Ask a Pagan.

[Amargith]

Has the prevalence of Harry Potter books and movies done anything to change people's perceptions or attitudes towards paganism or pagan ideas in your opinion/assessment?

In your mind, what are some of the major typical beliefs or attitudes associated with paganism? Expressed differently, if someone said "umm, so your pagan, what does that mean or involve?" how would you respond?

I'd wager it's increased the curiosity of the 'mainstream' public towards paganism, and I did even see in Belgium the rise of a 'witch school, Hogwarts-style', though even before the movies became a hit, Wicca was on the rise and gaining media exposure. And even now, it is Wicca that gets identified as being Paganism in general.

As for your second question, it was in fact asked in the beginning of the thread. I'd say it's the reverence of Nature that binds all pagan religions together under the umbrella that is Paganism. I'd explain it to be observing the seasons and feeling both a spiritual and sometimes cultural bond with the land you were born onto, be it the entire planet, or a specific geographic/cultural part of it, and that often one feels a connection with all living things.

Awesome, where do I order mine???

Awesome, a Pagan discussion. I would also like to chime in if I may as a self-identified Heathen.

I identify with Germanic Neo-Paganism philosophically (i.e. Machiavellian) and historically/culturally since I'm of Anglo-Norman descent; however, my ideas as to the nature of gods differs. I'm a panendeist, so I believe in a single supreme being that permeates all of nature and living creatures, yet still retains a certain consciousness. I'm probably similar to kyuuei in the regard that I believe that all of the monotheistic "gods" are the same. I just call mine Odin. By definition, this being does not necessarily take an active role in our world, but I admit I do pray when I feel like it if only for its meditative advantages.

As far as the nature of other gods, angels, and spirits, I take a more agnostic role, though I am open to their existence. I do not cast spells. I do not take part in rituals unless they are of my own making, though I am open to others if I feel they are productive.

Anyway, just thought I'd lend my two cents as to how diverse Pagan beliefs are. One article on Paganism I read specifically referred to certain divisions as Pagan pantheism, which I felt suit me better than anything else.

Lol, we sure are a silent lot. I had no idea that there were several other pagans here
Feel free to join in, different perspectives are always a good thing, especially when demystifying something personal like this.
I'm actually a (n eclectic) follower of the Germanic tradition myself in certain ways, as it is part of my ancestry
I don't know the details on Odinism, but have you checked it out for yourself? You might find it of use
(I work often with his female counterpart, Freyja, myself)

Wait, what, 1)what do you consider magical.

Metaphysical? Synchronicity? Law of Attraction? Positive intentions? Mysticism? New Age paradigms? Electric universes? Holographic Universes? Sequential activation of 12 dna strands? Light and sound activation? Clairaudience, clairsentience, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, telekinesis, telepathy, psychics?

2) What is the difference between warlocks, wizards, magicians, sorcerers, shamans, druids, witches and seers etc any?

3) How important is the role of astrology in witchcraft?
4)Where do rituals come from? Why are they necessary?
5) Are stones and crystals important in witchcraft?
6) What about cauldrons, is it true they make tasty soups with herbs and spices?
7)And wands, I have to ask, do you have a wand? And do you like or dislike Bewitched the series?
8)What are your views about reincarnation and past lives? Have you ever had any past life regression done to determine why you are interested in this field you have been drawn to your whole life? If not have you entertained the idea?
9)Have you astral traveled, describe this idea?
10) Also what is the intention behind book of shadows and grimoires?

I ask too much out of curiosity. you asked.

I naturally have an interest in this on some level it seems. And seem to test as Pagan, Neo-Pagan and Universal Universalism, I am undecided where I stand personally and its a curious thread. Thanks in advance.

1) I expanded a bit more on this idea earlier in the thread, but basically all of what you've mentioned can be determined part of 'magic', I guess. Magic (in my books) is simply that which hasn't been explained by science yet and has to do with 'working with energy' in order to affect yourself or your surroundings and create a desired outcome for yourself. There's nothing supernatural about it and it requires a lot of training and work, much like any skill.

