Do you live in a fantasy world? Is your path made up of mythology, superstition and cyber stories i.e. House of Thwax thread? Or do you follow a path laced with harsh reality, common sense and measured study? There’s many that would see escapism as a pitfall of exploration , for example, if someone is very interested in the Goth scene then they might be harangued for not being “ real” , needing props etc.

Fantasy
1. An imagined event or sequence of mental images, such as a daydream, usually fulfilling a wish or psychological need.


Now don’t get me wrong here I’m not one of the critics on that score – I think we all need a measure of other worldliness to assist us in coping with the world and its trials.
Would you therefore feel that our wee story thread with its cyber community is a sham, a cardboard cut out that indulges fantasy and ignores the real meat of paganism! Is that so? For me it’s a bit of fun and weaves an interesting perspective on how people view each other online. The site was re created in that image as certainly people had expressed a love for that format – a “home” kind of for those who dwell in the valley that is UKP

So hard study and competence, or a health measure of fantasy, role playing and fun – what is the “true” path of a pagan? Is it really essential that we scoff at the fun and frolic that can come with adult exploration or are we betraying our core by indulging in that pursuit?

Imagination

The ability to confront and deal with reality by using the creative power of the mind

I think that many people who choose paganism/ witchcraft have more than the usual dose of imagination and an ability to be creative with their minds. To confront and deal with reality is a tough task and most of us will deal with these hurdles with common sense and practicality. Occasionally a spell/ working is called for and what is that mechanism other than the “creative power of the mind” and I would add will, than the ability to harness the imagination with a focussed intent?

Or am I wrong? What’s your take on imagination, fantasy and creativity within paganism?

There's certainly a place for fantasy inspired by Paganism, and I think most of the great fantasy novels use various mythologies as their source. That's certainly true of Tolkien, and current writers such as Katharine Kerr and David Gemmell.

However it is important to differentiate between stories and folk memories / mythology. I think tales such as the House of Thwax thread on this site are an indulgence in creativity; I don't think anyone should see it as anything else.

Yet that brings me on to a fundamental part of Celtic myth... imagination and creativity. I think of these as being part of the universal energy that surrounds us. I also believe that our imagination and spirit worlds are very closely linked, if not even the same thing.

To me, part of Paganism is being able to reach into that cauldron of inspiration, to draw strength and imagination from it, and to be able to translate that energy into poetry, artwork or stories.

So in that respect, fantasy is part of the Pagan world, but perhaps fantasy isn't really the right word for it.

eep did I stump people with this one or is the sun shining too much of a distraction says Rhi who is mucky from weeding and content and grateful for the rays

Just reading the threads on this site I guess that most of us have very active imaginations which has to be a good thing.

Throughout history people have spiced the mundane and the practical with imaginative tales and they have come to a deeper understanding of the world around them through poetry and myth.

Inspiration and story telling seems an integral part of many traditional pagan paths. So yes, common sense, realism and study but also a healthy dose of poetry, story and myth.

I must admit to being a little too overawed at the talent of those who contribute to the House of Thwax thread to have plucked up the courage to join in, well yet anyway

For me fantasy and imagination play a big role in my life. As an artist, I always think visually, all the time, same as musicians always have music going round in their heads. If I read a story or myth, it acts itself out in my head like a film as I read, therefore all the gods and goddesses and people are real to me at that time. Lots of people do this, with vivid imaginations. It makes one’s inner world more real.

Fantasy is a bit different, it is making pictures with things that aren’t real, and I do that all the time too, and attempt to do it with my artwork. It is a way of expressing the things that can’t be expressed in words, the mystical Otherworld, and I think this brings me closer in a truer way to the realities of that other world than having a logical, realistic view of it.

If that makes sense…………………….

Cheers
Finvarra

For me, my imagination and creativity are essential to my path. Without the ability to visualise and to express what I visualise, I wouldn't be able to work effectively. I certainly wouldn't be able to write. Without enough imagination to see an image in an ink swirl or ember, I wouldn't be able to scry.

So hard study and competence, or a health measure of fantasy, role playing and fun – what is the “true” path of a pagan?

Oh I think you have to have a certain amount of fun. Anyone given to a belief in magic has to have, in my opinion, an ability to suspend disbelief. If you can suspend disbelief, you can have an awful lot of fun running around woodlands pretending to be a fifth level Mage of Ty Woky, but at the end of it you won't have compromised your dignity (much... ) or your beliefs. You'll have found an outlet for your energy and imagination, but you'll be just as 'real' a pagan as any other serious practitioner.

Is your path made up of mythology, superstition and cyber stories i.e. House of Thwax thread? Or do you follow a path laced with harsh reality...Would you therefore feel that our wee story thread with its cyber community is a sham, a cardboard cut out that indulges fantasy and ignores the real meat of paganism! Is that so? For me it’s a bit of fun and weaves an interesting perspective on how people view each other online. The site was re created in that image as certainly people had expressed a love for that format – a “home” kind of for those who dwell in the valley that is UKP

Luckily, I am more than capable of discerning between something which is a fun story telling thread online, and that which I believe in and practice day to day. To anyone who seriously thinks I live my life through HoT my advice would be to take a long hard look at the assumptions they make about others. Much of my online persona is similar to my real time persona, but there are differences. The Oxon who dwells in the Valley is, in some ways, a charicature of the real Oxon. Certain aspects are emphasised, others played down. But thats the way stories work...

