Witches Weekly--Updated July 15th, seriously. -- old topic

[godhi]

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?

Although at heart I follow the traditional magical and religious beliefs of my Northern European ancestors, I have found a few traditions that are of use to me. In addition to my core beliefs of Asatru as well as my magical practices of galdhr and seidhr, I use a few bits and pieces of traditional Celtic beliefs and Japanese Shinto, as the magical practices of these faiths use aspects of both Animism and Shamanism, and parallel my own beliefs and magical practices.

What parts of your spirituality do you consider solely your own?

As stated above, I follow the traditional religion of my Norse Heathen ancestors, and with a few minor exceptions attempt to remain as close to their belief system as possible.

What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the Pagan path, and how?

The biggest influence on my Pagan path were the Runes. Back in 1985, a girlfriend gave me a set of Norse runes as a present, and although I soon realized that the book by Ralph Blum which came with them was seriously flawed, it started me on my current path. From there I went to authors such as Edred Thorsson and Freya Aswynn and discovered the mysteries of the Elder Futhark, and quickly became fascinated with the mythology of my Norse and Teutonic ancestors.
I converted to Asatru in 1987, and have never been happier.  

[Starlock]

Runes are neat... do you have any recommended reading on the subject?  

[muirgheal]

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?
Yes, and no. I'm pagan, but I follow very closely to celtic traditions, and shamanism. Some people consider shamanism to be a whole other sect, while some don't. I guess it depends upon your view. I also follow closely to Egyptian cultures, as well as Native American - since I'm part both, I guess it means alot to me.

What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own?
My views on weresides, totems, and animal guides. It's too hard and long to explain my relationship with my weresides, so I'll leave it be.

What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how?
I hate to say it, but Silver. Yes, the fluffy, insanely crazy author. But also the author of the Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft, whose name I've forgotten. They put me on my path, but I left them very long ago. Atleast, Silver. I still love my Idiot's Guide book. How? Because they're the first books I could get and use one of those nifty book covers to kind of conceal it. So I was happy. And they're the only ones that's available at most bookstores.  

[Deandriea]

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?
everything. I go withbasic
traditional' bits
What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own?
Karamagee.
What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how?Karamagee. impossible to explain more than that  

[Shu-Yanna]

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?
I dont think I have truthfully.. and if I have.. ^_^ it's integrated itself so nicely I dont notice.
What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own?

The one thing I consider mine, and mine alone.. would have to be how I speak to The Goddess, in and out of the Circle.
What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how?
It would have to be my mom and my grandma. Both women are very in touch with Native Spiritualism, and they supported, encouraged and taught me everything I needed to know until I was old enough to go and make these decisions on my own.
Actually, I owe my love of herbalism and herbal healing to my grandma (may she rest in peace) and my love of crystal magic from my mom.
Both are great and strong women and I wouldn't be happier if I could be as strong as they are in spirit. heart  

[godhi]

Starlock

Runes are neat... do you have any recommended reading on the subject?

If you own a copy of "The Book of Runes" by Ralph Blum, throw it away. Blum admits that he made up the interpretations of the Runes, making them worse than useless. While you're at it, buy a better set of Runes, too--preferably those made from wood, horn, or bone, although some folks have success with carved crystal, gemstone, or glazed terra cotta.
Read these books by the following authors:

Edred Thorsson:
Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic
Runelore
At the Well of Wyrd

Freya Aswynn:
Northern Mysteries*

*this book is the revised edition of "Leaves of Yggdrasil," her previous book on the use of galdhr and seidhr magic.

Kvendulf Gundarsson:
Teutonic Magic

These books should get you started. Good luck with your quest for knowledge!  

[XxXMisatoXxX]

*walks in * umm im new here ello  

[XxXMisatoXxX]

What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how? ....my mom ....  

[LilyPadma]

What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how?

I was raised in a family of very intolerant fundamentalist Christians. I bought all of it, really didn't have any choice. A few years after I left home it dawned on me, rather like being hit over the head with a sledgehammer, that I was a lesbian. Let me just say that possibility had never once occurred to me; it had never felt safe to question anything, certainly not my sexual orientation. Everything I had ever been taught told me that if I followed that path I'd go to Hell. I knew I was a faithful Christian, and that I was Not an evil person. It made no sense to me that being a lesbian would change me into an evil person who belonged in Hell. I started questioning everything I had ever been taught about religion and ultimately decided I was a pagan.

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?

I'm very eclectic. I suppose it's predictable, but I became fascinated by Goddesses. I'm particularly interested in the Paleolithic and Neolithic variety. I read a lot of anthropology and archeology about prehistoric cultures of Europe and Asia. I'm currently reading Language of the Goddess by archeologist, Marija Gimbutas. Also I've been practicing with a set of Goddess tarot cards and am interested in animal guides and dreams. Sometime I want to learn about concepts from psychology and physics such as the Universal Consciousness, synchronicity, reality, and string theory. I once read something supposedly scientific about plant intelligence. I doubt the credibility of the source, but that's another thing I want to learn about. So many interests, so little time...

