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Post by LadyWinterWolf on Oct 21, 2003 18:20:45 GMT -5
So there's no confusion as to why I started this thread in General Chat, it's to use it more as a learning tool for those interested in Paganism, whether on a particular path, trying to figure out if they are on a path, or just interested in the subject.
I rather it did not become a debate and/or discussion of Christianity vs Paganism, or even Pagan vs Pagan.
So please, lets keep this for learning and discussion.Definition of Paganism: Paganism is being on any path which is not Judeo-Christian-Islamic. Buddhism, Hinduism, Native American paths, Wicca, Hellenism, Druids, Asatru are some examples of these paths. Many paths are based on earth-based beliefs, but not all Pagans center their focus on "Mother Earth". Satanism is twisted or inverted Christianity and is therefore not a pagan path. In fact, there is no "satan" in any pagan path. --------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have particular questions, want to give information or just let us know of your belief, please feel free. I'll post various web addresses here and there for finding information, especially if I cannot answer a question myself. Ocean Whysper is a sister witch, and I'm sure she'll be here too to help, and offer her abundant knowledge. One website I believe gives the best resources is: The Witches' Voice, www.witchvox.com It is not just for "witches", but is a site for Paganism in general. You can meet people from your own area, find out what shops are around, classes to attend and meetings for groups. EDIT: to state exactly the intent of this thread
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Post by Galadon on Oct 21, 2003 18:26:56 GMT -5
I promise, no debate on this subject. Will you give information here or at the various web sights.
You could start with the basic's. I was planning on reading on this but other books seem to find there way in my hand.
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Post by LadyWinterWolf on Oct 21, 2003 18:34:55 GMT -5
I'll be posting information on this thread, giving web sites as references, and trying to answer questions to the best of my ability. But if others can give answers too, that would be great, for not every sect of Paganism sees things exactly the same way. What a person who practices Asatru (Norse) thinks about spellcraft may be very, very different than someone who is Wiccan. Questions help to get the ball rolling, but posting beliefs will too.  |
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Post by LadyWinterWolf on Oct 21, 2003 19:48:24 GMT -5
Guess I'll start this off by explaining Hellenism (The Greek Pantheon)........SSD and I are both Hellenists, and here's a description from www.hellenion.orgWhat We Mean by Hellenic Pagan Reconstructionism While the members of Hellenion are of course free to pursue whatever personal religions their hearts and souls commend them to, part of our mission is to provide fellowship and information for people wishing to honor the ancient gods of Hellas with the future intent of reconstructing public rites of the ancient pagan Hellenic religion. As such, our concept of Pagan Reconstructionism entails: Reverence for the pre-Christian Hellenic deities and Mysteries. A connection with the ancestors, honoring Hestia as the goddess of hearth and home. Within a modern context, this means a concern for family, in its broadest sense, whether by related by blood, spirit, or kinship ties. A connection with the Hellenic past. We strive to be as historically (and mythologically) accurate as the state of the evidence allows. When gaps in the evidence, or the realities of modern life, make it necessary to create something new it should be: As consistent as possible with what we do know about the ancient Hellas and its colonies throughout the Mediterranean up until the point of the end of the Delphic Oracle in history. Clearly presented as a recent innovation. We frown on attempts to advertise something modern and invented as ancient and historical in order to give it an authority (and marketability!) it does not deserve. A balanced approach to understanding classical Hellenic religion which relies on both sound scholarship and poetic inspiration without mistaking one for the other. Inclusiveness. While we recognize the importance of an ethnic component in traditional Hellenic religion, we seek to reconstruct the religious culture of the ancients, not their society. Therefore, we do not rely on genealogy or geography to determine who is a Hellenic Pagan. Just as the Eleusinian Mysteries were open to those who could understand the Greek language, our group is open to all who worship in the ancient Hellenic tradition today. Respect for men and women regardless of ethnicity, color, creed, social status, sexual orientation, or physical ability. A moral code inspired by the Delphic maxims which emphasizes the following: know thyself, nothing in excess, and respect for oneself, others, and the gods. What We Are Not AboutAs we are concerned with historical accuracy, the public rites of the Greek/Hellenic religion do not include: Any of the interpretations of Hermetic philosophy and magic that emerged during the European Renaissance (not the traditions themselves, but their Renaissance interpretations) and/or modern religions movements that they have since inspired, such as Wicca, neo-shamanism, and the like. Eclecticism (as opposed to historical syncreticism); combining ancient Hellenic religion with other cultural traditions that weren't combined historically. Foreign cults related to the ancient Greeks and their colonies are appropriate, such as such as the Phrygian Great Mother Kybele, and her consort, Attis. As always, we emphasize that people's personal practices can be as they choose, by their heart and their soul, but what we choose to focus on as a group is strictly on the Hellenic religion. |
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Post by ShonenSenshiDave on Oct 21, 2003 20:42:31 GMT -5
just to add some definitions here:
Hellenic: A path which embraces a reverence for the Gods of Olympos and the traditional means of worship of the ancient Greeks. There are a number of subgroups and Mystery Cults of Hellenic Religion: Orphics, Pythagoreans, Neo-Platonists, Bacchae, and Elusynian Mysteries, to name a few. The majority of Hellenic pagans tend to focus on the worship of the Gods as done through the Hellenic Period of Greece; before that there isn't a lot of info, and after that things got a bit complicated, to say the least.
Asatru: A path which embraces a reverence for the Gods of the Nordic pantheon and Their traditional means of worship.
Kemeticism: A path embracing a reverence for the Pharonic/Egyptian Pantheon and Their traditional means of worship.
