I'm not a witch, wiccan, pagan or anything just yet. I was raised Catholic, and believe in God, which I don't think goes against any of my spirit encounters/gifts. I believe it's God that has given me these gifts (though my brother (born again and the most judgemental) thinks I'm going to hell for this ). But, I have to admit, I am very comfortably drawn to pagan beliefs. And I don't feel uncomfortable talking about my experiences here, whereas in daily life I keep that part of me very private. So, to my point, What drew you to your (pagan) beliefs, how old were you, and what were your experiences in approaching your new path and so on.....

I can't wait to read your responses! I really appreciate your time!


"L"

I think initially what drew me to the path is the fact that I used to see my deceased brother in my bedroom occationally. I think that I was confused that if he was supposed to be in heaven why was he comming into my room at night to visit me?? Hmmmm. So at the age of 11 I started researching the Christian faith and other religions trying to find some one that knew what the heck they were talking about because at the time, I felt like I had been lied to my whole life and was angry about that. Now 25 years later and I am 23 years long on the pagan (witch/wiccan) path, I feel that it is a much more fullfilling path for me, no more valid, just more me. I learn so much more on this path that just reading one "good"book. I am so glad that I found my way to my true faith.
I hope that you can find your true path and are fullfilled with it for years to come.
Blessings,
Kindra

Yep, I've been encountering spirits (as I like to call them) since I was too tiny to know what they were....I guess I was born with it.

But, after reading your post, I suppose it's right to give all of you some background on my beliefs, if I know what they truly are...lol

When I was in my pre-teens, I began to get heavily involved in the wrong kind of witchcraft. But that's due to my home environment, and that's another long story. In any case, it caused some bad things to happen that scared the crap out of me, so I walked away from it. It took years for me to even want to approach anything to do with God, or beliefs, but when I did, in my 20's, I studied all religions in college. I particuliarly liked the Asian religions. But, they are still not completely satisfying to me, and here I am, 37, drawn back to my original gifts and interest, but in the right frame of mind and heart. Though slow ....lol

Thank you again for your post!

"L"

What drew me to this path? What a questin. I was raised Christian. My father, is a very rigid Christion. You were not supposed to question anything in the Bible. Even as a child, that never felt right. I don't believe there is anything you shouldn't question. I have always had an affinity with nature:The changing of the seasons, the way you feel when you are alone in the middle of the woods, the cathedral like silence of nature welcoming you and embracing you. I always felt that, as a female, we should be equal to men and not made second class citizens by religion. I quit going to church as a teenager. I did a lot of research, studied most of the major religions. Then when I was twenty-one, I went to work at at a new place. I met a wonderful person who was pagan. I was asking questions and she said she would bring me something to read. She brought me one of Scott Cunningham's books. The more I read the more I had a feeling of wow, this is what I believe. Not wanting to jump right in I spent a few years reading and searching my soul. I made the decision to walk this path and haven't regretted it a minute.

I was raised a Southern Baptist. There were always facets of (what I'll call) my 'genetic religion' that no amount of preaching or praying could force me to believe. I was a curious child, ambitious teen, and now a confident adult. I went out in the world and made all my dreams come true. I was admitted to the service academy I wanted to attend. I pinned on my pilot wings 18 months after the World Trade Center fell and I've been doing my best to serve my Marines and save the world ever since. I married a wonderful guy almost 5 years ago and he's still with me, still supporting me. Today I'm in Iraq, on strip alert in the Al Anbar province to provide quick-response casualty evacuations for anyone in need -- Marine, Army, coalition, enemy... it doesn't matter. I don't do this purely for patriotism and I certianly don't do it for the money. I do it for everything I love in the world -- my family, my freedom, my peace of mind, and my quiet and serene house to which I'll hopefully soon return. Now, to answer your original question, I can't subscribe to a religion that tells me I need a man's direction to make decisions. I can't read the book of Proverbs in the bible without chuckling a little. A virtuous woman who does her little housework and doesn't bother the menfolk, that's adorable -- almost as adorable as my baby brother (technically a "man" who according to his religion will be the head of his family, decisionmaker, and all that), who still lives at home, doesn't have a real job, and who is praised in my family simply for graduating college in a little under 6 years. Sometime during my last deployment to Iraq, I realized I don't find peace in the larger organized religions -- I find strife. I find myself embroiled in a world conflict where Muslims defy the peaceful teachings of their Prophet and attempt to kill every person on the planet who doesn't follow their narrow religious views. I find myself chafing under my parents' Southern Baptist faith that devalues any contributions of women outside the domestic sphere. (I'd like to point out here that I am a 5% minority in my current military occupation -- a female Marine officer -- and don't find my treatment in this organization nearly as humiliating or demeaning as being a woman in the Christian faith.) So I searched my soul and asked myself what REALLY brought me peace. It wasn't church. It sure wasn't my work and hard-won respect in that arena. It was watching rain fall on my lawn and listening to the storm pass. It was the times I would play on the riverbank while my dad was fishing and lie in the grass and watch the trees move in the breeze until I fell asleep. It was the bright cold mornings in the Rockies that I remember from my childhood. It was my grandmother's kitchen and the way she always knew what to make for you to make you feel extra special. I knew that I'd have to reconcile what I love with who I want to be before I could be at peace with myself and with my extended family. I look at other religions and the havoc they wreak upon the world (such as in the place I'm sitting right now) and wonder if they've traded who they want to be with what they think they'll get when they die. I don't know. I just know I had to make a decision that was right for me. I studied earth-based religions for about 18 months, and Wicca exclusively for about a year before I dedicated myself as a solitary follower of that path. Like another poster mentioned before me, I've never regretted it once.

