The Noble Pagan Forums - ok, I am lazy or rather.....

I don't have a lot of time for read the different forums just yet. I am sure it is some where out there....

If someone could, and please do...

In the purest form, and fewest words (you can rant and/or ramble. best way to express it.) ...what is wicca all about?

I know from some inherited beliefs sort of speak, what paganism is..not gonna say I am all knowing..

ANd HOw are they similar? And what paganism is in the purest form?

Also, I have known for a long time, that crystals have a lot of energy, to heal, to ward off bad spirits etc

Can someone respond to that ^^^

Also, I have been seeing a lot of signs from animals lately or rather for past few months. I know that they carry symbolism/meaning etc.; that I should listen to them.

I just need to know that I am not being superstitious or paranoid per se...
because a couple friends have been taken aback by this, and think that I am or was blowing thing out of proportion...(I can express in detail if needed...)

Thank you for your time and your ears/eyes =P

celtic ur online and no book yet

I'll do the best I can to tackle your grab bag in one post. I suggest grabbing something to snack and drink on.
I'm a tangenting rambler.

Pagan technically started out as a term meaning"person of the land" Eventually this became derogatory ( as did Heathen which means person of the Heathe) because not all "people of the land" were worshippers of Christ or willing to convert.
So now people take it to mean one who worships many deities. Which is kinda true to.
A pagan is someone who is in touch with the earth, mooncycle, sun, season, animals and all that and sure it can be seen as worshipping deities. We tend to humanize things to make a connection.
Our ancestors saw lightening and thunder....this could mean fires or floods from storms. To better understand it we created the concept of Gods to help us align with our environment.
A Pagan doesn't have to believe in witchcraft, magic or any of that. Hell there are farmers in the deep south who I would consider more pagan than some of these neo......

Witch - someone who practices magic which is just manipulating energy consciously and ( in really good cases) precisely.

Wicca - Ooohs and ahhhs here folks. It's an Earth based religion about 60 years old ( it's a baby) however it's concepts of harmony with the earth, the stars, the animals, each other, ancestors, spirits, ourselves and all of that universal get togetherness is about as old as we are as a sentient species.
In Wicca you get a God and a Goddess. They represent the Male everything and the Female everything.
The God is said to have two forms ( I disagree and say like the Goddess he has three). The Goddess has three. However you cut the pie up you get deities that are based on seasons ( again humanizing things so we could better understand, survive, align and harmonize with our environments)
Maiden goddess= spring
Mother goddess = summer through winter
Crone = she gave birth and hagged out during the dark months of winter

Young god - birth at the end of winter through spring
Father god - Summer
Gatekeeper to Summerlands ( Pagan heaven) - fall through winter

Wicca deals with life, death, rebirth. Seasonal cycles. Life, respect, honour for yourself and others, and all that.

Sure there is who ha about candles, chants, rituals, circles, raising power, covens and all that. Then again every religion has it's own bells and whistles to tote ( hell look Catholicism has Latin, Confession and wafers with juice).
So a Wiccan can be a Witch ( practices magic) because Wiccans are taught to respect and work with energy for the benefit ( selfless) of the self and others.Energy is all around us, is us and is a part of life. Why would we want to pretend otherwise? Rhetorical question there so disregard it ( and any thing that may have sounded smarmy....I am so na trying to come off like that) Wiccans can be Pagans because of that whole harmony and the land thing.
However Pagans and Witches may NOT necessarily be Wiccans. Wicca is a religion that is earth based.
I know it sounds really confusing. That is because most people use all three terms interchangeably. That is just ignorant learning though.


You may also get confused when you hear about Wicca because someone may drop a name of a tradition they practice. It's like Chrisitianity in that it has many branches.

Chrisitianity you have Luthern, Catholic, Baptist, Mormon, Episcopalian and on and on .
Wicca you can find Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Bucklands Seax-Wicca, Dianic, and the ever famous Ecclectic ( which is not so much a tradition as it is a definition.....it's the equivalent of someone discovering Christ on their own and trying to figger out the bible by picking out what works for them).And more. The list goes on folks.

