Druweid
{insert witty phrase}
- Aug 13, 2005
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I grew up with a wide variety of Christian influences. My mother was a non-practicing Protestant, and my grandmother (with whom we lived) was a devout Christian Scientist. So of course they did the only logical thing and put my siblings and me in a Catholic Church and enrolled us in Catechism classes.
We also spent weekends with our other grandparents who brought us to either Baptist or Congregational services.
When I got older, I also attended Episcopal and Methodist services. It wasn't long before I realized that there were differences between faiths, so I read the Bible extensively for better understanding. 
From the time that I was very young (say about 8 or 9), I would have considered myself a Christian, though I questioned everything. One after the other, I lost faith in each denomination over some inconsistency with philosophy or apparent nonconformance with my own view of the Divine or personal interpretation of the Bible. Most of all, I had a difficult time understanding the religious intolerance that seemed prevalent in all denominations.
By the time I was a teenager, I pretty much lost faith in all churches, though I still read the Bible and considered myself Christian. It was also about this time I started researching Witchcraft, mostly just out of mundane curiosity. The few books I found in the school library were so littered with obvious fabrications (even though they were presented as 'research' books), I felt compelled to research further to find more reliable information. Needless to say, genuine literature on the subject in the late 70's / early 80's was very scarce. By the time I left high school, my interest had waned.
By the time I became an adult, I considered myself something of a cross between a Deist, an Agnostic, and a Heretic. For many years, I remained complacent with having no declared denomination and continued to view Deity in my own way. The funny thing is, through it all, my most basic beliefs hadn't really changed much at all. Well, one day I decided to do some research on Wicca, to see what it was all about. With the Internet at full force, I couldn't believe the wealth of information on Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism that was available. I also signed on to a few Wiccan / Witchcraft message boards, and began learning from actual practitioners.
Well, even after exhaustive research, I found that Wicca wasn't for me, but the knowledge I gained was significant in understanding my own personal beliefs. I realized I was, and likely always had been, a Panentheist, and was able to bring together a number of apparently unrelated beliefs and now consider myself an Archtypalist. Also, with the abundance of accurate information now at my disposal, I am an enthusiastic practitioner of the Craft. And finally, being able to have a path which allows me to practice in my own way, in my own home, at my own alter, has brought me peace and fulfillment unlike anything I've known in the past. So ultimately, I wasn't converted, didn't have some major epiphany, and didn't discover some hidden spiritual treasure. I simply found my way home.
Brightest blessings,
-- Druweid
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