Maille's Chamber-Pantheism

I'm sure many of you came here due to an intrest in or a curiousity about the beliefs and ideas of pantheism or Paganism. For those of you who clicked the link not having any clue where it would take you or what the word pantheism means, I have provided deffinitions below.

Pantheism - pan-the-ism

1. A doctrine identifying the Deity with the universe and its phenomena.
Belief in and worship of all gods.
     2. The belief that the entire universe - substances, forces and laws -- is God - the universe is God's body. God transcends the universe as well.
     3. The worship of all gods of different creeds, cults, or peoples indifferently; also : toleration of worship of all gods.

Paganism - pag-an-ism

     1. Based upon direct perception of the forces of nature and usually involves the use of idols, talismans and taboos in order to convey respect for these forces and beings.
     2. The ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other civilizations are often referred to as Pagan religions. Societies surrounding the ancient Israelites are often referred to as Pagan.

    Just as Christianity has many seperate yet related branches to it (i.e. Catholic,Baptist,Methodist,etc.) so does Paganism. These are called paths,but unlike Christianity, most Pagans see nothing wrong with incorperating beliefs, ideas and even some rituals from any other path they see fit.
     Unlike Christianity, Paganism is not a patriarchal religion but has both Gods and Goddess'. Both are viewed as equals.
      Pagans know that man is not better than woman, nor woman superior to man. What one lacks the other can give, and one cannot be truly alive without the other. There is no greater magic than that of man and woman together.
      We also believe in reincarnation and that the spark of life that is within us does not die, but returns again and again until it has evolved to that which we call the eternal existence above all existences.
       There is no punishment for not living as the majority or a "supreme force" has decided we should. Each person is responsible for their own actions both negative and positive.There are no commandments or an all-evil deity and we do not believe that man is born innately "sinful" and realizes that the concept of sin is harmful to human nature.
       We've no wish to create a new religion...for our religion is as old as the hills and older, and we've no wish to bring differences together. Differences are like different flowers in a meadow, and we are all one in the Mother.'

       As I stated earlier,there are many paths in Paganism....the most common refered to by the media and CBN is Wicca. Now let me clarify one thing that both seem to either forget or lack the knowledge of. All Wiccans are Pagan,but not all Pagans are Wiccan.(If you're going to report or preach about something,shouldn't you at least know what you're talking about??)
       I'll touch briefly on Wicca to try and clear up some of the crap that's been fed to the masses by those seeking to use it as a reason for teen angst and whatever else seems to be going on at that time that can be tied to any form of Pantheism or beliefs differing from the masses.
       Witchcraft, or Wicca, is considered part of the occult, but has no relationship to Satanism. Wicca is Pagan and is currently gaining popularity. Witches do not worship the devil...Witches are more interested in magical arts and the divinity of nature...Wiccans are considered Pagans because they worship several nature gods instead of a single god. The World Christian Encyclopedia estimates 6 million Americans profess to be Witches and engage in practices like these. They are a sub-group of over 10 million persons the encyclopedia says call themselves Pagans, who practice "primitive" religions such as Druidism, Odin worship and Native American shamanism.
        As for some of the other paths in Paganism, there is Druidic,which is based on the faith and practices of the ancient Celtic professional class and tends to be more in touch with Earth and nature than most. Asatric which adheres to the ancient, pre-Christian Norse religion. And Eclectic,which uses whichever practices and beliefs that work for them. Most Eclectics are solitary,meaning they do not belong to a group,trad (tradition) or coven.
        There are a few things that hold true in Paganism regardless of the path. Pagans tend to be very open minded and accepting of differences one example shunned by Christianity is Homosexuality.
        Not all things in nature require males and females to reproduce. Some animals have both sex organs and because people can share in the same underlying power of the universe--love--with a person of the same sex, as well as the fact that we
recognize that many animals exhibit homosexual behaviors in the natural world
which shows that homosexuality is not unnatural. However, this does not mean
that there aren't any homophobic Pagans.
        The other resounding belief among nearly all Pagans (I say "nearly all" because lets face it,there's always a few bad apples in the bunch) is.....
        "An it harm none,do what thou wilt."
         Which simply means as long as you are causing no harm to yourself or another, then do as you will.
          Now that that's been covered, I'm sure you're wondering which path it is I'm wandering down. Well, if you've been through the rest of my site,you've noticed that I'm a non-conformist, I have my own unique and "colorful" way of thinking and I don't play well with others. So of course Eclectic was the best choice for me. I have adapted my beliefs,customs and practices from many different paths and trads.

     Let's see, I guess if you're still here,you have some intrest in all this, and since you were patient enough to sit through all my previous ramblings, the least I can do is go into a little more depth of my personal practices.......right??
      First off, I am not your typical teenage fluff-bunny that is into all this to shock people or get attention. (Gods, how I hate those types) In all actuality, I rarely let people know my personal beliefs or practices. I prefer to keep them private for the most part.....it saves me from those frightened and leary looks. Which I would expect from fundies but you pagans out there....and you know who you are.....we are supposed to be an open minded and accepting group. I accept the Gardnerians.....I don't understand them, but I accept them none the less.
         Okay, so here's a small peek for those of you wondering or just starting out.
Yes, I have a chosen Goddess that I worship, seek guidance, pray to.....whatever you are most comfortable with.
Nice thing about Paganism, we can all have our own Gods and/or Goddesses.
         I chose mine, or she chose me, or something like that....I'm not quite sure as I was four years old and was more interested in running wild, at least within the block, than I was with any form of religion.
         So anyway.....Rhiannon is who I choose to invoke into my spells (yes,I have been known to do them on occasion) and for most of my other needs. However if I find a spider roaming anywhere within the same building I'm in (I hate those things) I will kill them as an offering to Lolth. Works nicely for both of us. ;o)
     Okay, since I did mention spells, I should make it clear that when I do practice any magic, I invoke chaotic energy (surprise,surprise) into what it is I'm doing, which means lots of extra balancing to even it all out.
Like anything I ever do could be as easy as, a pinch of this, a happy thought and 'Poof'
          I am also drawn to alchemy, for some unknown reason. You'd never know by looking back at my science grades, but I have learned not to try to figure these things out. I find it's best to sigh deeply, shake my head and accept whatever it is that has popped up this time.
       I have other practices and intrests, but as I said said earlier, I don't like to talk about them all that much. I don't feel it's anything all that special, it's somthing that I do.....it's simply part of who I am.