I believe in Gods and Goddess and magic. But I have no fixed beliefs as such, I am not Wiccan or Heathen, I don't think I could dogmatically adhere to any religion. Yet I feel Pagan, but have no 'path'.

You can follow others' paths if you wish but you can also tread your own path.

Hi, puddles! If you look in here you'll find lots of threads from people new to paganism asking a pretty similar question, and all getting the answer that no, you don't need a specific path. .

Indeed, we have atheist pagans on the site. And a whole range of 'theists'. So do what' feels right to you.

gosh darn it, we still got those athiests? pesky things

welcome. I follow no particular path as such.

fizzy (an athiest pagan)

Yep!
Don't tell other pagan forums - they'll all want one!

I realize you wield a pointy stick, but boy! are you so wrong

And of course due to this lapse in your uber-paganess, you are acquiring the cream of the crop of atheists : you raise the crop, we'll cream 'em , er, I mean...

Marto *ahem*

Oh, and in answer to the title of the thread from the O.P. - No.

You and your life is the path, how you walk it and what choices you make are up to you.


Marto

Yep, the cream of the crop. Cream. Which rises to the top. Like so many other wonderful things.....Like....erm......beer froth? And er, erm.......
.....pond....s...c....u.....m......ooops.





Seriously, what everyone else said. Everyone treads their own path, even if some choose to do it by following in the footprints of others who have walked in the same direction.

In a strange way I will agree with what has been said by disagreeing with it. You DO need a path to be Pagan, or else you get nowhere. Does that need to be a path which is trodden by others or one which is well established with rules etc? Absolutely not in my view.

Why spend your time trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? What matters is that you question, learn and enjoy.

There are far to many atheists on this site, however, which does tend to lower the tone (and I include myself in that band).

Mike

Mike

Well I'm not an Atheist Puddles!
And
I followed my own path for thirty years totally un-distracted by other pagans. I call myself a Bog Standard Pagan - there are thousands of us - all of whom got here by following what we think is right and logical in our universe. Its taken all of those thirty years to find Druidry. Luckily Druidry isn't a religion so we BSP's are as welcome as any other Pagan, Christian, Buddhist. We even have a Zen Buddhist in our group which is a bit like having a no sided stick in a hole with infinite sides!

Bum - I think I've just described a round peg in a round hole!

Don't worry about the atheists. They just haven't discovered that a God/dess believes in them!

The big thing is -don't sweat it! Don't let ANYONE tell you you are wrong just coz they've read stuff.
and
Whatever you chosen direction be it path or prairie; keep moving forward and value where you've been.
Travel well and travel safe.

Pat.

Where your feet tread - that is your path.



"What's your path?" is the modern equivalent of "What's your (star) sign?"

I like the way you've worded this Moonsmith I personally have stopped moving forward and haven't truly valued enough where I have been so am taking a break, but I agree with what you've said.

[quote=Fortuna,Dec 24 2009, 03:59 PM]
You DO need a path to be Pagan, or else you get nowhere. Does that need to be a path which is trodden by others or one which is well established with rules etc? Absolutely not in my view.

I agree with this too Mike.

Yep paths are good and everyones is unique and trod by them for the first time and experianced differently - besides walking in the road is a bit risky and its a no no with the green cross code !!!

Im also pretty new to all this and it is helpfull to know that you need not chose a set path but can make your own, whatever feels right to you seems a great idea
(though i am debateing wether my path should include or dissinclude the lifelong slighty quirky habit of speaking to the weather!)

Why not speak to the weather? I've been trying to train my moody daughter to be polite to the wind. When the wind is blowing her hood off, it is *not* naughty, as she insists, but doing its job, and screaming, "NO NO NO NAUGHTY WIND, GO AWAY, I HATE YOU!" will, if anything, make it blow harder.

LOL ... my son used to say 'I'm not a tree, don't blow me' Didn't stop it blowing though .....
Back on topic.....
I don't think you need a specific path to say you are pagan, but it is always good to read about different paths and see if one of them does actually call you. If it doesn't??? So what?? You follow whatever your heart tells you to follow, whatever is right for you.

Ok, its my turn now YES! You do need a path to be a pagan, otherwise you wont know were your going. But, saying that no one is expecting you to choose your path now and no one is expecting you to walk an established path, lol I certainly dont. The path I walk if im honest I did not choose. Years ago I would have said I was a Celtic Wiccan only to find that I followed the Fae closer than the Celt traditions add that merry lot to the fact that when I first set foot on the path my teacher was a Siax Wiccan

If I can be so bold as to offer advice, I would read, ask questions. If it feels right for you and you feel a connection then smile sweetly, say thank you and keep it. The beauty about our faith (I believe) is that it is a truly personal faith. We take what feels right, modify it to suit our own needs if it works keep it.

If I can quote Comfrey


Dont worry about not having a path, you will find it in time, I did