Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Ok I have a Question for Everyone

Okay i was born with a family that was pagans and Wicca. but i was also born with LDS family to.
and the lds family always say that pagans believe in one then one god. but i always was told from my family the pagans and Wicca that pagans belive in one god and the wicca's belive in many. so just so i have it right i was wondering if you could tell me the truth about if pagans bleive in one god or many gods.
thanks, marj

5 comments:

Rivers Daughter said...

Hi Marj,

I've always looked at as Pagans are to Wiccans as Christians are to Catholics. Pagan is an umbrella term used to cover more than a single sect. Some say that anyone who is not Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, is a Pagan.

I've found that typically, those who identify themselves as Pagan tend to believe in a God and a Goddess, or some other dualistic deity.

Greyhart
Owner - CyberWitchcraft.com

Rivers Daughter said...

Marj,

As Greyhart stated, Pagan is a umbrella term that covers many different paths. For example: Wiccan, Witchcraft, Druidry, Astru, etc. It has become a politically correct term that is less likely to cause an upset. Where as if one states they are a Witch...well we've seen the headlines of late haven't we. :D Wiccan has become a more acceptable term as well, but is its own path, something that many in the community use more as an umbrella term when it isn't.

Pagans in general believe in dualistic gods i.e. god and goddess, or are polytheistic more then two. Where as those who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim etc., believe in only one god.

In my path we work both aspects the male and female energies as both are vital for the rituals and workings we do. I am that god awful Witch LOL. But within those workings I will work with many different pantheons or different representatives of the god or goddesses, because their particular energies are best for what I'm working on at the time.

Now some Wiccans may work with only one god or goddess that they feel best connects them to the proper energy. Some work with many depending on the ritual or intent they are working on. Same with any other Pagan path. It depends on what works for you for the particular work you are doing.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask away on anything you need answers to. We have a great many who are willing to help.

Blessed Be,
Laura

Rivers Daughter said...

HI Marjorie,

I cant speak for all wiccans or pagans and i woudl hope others would chime in and explain their own beliefs...

I am pagan, I beleive in mother earth, I was also raised catholic so i also beleive in Mary, but i do not beleive that Jesus is the son of god. I dont choose to pray to any god but if i am sick or in trouble i will ask my the god that i grew up with for help,and what ever other god would have ruling over that situation. (have you ever read greek or roman mythology)... it is each persons peragative who they pray to or if they pray... My alter is set up for mother earth and for what ever god is for the season or holiday...

I sure that you probally wont get 2 of the same answers if you were to get messages from everyone as everyone has their own idea of what their own religion and spirituality is.

Hope this helped a little but probally not lol.

Hugs,
Trisha

Rivers Daughter said...

It's not really an easy question to answer... my understanding has been evolving and I'm sure it's not done. I feel like a third grader trying to explain a differential equation, here I go anyway. The Divine is Infinite and beyond comprehension, however we do have some ability to interact with the Divine, just as a toddler is capable of changing channels on a TV and finding something he likes if you put a remote control in his hand. Many of those channels are "blocked" for the average person, many people get into trouble when they manage to "unblock" stuff that should have remain blocked... that said, we usually have access to that which we can handle, we just need to figure out how to get there. All forms and aspects of the Divine (that we are capable of experiencing directly) are illusion, smoke and mirrors created by our minds and the minds of other people that at some point at least reflect an aspect of the infinite Divine. It is ussually good to honor/pay attention to these reflections so that your energy comes closer to that aspect of the Divine (assuming you are drawn to it and it bears good fruit in your life.) It can be very difficult to judge if a particular aspect of Spirit or Divine is bearing good fruit/making your life and the lives of those around you better since we tend to focus on timelines and things that are less important than we think.

Hope that helps,

L&B,

Mark

Rivers Daughter said...

Marjorie
I am a Pagan and believe that in the beginning, before time, there was The One or Great Spirit. This entity has all knowledge, all wisdom and all love. Knowing all these things, The One created The Mother Goddess and Father God so there would be some communication between us and the Mother Goddess and Father God because we, as humans, cannot understand or comprehend what The One says or does. The Goddess and God created us and the Gods and Goddesses we work with on a daily basis. The God I work with is Lord Taranis, The Lord of Change, the wheel of the year because He constantly reminds me of the changes I need to make in my life and shows me how to accomplish these changes. Everyone has a different take on these things because we are all looking at the same thing from a different point of view. No 2 people are going to see the same thing and being Pagan gives me that flexability.
Just my 2 cents worth.

David Wade