YOUR Path,Religion,Way,Power IS Unique to YOU!

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Permalink Reply by Ritalin-Bunny on April 4, 2012 at 10:52am

I can't speak for the coven because I'm not a member of one and I don't practice Wicca, but I am of the opinion that evolving and traditions are not mutually inclusive.

Man, that's wordy and confusing. I'll put it like this. I, my opinion; believe that to keep a tradition in the way it is handed down means that it doesn't evolve. It remains rigid. If there is an evolution then that is where the branch reaches out from the tree.

The example I would site is the evolution of Westernized monotheism. From the wandering and enslavements of a desert tribe we can trace elements of Egyptian, Syrian, Babylonian, even Sumerian mysticism. The duality of Zoroastrianism; the legend of Sirius, the trinity and a living messiah son of God. The off shoots from the Judaic religion are the Christians and the Islamic, and those both have had branches shoot from them, many times over.

 

When I look at the entanglements of branches back down to the roots I would like to see what many pagan are searching for. The foundation, the tradition intact.

The evolution process has made that nearly impossible, hence the desire for some to labor over reconstructions of what they can best guess what was once real traditions.

I don't see bad or good in all of this. I do see something lost though.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on April 4, 2012 at 11:02am

INTERESTING SIR BUNNY! I DO follow a path of traditionally Scottish witchery,myself,though as a solitaire I do adapt,add,change,realign to how i want to do it,pherhaps others that follow the path would not approve,not sure and frankly,not my concern....buit it seems every path ,even those set in stone ,never stay exactly the same,no matter how "SET" they are to begin with,look at Catholism,as an example,it changes in leaps,bounds and small steps.......years ago meat eating on fridays was a sin,no longer. For me,it is the idea that though the rOOTS can stay intact and remain,the offshoots of the solid roots can still add value,dependent on how they grow......

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Permalink Reply by Tea on April 4, 2012 at 12:23pm

Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN 57 minutes ago

I DO follow a path of traditionally Scottish witchery,myself,though as a solitaire I do adapt,add,change,realign to how i want to do it,pherhaps others that follow the path would not approve,not sure and frankly,not my concern....

I look at it like this C-Lass, if we were all Identically the same, then not only the world would be so damn boring, but, also all Religions would be that way as well. People wouldn't change, convert, or even stop in their belief systems that they were reared in.

Life is just like this, none of all believe in the same thing, even if we sit side by side in a church hearing the same thing or a school house hearing the same teachers. Science a lone never would have made it as far as it has if we all never stepped out of our Boxes at times.

These are only my Opinions, but to give some thought to this, allow yourself to say for instance. "I am going to use only Herbs to heal myself, but you keep getting sicker!" "Now you have been told that there is a better way of healing called a Doctor!" "But you only stay in the narrow minded way you and your group only practice and now everyone is getting sick." So who is right, who stepped out of their Box, who is willing to try the new way and yet stay with the way they were taught?"

Me, I say step out of your Box, even though you believe in the old ways! You can believe in both, this has been proven time and time again!!!!

BTW, this example can be used in Religion, Medicine, Culinary to any thing in any ones life!

Blessings,

~Tea~

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Permalink Reply by Kixs on April 4, 2012 at 11:47am

I enjoy the new people that come to PS. They often times have not been around other's paths and make mistakes in the wording they use, I know I sure did..lol. I try to guide them toward a more pagan space acceptable format. Then the learning begins on both sides.

With people from all over the world on here, I find it very exciting to read about their paths. To see how they are simulair and how they are different.

I would never tell anyone their path was wrong. It is for them to decide.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on April 4, 2012 at 11:53am

OR call their path bullshit,boy that just fries my ham when i see that on here or any other form.....HUGS KIXS!

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Permalink Reply by Non Sequiteur on April 4, 2012 at 12:01pm

  ( Maybe this is a good place to post this here...) Personally, I view my "path" as one that has expanded to include many more expedient means than just reading. There is, for myself at least, a point at which simply reading other people's stuff is not sufficient. There has to be a "felt-sense" of knowing, and a very experiential sense of sharing that information. For me, the use of "potions" which allow my consciousness to expand and my senses to increase in awareness is more expedient (than just reading other people's books, and cussing and dis-cussing them). 