2) warlocks, magicians, wizards and sorcerers mostly appear in fantasy books or games, ime. The names are sometimes used in some traditions, but mostly the term 'witch' is applied. Druids are priests of the Celtic tradition (Druidism). Seers is a general term for those that hold the ability to see into the future (in the Norse Tradition known as Spå), and sometimes (if memory serves) falsely those that can contact spirits of other realms and gain information that way (mediums, shamans and volva for instance). Witch is a general term for a practitioner of the Craft (being magic). It tends to be a person who uses grounding, visualization, meditation and energy work, along with associative tools to generate a desired outcome, and considers that the main part of their craft. There's many types of witches and many different traditions within Witchcraft.

3) It's a divination tool for the most part, much like using tarot, tea leaves, crystal balls, I-Ching, etc. It is practised by those that are drawn to it, but is in no way vital to the Craft, much like tarot is just a tool as well for those that are drawn to it.

4) Rituals are meant to help the human mind go into a trance. Some people (I suspect SJs especially) find it very soothing and calming to go through the same gestures over and over, till they are in the trance they need to do the work they need to do (be it casting spells or worshipping their gods). There are those that enjoy ceremonial magic, which tends to be an almost scripted ritual for casting a spell, and those that stick with spontaneous magic, usually referred to as 'folk' magic. Personally, I fall asleep if I have to repeat the same gestures over and over again, but I do use the same associations over and over again..I just change the way I express them, or tweak it specifically for this situation, usually. Hence my preference for 'Folk' Magic. You'll find more ceremonial/ritualistic magic/ practices in the more formal covens.

5) Stones and crystals are tools. They can be of great assistance, but much like astrology, they aren't necessary. I personally am mad about crystals, especially clear quartz, as they function like a battery of power for me. But there are others who have no affinity with them and prefe perhaps herbs or colors, or even sounds to work with and establish the right frame of mind to craft the spell and raise the amount of energy you need for it.

6) Cauldrons are again, a tool. Sure you can cook awesome food in it and even perform kitchen magic with them, but they aren't a necessity either. If you like brewing potions or literally cooking up spells, it's a great thing to have though. In Wicca, the cauldron holds a special significance as a symbol of the Goddess and her fertility (uterus= like a cauldron).

7) I used to have a wand, to try out if it worked for me. It didn't. Wands are typically used to direct energy and can be used as an association tool as well (use rosequartz wand to promote harmony and peace, for instance). They tend to work as a focus for your spell, or so I'm told. The same is true for a staff, and it's also hypothesized that a staff helps ground you during the spell, due to its connection to the earth (as well as is able to draw energy from the earth for the spell if needed). The Bewitched series wasn't my cup of tea.

8) TBH, I don't hold a great deal of interest in that area. I've contemplated it, and I'd like to think we reincarnate, but I just don't know. I've never done a past life regression due to the simple fact that I'm not really open to sharing my Craft with most people and past life regressions usually require you to have someone walk you through it. Personally, I tend to not like opening my mind to the imprinting of someone else, whether they do that deliberately or not. It does't help that most people I meet who are into paganism or spirituality sit on a fucking pink cloud and float all about you till you're nauseous, and are in serious need of some fucking grounding 101 lessons, or are just escapists from reality (which I get, that place is a fucking menace). Either way, neither are welcome in my mind.

9) Astral travelling is considered a more advanced form of 'magic'. As I'm solitary on my Path it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the experiences I've had, especially as I don't reallly have much contact with fellow Pagans in general. I haven't focused on actually acquiring the skill as I'm not finding much use for it, but I do have periods where I experience intense lucid dreams which are close to the common descriptions of astral travelling. Astral travelling is the advanced form of out of body experiences, from what I recall. I've definitely had that was fear-induced. Out of body experiences are on this plane, when you can actually see your own body from outside your own body, and observe yourself. Astral Travel is where you get out of you body, and then 'travel' to another world. The world of the dead, the elves, 'heaven'..whatever you want to 'visit' as such. I tend to be able to control my dreams in the other worlds (they tend to have different rules than our reality) that I visit in my dreams and am aware of what's going on around me in the real world at the same time...literally awake while sleeping at the same time. I'm a bit fussy as of yet whether this classifies as astral travelling or not...

