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 Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 9:05 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2004 10:24 am
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2004 1:27 pm
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2004 4:24 pm
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Nuri
How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life?
Really, minimally. Most of my family doesn't know of my choice to follow paganism; and, based on my aunt's reaction to finding out, they would be appalled to say the least. So, I have no chances to celebrate, etc.
Nuri Does your daily life hinder or support your beliefs or practices?
Oh boy, does my regular life hinder my beliefs. The rest of my family is VERY strongly Christian (please read bottom of post for more info) and includes me in their ceremonies. Now, This way, I can still remain a member of the family, however, it kinda saddens me that my choices aren't even known, let alone accepted.
Nuri What do you wish you could do more for your beliefs on a more regular basis?
Oh boy, anything. But, I have to wait for a residence of my own until I can really get more serious with teh actual practice of the occult. The only thing I can do right now, is to read, read, read.
***I do not hate Christians. Only that, in my family's case, tehy are strongly involved in their belief. (Not that that's a bad thing). The bad thing is that they drag me into it. |
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Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2004 10:36 am
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2004 8:31 pm
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Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:22 pm
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Nuri November 27, 2004
Purpose
Donated by Tigernach
What is the purpose of ritual?
What connection is there between the work we do between the worlds, and our mundane life?
What role does creativity play in witchcraft?
Synchronistically, I actually wrote a mini-rant on this very topic on the train on the way to work this morning. ^_^
What is the purpose of ritual?
Tuning oneself to a particular resonance.
When I try to I imagine the spiritual world, it seems to me to be similar to the electromagnetic spectrum. Within that spectrum, recall, there is a very narrow strip of what constitutes visible light, those frequencies which can be perceived by the human eye. Spiritually, those intentions, states of being, and natural potencies capable of being attained by the human spirit fall within a very narrow range of all energies possible in the cosmos.
According to this concept, a magician is like one who wishes to listen to the radio. The spiritual forces to which the magician dedicates him-or-herself is like the broadcasting frequency. The ritual is the radio itself, a mechanism comprised of emotion, cognition, action, and symbolic materials which bring the natural force into a form perceptible to, and usable by, the magician.
Sound about right? wink
What connection is there between the work we do between the worlds and our mundane life?
Ideally each should complement the other like the two halves of a zipper. The main reason we must draw lines between 'sacred' and 'mundane' is to preserve our own sanity. Every action has spiritual consequences.
If I sit down with a stack of bills and a sheet of paper, write my credits on the right and my debits on the left, add them all up, and decide how I'm going to spend whatever money I have left over for the month, is that not magic? Is there not some--named or nameless!--goddess of circumspection or god of careful stewardship who has watched over my shoulder and said, "This work pleases me." ?
We tend to think there is a disconnection largely because the Christian doctrine of dualism (curiously inappropriate for a religion whose God intentionally took on human flesh) is part of the assumed mindset of Western culture. We imagine body and soul to be separate and at odds, we imagine spirituality and commerce to be naturally opposed. I do not believe that such is the case.
What role does creativity play in witchcraft?
For me the terms are very nearly synonomous (though creativity is obviously the somewhat broader term). I've never once performed a ritual that wasn't either made up on the spot or loosely conceptualized less than a week prior to the working. I write a great deal of poetry, and consider that witchcraft as well. As I see it any creative work is a kind of magic--the act of creation itself, bringing into perceptible form that which was previously unseen. |
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2004 4:58 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 1:05 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:20 pm
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What is the purpose of ritual?
Ritual is metaphorically the breath of religion. Enacting in ritual means you are active in your religion. Whether the ritual is a simple offering, or a coven dancing around a fire under the full moon, it is ensuring that you are living your faith. Rituals have many purposes; gathering energy, thanking the gods, working magic... also group rituals are fine examples of the power of combined faith.
What connection is there between the work we do between the worlds, and our mundane life?
These "worlds" are interconnected one way or another. Working in the "other" world can bring changes to our own, and we can recognize small links and work with them. The connections are simple but yet they are there, and if you learn to recognize them, you can work them to your benefit.
What role does creativity play in witchcraft?
