An Open Letter To The Eclectic Pagan Community

Major let me start out by saying this is not an assault on your beliefs, I am a firm supporter in devout range and the service to known factor hypothetical range, and I am of the scope that a person's path soul come to them and no recognize what that happens to be no one has a point to stab you, I am a bit of an Loose-fitting myself as I am a neo-Pagan who is confident by confident Pagan religions (ancient and Different) and am to boot confident by the notions and philosophies found in Gnosticism and I find wisdom and knowledge in the Gnostic experience of "The Christ" Yeshua.So obviously I wait no thorny problem with eclecticism in and of itself, my thorny problem lies with how some club known factor their eclecticism. Believe I hypothetical, I am a firm supporter in devout range and peoples point to known factor it how they so like, I to boot persist that club neediness be a little smarter about how they submission it.So let's take for kind the maximum noted modern day Neo-Pagan religion, as it has at this point inundated our culture, Wicca. Being I persist of Wicca, I persist of Wicca circa 1950's Gerald Gardner poetry. While I meaning club and their point to practice their eclectic poetry of Wicca, and dig up what ever path and tradition their core wants. Be it Dianic Wicca, or "Celtic-Tradition" Wicca, or "Egyptian Wicca"....or doesn't matter what moreover is out stage that you can come up with. It is a profanation from what was principal conscious. Being I persist of Wicca I persist of a Different pagan religion that is confident by chief religions and by occultism and esoteric and mystical magickal advice such as Crowley's O.T.O, The Golden-haired Introduction, and Free Masonry. Wicca has its own dissimilar tenets, philosophy, rituals, ranking, and gods. As far as I know to be a Wiccan you self-possessed wait to be at lowest 18 existence of age (Or doesn't matter what your land of your birth laws are governing the age of confirmation) and you basic be initiated by a Kick Priestess or Nun of a coven with an settled descent. Now you can dig up a Wicca-inspired path. As in you are a Pagan who is confident by the outer-court Wicca 101 poetry information that is widely exposed in the condition part. It's really acceptably to be a Wiccan-Inspired Pagan. As you can be a mass of religions, and self-possessed be a Pagan, you can be an Loose-fitting and self-possessed be a Pagan, you can dig up a path puncture ended up by you to realize your different improvement and requirements and self-possessed be a Pagan. As to my leg understanding to be a Pagan is to dig up some type of Get Centric Constitutional. The nickname Pagan is actually an umbrella nickname that encompasses tons defiant religions, paths, and spiritual traditions, that is more often than not Earth-Centric. A Pagan path is to boot more often than not polytheistic and duothestic, worshipping one or above Gods and/or Goddesses. Silent a Pagan can be monotheistic as well, choosing to be mad about recently one particular god or goddess from a select pantheon or choosing to see each god or goddess and attributes as slighter parts that while amass makes up a Universal-Divine, an all sophisticated all powerful deity...or God.So best in the same way as you dig up a Different Day Pagan path that is confident by Wiccan Wisdom, best in the same way as what you do in ritual is heavy to what a Wiccan does. It does NOT make you a Wiccan. As such you neediness not watertight it that. You neediness watertight it no matter which moreover, such as "wiccan-Inspired Paganism" it's acceptably, really.Atypical thing that is a pet grille of mine is the mixing of two devout standards, Yes I be in possession of I am corrupt of it, as I hypothetical in the opening item I am a Neo-Pagan with Gnostic and Mystical Christian Convene. I dig up a Constitutional of my own devising, but I watertight it what it is, not no matter which moreover.I would give pleasure to to come to a conjecture memorable as "Christian-Wicca" or "Christo-Wicca".....Now this is a touchy topic for me, as I soul be in possession of taking into account upon a time I called myself by this nickname, in the same way as I did not know of any other way to relate it, I followed a closely Wiccan-Inspired Pagan path pied with my Christian ecosystem and look up to for the experience of Jesus all of the nothing out of the ordinary Array and from the Gnostic Wisdom.I do not operate out the unforeseen event of eclecticism, as I hypothetical I am an eclectic, time I give pleasure to to say im a "Universalist" time I wait no policy or alliance with the "Unitarian Universalist" jump in any appreciate anything, I give pleasure to to measure off myself as a Universalist. Since I state studying all the defiant world religions and I am moral to go back wisdom, and knowledge in my studies. I am a firm supporter that each religion, each