10) A Book of Shadow is used by a Wiccan to keep track of her spiritual journey. It typically holds all of the spells s/he crafted, the rituals s/he practises on both sabbats and esbats, general life lessons and gathered nuggets of knowledge and wisdom, a religious section, etc. A Grimoire fulfills the same purpose for a Witch, but it tends to be absent of the more rigid structure Wiccans tend to hold to as well as the typical Wiccan religious traits (though it might include chapters on her own religion as Witchcraft is a craft, and can be combined with just about any religion, in particular the pagan religions). In short, it's a spiritual diary/log.

 

[ByMySword]

I don't know the details on Odinism, but have you checked it out for yourself? You might find it of use
(I work often with his female counterpart, Freyja, myself)

Yes I have. I particularly like Theodism as well. I take from Theodism, Odinism, and Asatru. But I cannot claim to be any, so I resort to distinguish myself from these by being Heathen. Since my views on the nature of the gods don't necessarily permit me to address the other gods as if they actually exist, I limit myself to Odin in a more Deist light. I address my god as a male because I am a male; however I understand the ambiguity of the gender of gods.

I could also chime in about holidays. Like kyuuei (we live in the same city), I grew up in the Bible Belt, being very Christian. Its hard for us to survive here. Like her, I many times just refer to "God" in order to get my points across rather than take the time to explain every single thing about my viewpoints. I celebrate Christmas as Yule, though I do often have to refer to it as Christmas. I highlight the Germanic decorations and reduce the Christian influence. I celebrate Easter as Easter, though for the rebirth of the Earth rather than the resurrection of Christ. Once again, the Germanic tradition is highlighted. This is very different since I don't live by myself and celebrate these holidays with my family, who are Christian. But I try to be tolerant even if they aren't in order to find my own connection to the spiritual world.

I don't think any Pagan would be surprised to hear me say that I feel closest to Odin when I'm hunting in the forest. At least the Bible Belt doesn't have a problem with hunters.

 

[Mole]

Pagan Meditation or Contemplation

Tell me about pagan meditation or pagan contemplation.

 

[Synapse]

1) I expanded a bit more on this idea earlier in the thread, but basically all of what you've mentioned can be determined part of 'magic', I guess. Magic (in my books) is simply that which hasn't been explained by science yet and has to do with 'working with energy' in order to affect yourself or your surroundings and create a desired outcome for yourself. There's nothing supernatural about it and it requires a lot of training and work, much like any skill.

8) TBH, I don't hold a great deal of interest in that area. I've contemplated it, and I'd like to think we reincarnate, but I just don't know. I've never done a past life regression due to the simple fact that I'm not really open to sharing my Craft with most people and past life regressions usually require you to have someone walk you through it. Personally, I tend to not like opening my mind to the imprinting of someone else, whether they do that deliberately or not. It does't help that most people I meet who are into paganism or spirituality sit on a fucking pink cloud and float all about you till you're nauseous, and are in serious need of some fucking grounding 101 lessons, or are just escapists from reality (which I get, that place is a fucking menace). Either way, neither are welcome in my mind.

9) Astral travelling is considered a more advanced form of 'magic'. As I'm solitary on my Path it's sometimes hard to distinguish between the experiences I've had, especially as I don't reallly have much contact with fellow Pagans in general. I haven't focused on actually acquiring the skill as I'm not finding much use for it, but I do have periods where I experience intense lucid dreams which are close to the common descriptions of astral travelling. Astral travelling is the advanced form of out of body experiences, from what I recall. I've definitely had that was fear-induced. Out of body experiences are on this plane, when you can actually see your own body from outside your own body, and observe yourself. Astral Travel is where you get out of you body, and then 'travel' to another world. The world of the dead, the elves, 'heaven'..whatever you want to 'visit' as such. I tend to be able to control my dreams in the other worlds (they tend to have different rules than our reality) that I visit in my dreams and am aware of what's going on around me in the real world at the same time...literally awake while sleeping at the same time. I'm a bit fussy as of yet whether this classifies as astral travelling or not...

I acknowledge I may have been a bit skimpy on the reading of your earlier explanations of what constitutes magic so many thanks for restating your point of view and ideas about it.