The articulation of words is essential in chanting and witchcraft as a whole. Creativity is something really stressed here; more creativity, generally, means more power. Painting a picture of a desired outcome with plenty of feeling and power can be very efficient. Even if your artistic skill isn't great, you can produce a similar result, but being able to paint well would improve results. Having a high creativity level also means a satisfaction in your work; and this includes one's working of rituals.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 7:40 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2005 6:55 pm
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Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2005 4:07 pm
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How do you feel about the term "fluffy pagan?" What is your definition?
I think it gets overused a lot. If a person even smells a whiff of fluff, they get labeled as one. Using the word has become a knee-jerk reflex and often an excuse to diss someone else's tradition or way of practise. It creates this sort of elitism in Paganism; an 'us vs them' sentimentality. While I understand the usefulness of the word and the reason behind its creation, I think people should be more careful before they jump to conclusions about someone and call them fluffy. Just because someone claims to be a lineaged Witch doesn't mean they're automatically fluffy. Some people actually *are* lineaged Witches.
I pretty much agree with the standard definitions of fluff you see around, such as the one Wicca for the Rest of Us has up. Anybody practising a religion for fad purposes... isn't a true practitioner. They may be later in life, but not when its only a fad for them. In the end they have the right to do what they want and while educating them that what they are doing is not practising a religion is important, it shouldn't be done in a way that criticizes or demeans them. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has followed a fad at some point.
What do you feel are some of the "wrong" reasons that people tend to learn towards the pagan faith? (sex, drugs etc)
The above says one. Any reasons which are selfish and superficial are not the best reasons in my book. Pretty much everything people do is for a selfish reason in one way or another, but it isn't always superficial. A right reason to lean towards the faith would be the desire to learn more about oneself, others, and the Earth. A right reason would be to satisfy intellectual curiosity and cut through all the BS out there about Paganism. A wrong reason would be to be trendy, to be different, or to rebel against your parents, society, whatever.
What annoys you the most about some of todays self-defined pagans?
I haven't had the chance to meet any in real life (or if I have, I didn't know they were Pagan) and I'd hate to make judgements based upon the online community. Even so, I wouldn't say they annoy me all that much anyway. The important thing, to me, is to keep an open mind and always ask questions. Always be skeptical, regardless of where you hear something from. Those who self-define themselves and do this thing will turn out fine. It's those that follow blindly without being critical of the sources they are pulling from that sometimes get a little canted.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:39 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2005 8:36 am
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Hehehe... maybe people aren't noticing the stickies. I might go back and do all the rest of them at some point... =P Seriously people! These are awesome questions! Respond! biggrin
Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?
I'm still working out my system, but almost everything thus far has been derived from Wicca or its offshoots. Everything else has come from my own head and beliefs I've had since I was a kid. I draw a lot from Wicca because although there are parts of it I don't like, it's the most coherent system I've found despite all of its confusions.
What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own?
The stuff that I've had in my system since I was a kid. I haven't run across something quite like it, and even if I do, I came up with it before I read it anywhere so I'll still consider it my own. Not all of these things are spiritual beliefs; many of them are philosophical and can be applied to any pre-existing system of religion or spirituality. I'll probably develop these ideas of mine moreso and make them more central tenants of my belief system... possibly work up my own tradition but I doubt I would ever publish it. I'm nowhere near having enough experience in the Craft to want to publish ANYTHING (chuckles).
What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how?
I got myself started on this all on my own. When I read things for classes and come across a word I don't know, or am not sure of its meaning, I look it up. Pagan just so happened to be one of those words. I'd heard it all the time, but as I was staring at it on the page I realized I didn't truly know what it meant. From there I found Wicca and started reading up on that, and was like "By the Gods... a religion that actually fits me!" The first site I read, and one that continues to be an influence on me, is Wicca for the Rest of Us. It's usually the site I end up pointing people to if they want a good introduction to Wicca.
I hope to meet or find a living, breathing human someday who becomes an inspiration for my Craft path. There are a few online personas I admire on some forums elsewhere, but without the physical contact it's not the same. That contact will come when the time is right. 3nodding
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