Sorry for bumping an old post; I just read the thread and it got me thinking about many things I've never tried to put into words before. I found it beneficial to do this level of self-inventory in preparation for writing the post, and I apologize if I caused an inconvenience.

I just wanted to say I agree with you that the "dont question your place" as a women is detrimental.. I also wanted to praise you for being a strong minded women in our armed forces!!!!

Indeed, a very thought provoking question... I guess I have always had a spiritual side to me, I was babtised a Greek Orthodox, went to church every Sunday with my gran till about 8 years old, then we immigrated to South Africa, no church in our vacinity, but my parents had their icons, my mother would celebrate every saints day going...but I would go out and hug trees!!!

I then came to UK, and religion was not in my life in any way. One day my sister took me to a Pagan meeting, held by the Pagan federation in London, that was it..I felt at home there..after my divorce I did the crystal healing course, I started reading books on Native American Philosophies, I have always had an affinity with Native Americans, since about the age of 5 or 6. I loved their way of thinking...if you take from nature, you must give to nature, all is about Mother Earth, we are one and one is all, all connected, this made sense to me.

I met a very interesting Peruvian lady, she was also a High Priestess, our paths crossed when I enrolled in a Candle Magic workshop, which I attended because after studying it on my own, I wanted to see if what I was practising was how I should be practising. We became very close friends, I learned a lot from her, and hence my path began.

I call it "my own religion" a spiritual quest... I am still learning, and what better site to be on, than this one.

I find this very interesting, because I was also raised Catholic and didn't initially believe much in Paganism, partially because my exposure to it was very limited and therefore I didn't really know a whole lot about it. I started doing some research on it when I was in high school. I went to a Roman Catholic school and was finding it more and more difficult to believe in what I was saying and doing during prayer services and such. So I set out to look at other religions and see if something else fit better with me. The more I read about Paganism and Wicca, the more I was drawn to it. Things were starting to make sense inside my mind and my heart that didn't make sense to me in Catholicism. I fully dedicated myself to the Pagan path when I turned 18 because that's when I became an adult in my parent's house. The more I learn, the more I realize that stepping onto this path was the right choice for me. Its a problem in my house (and probably always will be to some extent) because all of my family is Catholic and still believe that Pagans are connected to the devil (thanks to the Bible and some of its teachings), so we avoid the topic when we can. My mom still introduces me to other people as a Roman Catholic. As long as it keeps the peace in my family without me really feeling pressured against my religion, I can live with that Good luck in your explorations of the Pagan paths!

I too was raised Catholic, went to a private Catholic school that was run by Nuns. I didn't really fit in and found it very hard to take in the teachings while there. I had visits from spirit at a very yound age, some scared me greatly as I had no one to talk to about them. Most of them I remember being at night, visitors to my room, young, old. I had a very hard childhood and turned down the wrong path at an early age ( drink etc). Moved in with the man that was to be my husband for 16 years at the age of 17 and began having a number of experiences again, but he made fun of me. So I learned to keep it to myself. Anyway before falling pregnant with my fourth child I met a women who had very similar experiences as me and we did a Reiki course together. My Reiki Master was wonderful she opened me back up to the path I knew I should have been on and help me understand alot of what I had experienced. Four children and 16 years later I left my husband after discovering infidelity for the third time. After a long haul I have found that I can't say I am wiccan altogether. I enjoy earth magic, herbs, crystal healing, energy healing, meditation and am currently doing a massage course. I have met and am living with a wonderful man of like mind and am very confortable with my beliefs in god/dess. Although live in a small town in Australia and find it hard to talk to others outside of my home and couple of friends to share with. So am loving finding this site.

