Paganism

[Queen K]

I guess I was hoping to see some pix, not identifying anyone, or be sensationalist, just to get a reading of the atmosphere surrounding what would be a pagan ritual, and I don't mean something artificial or staged, but a real portrayal of the scene. Ah well....

[hellomynameis]

I'll wrangle some up for you

[Queen K]

Well, not for me 'specially, for all of us.

[surfgirl]

To my understanding paganism is the following of earth based gods and goddesses from the beginning of mankind. Wicca started in Europe mainstream from the eastern regions. Witchcraft means many different things to many different people. But I would say witchcraft is something like this ; the use of magic, however it may transpire in ones' belief system, to do good or bad. Wicca, in the English language, is translated to bend. But to some, it 's all evil.

[oldhippy]

My wife is pagan...

I've been observing the behaviour, rituals and mating practises for quite sometime now.

Questions?

Okey...

1. How does one have sex with a tree?
2. Is there one pagan god, many?

That's all for now.

1. How does one have sex with a tree?

The last I heard was: Knot holes

[westsidebud]

The Celts were a group of peoples that occupied lands stretching from the British Isles to Gallatia. The Celts had many dealings with other cultures that bordered the lands occupied by these peoples, and even though there is no written record of the Celts stemming from their own documents, we can piece together a fair picture of them from archeological evidence as well as historical accounts from other cultures.

The first historical recorded encounter of a people displaying the cultural traits associated with the Celts comes from northern Italy around 400 BC, when a previously unkown group of barbarians came down from the Alps and displaced the Etruscans from the fertile Po valley, a displacment that helped to push the Etruscans from history's limelight. The next encounter with the Celts came with the still young Roman Empire, directly to the south of the Po. The Romans in fact had sent three envoys to the beseiged Etruscans to study this new force. We know from Livy's The Early History of Rome that this first encounter with Rome was quite civilized:



http://www.ibiblio.org/gaelic/celts.html

[westsidebud]

Christianity is a composite religion, consisting of mixtures poached and drawn from a number of different cults, sub-cults and philosophical ideas which in most cases had been around for far longer than the Bible itself. Some of the true origins of these major strands which are often thought of as being purely Christian are:

- The Biblical story of Noah and the flood is a copy of the fictional story of a flood in the Sumerian novel, the Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates from 2000 BC.


The 'Madonna and Child' theme thought of as exclusively Christian, was in fact stolen from earlier White religions, notably the much older Egyptian cult of Isis and Horus (see chapter 8). Above left, an Ancient Egyptian statue from the 19th Dynasty(1295-1186 BC), predating Christianity by well over 1000 years, showing the 'Madonna and Child' theme with Isis and Horus. Center, this Classical Greek mosaic, predating the advent of Christianity, shows the Greek mythological character, Dionysus, as a holy child. This theme was taken up into Christianity, as per the 'Madonna and Child' portrait, above right.

Many of the Old Testament laws, in particular the "eye for an eye" law were taken from the Sumerian Code of Hammurabi (1750 BC). The "eye for an eye" law was lifted word for word from Hammurabi's Code.

- The concept of monotheism - one god as opposed to many gods - was originally created by the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton (1350 - 1334 BC) who was the first to declare that there was only one god, the Sun God. It is beyond dispute that this concept formed the basis of the Jews' monotheism, and from thence absorbed by Christianity.

The concept of an afterlife and resurrection were derived from the Egyptian cult of Osiris, which was the first resurrection based religion in the world. The belief in an afterlife and resurrection formed the basis of the Egyptian practice of mummification.

- The concepts of heaven and hell and of a galactic battle between the forces of good and evil were originally conceived by the Indo-European religion created by the prophet Zarathustra. It is of significance to note that Heaven and Hell do not feature in the Christian Old Testament, being purely New Testament concepts. The very word Hell was taken from the Indo-European goddess of the underworld, Hel.

http://www.white-history.com/hwr17a.htm

[westsidebud]

http://www.ca.paganfederation.org/

[westsidebud]

In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. Druidic practices were part of the culture of all the tribal peoples called Keltoi and Galatai by Greeks and Celtae and Galli by Romans, which evolved into modern English "Celtic" and "Gaulish".

