Ls2012
Amethyst
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 10:33:14 GMT -6
Welcome, all!
Please, introduce yourselves and tell us your favorite Ostara/ Spring Equinox ritual!
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 10:37:07 GMT -6
I came to Paganism pretty organically. It made sense/ spoke to my soul to be in tune with the ebb and flow of nature and the cycles of life.
I'm very much looking forward to getting outside and starting my garden. Ironically, I'm not great with plants but I enjoy getting my hands in the dirt and watching things grow.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 10:42:47 GMT -6
For Ostara, weather permitting, I love to sit outside with a cup of tea and watch the sun rise. I do the same in the evening to watch the sun set. It's a sort of meditation- I sit quietly and listen to the birds returning, look around at the buds beginning again on the trees, the green shoots from the ground. I breathe deeply and think of all the changes to come, and thank the sun for bringing life again.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 11:43:30 GMT -6
I admit that I'm not particularly well-read on the practices, but kind of go with gut instincts. When I feel in need of some inspiration, I like Learn Religions as a resource. I appreciate that it's a more general guide, since I find it hard to distinguish between Pagan, Wiccan, Celtic, etc. www.learnreligions.com/all-about-ostara-the-spring-equinox-2562471
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Post by Wtfshouldmynamebe on Mar 11, 2020 12:03:20 GMT -6
I am fairly new to the practice. I always felt a connection with nature and spirit, so I started studying it. For me, I love how they all intertwine and you can practice any way you want. When I first started, I was embarrassed to mention it. Then one night I told a friend, and it turned out she was the same. For spring, I enjoy watching the growth and rebirth of flowers. I may actually set an alter this year. It would be my first one. I have everything for it.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 12:12:59 GMT -6
I am fairly new to the practice. I always felt a connection with nature and spirit, so I started studying it. For me, I love how they all intertwine and you can practice any way you want. When I first started, I was embarrassed to mention it. Then one night I told a friend, and it turned out she was the same. For spring, I enjoy watching the growth and rebirth of flowers. I may actually set an alter this year. It would be my first one. I have everything for it. I've been a solitary practitioner for several years- more out of necessity than actual want. It's difficult to find like-minded individuals where I live. I definitely feel I could benefit from the experience and knowledge of a proper coven. I'd love to hear about your alter if you do one. I dabble only periodically with casting. I do not call myself a witch- I rather loathe the hokey stereotypes associated with the term, particularly modern witches. And I absolutely hate the recent Hollywood trend of adopting the craft. A faith practice is not a trend. Wow, I've been holding that it. Rant over.
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mimsy
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Post by mimsy on Mar 11, 2020 15:31:27 GMT -6
I’m a self-proclaimed pagan and have just started to really embrace the holidays.
I think I will probably start to plan my garden and make sure that there is enough food and places for birds to nest.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 16:57:49 GMT -6
I’m a self-proclaimed pagan and have just started to really embrace the holidays. I think I will probably start to plan my garden and make sure that there is enough food and places for birds to nest. I love your avatar! I'm hoping to plant a lot of pollinators. Unfortunately, I don't get a ton of full sun in my yard so I have to do some research on what will work best. There are a couple spots I might get lavender to grow and I'm excited to try. Also want to plant an herb wall. Maybe I'll tap into some kitchen craft.
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mimsy
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Post by mimsy on Mar 11, 2020 19:13:26 GMT -6
I’m a self-proclaimed pagan and have just started to really embrace the holidays. I think I will probably start to plan my garden and make sure that there is enough food and places for birds to nest. I love your avatar! I'm hoping to plant a lot of pollinators. Unfortunately, I don't get a ton of full sun in my yard so I have to do some research on what will work best. There are a couple spots I might get lavender to grow and I'm excited to try. Also want to plant an herb wall. Maybe I'll tap into some kitchen craft. I have a full southern exposure and I’ve been working on a lavender hedgerow. I’m really trying to figure out what my focus is; I think I would be considered an eclectic or hedge witch commonly.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2020 19:46:15 GMT -6
Okay, H is finally back and so I have some time to sit. I'm not really...anything? right now. I was a very devout Catholic as a child and when I turned (around 13) I turned *hard* and became very anti-all religion. It was a hurt response that has honestly taken a very long time to recover from. And I know that Christianity is not where I belong any longer. I'm not sure where I do belong, but I've recently realized that atheism isn't it either. The closest I've managed to get is that I believe that we're all connected, and that really relating to nature is key to harmony. And I think that gets me to this thread? I'm honestly not even sure where to start, but it's exciting to be moving out of almost two decades of grieving. And I'm excited to research, since religions in general are fascinating. Hello. I relate to you. I have almost noticed a trend in the specific religion people usually leave eventually (catholic). I wonder why that is? I don't say this judgmentally towards the faith but.. it just seems repetitive that I've had people share with me a similar experience. My mother is religious and I was sent to a catholic school but I was never connected to religion. Ever. I call myself spiritual instead of religious. There are things beyond our realm of knowledge and the universe is mysterious and wonderful. I've actually never practiced paganism but I would relate most to that practice. Maybe we should start an agnostic thread?
