Eclectic Paganism - The Chosen Path

I’m an eclectic pagan. My views run very parallel with Wicca, and for the longest time, I simply called myself such. However, I’ve realized that I cannot define myself to on specific religion. I was raise Roman Catholic, but my views do not fit there. Granted, I believe in a God. Whether that’s the Catholic’s version of “God” or not is a different story. I also believe in a Goddess. I believe our universe was created by their sexual union. I believe that the God and Goddess split their domain in half. I believe God’s domain is over logic, ethics, mathmatics, science, morals, thoughts, and other left brain concepts. I believe Goddess’ domain is over the right brain concepts; art, beauty, nature, inspiration, creativity, and the senses. I believe some people are closer to one of them, depending on their own human nature (ie artists have a closer connection to the Goddess. Doctors have a closer connection to the God). I believe some people have an equal connection to both the God and Goddess (such as myself. Being a graphic designer, you must rely on your right sided brain, but also must understand thought, mathmatics, ethics, morals, and even sciences of human behavior and thoughs).

Contrary to what you may have been told, pagans believe in the sanctity of life. We do not sacrifice living things. We do not worship ‘satan,’ nor do we revere any similar figure. Most of us do not even recognize the existance of ‘satan,’ let alone heaven or hell. We do not cast spells to cause evil to befall on others. We believe that causing evil will bring back evil to the one who caused it. Our religion is based on nature, and is founded on the belief that the whole world is interrelated, that everyone is responsible for their own actions, and that peace, love, and tollerance for everyone should be encouraged everywhere. We walk the path of the ancient ones; nature is our church.

“I am a witch, with rhymes and reasons. I am a changeling like the seasons. My mother is the Moon, my father is the Sun, With Goddess Earth am I as one. I am a witch, a Pagan child. Mother Nature’s spirit wild grows within me, flows within me, meandering like a spellbound scream, enchanting my every waking dream. I breathe the air of liberation. I tend the fire of transformation. I drink the water of creation. Earth-magick is my conjuration. I am a witch of shadow and light, of Avalon mists and raven’s flight. I am a witch with pride say I, for a witch’s soul does never die.”

“We are not evil. We don’t harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not waht you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don’t have to be afraid of us. We don’t want to convert you. And please don’t try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you — to live in peace. We are much more similar than you think.”
~Margot Alder