Modern attempts at reconstructing practising druidism are called Neo-druidism



http://www.crystalinks.com/druids.html

[westsidebud]

As archaeologists are proving Moses did not write the parts of the Bible that are attributed to him (early papers with the text were not written in his era due to time dating on the paper). This includes the part of the Bible concerning the Ten Commandments. More evidence comes out every day to suggest that the Christian Bible is nothing more than a large fictitious book filled with hate propaganda and other fallacies, I feel that we need to consider the source of the “manual of God.”

I know and am friends with many Christian people. However, that being said, I do not believe in the Christian God. I am a reasonable person though and tend to believe that all religions offer some important life lessons. As I am not Christian, I am going to assume some of the most important life lessons (or rules, in this case) to a Christian would exist in the Ten Commandments. The following article looks at the Ten Commandments, what they mean, and if they are even necessary at all.

First we need to consider the fact that there were two original sets of these commandments. One set was smashed and one was kept whole. Further, there are at least three versions that range in rules and wording. The Protestant, Catholic, and Hebrew versions are all different. However, in the effort of time saving and relative ease we will use the Protestant (King James) version of the Commandments. In all cases, the punishment of breaking a commandment is either death or damnation, so keep in mind that according to the Bible these are some pretty strict rules.

Commandment 1: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

As I am not a Christian and instead am a polytheist this one confuses me somewhat. Having not read the Bible may be impeding my understanding of God and the works, but I was to understand that God was it. If he was fully aware of this (as he should be, since he is God) then why is this rule necessary at all?

Was it just that the writer of the Commandments was insecure and wanted to emphasize the importance of God or was it something else? Naturally, if you believe in History you know that other people did believe in other Gods before the Christian one, so is this the reason for the hatred against other possible Gods?

Furthermore, if God forgives you and allows you into heaven if you repent couldn’t you just worship who you want, find out your wrong, and repent to get into heaven when the time came? This commandment just seems like God was an attention *bleep*. The first rule has to be about him being the most important and only valid God…or else. Really, I thought he would be more mature than that.

(more…)


http://www.beforechristianity.com/

[westsidebud]

"We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you--to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think


http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm

[westsidebud]

Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about us wish to believe, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of thinking and life which promotes oneness with the divine and all which exists.

Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.

Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While much of the information of how our ancestors lived, worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the information that is available.



http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm

[westsidebud]

Wiccans, as followers of Wicca are now commonly known, typically worship a God (traditionally the Horned God) and a Goddess (traditionally the Triple Goddess), who are sometimes represented as being a part of a greater pantheistic Godhead, and as manifesting themselves as various polytheistic deities. Other characteristics of Wicca include the ritual use of magic, a liberal code of morality and the celebration of eight seasonal-based festivals

http://www.important.ca/wicca_religion.html

[westsidebud]