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mimsy
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Post by mimsy on Mar 11, 2020 20:03:00 GMT -6
I’m also a lapsed Catholic. I studied Judaism for a bit an eventually felt that monotheism wasn’t for me.
Chaos magick (though not specifically a religion) holds a great deal of appeal to me.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 20:10:12 GMT -6
It is interesting that so many of us left Catholicism for this path. For me, I found myself angry at the church for hard-line stances against divorce, lgbtq community, women in positions of authority, and massive cover-up of criminality (abuses on children). I know some of that is changing, but it is far too little and far too late for me. I also don't personally believe in the Jesus story other than he was a kind-hearted individual who died in a heinous way, so Christ-based faiths don't have relevance to me. The history of the formal church is hideous. I don't believe I need to be in a church to feel close to god/nature.
But, having been raised within it, I do feel a certain comfort with ritual and I am able to recreate that ritual in communing with nature. I recreate prayer in spells- they are pretty much the same thing: words focused into hope and action. And certainly holidays are pretty easy since most Catholic holidays were borrowed (stolen) from existing pagan tradition.
For the record, I don't think this speaks badly for Catholicism/ Christianity. I do, however see some paralells in practice that make paganism understandably relatable.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 11, 2020 20:16:07 GMT -6
mimsy, I've done some study on Judaism also in trying to reconnect with that family history that was lost. Like @icedtea, I find a lot religions fascinating. But, no. Monotheism in the traditional sense is not for me, either.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2020 5:37:36 GMT -6
It is interesting that so many of us left Catholicism for this path. For me, I found myself angry at the church for hard-line stances against divorce, lgbtq community, women in positions of authority, and massive cover-up of criminality (abuses on children). I know some of that is changing, but it is far too little and far too late for me. I also don't personally believe in the Jesus story other than he was a kind-hearted individual who died in a heinous way, so Christ-based faiths don't have relevance to me. The history of the formal church is hideous. I don't believe I need to be in a church to feel close to god/nature. But, having been raised within it, I do feel a certain comfort with ritual and I am able to recreate that ritual in communing with nature. I recreate prayer in spells- they are pretty much the same thing: words focused into hope and action. And certainly holidays are pretty easy since most Catholic holidays were borrowed (stolen) from existing pagan tradition. For the record, I don't think this speaks badly for Catholicism/ Christianity. I do, however see some paralells in practice that make paganism understandably relatable. I had a turning point where I asked a priest a question and the answer was "it just is" And I remember that moment to this day. I really didn't want to be in a religion where I couldn't ask questions.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 12, 2020 6:55:28 GMT -6
I was always really encouraged to ask questions, I had some really splendid religion teachers at my Catholic school. I know that's not the same everywhere though. Same here. Questions were encouraged. It was the answers that I didn't care for. That has changed a little in a adulthood. Despite our personal beliefs, DH and I still married in the church for our families (an argument for a different day). The priest in our parish is actually pretty cool and a former physics professor. I asked him how he could reconcile all he knew to be true of science with all he believed as a man of faith. He told me he had no trouble believing that god created all science has taught him. That was the single most inclusive answer I had ever heard from anyone in all my Catholic upbringing. It's because of him and the efforts Pope Francis is making that I still have a lot of respect for people within the church, even if it isn't for me personally. Faith is hard, and all faithful deserve respect. It's certainly not easy to explain what you feel to be true without receiving judgment. As a pagan, I feel that keenly. My own father called me a heathen, only half-jokingly, when I said happy solstice instead of merry christmas. It stings to have something so personal to an individual looked down upon so openly by others.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2020 8:26:34 GMT -6
I didn't marry in the church and I have never gotten DD baptized. That religion root runs deep and sometimes I feel guilt by not baptizing her, like what if I've condemned her. But then my rational brain says come on. I don't like those feelings tbh.
If I've turned this thread and y'all want me to move to another let me know.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 12, 2020 8:44:16 GMT -6
I didn't marry in the church and I have never gotten DD baptized. That religion root runs deep and sometimes I feel guilt by not baptizing her, like what if I've condemned her. But then my rational brain says come on. I don't like those feelings tbh. If I've turned this thread and y'all want me to move to another let me know. It's cool, socks. Our experiences are what bring us here. And, as you noted, there is a common thread to our stories. If there's a greater truth to be gleaned from that thread, I don't know what it is. But I would never say it's irrelevant to our discussions. It's history.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2020 8:53:29 GMT -6
I didn't marry in the church and I have never gotten DD baptized. That religion root runs deep and sometimes I feel guilt by not baptizing her, like what if I've condemned her. But then my rational brain says come on. I don't like those feelings tbh. If I've turned this thread and y'all want me to move to another let me know. It's cool, socks. Our experiences are what bring us here. And, as you noted, there is a common thread to our stories. If there's a greater truth to be gleaned from that thread, I don't know what it is. But I would never say it's irrelevant to our discussions. It's history. Thank you 🙂
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 12, 2020 8:57:25 GMT -6
What I love about paganism:
* It's inclusive of everyone and everything.
