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Post by saintfelicity on Feb 10, 2015 7:24:06 GMT -6
A super common difficulty for folks who are new to the polytheist community is settling in a tradition that they want to practice. I wanted to offer a few pointers off the top of my head that are things I wish I knew a year or two ago, for those of you who have been practicing much longer, please chuck in your own! - I know my tongue-in-cheek quote has been going around polytheist Tumblr about approaching polytheism like it's Pokémon, but I think this is actually a really useful way to conceptualize it. Just like you don't need one deity as your "starter" before you can do anything, you don't need to set yourself a deadline on settling in to a tradition. Basically: don't rush, don't panic. If you grew up in a religious tradition previously to your polytheist practice, think of how long it took you to build on to your knowledge over the years. You really do have all the time in the world to develop your new practice!
- Think about cultures, folklore, mythology that you have been drawn to and interested in, and want to learn more about. Personally, I think it's very helpful to frame things in terms of "cultures" and "traditions" rather than as "pantheons," because even if your practice isn't heavily Reconstructionist (mine isn't), the history affects the lens through which you'll get information about the deities and entities you're interested in. Start seeking out books, stories, and other resources, and jump in a bit. Check the individual polytheism boards here for recommendations, and also the How to Research board for study tips.
- I think it's extremely important to emphasize not just learning about the religious traditions of the culture you're interested in, but about the general culture. Some of these, such as in Gaelic practices, still have living cultures. Even for cultures that aren't closed, it's disrespectful to just slice out the chunks you want. Cultural context is super important!
- While you can read about any tradition academically, be sure to find out whether or not it's closed before you try to practice it / incorporate it in to your practice. Many indigenous traditions are closed.
- Find the things that resonate with you and follow them along. Remember, it's always okay if you realize later that something isn't quite working out for you. Just like polytheism isn't Pokémon, it's not the factions from Divergent either.
- Personally, I think it's okay if you're not understanding everything right away. Read a little, take a break for a few days, weeks, whatever you need to let it settle. Spend time re-reading and re-thinking. You'll start to build connections. Overall: don't panic, don't rush yourself!
Honestly, I can't stress the don't rush part enough. You can let your practice expand and develop over years. You can take time to explore. Also, since this really can't be overemphasized, don't feel like you need to be personally called to a tradition to practice it, or by certain deities in order to worship them. Remember, for those practices that are based in ancient history, none of those original practitioners waited for someone to call them!
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Post by Allec on Feb 10, 2015 12:27:06 GMT -6
I think it's also important to not feel like you have to settle with the first choice. If you choose to study one culture and realize "Wow I am not feeling this at all", then go ahead and try something else. Read up on something else. Bounce back to something you thought you eliminated. The freeing and also scary thing about being in charge of your religious life is that there are a lot of choices. It can feel intimidating. But there is no school teacher holding a ruler to slap your desk if you make a mistake. Make mistakes. Make hundreds. Learn and grow
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Post by TheModernSouthernPolytheist on Feb 11, 2015 0:54:15 GMT -6
I think a really excellent idea for those that either feel totally lost or feel drawn to a variety of cultures is to make yourself a list of all the deities that you can think of. Then take that list and decide how much time you want to devote to the study of each entity on it. Maybe it's a day each, maybe a week (I recommend more than a single day) and then keep a journal about what you find, what interests you most, what resonates with you, etc. Once you've completed this (and don't just rush through it), go back and look. Did one culture's gods intrigue you more as a whole? Is there one deity in particular that you just can't shake? If so, start investigating that culture as a whole. Like Allec and saintfelicity said above, this means more than just the religion of that culture. Study their art, their history, their enemies, their allies, their system of government, the neighboring cultures as a whole, etc. You may find yourself at home right there. If not, go back to your list and see if there's another culture you seem to have focused a lot on. Ultimately, its not a race, it's a journey; enjoy it.
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Caelesti
Junior Member
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Post by Caelesti on Apr 9, 2015 17:08:32 GMT -6
One way you could approach it is look at what pagan influences exist in the time & place you grew up. Were there holiday traditions that have an older origin? Saints that might have connections to gods? Mythology in books, movies, comics etc? I was raised very bland mainline Protestant so that didn't give much to start with religion-wise, but I was always fascinated by the origins of holiday customs, superstitions, and read lots of fairy tales & mythology. I see a lot of people make the suggestion of starting with one's ancestry- but that isn't necessarily what you are going to be culturally familiar with!
