound good? I think so.

Unless you have something against raping other people's traditions.

That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Every new religion has such eclectic beginnings. As long as you understand and appreciate the things you are incorporating, and you don't masquerade as the original, I see no problem with it. Of course, having a legitimate right to such traditions is also a definite plus. If incorporating elements of a religious tradition into something else were rape, you would be committing rape every time you applied it to your daily life. Religions are alive, and so are the components they are made of. You can't stick them in a box and hope they stay the same forever. The parts they are made of spread like the wind whenever people interact naturally.

My problem with Eclecticism is the tendency to take all the pretty sparkles and leave behind the rubble in their wake.

For example- to run around claiming to be an Eclectic that draws from Domari tradition, when all you do is jack the talisman tradition and leave the sacrifice within the creation behind because you don't want to get blood and dirt under your nails because "it's gross!" is annoying, insulting and arrogant- and out and out not okay in my opinion.

I apologize that you have such a problem with Eclecticism that you find any endorsement of it to be an offense. I can see your side of it to a degree: you can't call yourself a Catholic just because you own a rosary. But being an Eclectic is all about experimentation and borrowing, whether it offends you or not, and I agree with Tsuzuki's statement: "Religions are alive, and so are the components they are made of. You can't stick them in a box and hope they stay the same forever."

Look, I'm an Eclectic and proud of it, and I respect your right to disagree with my religious view. But I also ask that you find a slightly less agressively condescending way to express your dissent, ok?  

[TeaDidikai]

Mnemosyne of Rivendell

I apologize that you have such a problem with Eclecticism that you find any endorsement of it to be an offense.

Actually, what I object to is the assertion that Eclecticism is "the best way to go". Fact of the matter is that for many if is a spiritual sink hole because the context of the traditions is lost when you pick and choose the pretty sparklies without any attention or reverence for the sacrifice present within many spiritual traditions. rolleyes

Quote:

I can see your side of it to a degree: you can't call yourself a Catholic just because you own a rosary. But being an Eclectic is all about experimentation and borrowing, whether it offends you or not, and I agree with Tsuzuki's statement: "Religions are alive, and so are the components they are made of. You can't stick them in a box and hope they stay the same forever."

I never said they could. However, Eclecticism without balance is mental masturbation and leads to the worse kind of FluffyBunnyism.

What makes Eclectic Paganism a valid path is its accuracy in scholarship and its balance between an evolving path and the context in which things are drawn from if one decides to form a religion out of it. Faith and Spirituality outside of religion are fine, but the butchering of tradition is the reason people run around half naked with glitter and delusions of Cosmic Superbeinghood while the sane pagans are sitting around sipping our mead and wondering if the fluffy will actually go to the doctor when they catch their death outside in the rain for the ritual of pretty pink unicorns.

Quote:

Look, I'm an Eclectic and proud of it, and I respect your right to disagree with my religious view. But I also ask that you find a slightly less agressively condescending way to express your dissent, ok?

Allow me to put this more politely. I'll not censor myself for the likes of you. You made an inaccurate blanket assertion that suggested that your path was better than mine, or Deo's or Reaguns, or Nuri's... or a dozen of legit traditions because you didn't think about what you were saying.

Care to retract? If not- you have nothing valid to say about how I reply to you.  

[Mnemosyne of Rivendell]

TeaDidikai

Mnemosyne of Rivendell

I apologize that you have such a problem with Eclecticism that you find any endorsement of it to be an offense.

Actually, what I object to is the assertion that Eclecticism is "the best way to go". Fact of the matter is that for many if is a spiritual sink hole because the context of the traditions is lost when you pick and choose the pretty sparklies without any attention or reverence for the sacrifice present within many spiritual traditions. rolleyes

Quote:

I can see your side of it to a degree: you can't call yourself a Catholic just because you own a rosary. But being an Eclectic is all about experimentation and borrowing, whether it offends you or not, and I agree with Tsuzuki's statement: "Religions are alive, and so are the components they are made of. You can't stick them in a box and hope they stay the same forever."

I never said they could. However, Eclecticism without balance is mental masturbation and leads to the worse kind of FluffyBunnyism.

What makes Eclectic Paganism a valid path is its accuracy in scholarship and its balance between an evolving path and the context in which things are drawn from if one decides to form a religion out of it. Faith and Spirituality outside of religion are fine, but the butchering of tradition is the reason people run around half naked with glitter and delusions of Cosmic Superbeinghood while the sane pagans are sitting around sipping our mead and wondering if the fluffy will actually go to the doctor when they catch their death outside in the rain for the ritual of pretty pink unicorns.

Quote:

Look, I'm an Eclectic and proud of it, and I respect your right to disagree with my religious view. But I also ask that you find a slightly less agressively condescending way to express your dissent, ok?

Tell you what, stop coming across as an arrogent prat and I'll stop being agressive towards you.

...I'm sorry, did you say that I'm the one coming across as an arrogant prat in this situation? Is that because I use multisyllabic words or because I somehow managed to state my opinion express myself without resorting to insult? I apologize. I shall humble myself.

Regardless, I admit I shouldn't have recommended Eclecticism as the "best way to go," fine. I also think I must have missed the part where you were God and I was an ignorant peon in need of silencing. Was that before or after I *shock and horror* differed from your own revered thought process?