May I ask, would casting a spell help or hinder me. I seem to have a terrible run of luck, almost like I broke a mirror and went under a ladder that fell on me and black cats started hissing at me too when it comes to relationships and friends. hahahaha. Are prosperity spells, love spells, curses and the like real? Explain these ideas more fully, flesh them out for me, clarification entirely wanted.

Also thanks for taking the time to respond.

You would be wise to consider 8 & 9, being connected to higher consciousness is the new zen. In other words when fully formed with the right passage you become grounded, anchored to this time reality fully, rather than becoming lost in that transition between the metaphysical and astral state and the physical. Your sense of self improves, as does your conviction of what your are on about. An awakening ensues unlike any other, the draw back is it takes a fucking long time to reach the epicenter of that anchoring, but once there, golden solid earth becomes the vehicle of birth. Maybe recommended to hardcore seekers like myself only cos I am a freak, a freak of nature, that I am.

It does, when we are in our deeper states rest, we are connecting to our multidimensional higher consciousness and we astral travel automatically. People misunderstand the intention of dream capacity. And then I would be intrigued to read a piece of your lucid dreams if you wish to share.

And yes we do reincarnate, this body suit is our station of birth, a dimensional personality experienced as the way-station that creates the illusion it is all we are. Its easy to fall into those trappings of paradigm, it is inevitable based upon the climate of human consciousness and mass social posturing.

My next few questions pertain to Gods and Goddesses. Which designation are these from, Egypt, Greek, Celtic, Roman, Persian, Mayan, Incan, Sumarian, Indian a conglomeration of other ancients. Are there similarities between deities and would you consider the historical nature of these Gods and Goddesses myth or based on more than myth as a broad sweeping analysis?

I mean are Gods and Goddess taken from a specific portion of pantheon or are any and all pantheons taken into account?

And what of the expressions of angels, demons, elves, pixies and fairies and the like. Where do they come from? What are your ideas in regrades to this topic.

So what are the roles of witches in these modern times? Do witches meditate or is that mediums mostly?

Which book, tv show or music influenced you most upon your journey? And are there any people that you admire most that influenced you in your practice, the same applies to gods and goddesses. Which would be the ones you would most relate to and why?

 

[Coriolis]

Has the prevalence of Harry Potter books and movies done anything to change people's perceptions or attitudes towards paganism or pagan ideas in your opinion/assessment?

I'm not sure about the influence of Harry Potter. People are comfortable throwing a bunch of terminology around now, so I suppose the shock value of saying one is a witch, or does spells, or made a potion, is diminished. There is a harmless frame of reference one can invoke: e.g. "yes, I have a broom, but I don't fly around and play games on it, I use it to clean my ritual circle symbolically before prayer or spellwork". But HP magic is not "real" magic (if that makes any sense), and I wonder if it just gives people another, less threatening set of misconceptions.

In your mind, what are some of the major typical beliefs or attitudes associated with paganism? Expressed differently, if someone said "umm, so your pagan, what does that mean or involve?" how would you respond?

Pagans in general have a more multifaceted view of deity; see the divine in everything and everyone; revere and care for the earth as something to which and through which we are all connected and dependent; believe our essence continues in some form after this life; integrate physical, mental, and spiritual in a way that other religions discount or even avoid; and have what to me seems a unique way of integrating the sensate and the symbolic to see and describe multiple layers of meaning in life. If someone asked me, "so, you're pagan, what does that involve?", though, I would probably describe my own specific beliefs and practices, since Pagans are a varied lot and I can hardly speak for everyone. (If pressed to do so, I would give the list above.)

 

[kyuuei]

Tell me about pagan meditation or pagan contemplation.

I can write about how I usually meditate and contemplate, but nothing much outside of that. So hope it helps! ^_^b

Contemplation is something I do more than anything else for spiritual fulfillment--and I think it can be akin to Christians praying to give thanks and/or reading the Bible. How I feel about things, observing nature, these are things I frequently do. I try not to forget that I found religion through research--so I will research things that peak my curiosity and continue to remind myself on research I've long forgotten to pin to my memory's corkboard.

Meditation is something much more formal for me. It's an almost trance-like state, delving deeply into my memory and into the energy around me, like a murky world inside of this one. I meditate when I have issues, and when I need something resolved and I can't find the answer thinking on my own accord.. It is literally tapping into my own energy and the energy of that which is around me, and this tends to require some patience and caution, as for someone like myself, I feel many things could potentially go wrong if not tredding lightly.

