Creating Your Own Tradition: Where to start?

By: Rev. Crystal Blanton

There are many Wiccans and Pagans who find that they don't fit into
the already existing traditions like the Gardenarian or Alexandrian
tradition. I found that I related to a lot in each tradition but not
100% of any one tradition.

So what happens when you find yourself in a different category than
those you have to choose from? Many are afraid of stepping out on
their own and creating something themselves but it may be something
worth thinking about. Some of the beauty of Paganism is that you
have the freedom to navigate your own religious and spiritual path.
So why are so many afraid to take the step into creating their own
tradition?

There are many sub-groups within Wicca that are not so favorable to
the idea of creating your own tradition or initiating oneself. Does
this attitude intimidate some people from taking that step? I think
so. I have found so many intelligent and talented pagans that don't
fit into any one category and would rather not define themselves than
take the risk of being judged for their beliefs.

Why do we discriminate against each other? One of the beauties of
this path is the individual freedoms that we have to find what feels
right for us.

There is a point I would like to make here. Many times there will be
a small group of people who hold such strong opinions and judgments
towards something and due to people's fears we inadvertently adapt
our lifestyles around others judgments. Interesting isn't it?

Let's think about it is terms of racism. People of color are so
afraid of racism and the unfair judgments of others, that they
condition their lives to deal with what may happen. Let's look at
prejudice against overweight people. There are beautiful large
people who are too afraid to go out or go to a social event because
of the judgments that might happen to them. Let's look at people
who are under-educated by societal standards. There are some
brilliant people who will not apply themselves or apply for a job
that they would excel at because of the fears of being judged and in
turn condition themselves to feel inferior.

Is religion the same, of course it is. There are Pagans and Wiccan
who are afraid to discuss their tradition or their beliefs because
they are not from a British Wiccan Tradition or something simular. I
am here to tell you that concept is crap and you should feel free and
proud of who you are and what you believe.

I personally don't care if you come from the tradition of Days of our
lives or Harry Potter, I only care that you respect me and my
spiritual choices. Who am I to judge your spiritual choices? And
if you don't begin to stand up and speak for yourself, the scales
will continue to be tipped to one side where the potential geniuses
of Wicca go unheard.

Find your footing and stand up.

I found that I was able to really expand my reality and dig deeper
into my spiritual beliefs when I had to answer some fundamental
questions in creating a tradition. What do I believe? What does it
mean? How did I get there? Spending quality time and picking apart
my spiritual beliefs in order to write them on paper has been a note
worthy experience. My close spiritual sister and I have had the
privilege of sitting for hours and discussing key points in our
spirituality in order to put it on paper. And the things we have
learned in this process have been invaluable.

I have found that this process has helped me to learn in a different
way than when I was studying a degree system, it didn't stretch me
spiritually the same way.

Interesting, isn't it? Are the wheels in your head turning?

Even if you are trained in a tradition and are completely comfortable
with it, it is good to question yourself. Don't miss any opportunity
to expand your understanding of your beliefs.

Let me interject a clause here. This article is not meant to talk
against British Wiccan Traditions or any other "traditional" Wiccan
tradition. This is just meant to push the envelope and provoke
thought.

Here are some suggestions for those who are in a place where they
want to explore creating and documenting their own tradition.

Journaling is a source of good information. When we are able to
journal our work and beliefs, it can give us some good materials to
pull from.

Collect rituals, spells, meditations, pictures and miscellaneous
spiritual information that calls to you. It is a good place to start
finding what resonates with your inner sense of spirituality by
collecting and piecing together things that have spiritual meaning
for you.

Read, Read, Read. Find as many books as you can find on the
subjects that interest you and actually read them. It can help find
pieces to the puzzle that may have been missing before.

Write, Write, Write. Write what you feel, believe, think or
research. Write any and everything. At a later date you will be
able to piece things together based on your own writing and thoughts.

Practice, Practice, Practice. The more you are experiencing the
energy and spirit of the divine, the more you can find what feels
right to you. Perform rituals, meditation, spellwork, kitchen
witchery, etc. Find your nitch and live your path. Think, how can
you find if it works for you if you don't try? And don't forget to
record your experiences too.

And last for now but definitely not least, organize. Find a system
that works for you and begin the process of organizing all these
things into something you can make sense of. The actual medium you
chose doesn't matter. Some of your choices can be an electronic BOS,
a physical BOS, scrapbook, blog, magical card box, etc.

Creating tradition isn't hard; a true Wiccan is living their
tradition every day. Documenting and organizing a tradition is
something different, now that takes work. But the rewards are worth
it. Good luck and don't forget to enjoy your path to self discovery.

Great post LE. I am definitely a living example of living your own tradition, lol.

I thought it was a wonderful article as well....and yep, alot of us have our own"traditions" going...and that is the true beauty of following such an eclectic path.

There is something so delicious about following your heart!

Blessings Bright and Dark,

:roll:   Thank you Lady E.  Some VERY informative stuff!  Nice to know that there might be others like me that need a little push  to get motivated and moving.  Sometimes that little fork in the road comes up, and you stand there not quite sure of where to go, or what to do next.  I just have to remind myself to keep my mind open and free of all this reality stuff, and get more in tune with the Spiritual.  Sometimes it's a little difficult.  But I find it is getting better with practice.  I also pay attention more to that "other sense" or intuition.  It's not so scary to "let yourself go with your gut feeling".  Usually that helps with choosing the right path at "that little fork in the road".

BOPTI1

Dear L.E. and other people - Thank you L.E. for the interesting ideas - I have been studying/reading for almost ten years and I still don't have anything written down.  But I do know a couple things I have gleaned are - I feel much more attuned to the elementals than to any gods or goddesses - they are lovely, but they are all stories/mythos/folklore made up by peoples.  But the elementals have been here long before we were.  And they are soooo powerful.  And they - for me - seem to dwell with the whole mother earth/gaia philosophy.  The gods/goddesses are more like archetypical memories.  And they have their use.  But FOR ME - the elements hold the power.  love/peace to all, magnolia