* There are no wrong ways to practice. There is light and there is dark, and between the two there is balance.
* The celebration of life, nature, and the cycles of time- everything keeps moving forward. With every change, there is familiarity.
* It is easily customizable to the individual.
* It doesn't look away from science, but embraces it fully.
For me, I appreciate that paganism came first. The worship of the sun, the wind, the rain all existed before any other religion. It is our most basic instinct and most natural beginning and end.
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Post by Wtfshouldmynamebe on Mar 12, 2020 11:03:10 GMT -6
I've been looking for a research project to keep me occupied (it's what I love) and I think this is it. I can figure out where I got in it all. I started with some books from Amazon to get the basics of the backgrounds. And then the internet is internet is great for more info - especially on the celebrations and goddesses/gods
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Post by emilyinparis on Mar 13, 2020 8:28:38 GMT -6
Okay, H is finally back and so I have some time to sit. I'm not really...anything? right now. I was a very devout Catholic as a child and when I turned (around 13) I turned *hard* and became very anti-all religion. It was a hurt response that has honestly taken a very long time to recover from. And I know that Christianity is not where I belong any longer. I'm not sure where I do belong, but I've recently realized that atheism isn't it either. The closest I've managed to get is that I believe that we're all connected, and that really relating to nature is key to harmony. And I think that gets me to this thread? I'm honestly not even sure where to start, but it's exciting to be moving out of almost two decades of grieving. And I'm excited to research, since religions in general are fascinating. Hello. I relate to you. I have almost noticed a trend in the specific religion people usually leave eventually (catholic). I wonder why that is? I don't say this judgmentally towards the faith but.. it just seems repetitive that I've had people share with me a similar experience. My mother is religious and I was sent to a catholic school but I was never connected to religion. Ever. I call myself spiritual instead of religious. There are things beyond our realm of knowledge and the universe is mysterious and wonderful. I've actually never practiced paganism but I would relate most to that practice. Maybe we should start an agnostic thread? I'm also spiritual and no longer religious. I was raised Catholic but stepped away from that years ago. I just didn't like all the rules and judgement.
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Post by emilyinparis on Mar 13, 2020 8:29:57 GMT -6
I'm not Pagan either, but this is the closest thread to spirituality. I hope that's ok.
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Post by babybean on Mar 13, 2020 8:38:10 GMT -6
poof
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pickle
New
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Post by pickle on Mar 13, 2020 12:36:23 GMT -6
I’ve called myself pagan since high school but have had varying levels of dedication. Right now as DD gets old enough to understand (she’s 6) I’ve started introducing it to her and really back into my life. I focus a lot on respecting nature, being a kind person (playing off threefold law), and small chants/ sayings she can say to empower herself. We set up our altar again and have it decorated for the seasons and holidays. I added a chalkboard to give a visual mostly for her but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love putting it together.
For Ostra we will probably start our seeds, do an egg hunt and maybe some crafts for spring.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Mar 14, 2020 11:33:32 GMT -6
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mimsy
Platinum
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Post by mimsy on Mar 14, 2020 14:45:52 GMT -6
It’s a week in advance, but we cleaned and rearranged the garage today while my kiddo played outside and with the neighbor all day.
Hubby is most likely working next Saturday.
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on May 1, 2020 8:25:28 GMT -6
Blessed Beltane, or Happy May Day! Today marks the traditional Celtic start of summer, a return of fertility of the earth and animal. It's a day of fire and may poles and feeling frisky. It is also a day in which the veil between our world and the spirit world thins, so maybe leave some milk or honey out for the fairies. Lots of ways to celebrate, but my favorites are: Make a flower crown Lighting a bonfire Creating a maypole Music and dancing outside Bring an idea or project into fruition Sexy time w/dh Spellwork: for productivity Flower-scented bath Anyone else celebrating today? What do you have planned?
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Post by Wtfshouldmynamebe on May 6, 2020 23:40:53 GMT -6
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on May 7, 2020 9:52:45 GMT -6
I'm really curious about subscription boxes for the Wiccan/ Pagan inclined. There's a bunch listed on this page that sound pretty cool. I want to try the Tamed Wild box. pin.it/3wd3OyW
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Ls2012
Amethyst
Posts: 7,364 Likes: 32,621
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Post by Ls2012 on Jun 11, 2020 12:34:19 GMT -6
Litha is approaching! Aka Midsummer, aka the Summer Solstice. It is, by far, my favorite sabbat. This is the time of year when I want to run amouk like a child and soak up all the life and light around me. Coronavirus can put a stop to a lot of things, but it cannot hold back the sun! 🌞 (Technically it's on the 20th this year, but many still choose to celebrate on the 21st.) For anyone who wants to read a little historical background: www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/litha
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