Where my pagans and polytheists at?

[Leo S.]

As stated above, where y'all at...? I'm of the Hellenic Polytheist variety myself. 

[Charlize]

My spiritual life leads me more to pantheism than a polytheist belief system.  I love the expression i've leaned in Integral Yoga that "Paths are many, truth is one."  

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Ravin]

I'm a Heathen and studying with a Druid grove.

 

Hi, Leo!

[MicahKj]

any asatruar out there?

[Kriss]

Heathen here.  I shy away from the term Asatru. In my area it has too many connections with the alt right.  

[Josie Beth]

I think there’s much to be learned from the spiritual interpretation of the universe from the pagan perspective. Groves and fertility rites were common threads in many pagan cultures, especially the most ancient iterations. Pagan simply means in touch with the earth. Pagan is the equivalent to the surname Farmer in Latin languages. It’s meaning was corrupted into a pejorative by catholic monks frustrated by the rejection of their evangelism in Europe. Heathen has a similar meaning, where we get the name Heide, or one who lives in the open countryside. Druid wise men (wizards) were the teachers who kept sacred the teachings of being in harmony with nature and taught what plants would benefit people, but they also had a profound understanding of the universe and the stars. Notice how living in harmony with nature has been given negative connotations by those who seek to destroy that necessary connection. It’s no mistake that the inquisition targeted herbalists to pave the way for the earliest doctors. Doctori meant teacher in Latin. However they hijacked the role of the Druid who was the real teacher. The earliest doctors were butchers and barbers. So healing wasn’t the goal. Instead maiming and torture became the norm. This is how homeopathy became superseded by allopathic medicine. Where butchery, inoculation and refined drugs were the new commodity used to handle symptoms or cut them out instead of using the natural herbs to heal the body and strengthen it. The saying “if your leg hurts cut it off” stems from this practice. It’s also present in the New Testament quote “if thy eye offends you, pluck it out!” Thus the barber pole celebrates this with the red of blood and white of bandages, normalizing this idea that doing harm was the same as “first do no harm” the basic tenet of all pagan traditions, and of course the corruption of that is transplanted into the Hippocratic oath. But the barber pole is  also hijacked and a corruption of the maypole, the symbol of rebirth, connection to the earth and true holistic healing, the alignment of body and nature’s fruits. The symbol of the caduceus is a derivative of the same concept. After all it links to the double helix, our genetic building blocks, and Hermès, indicating the role of herbs and other natural remedies as messengers to the body and mind to set things right. To keep our bodies/vessels/conduit in harmony with nature and the universe to our fullest potential. The double helix is the stairway to heaven. It’s the Tower of Babel. The rod of Hermès and we are it’s messengers as well, prophets, conduits. It’s not unlikely that all of these common threads stem from one proto pagan theology that was just as naturally understood as breathing to ancient cultures as the smartphone is to the current population. It’s very connection to the earth and yet also to the outward universe as perfectly normal is eye opening. People have always been connected to plants because they give us sustenance. The ancients were fully aware of humanities connection to the cosmos. We are the conduit between the universe and the world around us. In more modern religion we see the symbolism of this connection being severed by stories like Sampson having his hair cut off and being blinded. The hair is the body’s early warning system. Native people who sported long hair were found to be more capable of sensing danger and the ones who shaved their heads were “blinded” to this extra sensory ability. This was the harbinger of having that sacred connection between the cosmos and earth, with us as the conduit, being replaced with and hijacked by a mediator who forbids this connection to both and disallowed us from realizing our power as conduits. It leaves us blind, in shackles, disconnected from our purpose in the universe. Rediscovering this connection is both grounding and transcendent. In many pagan traditions the gods were not simply some higher beings but an example of the potential for every living person to aspire to. They have only taken the persona of higher deity from the misinterpretation of this concept by the cults of Aten and Yahweh which sought to make the connection between the earth and the cosmos unattainable and foreign to the common man, thwarting the work of the gods and their Druidic teachers. They sought to keep the connection severed and forced people to seek the connection through a central figure such as Aten or Yahweh, the impersonal and oppressive, the vindictive. This became the modern interpretation of God. And so this false concept is superimposed over the original concept of the gods who were much more grounded in reality and not untouchable. This is why so many myths portray the gods as much like us, able to love, walking among us. But also able to transcend between the earth and the cosmos. 

[Gender Phoenix]

I'm polytheist.

I don't classify as a pagan, heathen, or wiccan though.

 

My goddesses come from ancient semitic/canaanite polytheism and I consider myself a witch.  

 

I believe in reincarnation and I believe that there is magic in the written and spoken word.

[Shadow]

Heya, Im an Irish Celtic pagan and working on becoming a member of the AODA [Ancient Order of Druids in America] at some point.

