Hi there, I have just joined and must say this looks like a great place! Hopefully I'll learn a lot and won't feel so confused by the end of it.

I have copied some of this from my profile so that you can gather a little about me...

I was brought up as a Christian (Church of England) but never really believed in any of it's principles, and so could never follow it wholeheartedly.

I have always been interested in magic, tarot, healing and crystals, the afterlife, spirits etc and seem to have a 'sixth sense' where other people are concerned. My Grandfather passed away 10 years ago this year, and several years ago he appeared to me in the family garden at a birthday party... my christian religion would not believe or accept this.

I love nature and being at one with it, leave me sitting alone in my garden with my plants and I am happy.

I recently met someone who is a Pagan Witch (though not Wiccan) she calls herself a Herbalism mainly, but she is also a psychic medium and is extremely good at reading tarot, so we got talking and I found myself being more and more drawn in.... and here I am!

Everything I read about Paganism just draws me in, but I really am getting very confused about all of the different paths. I have read about Gods and Goddesses, but really do not believe in it... does that make me not a Pagan, or just definitely not Wiccan?

I would like to delve more into it all but feel I can't because I do not know which path I should be on. My friend has said that I should be on the path that 'jumps out' at me... but reading about it online has simply confused me...

From what I have written about, can anyone recommend paths that I should look into? Am I a witch from what I believe and am interested in?

I really do feel quite lost!

First thing to say.......... you are not lost! What you are feeling is what many people who become Pagans have felt. It is not simple and clear cut like Christianity because there is no one clear pathway. There are many paths trodden by lots of people, but also many people who follow their own path.

There are Pagans who worship many Gods and Godesses, atheists, some believe in a single God and Goddess, some believe everything is a God. Some Pagans mix with others, some dont. Some follow rituals and calendars, some don't.

At this stage the question of what path you should be following is the last thing you should be worrying about (even if you feel adrift and would like to have a path to cling onto). This is a great stage for you, even if it seems a bit scary and you feel lost. This is the time when you can soak it all in. Read about Paganism. Talk with others on this site. Work out your own beliefs,........what you really believe and not what you feel you are expected to believe.

Like your friend says a path will eventually become clear to you, but looking back you may well see that you are already on your path..... just the first few feet of it, and hopefully you will have a long and fascinating journey ahead of you.

On a practical level I would suggest you read many of the past threads or if you are not sure about a specific thing then start a thread about it. The only silly question is the one which goes unasked after all.

So chill, and enjoy the newness.

Mike

Could I recommend that you have a read of the following threads.

Where do I start?

This is how I feel

Then take your time and have a squint through the rest of the threads in this forum and get some idea of the advice already given.

I guarantee you that no-one will point you to a particular path or Pagan religion or ethos because for the most part, although we come from all backgrounds and many differing pagan paths, we all agree on one thing, you have to find your own way.

My suggestion would be to gravitate towards that which initially interests you or that you are curious about. You have your whole life to work it out, you don't have to "pick" something now, you don't have to pick something ever.

I'd also suggest go to the bookstore, and see what "speaks" to you.
I know there are book threads on here. I'm a total nature lover myself .

You do sound pagan, if tht helps or not, lol. Its true we all have different paths here and different beliefs, makes it quite interesting and lively!

Trust in yourself , read and read and feel free to ask ?'s.

Welcome~

If it makes you feel any better, I've been at this ten years and still don't have a path, a direction, or a particular deity. I call myself a solitary eclectic, because I don't mix with other pagans in RL and I pick and choose what I want to focus on at any given time. Sometimes I call myself a pagan, sometimes a witch. On the next census I'm going to put Jedi.

When I think about my first steps into paganism, I can remember being excited about all the wonderful things to explore. So my advice is to enjoy it.

Thank you for your replies

I have spoken with my friend and ordered a book she recommended, so I am looking forward to that dropping on my doorstep in the next couple of days.

Hi. I'm in Bucks as well and have been trying to organise a pagan moot around the Chesham/Amersham area. There's nothing planned at the moment, as I'm still waiting to hear back from a few people, but if you'd like to get involved, it could be a good way to meet people and find out more, and you could possibly help me get it kicked off, as the problem I've had is that I've only recently moved to the area and don't really know any venues.

If that's any good to you, drop me a message on here, or email cheshampaganmoot at gmail dot com

If thats the case you may want to post it in the Moots section and see if there is anyone else interested if you get it up and going. You never know you may get a flurry of interest and it may give you the impetus you need to keep going!

Yeah, I have done, I think. I'll go and bump it.

Hi purplehaze (great name!)

Sorry to hear you are feeling 'lost'.

There is so much information around these days it is easy to become overwhelmed.

In some ways, I think we had it easier when we were starting out, there wasn't nearly so much around.

We found the name Paganism and the description fitted who we were - we didn't even really know there were 'paths' back then. So we just did what felt like Pagan stuff, met folk, tried stuff with them, found, for us, the folk were more important than the 'path'. When we found folk we connected with at a deep level, we started to learn from them. Read loads of books throughout the process…

The first truly Pagan thing we did, still sits in a special place in my memory. At about 3 am on Beltane morning (when you were 3!) we took some nightlights and went to a lovely sacred site we had found by accident some months before. We walked through the quiet, dark, misty wood, got to the pool on the outcrop, put our nightlights around the pool and lit them. We just sat in the dark, watching the wood around us gradually begin to glow gently as the Sun rose. We didn't invoke anything, wave tools around, say any words at all, we just let the dawning of Beltane soak into us… purely magical and spiritually nourishing.

Doing very simple things like that, without trying to fit into any structure laid out by a book or people, helped, for me, imbed my Paganism in my bones. I measure anything I read or learn now against the feelings in my heart, bones and spirit before I decide whether it will fit into my practice or not.

Ideas you read, conversations you have - these will help you decide what suits you. Don't worry about a name for what you do - just do it and enjoy!

A lot of the conversations about paths on e-groups etc, sometimes feel to me a bit like trying to describe a sunset, or the smell of a rose, or the feeling of a warm breeze caressing your skin - the speaker knows exactly what they mean, but for others it will never be quite the same. No one is wrong (unless of course they are a prat spouting rubbish ) but language doesn't really cover it.

All the best with your explorations.

bb
Kitty

I totally agree with Kitty -often the deepest experiences transcend description and sink into the heart of you. Finding space to just be rather than do, to listen to the essence of yourself shows one more than any book.

What feels right for you may not be right for anyone else and that is fine and never let anyone say otherwise - there is nothing that you should or ought to be doing, especially when it jangles.
Things will resonate with you as you read and talk to people and help you to distil your ideas.

If you have a question just ask - we may not have the answer or we will give diverse answers but sometimes just asking the question is enough.

All the best