Actually it was supposed to rain here today but it hasn't. Hope it does! The rain is so nice here.

I called myself Dame-L, I'm probably too young for that title. I started with Madame LaRee which was taken from a Hollies' song (Laree is my middle name, I later found out the lyrics are "Madam Marie" *shrug*) . I shortened it to Dame-L cuz it sounds kool. . . and i don't want to type out Madame Laree every time I log in... Anyway, enough of that.

I grew up Christian and have no aversion to practitioners of that religion, but slowly over time I began to realize that it just isn't for me. It started in highschool - I hero-worshiped a girl at my school who had purple hair, I thought she was the ''coolest person ever'' and her cloths were ''the bomb''. (did I really talk like that?) I later found out that she was *gasp* a witch. One of the girls fro my church told me and she seemed horrified at the prospect of associating with a real life witch and i recall thinking: "so?"

So I began studying paganism, Wicca, witchcraft and middle eastern religions. My guardian caught me with a tarot deck and started calling me her 'little heathen'. So I stopped studying for a long time. But in 2005 I picked it up again, a bit hesitantly. In one of my journal entries I wrote about how at peace my new found beliefs made me. Christianity never gave me that. Whether it is supposed to or not Christianity had always made me feel outcast and nervous. I had very few friends at my church because I'm a bit shy and very lacking in self approval. Paganism has helped me to overcome those things rather than starving my ego. My faith in God was forever wavering - I know there's a God! ; if there were a God then _____ . With paganism everything explains itself - everything is part of a larger scheme; a learning experience.

I have not chosen a particular path and I study alone, because I'm not ready for anything more right now. I am engaged to a wonderful man who is, for lack of a better word, agnostic. He leans toward Christianity, but finds my beliefs intriguing and sometimes studies alongside me. He is the only person, aside from my father, who knows I am pagan and a witch and I am lucky enough to have his full support. I count myself a very blessed person.

I have become particularly interested in Fairy Wicca but am not particularly interested in the Kisma Stepanich variety. The Fairy Faith Network mixes their own variety of Christianity in with their beliefs and it just isn't for me. Unfortunately it is the easiest of the Faery faiths to find information on. *sigh*

I am glad to be here. There seems to be a great deal of information here and I certainly hope to learn a lot, and perhaps teach a few things myself. . .

Merry Meet and Blessed Be!

Hello and welcome Dame-L.

It sounds like you will fit right in with the rest of us.  This is a womnderful place, for learning, advice, and companionship.  I look foward to seeing you on the boards.

Merry Meet and welcome!  Glad you have joined us!!

Many blessings,
DesertMist

Hello and Welcome Dame-L,

Glad you deciced to join us! Many of us have our own path that we follow, myself included. I have a very eclectic background and very much am in agreement about Kisma Stepanich and the Feri Tradition.

I do hope you enjoy everything and everyone here. It is a wonderfully warm place to be, and I do hope to get to know you better in the days to come.

Blessings Bright and Dark,

Thank you so much for your warm welcome. This is my first interaction with a pagan community of any kind and I wasn't sure how it would go. Definitely makes me feel good about things.

I too am following my own path. The best way to both spiritual and self discovery is to learn all you can and use your intuition to guide you where you need to go. It's like feeling your way in the dark sometimes, but it pays off!