Religio Romana/Nova Roma: Paths focusing on the worship of the Gods of the Romans (and yes, there is a difference between the Gods of Olympos and the Gods of the Romans!).
Reconstructionism: A religious methodology which uses history, literature, art, philosophy, and other "academic" fields of study to recreate a religious tradition of an ancient culture.
Wicca: a blanket term for the modern pagan movement which embraces a revrence for a Goddess-centered religion focusing on a cyclical calendar where each major holiday represents an aspect of the life cycle. There are many flavors of Wicca, such as Dianic (serious Goddess emphasis), Gardnerian, Alexandrian, etc. Although there isn't a single definition for Wicca, it is marked by an eclectic mix of ancient Celtic, late 19th and early 20th century Mysticism (such as Thelema, Golden Dawn, and Freemasonry), and Jungian theories about the nature of the Gods.
Thelema and Golden Dawn: Two distinct paths which focus on different aspects of Ceremonial Magicks. Ceremonial Magicks draw upon ancient pagan (mainly Egyptian, but also some Greek) concepts, Qabbalah (Jewish mysticism), and elemental magicks.
think I hit most of the major ones, especially since most people have at least a passing familiarity with Buddhism, Hinuism, Druidism, and Native American religions...
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Post by Loki3 on Oct 22, 2003 0:07:13 GMT -5
A very good friend of mine and his girl are Pagan, and are probually two of the most nicest people I know. This has allways interested me. Here are some sites he visits on my computer. www.witchvox.com/www.wicca.com/www.neopagan.net/Some interesting reading for those thinking about there own path. Andb Lady this is an awesome topic. Very relevent given the games we play and the time of year. And to simply let people know that paganism is not the worshiping of the devil, I can also if you would like the help spread some insight into the origins of paganism in the medievil world. |
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Post by LadyWinterWolf on Oct 22, 2003 0:58:06 GMT -5
Loki3
Glad you like it Loki, and like you said, with true Paganism, the devil has no part in any sect, for that is a concept that does NOT exist in any of the various paths.
Since much of Paganism does have roots back to various cultures, any information you can give us relating to medieval times would be most helpful.
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Post by Jayce Vallintine on Oct 22, 2003 1:32:47 GMT -5
IRL, I am Pagan My path is a bit odd to explain however I fallow basic Wicca beliefs. I take what I know and direct it through my own personal world. I too could help with this matter, if needed. I am a 5 and a half year Pagan, but before that I felt a little weird about where I was, or what I should be. Everything was a bit blurry for awhile untel I took some books and decided to find out what fits. Thats all I will say about my life... I am going back to my WoD Malkavian life and laugh at you all.. or not, I don't know right now?  |
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Post by GIR on Oct 22, 2003 1:59:10 GMT -5
spiritism? ? ?
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Post by LadyWinterWolf on Oct 22, 2003 2:35:42 GMT -5
Found this on the Lycos Encyclopedia site: Spiritism] Spiritism or spiritualism,belief that the human personality continues to exist after death and can communicate with the living through the agency of a medium or psychic. The advocates of spiritism argue that death merely means a change of wavelength for those who die, and the medium is said to be able to receive radiations, frequencies, or vibrations that cannot be sensed by an ordinary person. Communication from the spirit world manifests itself in psychical phenomena (e.g., telepathy, clairvoyance, trance speaking, and apparitions) and in physical phenomena (e.g., levitation, automatic writing, and poltergeist and ectoplasmic activities). Ectoplasm is the mysterious visible substance in which the forces of the “other world” materialize. Closely related to the concept of the ectoplasm is the aura, a colored emanation that supposedly surrounds all individuals and that can be perceived by the medium. By noting variations in the hues of a person's aura, the medium is able to describe his personality, needs, and illnesses. The shriveling of the aura is considered a sign of an impending death. In what is known as solar plexus voice mediumship, a spirit appears to speak through a medium's body. Modern spiritism in the United States dates from the activities of the Fox sisters in 1848. Such notable figures as Andrew Jackson Davis, Daniel Dunglas Home, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and Arthur Conan Doyle later became widely known spiritualists. The Society for Psychical Research has carried on investigations with some phenomena, mainly in connection with telepathy and apparitions, in hopes of finding scientific explanations for various spiritualistic occurrences (see parapsychology). See A. F. Schrenck von Notzing, Phenomena of Materialization (1920); Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, History of Spiritualism (1926); Sir Oliver Lodge, Phantom Walls (1930); S. E. White, The Unobstructed Universe (repr. 1959); G. K. Nelson, Spiritualism and Society (1969); S. Brown, The Heyday of Spiritualism (1970). |
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Post by MjolnirH on Oct 22, 2003 7:17:03 GMT -5
<-------------------Asatru, heh as if the Viking thing wasn't a clue rofl ;D
Asatru Holy Rituals heh Mostly Drinking ;D
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Post by Ahnemesis on Oct 22, 2003 20:39:41 GMT -5
i know theres been a recent surge of in the Hellenistic path. I was surprised to know it still existed.
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Post by Archmage Turanis Altaine on Oct 22, 2003 20:51:20 GMT -5
heh, LWW helped me find my path. I am a Magi'i pure and simple.  |
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Post by Iron Bonny Shades on Oct 22, 2003 21:44:08 GMT -5
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Post by LadyWinterWolf on Oct 23, 2003 0:55:06 GMT -5
i know theres been a recent surge of in the Hellenistic path. I was surprised to know it still existed. Been in existence for decades, but not as well published as some of the "popular" sects of Paganism. Hellenism is also based on historical written documentation from ancient Grecian times. Many people find this to be rather, for lack of a better word, boring. Our rituals are also very simplistic, while other sects attract followers due to stylized rituals. All up to what draws you in the long run. |
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