Thanks for the reply. I knew you were going to comment on the white witch lol, but it is a term someone told me that "they" were when I was a teenager. To them it meant using their craft for good, I guess. The woman who is my son's gf's mom that says she is a "pagen" comes out of mormonism and so yeah, she is very anti-christian. I know she does Tarot card readings and believes in the forces like moon, sun, nature etc. She has a Ouija board too. But I don't know how serious she is about her beliefs or how much she follows whatever.
Anyway, I do appreciate your comments to help me better understand you and people that believe as you do. I wasn't sure if pagen was even considered a "religion" to some or just a term for someone that didn't claim to believe in God. And I certainly didn't realize how general of a term it was. Thanks for helping me understand that as well.
Actually, the US Government recognizes Paganism as a legitmate religion and has awarded it the same 501(c)3 status as many other non-profit organizations.
The US Military allows the Pentacle to be placed on the tombs of fallen pagan soldiers.
I'm more than willing to answer any questions you may have...and to answer the quote below you'll see a bit more of my background and what led me back to paganism
Hi, Gwenyfur
If it's ok to ask, I'm wondering why a pagan would want to be part of a christian forum. You sound like a very interesting person.
Of course it's okay to ask
I joined CF in Dec '04. At the time I registered, I was a Messianic, married to a Baptist Seminary student, served as a church pianist, worked as a stage director with the youth's drama troupe, and in general spent all my time taking care of my family and serving in teh church...somewhere in there I still managed a full time job as well. So...that's what brought me to CF, a friend had told me it was a great place to hang out with other christian women...and I did hang out in WD when I first arrived...
Now I'm going to backtrack a bit...
When I was 10 I visited my paternal grandmother for the first time. She was a natural witch, my grandfather a keeper of the old ways, and my paternal great grandmother who was the daughter of her tribe's shaman. The things I learned that summer, the naturalness of herbalism, the stillness of listening to the wind, scrying in a stream, many of those types of activities spoke to my soul in a way I'd never been touched before...and it *fit* so naturally and completely that even after I returned home I continued to study...public libraries are wonderful things ... no matter the topic, the information can be had. I studied about earth magicks, herbalism, what herbs work with the body in what ways, and continued to meditate and learn to interpret the heartbeat of the earth.
During the intervening years I grew up, joined the Marine Corps, got married, had a daughter, got divorced, medically retired from teh Corps, and again...life goes on.
I met my 2nd husband just shortly after I learned to walk again...and he continued to witness, to entice...and being in the vulnerable, still reeling state of mind from losing everything I'd worked so hard for (career, health, rank, etc) I shrugged a bit and decided to give it a go...surely it couldn't hurt...
How wrong I was!
I got married, had another daughter, survived cancer, and we're back to the 1st paragraph of my answer... (you ask...you get thorough answer LOL)
a couple of years or so after joining CF I joined staff as a moderator, then as a supervisor, an admin...and until eventually I was made a Site Advisor by LeeD one of the previous owners.
I can say that life threw me a ton of curves in these last few years...witnessing the spiteful and hateful bigotry that happens behind the "closed doors" of staff areas, (yeah, that sentence there is my ban ticket from CF I'm sure), the hatred that's fostered and even encouraged in open forums, the spite of those who believe their interpretation of scripture, doctrine, dogma, traditon ... whatever is the only right one adn all others are going to hell...the infighting of all the different sects within christianity just...wore me down... add to that the escapades of my faithless, lying, adultering, worse than an infidel 2nd ex-husband...
What broke my faith forever and returned me to the path where I'm at peace, I feel at home, am comforted and secure?
in one word:
Hypocrisy
in all of its many forms, with its many faces, and varied actions. I reached a point where I could no longer look at an all knowing all loving god with any true faith...but I could see my Goddess as plain as day shaking her head at her former Priestess and saying "are you done wandering"... and I was
I resigned as an Advisor for CF, ironic considering I'd helped put that only christians can be staff rule in place (yeah...I know...) and actually left the site from nearly a year before I could come back.
But, I'd made friends here...people who made the effort to stay in touch even off of CF, to let me know they were thinking of me...
Eventually I came back...not to the same areas of course...with my belief set I'm not truly welcome in too many places heh...but as most in teh singles area can tell ya, I'm not pushy...I tend to make jokes about teh "witch finding the thread" or some other nonsense...and I don't take myself too seriously anywhere except the ritual or ceremonial circle
Anyhow...I do hope that answered your question ...