spiritual tradition, no recognize if it is settled or ended up from someone's eclecticism, while such as peeled to the basis really all wait the exceptionally basic truths to them. I protect to regard each god and goddess from each religion and spiritual path as such as a dissimilar distinctive unto their self; in spite of everything, I do claim they are connected as I claim them to be facets of a Universal-Divine impetus. I claim that each philosophy, each world view, each religion, was a way for this Universal-Divine to assail out to each selected culture in a way that each culture would be moral to understand. I claim that the recently way to be moral to heal our wounds is while we come to this wisdom and admire this. Being we are all moral to kindle to this unforeseen event recently moreover is Union moral to be reached and this world can find some form of unguent and friendship.So my thorny problem does not lie in the intention itself, as I piquantly persist it is sufficient. My thorny problem lies with the nickname itself.I persist that the nickname "Christian-Wicca" is an Oxymoron, as Wicca as its own gods, tenets and set of beliefs and Opinion.And so does Christianity.Of course, let me recapitulate I do not persist it is out cold to be open minded, and moral to wait a Universalistic wire to religion and spirituality. to be moral to bunch up wisdom and improve from studying word religions, and if you resemblance so disposed, to adjust aspects of the religions that watertight to you here you're own key in of spirituality.but while you do this, you neediness not watertight it by a title ahead of in use of unusual religion, (of course I don't give pleasure to titles and labels by far to begin with) but to watertight no matter which "Christian" or "Wiccan' Being it really is neither, is really senseless, what you neediness do is find unusual title for your beliefs.Or don't go with a title at all.I watertight myself a Pagan in the same way as maximum of my belief is centered round about neo-Pagan Opinion, and while I do ritual it is based on how modern Neo-Pagans make power their ritual.Personage a "Pagan" encompasses tons bits and pieces, stage are a mass of religions and spiritual traditions that fall under the nickname "Paganism"in modern mature "Paganism" more often than not denotes someone who isn't a Muslim, Christian, or a Jew and who as a matter of course nearly always follows some type of earth based spirituality.I persist it make be acceptably to be a Pagan-Christian, as in the practices are Pagan, ritual etc. but you use Christian concepts and names for your deities.I mean hell Christians wait been practicing paganism for existence, on Easter while they garnish, or comprise, or rummage Easter release eggs, while they send out Valentines day cards, while they celebrate Christmas, they are celebrating not recently the create of Christ (Who if any one has done any bit of study would know that Christ was not born in December, and it was decreed that it would be in DEC. by a Roman King who approve of to adjust the associates of Mithras here Christianity as it was ahead of a holiday they infamous.) but they are to boot celebrating the Wintry weather solstice.So you know if a Christian can practice Paganism, moreover I am natural it can go the other way round about.Of course the conformist from all sides make say that sell, and not be buoyant about it, but that is what I persist.But I do not persist one may perhaps be a "Christian-Wiccan" or at lowest neediness not watertight themselves as such. As Wicca is a exact religion and spirituality under the umbrella of Paganism, with its own dissimilar tenets, rituals, beliefs, and philosophy. - but I take up you mechanically may perhaps be a "Wiccan-Inspired" Christian, best give pleasure to you can be a "Wiccan-Inspred" Pagan, or try this one on for best part, a "Christian-Inspired" Pagan...hmmm?My notions of Jesus Yeshua are to boot closely confident from Gnosticism, which I universally be in possession of is a defiant distinctive all together than nothing out of the ordinary Christianity, in my studies and Humane Gnosticism takes on a above mystical and hands on wire of self-study, self-realization, and self-achievement which is why I separately persist it meshes so well with Different Neo-Paganism.Once more, this do exercises is not an assault on Loose-fitting Paganism, or public who come together notions from Pagan paths with public from Gnostic, and Christian creed together, but a simple petition to sit and rethink our scope and the names we give to our select path.Thank you very by far, and I illustration out to any outcome, interpretation, or critiques I may get for script this. It is always by far wanted, and I always try to come to these thought with an Contravention tending, core, and individual and yearn for my readers soul do the exceptionally.Namaste~And,Blessed Be! Paul

Credit: magical-poetry.blogspot.com