Starters Orders (basics)
Ground work, foundations and basics. A good place to start for those new to paganism.
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Basics Guidelines.
This area is for posting of basics, starter information. Remember to respect the views of the original poster in any discussion.Nearly everyone, when they start out, feels lost and seeks advice. Before you start a thread asking "where do I go from here?" please take a little time to read some of the threads of those who have asked that same question in this forum in the past. You might find them helpful. And it may provide you with a starting point.
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By Roundtuit · Posted
Thank you. Yes, I'm starting to think it's the journey that matters. What a gorgeous image! I'd love to get back to the fells, there's something new around very corner there. -
By Stonehugger · Posted
I've had varying degrees and natures of commitment to Christianity since I was at school but I've also always had pagan leanings and for quite a long time now my path has been entirely pagan. It's unproblematic in that my family and friends think it's harmless eccentricity, but I imagine it would be different if I took a strongly pagan stance on something. For me personally it's important to listen to what's going on around me and work out my path accordingly, so I celebrate the presence of many paths up the same mountain and have no concerns about reaching the top. I imagine that, like almost any walk in the fells, what currently looks like the top is just another place to see the next top from. Definitely!! 😁 -
By Ellinas · Posted
Well, I've been called many things in my time... I'm also a former Christian, with a chequered history (Anglican, in the guise of the Church in Wales, then Plymouth Brethren with the odd foray into the Baptists along the way). I fell out with Christianity in the early 2000's, when I was late 30's, early 40's. Since then, the general nature of my meanderings has remained fairly constant, but the details and contents have changed over time. That's fine. The journey is the issue, not the destination. Ithaca calls, but Phoenician markets and Egyptian cities have the greater import (poetic reference - just means follow your path and hope to arrive late, if at all). What I believe tomorrow may be very different to what I believe today. What I believed yesterday is just a stepping stone. In short, don't worry about what you have been, as it is merely the pathway that got you to what you are, and don't worry about where you are going, there are any number of bye-ways for you to explore. As to others - I have struggled with family pressures and the tyranny of monotheistic faith. I understand your position and have no issue with a softly-softly approach such as you describe. In fact, it is the best way unless you are prepared to create and weather a family rift. Dangerous statement. Talk about tempting fate...! -
By Moonsmith · Posted
Hi, Welcome. While I rarely go to bed before three am, I am also in the habit of switching off my phone between uses. This device is primarily outgoing. Many of us have been Christians at some point in our histories. Experiences vary considerably. I was heavily involved but just lapsed. No issues or problems. I know a lot of Pagans who have switched between different belief sets, pagan and non pagan over the years. They have a tendency to carry over elements from each crossroads they come to. My own beliefs have been evolving for decades. I don’t suppose that they will change much more but if anyone gives serious thought to their beliefs there must always be the risk of a new realisation. Don’t take any notice of what other people say, just be sure that whatever you believe is what you really believe. There is no top to that mountain. The road goes ever on. Take any path that leads in a direction that want to go. Don’t worry about the destination. -
By Roundtuit · Posted
Hi! Welcome to my self-absorbed drivel. I don't quite know where to start about this, but after years of trying to be a Christian, I'm exploring being a Pagan. Actually, I'd go as far as to say I am one, and was before in my late teens and early twenties. I grew up in an Evangelical household and my parents are now Pentecostal deacons. I started to question my faith from an early age, and later started to practice Wicca and study legends and folk customs. I had some health problems that made me a lot more dependent on family. I don't see any reason to ever let my parents or other family members know about my beliefs as that would be devastating for them, but they ask about church and my spiritual life every time I see them. In my mid twenties I started to think that I had to compromise with my parents over my beliefs if they were ever to accept other life choices I made. I have had relationships they wouldn't accept and didn't want to alienate myself from them even further. I wanted to be pragmatic. There was truth in virtually every belief system so I might as well re-adopt Christianity, find a progressive church and live as good a life as I could like that. So I did that for years, as a secretly pantheistic Christian who went to a church that worshipped God using male, female and gender-neutral pronouns and lived what most people would describe as a secular life outside of church. I'd left Christianity because so much harm was done in the name of a set of beliefs. Then I came back because I didn't want to cause harm to my parents in the name of beliefs, religion or the lack of it. How people are treated should always come first. Then aged 43, in January during the lockdown, I went 'pop'. It was like I'd been getting more and more resentful and thirsting after Earth-based spirituality. It was a need and I'm not sure it can be denied because I need to feel alive. I've been studying various pagan traditions ever since and have taken a break from church (my vicar knows all of this and is great about it). Not attending church is unacceptable in my family. I feel so behind though. Most people I meet or come across on social media has years of experience and say they've been practicing since they were teenagers. I once heard someone say that yes, there are many paths up the same mountain but if you keep changing paths you never reach the top. Do you agree, or not? Is anyone else here a new older pagan? Is it at all common?
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