What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own?

I don't consider particular parts my own so much as the amalgam. What I gravitate towards and adopt is uniquely based on my own experience, subconscious, and intuition.  

[Nagaz]

hey hwats up im new here.

in reply to the runes post.
a good book the one i got started with is

The book Of Runes by: Francis Melville

it gives a history and a basic interpretation and some divination technequis(spelt wrong) xd

Also i hand make rune stones. so if you want a set pm me and i will tell you how much it will cost me to send you a set. if anyone is enterested.  

[chaoticpuppet]

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions:Yes, and more than just from pagan traditions

If so, what sad in no particular order) Zen Buddhism, Christianity, Agnosticism, Mysticism, Existenialistic Atheism, Polytheism, Deism, various Occult-isms (e.g. Golden Dawn), various paganisms (e.g. Druidism, Wiccanism, etc.), Gnosticism, Satanism.

and why: Well, simply because I look at the philosophy behind them, and pick and choose what I feel aligns with my morals. So, in other words, because of my morals.

What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own: The part where I mix and match various religions; as well as the afterlife(in a way).

What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how: My morals. That's it.  

[Doctrix]

Nuri

Have you taken bits and pieces of your spirituality from other traditions? If so, what and why?

Yes. I use a lot of ritual basics that are drawn from various Outer Court British Traditional Wiccan sources. I do this because I am not yet an Initiated Wiccan. I try to keep the flavor of what I do harmonious to that of my experiences with BTW.

Nuri

What parts of your spirituality do you consider soley your own?

My spiritual experiences, and my relationships with the Gods.

Nuri

What or who was your biggest influence to put you on the pagan path, and how?

I think having very understanding parents, including a mother who is into Ceremonial Magic, must have had an influence. But when I started having strange magical experiences as a young teen, I started seriously investigating and finding a practice of my own.  

[maenad nuri]

New Questions:

Name on of your goals within the next year that pertains to your spiritual path.

Describe a brief outline to one of your rituals or spells.

If you celebrate Beltane, what does the season mean to you? Are there any paritcular deities that you honor or special ritual tasks that you do for Beltane?  

[Starlock]

Name on of your goals within the next year that pertains to your spiritual path.

I want to try to get a working Book of Shadows, so that's priority for me. It means continuing research on many different areas I want to include in my practices and then deciding if I want to go by what I found or tweak it a bit to fit me. The problem is the research never seems to be finished. There are always new sources to find to add to the information xd

Describe a brief outline to one of your rituals or spells.

I haven't really done a lot of this type of stuff yet, but I do sometimes do a form of water meditation and cleansing. I just sit in the shower and become one with water, and let its powers do what they do. =)

If you celebrate Beltane, what does the season mean to you? Are there any paritcular deities that you honor or special ritual tasks that you do for Beltane?

I want to celebrate the turning of the wheel, but it's hard to get myself to do anything without anybody to celebrate it WITH, ya know? It certainly hasn't felt like Beltane here in the midwest with how cold it's been. I hear they had snow in parts of Wisconsin! Makes it a bit hard to connect with the feeling of Beltane when it feels more like Yule... sweatdrop  

[Ailinea]

Name on of your goals within the next year that pertains to your spiritual path.
One goal I would love to accomplish is being able to meditate. I've been having such a hard time visualizing, no matter how many times I practice or what music I use. Once I accomplish that, most other things won't be so difficult.

Describe a brief outline to one of your rituals or spells.
Since I'm still on my own and kind of in a rut lately, I only have one personal spell, and that is making a dream pouch. I close the circle, call on the elements, etc. I then invoke Epona to lend me a helping hand. Then I use a certain pouch I carry with a dream catcher embroidered on it. I add certain types of herbs, such as mugwort, lavender, and others into a pestle, grind them until combined well, add a bit of a special oil I concocted, and add it to the pouch. Then I throw in some stones, such as amethyst and jade. With Epona's guidance, I raise energy to charge the pouch. I then thank her, place a gift for her on my altar, and evoke her, the elements, and open the circle. I usually do this during a full moon cycle because of the correlation between the moon and dreams.

If you celebrate Beltane, what does the season mean to you? Are there any paritcular deities that you honor or special ritual tasks that you do for Beltane?
I haven't yet celebrated Beltane, but I look forward to it in the future. Just as Starlock said, it sure doesn't feel so Beltane-y here with all the fluctuation weather. But I have decorated my altar in accordance with the season.