I will be more than happy to expound on Wicca, holidays, rituals, different pantheons later and all that who ha later.


Okay so that was Wicca the short short short 101 version.

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Stones and crystals are wonderous things to work with. They can attract positive stuff, clean you of negative feelings ( well work with you on it really.....they na so magical that you wear one and feel reborn ). They can protect you, help you recall dreams, and pretty much anything. Got a need? There is a crystal or gemstone or combination out there that can help you ( as long as you willing to work with it).

We have a crystals and gemstones section here where you can find info on specific stones n stuff or you can post a question there about stones n stuff and someone will reply back to you there

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Animals.
You na being paranoid OR superstitious. They really do have messages, omens, lessons to give to us and we benefit VERY MUCH from reconizing, paying attention and listening. I work with animal totem ( wisdom, medicine, however you wanna call it) stuff A LOT.
I get them from Nature ( I've had nuthatches damn near land on me....talk about getting my attention!), from dreams, from the "ethersphere" ( I call those animal messages " messages from my friends the Anipals" and they are DAMN ACCURATE...even if I don't always catch the meaning right off the bat). I get them for other people, future events, and myself.
You na crazy or nothing. Pay attention. It will definately be worth your while ( though expect to do some legwork.....their messages are not always clear or direct.....many times something makes sense AFTER the fact).

Here are some GREAT tools to help you understand animal meanings:

Shamanism Working With Animal Spirits Core <----my favorite site...my only qualm is that the anipals listed there are not in alphabetical order....however patience is a virtue no?

Animal Speak by Ted Andrews
Actually the title is longer than that, however you can google it to see what the book looks like.

Animal Medicine Cards
Card Readings by David Carson - Medicine Cards <----so you can see who did them and what they look like

Get yourself a deck and just play with them. Familiarize yourself with them. They really help.

The first thing to do when dealing with animals is to ask yourself about what you know of that creature. It's diet, habits, behaviour and all that. Then go supplement your info with tools. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn with just the basics ( how else do you think people came up with the more intricate and spiritual meanings for the anipals? Starting at the basics ).
A lot of my beginning work with the Anipals was based off of information that I had stored in my head from being raised on shows like Wild America or National Geographics and the likes. It took me YEARS to find the right resources to get a better handle on what the Critters were trying to tell me.

Anyways I hope this helped some.
I know the Wicca stuff was waaaaaay short. It's because it's a waaaaaaaay long topic that has libraries worth dedicated to it ( and unfortunately a LARGE percent of that is kkkeeerrraaaapp imo).

*hugs*

Lemme know if you need anything.

C/S/

__________________

Well due to the nature of religion which lacks central authority, there are as many definitions of Wicca as there are Wiccans. My knowledge of Wicca is mostly second-hand, so take what I say with a grain of salt. From an outsider's perspective, Wicca seems to advocate living in union with the cycles of nature, and influencing them by means of ceremonial invocation of deities. The deities represent embodiments or aspects of nature. Morally, Wicca seems to be influenced by a simplified version of Karma; also modern Wiccans tend to be far more tolerant of others than their religious forebears. Whether that comes as a central characteristic of the religion, or simply because of Wicca's status as a minority religion, I don't know.

Paganism, is an umbrella term that includes Wicca, but also many other religious traditions. As in all ancient religions, much is adapted to modern society; eclecticism is common, where mixing of different ancient traditions can be commonplace. In the United States, I have found many people describing themselves as pagan can mean anything from "I live the Greek religion insofar as I can understand it" to "I'm not Christian, so I'm pagan".

Sorry if simple questions do not always have short, simple answers, but there you have it.

Well shoot; CelticSpider said it a lot better than I did. Prolly cause she is more personally involved in the subject matter

thank you guys/gals =D

This is what I was looking for. I can say, that I honestly some what knew what paganism is. Hell (oh noes), that's where my family comes from, some gave in and some said hell no. But kept it hush hush, ergo me being at odds.

I was never told of crystals per se. But both grandparents, had them hanging in kitchen windows. This is where we spent most of our times, that and outside in the garden etc etc etc. They never told me why they did it, I just knew it was for good.