  This maybe a very controversial topic for me to introduce. There are all sorts of issues that come into light: legality in the US (where I am), mental health, harm reduction to just name a few. I also believe that there is validity to the "scientific process" as opposed to anecdotal report. When and experience is relatively consistent and repeatable then it provides a "page" -so to speak- to which anyone can reference. If an experience takes place all inside the domain of my "head-space" then that is all good and well and may seem very real and viable to me, but it does little for you or anyone else to whom I am reporting my experience if it cannot be shared.

  For example, there are shamans (genuine healers from obscure ethnic groups) who are offering their services. One such is Bwiti shaman who practices healing and addiction recovery using Iboga. He is located in Costa Rica where he is not harassed by the local government. There are testimonials from people who have experienced many ayahuasca "trips", and these people were specifically wanting to cure their addiction to processed pharmaceutical substances: cocaine, or heroin. Their report has been that after just one treatment with Iboga that they felt a great sense of relief from their addiction, and discovered many answers to questions about which they had wondered. The Bwiti shaman uses Iboga compound and not simply ibogaine – the processed pharmaceutical. There are many healthcare professionals out there using ibogaine, and other processed substances to administer “therapies” to persons with addictions. They report a great deal of success, however I believe there is some validity to the interaction between the Genuine shaman and the substance in it’s raw, wild form. This use of substances in the treatment of addiction is just one example, but I believe that it leads to a bigger declaration.

   What I am getting at is: the synergistic effect of the plant in it’s natural form administered under the guidance of a person with much experience in the particular “language” that the plant speaks. The Shaman (being someone of genuine experience here) is able to discern and speak the language of the plant. The plant is left as close as possible to its natural state so that it is not “killed”, and it can convey its assistance in producing it’s message. Plants possess remarkable intelligence, and are able to discern from their environment subtle catalysts that can cause them to produce particular substances in response to stress in their environment. The Shaman who works with the plant is one who knows how to “ask” of the plant for those “answers”, and is one who can guide seekers to having a “felt-sense” of knowing those answers for themselves.

  Plants and their properties, and their willingness to work with other species, is just one aspect of the whole web of information that is constantly and subtly being transmitted in the Now.

  I guess this proposition begs the question: just how tolerant ARE we? Are we willing to include the “magick” and information that other life forms are willing to communicate with us? Or, are we just afraid to really have that “felt-sense” of knowing: to know what forms of awareness and consciousness exist beyond our little cranium?

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on April 4, 2012 at 12:23pm

THANKS for your input.We are going to Costa Roco next Dec hopefully...... THe ":felt-sense".....is used by those that embrace it,accept it and use it ,I believe.....with no fear only acceptance of the way it can be used. The use of plants,herbs,the "way of the Earth" has ben upheld and used by many traditions and passed on,a fine thing,as i see it.

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Permalink Reply by Tara Flower on April 4, 2012 at 2:34pm

I never know what to say my religion is when filling in forms ,because I feel comfortable in lots of different

ones. I've heard people say it is wooly minded to pick and choose bits to believe in from all different places,

but surely it is a good thing because it stops you being prejudiced against others. For example Pagans and

Hindus and New Age people all believe in chakras-it's because they have genuinely all experienced that

they have chakras, and not that they are picking up an assorted basket of bits to believe in.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on April 4, 2012 at 6:59pm

What is "Wooly minded?"

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Permalink Reply by Barry J King on April 4, 2012 at 11:14pm

I simply write in Eclectic Pagan when a form ask what religion I am.

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Permalink Reply by JJ on April 5, 2012 at 12:23am

I agree Celtic.  It is our personal perceptions that most strongly affect our experiences on our paths.  Too many times people will look at the differences in how someone perceives something or how they practice it and use that as a reason to try to invalidate it even if those practices bring about the same end result.  Rather than accept the fact that people experience things in a different way, they view the differences as a challenge to their personal "truth".  Others may form their own perception of who and what I am but only I can define the truth of who and what I am.

It's much like baking a cake.  We all have our favorite recipes calling for different ingredients and when they are done they will have different appearances and different flavors but regardless of the flavor or appearance they are all still cakes.

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Permalink Reply by Celticlass...FAERIE QUEEN on April 5, 2012 at 3:45pm

GREAT anaolgy with the cake JJ!!!

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