Working on reconstructing Celtic paganism through the bits and pieces of knowledge I have about the ancient Celts along with plenty of intuition powered creativity when necessary.

 

[JJ Orange]

Hi guys. I would consider my self related to the terms pagan and native-religious. I am going back to my roots and found that many older beliefs are supportive of LGBT+ people. 💗

[Sakura Sunset]

On 11/22/2018 at 11:47 PM, MicahKj said:

any asatruar out there?

Kinda?  There was a point where you could consider me a pure Asatruar, however my opinions and understanding have changed over time.

I follow the tales from the Edda and teachings in the Havamal more as parables that contain nuggets of wisdom or advice than an actual records of real events involving deities.

In all honestly my religion incorporates aspects of Asatru, budhism, shinto, atheism(not a religion I know), native american and personal views in an ecclectic mix that puts the focus on acting honourably and seeking to be your best self and attain wisdom while being logical and only ascribing belief to claims that meet their burden of proof, I believe places may have a spirit, soul or nature similar to what is seen in animistic religions like shinto, but I think this is a reflection of the places natural features and residents that we can "feel" due to ancient instincts, not a physicaly existant being or spirit seperate from the body that can interact spiritually.

Is it a formal religion anywhere? No, its too unique, but its close enough I would argue I remained true to the spirit of being Asatruar while avoiding the religious claims and older predjudices.

 

I believe in a norse pantheon insofar as I believe in the Aesir and Vanir as personifications of certain traits or archetypes and find the Proto-Indo-European roots and hints of changes in the past fascinating.  For example the competition for head of the pantheon between Tir and Odin that is hinted at in the religions past or Freya's husband Odr and Odin likely being the same person historically.

 

That and Valkyries kick butt!

 

How about you?

Do you believe in Asatru as a religion based around a pantheon of real gods or a series of fables used to pass ideals and values?  If either....

[Vidanjali]

On 2/4/2018 at 9:18 AM, Charlize said:

My spiritual life leads me more to pantheism than a polytheist belief system.  I love the expression i've leaned in Integral Yoga that "Paths are many, truth is one."  

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

 

Yes! Me too @Charlize . Do you actively study/practice Integral Yoga? 

[Ivy]

I don't consider myself "religious" as such.  (in a drawn-out process I escaped christianity)

I do occasionally use rune stones, and less so tarot.

I consider myself a pantheist of sorts, in that we all share in the same life-force.

In my experience there are spiritual (?) forces that can and do affect us.  Sometimes in an ecstatic/orgasmic manner.

I do honor the Earth/Mother Goddess, and follow the cycle of the year.

While not wiccan, I do consider myself a solitary witch.

As for the afterlife?  I guess we'll see.

 

I am

The Earth Girl

Toes in the dirt

 

Dirty fingers

Dirty toes

 

I am

The Earth Woman

Rooted in Earth

 

Looking up

Smiling to the Sky

 

 

 

[WillowA113]

Hello everyone! 😊

My personal beliefs are a combination of Wiccan, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, and scientific beliefs with a little bit of Christianity and miscellaneous religions sprinkled in! I know, I’m all over the place. 
 

[JJ Orange]

Going back to this topic! I'm a little shy to talk about my beliefs as when I ever I had, I would get stuff thrown at me. One time, my deeply-Catholic uncle told me that anything non-Catholic is the work of demons. Well, thank you sir for making me more self conscious! I would like to add that, again, not everyone who is Christian is like this. 

My current believes relate back to my ancestors, mostly of the Nahuatl/Jalisco area. I am deeply attached to many dieties, one of them being Xochipili, the Nahuatl god of flowers, gay people, sex workers, art, and dance! 

I love him dearly as he has helped me become more accepting of the person I am today. 

 

I also have some folk Catholic influence and some of Wiccanism. 

 

 

[WillowA113]

On 8/9/2022 at 11:51 AM, JJ Orange said:

Going back to this topic! I'm a little shy to talk about my beliefs as when I ever I had, I would get stuff thrown at me. One time, my deeply-Catholic uncle told me that anything non-Catholic is the work of demons. Well, thank you sir for making me more self conscious! I would like to add that, again, not everyone who is Christian is like this. 

My current believes relate back to my ancestors, mostly of the Nahuatl/Jalisco area. I am deeply attached to many dieties, one of them being Xochipili, the Nahuatl god of flowers, gay people, sex workers, art, and dance! 

I love him dearly as he has helped me become more accepting of the person I am today. 

 

I also have some folk Catholic influence and some of Wiccanism. 

 

 

LOVE that one! When it comes to beliefs outside of the ones i mentioned earlier I'm mostly agnostic with everything else. Still wont stop me from loving this particular god, though! 😁