 

[Coriolis]

Meditation is something much more formal for me. It's an almost trance-like state, delving deeply into my memory and into the energy around me, like a murky world inside of this one. I meditate when I have issues, and when I need something resolved and I can't find the answer thinking on my own accord.. It is literally tapping into my own energy and the energy of that which is around me, and this tends to require some patience and caution, as for someone like myself, I feel many things could potentially go wrong if not tredding lightly.

Could you say more about this? What kinds of things could go wrong?

 

[Amargith]

I acknowledge I may have been a bit skimpy on the reading of your earlier explanations of what constitutes magic so many thanks for restating your point of view and ideas about it.

May I ask, would casting a spell help or hinder me. I seem to have a terrible run of luck, almost like I broke a mirror and went under a ladder that fell on me and black cats started hissing at me too when it comes to relationships and friends. hahahaha. Are prosperity spells, love spells, curses and the like real? Explain these ideas more fully, flesh them out for me, clarification entirely wanted.

You could do a luck spell I guess, but I'd be more concerned about actually self-reflecting. I've found that spells can only do so much (depending on how strong your willpower is), but you also have to remove the physical obstacles for the energy to have a fighting chance. It's often recommended to first do the legwork in the real world and use spellcasting as a little 'umph' to focus things in the right direction. That being said, there's no reason why, if you feel safer that way, you couldn't carry a lucky charm

It does, when we are in our deeper states rest, we are connecting to our multidimensional higher consciousness and we astral travel automatically. People misunderstand the intention of dream capacity. And then I would be intrigued to read a piece of your lucid dreams if you wish to share.

I want to first have a good handle and a down to earth view of things in the Craft that lead up to this kinda work. Spellcasting, and all that it entails, as much as it requires training, it requires basic training. The things you speak of are things that require advanced trance training and as I'm solitary, I have no one to walk me through this, so I prefer to prep properly, before I go there. At least consciously. I've found that I pretty much trance non-stop though, naturally. In fact, I've been working on staying in *this* world more as it was impossible for me to focus on the material world. I love being in trance, but without a good anchor, it can be dangerous, I find.

My lucid dreaming is part of this, I guess. I've found that when I'm well rested, but have had an eventful life the past couple of weeks, I start lucid dreaming. I semi-wake up at like 8 am, and don't get out of bed till 11. Meanwhile I'm fully aware of what's going on in the room, but don't respond to stimuli. Sometimes it translates itself in pure tactile trance, where my body is literally buzzing and I don't see anything but it feels sooooo good. Often I see dreams/other worlds. The difference with dreams is that I have a say in them. I can control them quite easily and decide to go to left or right. When it's a recurring dream, control is even easier, as I *know* what's coming and often my mind will go 'meh, boring, we did that last time! Let's go the other way this time!' Most of the times those worlds I'm in don't really make sense if you think about it later, but they feel very natural at the time itself. Laws of physics do not always apply, for instance. Depending on the intensity, length and type of dream (crisis dreams tend to take a lot out of me), I can wake up fully refreshed, utterly snoozy and unwilling to wake up for that matter, or actually exhausted.

It is possible to wake up within a second and stand next to my bed if something were to happen and my mind does shut down the world when it senses something's going on (for instance, one of my cats is in trouble, Ive had that happen before). Once verified that everything is alright, and it was a false alarm, i can go right back to where I was. If I'm forced to do something abuot the situation and then lie down again, it depends on how deep I was in. The deeper I was in, the more easy it is to go back, as my body still feels that intensity and fatigue at that point. If I was near the end of my 'cycle', I tend to just get a snoozy moment in bed, or sometimes that tactile buzzing thing (it seems to be an 'end' thing, though I've done that for 3 hours straight at some point as well).

My next few questions pertain to Gods and Goddesses. Which designation are these from, Egypt, Greek, Celtic, Roman, Persian, Mayan, Incan, Sumarian, Indian a conglomeration of other ancients. Are there similarities between deities and would you consider the historical nature of these Gods and Goddesses myth or based on more than myth as a broad sweeping analysis?