The Norse Gods and Immortals

Aegir
God of the sea. Married to Ran and lives under the waves near the island of Hlesey.
Aesir
A group of warrior gods led by Odin who inhabit Asgard.
Balder
Son of Odin and Frigg. Known as a gentle and wise god. Killed accidentally by his brother Hod. Will return after Ragnarok.
Bolverk
The alias Odin adopted when disguised as a giant to win the mead of poetry.
Bor
Son of Buri and father of Odin, Vili and Ve.
Bragi
God of poetry and eloquence. Son of Odin and husband of Idun.
Buri
Ancestor of the gods. Created by the cow Audmula licking him from ice.
Day
Son of Night and Delling. Said to ride around the earth on his horse Skinfaxi.
Earth
Daughter of Night and Annar.
Einherjar
Band of dead warriors in Valhalla who await Ragnarok.
Eir
Goddess of healing
Fjorgyn
Lover of Odin and mother of Thor. Also referred to as Earth.
Forseti
God of Justice. Son of Balder and Nanna.
Freyja
Main goddess of the Vanir (fertility gods). Daughter of Njord and sister of Freyr.
Freyr
Important god of the Vanir. Son of Njord and brother of Freyja.
Frigg
Main goddess. Wife of Odin and mother of Balder.
Fulla
Goddess servant of Frigg.
Gangnrad
Pseudonym of Odin when he visits Vafthrudnir.
Gefion
Fertility goddess. Associated with the plough. Tricked the king of Sweden out of a tract of his land.
Grimnir
Pseudonym of Odin when he visits his foster son Geirrod, King of the Goths.
Gullveig
A Vanir goddess (probably Freyja) who is burned three times by the Aesir.
Harbard
Odin disguised as a ferryman when he wrangles with Thor.
Heimdall
Watchman of the gods and owner of the horn Gjall. Son of nine mothers. Often identified with Rig, the creator of three races of men.
Hermod
Son of Odin. Rode to Hel to try and rescue his brother Balder.
Hod
Son of Odin. A blind god who accidentally killed his brother Balder. he will return after Ragnarok.
Honir
A long-legged, indecisive god. Sent to the Vanir to seal the truce between them and the Aesir. He will survive Ragnarok.
Idun
Guardian of the golden apples of youth and wife of Bragi.
Lofn
Goddess of ilicit unions.
Loki
The sly, trickster god. Son of two giants. Also known as the Sly One, the Trickster, the Shape Changer and the Sky Traveller. Becomes increasingly more evil. He is responsible for the death of Balder. Bound until Ragnarok.
Magni
Son of Thor and the giantess Jarnsaxa. Will inherit Thor's hammer Mjollnir with his brother Modi after Ragnarok.
Mimir
Wise Aesir god. Sent to the Vanir to seal the truce between the two groups of gods. Killed by the Vanir, his head is kept by Odin.
Modgud
Maiden guardian of the bridge over the river Gjoll in Jotenheim.
Modi
Son of Thor and the giantess Jarnsaxa. Will inherit Thor's hammer Mjollnir with his brother Magni after Ragnarok.
Moon
Son of Mundilfari. Guides the moon on it's course.
Nanna
Wife of Balder and daughter of Nep.
Narvi
Also known as Nari. Son of Loki and Sigyn who was killed by his brother Vali.
Night
Daughter of Narvi and mother of Day. Rides around the earth on her horse Hrimfaxi.
Njord
A Vanir god associated with wind and sea. Husband of Skadi and father of Freyja and Freyr.
Norns
Urd "fate", Skuld "being" and Verandi "necessity". Three goddesses of destiny.
Od
Missing husband of Freyja who she constantly mourns for.
Odin
God of poetry, battle and death. Chief god of the Aesir. Also known as the "all-father", the "terrible one", "one-eyed" and "father of battle".
Ran
Wife of Aegir who dragged drowning men down with her net.
Rig
Pseudonym of Heimdall and the creator of three races of men.
Rind
Goddess and lover of Odin. Mother of Vali.
Saga
Goddess and drinking companion of Odin.
Sif
Wife of Thor whose golden hair was cut off by Loki.
Sigyn
Wife of Loki.
Sjofn
Goddess of human passion.
Sun
Daughter of Mundilfari and guide of the sun.
Syn
Goddess of the accused at trial.
Thor
God of Sky, thunder and fertility. Associated with law and order in Asgard and guardian of the gods. Son of Odin and Earth and husband of Sif. Also known as the "thunder god" and "charioteer".
Thrud
Daughter of Thor. Promised to the dwarf Alvis.
Tyr
War god. Son of Odin who sacrified his hand in the binding of Fenrir.
Ull
God of archery and skiing.
Vali
Son of Loki and Sigyn. Turned into a wolf and killed his brother Narvi.
Vali
Son of Odin and the giantess Rind. Conceived to avenge the death of Balder.
Valkyries
Beautiful women who carried dying warriors to Valhalla.
Vanir
Fertility gods.
Var
Goddess of marriage oaths.
Ve
Son of Bor and brother of Odin and Vili.
Vidar
Son of Odin and the giantess Grid who will avenge Odin's death after Ragnarok.
Vili
Son of Bor and brother of Odin and Ve.
Vor
Goddess who knows all.

http://www.akasha.demon.co.uk/norse.htm

[AlanH]

And what do you think about all of that?