We had/have friend that his parents built a house on some "farm land" that, no one had built anything on. There was a marked grave and a few that were not marked. Chris, Sammy and myself all at the same dreams and/or warnings. I told them to hang crystals, no exceptions. Just do it, do not question me. I just know some how. They finally moved, and Sammy said she just put it back up in their new place. Hrmmmm.....

As for Tarot cards etc, I do and have been wanting a deck for at least 12 years now. When I find or think about it, I will go into the few stores around here. And they are not, the right fit for me. And I give up, there was a person or family, that came up during the summers. Because I would not go that way much, out of sight out of mind. I have used friend's here or there, but I need my own. Our daughter now wants a deck. I told her not til I get mine. *Her feet are tapping*

There is a psychic that lives up here and goes reading, and she uses cards. She is not a quack. She is the real deal. I think I may need to go see her, to see if yet again...what I am feeling etc is what is really going on.

Some of my ancestors are/were Vikings. My mother told me once that Lief Erickson, was a long couple times remove great uncle. I saw runic stones, when I got to go to Sweden. I was attracted to them. I also brought two trolls as well, and I just didn't buy the first one. I bought them at different times, and were drawn to them.

I am not going to say I am psychic, however I am very sensitive to a lot of things. I was forced in some regards to hide it, suppress it so I could survive. NOT a great childhood. I had headaches, severe ones. I still do, but some of that is sinuses. But my daughter, is now complaining about them too. I believe this is for trying to suppress it, and the spirits don't exactly like that shitz. They will make you pay attention.

I am not in tune, with these talents as I was when I was a kid. But I am turning it, back on little by little. Plus, with our daughter now experiencing this. I always knew she could. Especially, with my heritage and his. His mom was amazing. Similar backgrounds, mainly Irish/Celtic/Dutch and a lot more Native American than my family does. This is helping me as well. Plus, I have an inert connection with children and this is becoming stronger. Especially, with my nieces and nephew and other kids too. Which I can test and/or strengthen this without other parents becoming freaked out or worried their kid(s) are bothering me. I really don't mind.

That is all for now...I appreciate all the knowledge even if it is a little tidbit. It all helps. Like I told/wrote Celtic....I want to try and figure out some of it myself. But I will come a running, when shitz doesn't make sense and I need more help.

=D

P.S. I think I love ya guys/gals and peeps already +D
*waves* *hugs*

Sounds to me like you are highly intuitive. Getting those hunches and tidbits of info without any physical reason or feedback.....and yet they are always right. That can really make you feel doubtful for your sanity if you push it under the rug .
I totally relate to that one. Working with your intuition actively and more often can open the doors wider which is actually a wondderful thing ( once you get a grasp on it).
I'm clairsentient. That's a facny word for highly intutitive and that I get all kinds of unspoken information.....most the time I don't understand the messages or nudges I am getting.....I do it anyways and it has always proven to be accurate and beneficial ( for myself and others).
It took YEARS to get to that and to even get used to that. I always felt like some wingding ( and this coming from a gal raised in a fairly open minded hide nothing at all family). I'm just now getting comfortable with telling people ( even complete strangers) "This color be good for you. This stone be good for you. " I usually have to look up the info (until I get it memorized). Sometimes it is random and I never get an answer ( does this color mean anything to you? No? Hmmm...it's THERE though ack!) and that drove me nuts until I realized it's not about me. I just get the info and pass it along. If I get tuned into the details I see that as a bonus. LOL!
I get animals, stones, colors, personal information and all that from "the ehtersphere" as I call it. And it used to drive me nutbar batty. Especially the more I ignored it or put it aside.
So no you are na crazy. Just really intuitive.

As for Tarot cards check here :
Browse Tarot Cards A - Z at Aeclectic Tarot

HOURS of perusing fun! ALLLL kinds of decks to look at.

I hoped this helped some.


*hugs*

C/S/

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ty so much cs as my wee one brought home a deck of universal waite cards this morn. as much info as i can have on directing her to use correctly would be loved