I mean are Gods and Goddess taken from a specific portion of pantheon or are any and all pantheons taken into account?

That depends on which pagan path you've taken. Druids will honor the Celtic Pantheon, while Gythia work with the Norse Pantheon. Most of the time, the 'priests' of a certain path will honor the gods as their main spiritual path, and they usually adhere a specific pantheon, depending on their tradition. The 'magicians' (for specs, see earlier in thread) often work together with a patron God or Goddess they've been chosen by, and can stay within their own cultural background/religious background, or can mix and match. This is frowned upon by especially the reconstructionist priest types as they consider this disrespectful towards the gods, even more so if the gods one works with are opposite and potentially not really happy about being thrown in the mix together. It doesn't help that this is often done by people who are rather..uneducated about the cultural background and don't really show the understanding one is assumed to acquire when one takes his Craft seriously.

Wiccans tend to draw upon the pantheon that they themselves find most attractive, and that too is very much a hot potato in the community and one of the reasons Wiccans aren't always well received. They're considered 'thiefs' for stealing another religions gods and butchering the worship part of it in the process (or so the others feel). Some wiccans stick strictly to one pantheon, often the celtic pantheon as Wicca has its roots there, and the more 'serious' (read traditional wiccans who feel they are the serious ones) wiccans do look down upon those that have a God and Goddess from different pantheons.

As for me, I'm a Witch. Though I don't worship Gods, I work with 4 of them. Four goddesses, all from different pantheons. I have celtic-germanic background mostly, but as I'm European, I'm likely to have Greco-Romano roots as well, and for some bizar reason I've always been drawn to India (which, if you check history, is where many of the people here came from, even the languages share roots there, as do many of the God-concepts). So I have 4 Goddesses I work with from those traditions. I tend to look at Gods the same way I look at Ancestors, Fairies, Spirit Guides, basically all spirits: with respect and understanding. I refuse to put them on a pedestal, but I'm very aware of their strenghts and capabilities. Many a reconstructionist would have my ass for that though

And what of the expressions of angels, demons, elves, pixies and fairies and the like. Where do they come from? What are your ideas in regrades to this topic.

They come from this earth, imo
I have no affinity/contact with angels or demons, but I do very much enjoy the company of the Fey. I'm attuned with Nature, moreso than the realm of the dead or other realms, so it would stand to reason that the Fey, Elves, Landvattir, whatever name they have depending on the tradition are more my focus. It takes...'putting on different glasses' aka going into a trance to be able to catch a glimpse of them. But their energies are gorgeous. It's hard to communicate with them, and they are fickle, but their energy has a calming and reassuring effect on me.

So what are the roles of witches in these modern times? Do witches meditate or is that mediums mostly?

Lol. You tell me. In old days, their role was to be a herbalist, wise-(wo)man, last resort for those in desperate need of help, mother, daughter, wife and a student of life. I don't think that has changed much. Personally, I see it as a Path to gathering knowledge about our world and myself. If I can pass on that knowledge, or use it to help out others, I will be happy to do so. But in essence, we're just like anyone else in society. Doing our part. There's also so many different types of witches, so that role is bound to shift, depending on which witch you have in front of ya

As for meditation, it's a key part of the training you need to effectively cast spells. It helps you focus your mind. Mediums are the ones that contact spirits from the Other Side. Mediums are also not Pagan by default. Being a Medium is like being an Empath. It's just a sensitivity you've developed/were born with. A skillset/curse, in many cases. Up to you what you do with it.

Which book, tv show or music influenced you most upon your journey? And are there any people that you admire most that influenced you in your practice, the same applies to gods and goddesses. Which would be the ones you would most relate to and why?

I'd say the biggest influence of all was the internet
I am a child of my age, afterall. I watched Charmed and although i like the ambiance of it, I did shake my head at it
Books that I found valuable were Scott Cunningham (a guide to a solitary practitioner), Marian Green (13 moons), The Eddas, Veronica Cummer(I think..Soljz--something), and even a novel by Donna Gillespie 'The Lightbearer', as it is a very thorough study of the Germanic and Roman culture at the time of their clash and gave great insight into their practices and ways of life.