I enjoy visiting the HoT, but if I were to live that lifestyle then I'm sure there'd be some unpleasant names thrown at me, not least by my live-in boyfriend! HoT for me is a place to relax, interact with other members of this community in a friendly and fantasy manner, and to get to know other peoples' personalities. As oxon said, what you see here is to some extent a cariacature of my real self, but then again, i'm still working out what the real me is like! certainly not getting as much censored action as my valley self!

I'm sure that most of us are here is as a result of well developed imaginations allowing us to break away from "the mainstream".

I've always said that anyone that can't separate fantasy from reality has really got a problem, but this in no way denegrates the use of imagination.

There are of course grey area's:

Tolkien = fantasy, brilliant fantasy but fantasy nontheless.

Celtic myth = fantasy based on the percieved reality of the peoples present at the time that the mythology was developing and our current interpretation of those myths (just like christians with their bible)

or even:


The daily newspapers: Interpretation of fact.

Modern Paganism: Personal Interpretation of percieved spiritual reality.

I remember about fifteen years ago; my then mother in law telling me that she wouldn't read tolkien as it was in her words Demonic.
I replied by saying that it was no more Demonic than Winnie the Pooh because it was equally "fantasy".

The use of imagination is not restricted as a definition to promoting fantasy but to having the ability to question current percieved wisdom at whatever level and occasionally finding our own equally valid route.

My feelings on it all for what they are worth is that one mans reality is anothers fantasy. If something works then you use it. An open mind is needed to deal with what life throws at you.
My dad used to say that the thing about life was that you never got out of it alive, so I look at every thing and anything and I don't take everything I see, read or hear at face value & I try to tread as lightly as I can on others dreams & what gets them through the day.

Also please what are these "House of Thwax threads"??? I just know I'm missing something!!! is it exiting???

Blessings & love to all

Cloudhare

Draw your own conclusions CloudHare

House of Thwax

I think fantasy and reality are closely connected. So long as you personally know the difference between the two whats the harm? After all, some might say that scrying, astral travel and various other forms are fantasy, but to those that practise it is very much real. Points of view (sure I've said that somewhere else recently!).
BB,
hugs,
P.

Well that depends on your interpretation of reallity. As a child I had imaginary friends (mostly alien, some were AIs and a few were of the fey type), I would have adventures and conversations with them, include them in my life and ask them advice (they returned the compliment - especially that time the computers and robots all went on strike and formed a union - boy was that an adventure)
Despite all this fun I always knew that these friends were not real, that the adventures were limited to my imagination (limited???) and that real life was there as well. As a result such things were packed away when I was at school and unpacked when I got home.

Nowadays I see things a little differently. I see that there are things, powers, beings out there which as far as other people are concerned, exist only in my mind. Now its posible that i am infact going a little 'mental' (now where did I leave THAT certificate ) but I don't think so. Instead I feel that these 'super'natural things can only be seen clearly with the eyes of the imagination.



Nope all stories serve a purpose, whether to impart knowledge or to entertain. The HoT serves both as an entertainment and also as a way of socialising with people you are unlikely to meet (at least in the form they take here) and so can ne seen as a tool to relief tensions and build up comminity cammeradery (sp?)

Apart from that its fun (though somewhat addictive which is why I don't contribute as much as I'd like - I do need some time to sleep)



Spot on. The ability of mankind to think outside of the box is one of the main reasons we are what we are. Even the dullest person has that ability and when someone finds a way to harness it .....watch out - Leonardo comes to mind here (either one)

So much of the path (well my path but I expect of others too) requires the ability to see things in different ways and to, indeed, see things that aren't actually seen.

Show someone a wood and at best they see trees,

Show a naturalist a wood and they see a living habitat

Show a pagan a wood and they see a living sacred place, they hear the woods talking, the trees thinking and the circle of life, death and rebirth. They see deity and spirits, they see truth and beauty, hope and despair. Oh and some trees too.

Kev

great reply Kev

I see fantasy and the cyber world as a bit of an escape from the horrors of real life..its nice to be someone else forra while! I'm usually shy in real life and find it very hard to meet and talk to new people, but online.......i'm the complete opposite, sometimes I think i'm borderline skitsophrenic(spelling??).......My online alter-ego allows me to get rid of most of my frustrations...I dont think its sad...I have REAL friends etc...i just sometimes prefer the easy online life that has no pressures,hassles,bills......

Fantasy is not at all. One can tell a story based in a so-called make-believe place but one must tell the truth or it does not work. Some might embelish after all I'd like to be 29 again with long hair and an amazing to know what I know now view on life. But I'm not. That is just outer trappings and inside I am 29, 35, 16 80 and 52. I am my stories, which when told in retrospect can sound like fable as one views them without the severity of the emotions felt at the time. I am a Witch now 40 odd years ago my mum might have said that I was telling stories or mad but I'm not and I am a Witch so what a Wonderful world I live in to be all that I have been with tales to tell and more stories to come. Blessed Be Furdion. P.S. I am able to speak the truth here because I'm amongst friends and do not get heckled or asked to perform tricks like a circus seal. Furdion