Love to one and all
Kath

I hope I can get my words right and this post will make sense. (It is one of those days lol).
What drew me to my path? Well, like others I was raised Christian however I also had "wives tales" and "superstitions" thrown in. There were always whispers of someone doing or seeing something.
When I was about 6/7 I started hearing spirits. When I told my mom she told me that it was my imagination. I, being a stubborn Taurus, ignored her and went back to my room and talked to the spirits. lol
I also had dreams and was told by my mom not to dream certain things. She also helped me by teaching me how to control my dreams.

My ex-stepfather was very strict about not questioning the bible and no spirits could be around, even those of family members. When my Granny came to my brother one night, my ex-stepfather read the bible and caused havoc in the house.
I questioned him about who created God one day and really you would have thought I had told him that I was Satan and was coming to collect his soul right then by his reaction to the question. I then asked the question in church and was told to leave. I don't remember exactly how old I was then but I was pre-teen aged if I remember right. My mother stopped attending the church around that time also.
It is my belief that those that are offended and reacte in the way that they did are not firm in their own beliefs and feel threatened when questioned.


Anyway, I am a questioner and firmly believe in going with what feels right to me. If it doesn't sit right in my gut and heart, I leave it. So through my early teen years I attended a few different branches of Christianity churches. Still I left them wanting. I liked, and still do, the Catholic church ceremonies because they held to rituals and I loved to look at all the beautiful stain glass and other symbols that show their pride and history.
I debated in school with teachers and other students about individual rights and keeping church and state seperate. But, all I could tell people was that I was not Christian and I did not believe in God. But, I didn't feel that I was completely atheist, but I had no way of expressing who or what I really believed in. So I drew pentacles all over a jean jacket I had, learned how to make ouija boards, continued to talk to birds and heal myself when needed and continued to try to figure out who to talk to in the divine world that would actually listen and help me.

When I was 16 I moved out of my home and after awhile I ended up at one of my aunts. It turned out that she was practicing Wicca and had a coven. When she first told me I had no clue what she was talking about but she gave me some of her books and after reading through them I was encouraged to ask questions. For the first time it was alright to be stubborn, curious and to have a voice. I learned so much in that time and my natural innate abilities bloomed quickly. I credit that to her as she had me jump in with both feet, which is complimentary to my personality and how I like to do things. Any time that I didn't agree with something I was encouraged to talk about it. I learned to truly follow my instincts and learned that in the end it is my sense of morals and ethics that I must live by..not someone elses.
Since then I have moved along from the Wiccan path. I use simple labels for my beliefs, Pagan and/or Witch. But really, I am not a religious person but rather a spiritual person so I don't use labels often.

I do believe that everything in my life has led me to who and where I am today. I would not be as strong as I am, nor be the parent that I am, if I had not gone through all the things in my childhood. I also believe that when a person is ready to learn something the perfect teacher for that person will show up..but we have to be in the right state of mind and body before that will happen.
While I do not talk to my aunt any more (we have a complicated relationship) I do appreciate her being there when I was ready to learn and be true to myself.
I do believe that something in me must have been obvious to certain people throughout my life. I was told when I was about 7 that I should join a convent when I got older by some nuns in Illinois. I knew even at that young age that wasn't going to happen. lol (They did not say it in a negative way that I remember).
As a teenager people were always trying to get me to talk to spirits for them. None of them were aware that I had the ability or that I was even interested in that type of thing. I believe that sometimes who we are just draws people, even if they don't know exactly why.
I have always been a counselor to people since a very young age. It is just one of my natural abilites to see the big picture and see where each decision will lead a person. And I guess I am diplomatic and fair and people have always just sensed it.

So anyway, I hope this answered your questions. I feel like I rambled a lot and talked in circles. lol May you always place everything you learn to your heart and know if it is right for you.
I think the bare-boned answer to the question is I followed my heart and when I was ready my answers were provided for me.
Blessings,
ladyalpha

Hi there,

I think I have always beena a Pagan, as when I started to look further into the philosophy and 'BE' a Pagan, it was as if I knew about things before and bells started to ring. Like I had come home to a place within me. I have always believed there is something that makes our eyes shine, our heart beat and the sap rise in the trees. I explorred Christianity for a short while and although I can feel great tolloerence towards true Christians, I did not like the evengelisticness, the belief that the Christians are the only path out there, although I know not all are about this. And the fact that the Earth and animals are not seen as a par with humans.

To be honest I have always felt that religian and spirituality are opposites and its a rare occasion you find someone who is religious and spiritual at the same time. However the Pagans I have met seem to have come through many struggles to get to where they are and tend to be both religious and spiritual together.

I wish you lots of good wishes on what oath you eventually take, I know that it is very difficult to 'come out' as a Pgan within a Christian Community.
This message is filled with lots of good thoughts - I hope you can feel them. X