As for people and admiring them..I guess I should get back into the community as I've been very much on my own. Though Veronica Cummer has some seriously outlandish ideas, I've found her book to be filled with wisdom, neatly packaged in flowery language.

Additionally, I consider gods in general to be great muses and rolemodels.

In my case, I work with Freyja, the Norse Goddess of Love, Fertility, Sexuality and Witchcraft. And yes..I admire her attitude

Second, there's Epona. She's a Celtic Goddess, associated with horses, and animals in general, as well as fertility. As horses are her thing and horses were valued for travel, she's also connected with dreams (travelling to the dream world and back), and actually making your dreams come through. Animal behaviorism, anyone?

Third, there's Kali, Indian Goddess of Death, Mother archetype, a raging Fury when need be, but often misunderstood. Kali makes you face your worst fears. For many people, this is death, hence the association.She's a great inspiration for courage and self-growth.

Lastly, but definitely not least, there's Gaia aka Mother Nature.

Tell me about pagan meditation or pagan contemplation.

What exactly would you like to know about those two?

 

[The Outsider]

Is there a way to exorcise the dark entities that follow me in secluded alleys and torture me in my dreams?

 

[Amargith]

Is there a way to exorcise the dark entities that follow me in secluded alleys and torture me in my dreams?

Depends on where these entities come from and what they want?

 

[The Outsider]

I'm an easy prey.

 

[Amargith]

Doesn't answer my question

 

[The Outsider]

I'm sorry, just disregard my posts, they are of no consequence.

 

[Coriolis]

I'm sorry, just disregard my posts, they are of no consequence.

If you are lucky, the dark entities will move on when they realize there is nothing of consequence.

 

[Synapse]

Thanks for the response Vala Faye.

I went to a meditation and it was amusing, there was a witch doll dangling from the window, a white cat, painting of a goddess with an ankh scythe and elementals, crystals everywhere.

Oh they were so funny, those english ladies, gotta watch out for them. when it rained she said jokingly who's up for a shower, nekkid dance, not my fault if passers by stare its my house. omgosh the humour was flying faster than the coffee and biscuits. hahaha that's the last time I leave a toilet seat up in a mostly female group. Saying well if you want to see your money flush down the toilet leave the toilet seat up its worse than putting a toothbrush in it. lol

 

[kyuuei]

Could you say more about this? What kinds of things could go wrong?

I had a response to this, but it got eaten by a forum failure last night. This one will be significantly shorter, I apologize for my impatience.
Immediate dangers are those that I feel get involved with trance-like states in the first place--Losing pieces of your own energy, energy leaking or leeching occuring, forgetting pieces of your question or answer, losing focus, plateauing, etc. I am more superstituous than some, and I do believe other entities exist (Energy is never wasted, and never dies), so entities trying to follow, distract, etc. are also potentials.

Is there a way to exorcise the dark entities that follow me in secluded alleys and torture me in my dreams?

I'm sorry, just disregard my posts, they are of no consequence.

A troll in our midst! Sacre Bleu!

 

[Mole]

Immediate dangers are those that I feel get involved with trance-like states in the first place--Losing pieces of your own energy, energy leaking or leeching occuring, forgetting pieces of your question or answer, losing focus, plateauing, etc. I am more superstituous than some, and I do believe other entities exist (Energy is never wasted, and never dies), so entities trying to follow, distract, etc. are also potentials.

Yes, it is important to learn to enter and leave a trance safely and at will.

There is no need to turn to religion, even paganism, to learn to entrance. Sports' psychologists, for example, run classes on how to enter and leave trance safely at will, and also how to safely use trances.

 

[figsfiggyfigs]

@senza and I would like to join your coven and become full pledged pegan witches. Must we renounce our religion? Or can we have two, like dual citizenship? What will we have to do? Will we be hazed in? :c

 

[Coriolis]

@senza and I would like to join your coven and become full pledged pegan witches. Must we renounce our religion? Or can we have two, like dual citizenship? What will we have to do? Will we be hazed in? :c

I cannot speak for senza or anyone else, but I have never encountered a Pagan group that required members to renounce other affiliations or beliefs. It is usually the other religion that requires an exclusive commitment. Pagans generally accept learning, whatever the source.

 

[Coriolis]