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Redfaery
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Post by Redfaery on Apr 11, 2015 15:24:42 GMT -6
One way you could approach it is look at what pagan influences exist in the time & place you grew up. Were there holiday traditions that have an older origin? Saints that might have connections to gods? Mythology in books, movies, comics etc? I was raised very bland mainline Protestant so that didn't give much to start with religion-wise, but I was always fascinated by the origins of holiday customs, superstitions, and read lots of fairy tales & mythology. I see a lot of people make the suggestion of starting with one's ancestry- but that isn't necessarily what you are going to be culturally familiar with! Jumping off this, it's a good idea to also see what resources *currently exist* in your area, if your circumstances allow that. If you're torn between Druidry and Asatru, and there happens to be a Druid grove in the next town, it would certainly be helpful one way or the other to check them out.
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callisto
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Religion: Dodekatheism
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Post by callisto on May 25, 2015 10:03:07 GMT -6
I think allowing one's self *not* to pick but rather see where one is being lead is a good way to start. One thing I've found to be a commonality among polytheists is that they find themselves being drawn in a certain direction, and not always by any deliberate choosing of their own. Generally, a good way to start is with an objective, open mind and begin reading about ancient polytheistic religions and societies.
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Post by Allec on May 25, 2015 14:59:08 GMT -6
That's a good point, Callisto. And letting oneself go with the flow is important...even if the flow takes a new direction.
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Searlait
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Post by Searlait on May 31, 2015 20:12:01 GMT -6
callisto and Allec, I can speak from personal experience, I was drawn to Gaelic cultures from the start, having gone through a huge Ireland phase around the time I was 10, but I thought using "Celtic gods" was too common, or too many Wiccans used them, or whatever nonsense. Like, I felt everyone defaulted to "Celtic gods" and I wanted to be different, and that's what took me so long to realize that Gaelic gods are who I really need to be honoring.
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callisto
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Post by callisto on Jun 1, 2015 14:47:46 GMT -6
callisto and Allec, I can speak from personal experience, I was drawn to Gaelic cultures from the start, having gone through a huge Ireland phase around the time I was 10, but I thought using "Celtic gods" was too common, or too many Wiccans used them, or whatever nonsense. Like, I felt everyone defaulted to "Celtic gods" and I wanted to be different, and that's what took me so long to realize that Gaelic gods are who I really need to be honoring. Yes, there are certain recurring issues when people first approach Neopaganism. Unfortunately, there is the fallacious impression that one must a) be eclectic if he's going to be a witch (or pagan), or likely to be solitary; b) it's all "Wicca" and one must practice it to be a *witch*; c) "Wicca" can be learned through books on one's own and a person can become a Wiccan on his own; d) everything is "Celtic" and "the" pagan holidays are the Wheel of the Year; and e) borrow anything you want, however you want, because there's no right or wrong way (and it's ok to say it's "Wicca" to justify any appropriation and practice). Fortunately, some sincere seekers manage to find their way beyond the claptrap, others become discouraged and don't. Unfortunately, it can take longer for some than it should because of all the fluff n' nonsense.
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spiralthicket
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Post by spiralthicket on Jul 22, 2015 20:49:51 GMT -6
callisto and Allec, I can speak from personal experience, I was drawn to Gaelic cultures from the start, having gone through a huge Ireland phase around the time I was 10, but I thought using "Celtic gods" was too common, or too many Wiccans used them, or whatever nonsense. Like, I felt everyone defaulted to "Celtic gods" and I wanted to be different, and that's what took me so long to realize that Gaelic gods are who I really need to be honoring. Unfortunately, this is something I let get to me too. I actually actively pursued other traditions, despite having a strong love for Celtic mythology since I was young. All because I felt the same, that people defaulted to as you say "Celtic gods" and wanting to stand out against the waves of wiccans. Well to my not so surprise, nothing seemed right, nothing felt right, the ideas or world views and general lens just felt wrong, but I always jumped back to Gaelic figures. Heck even then I was like "naw I'm not going to honour/work with -insert certain deity-" because they were the popular gods. Well, I've long since gotten over that stupid train of thought, and honestly everything has just felt right! That said, I think it's important to follow what feels right, and you'll know when it does.
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Post by brimstonne on Jul 26, 2015 13:02:14 GMT -6
Honestly, I spent about a year researching every religion I could think of before I chose GP. Even with the Morrigan being there calling to me the whole time I wanted to be sure, and I think theres nothing wrong with researching other religions even if you feel called to a certain one. It lets you know what your options are, and it helps teach you what to look for and how to research and find accurate sources for when you do find the one you want to practice.
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callisto
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Post by callisto on Jul 26, 2015 14:38:26 GMT -6
That said, I think it's important to follow what feels right, and you'll know when it does. The funny (ironic) thing about this Celticish-ness among NeoWiccans and other wiccanesque Neopagans is that it's a fairly recent trend which began its popularity in the 1990s. Prior to then, Celtic-ness was not especially common, much less the dominant culture-related influence among Neopagans.
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Searlait
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Post by Searlait on Jul 26, 2015 17:21:46 GMT -6
The funny (ironic) thing about this Celticish-ness among NeoWiccans and other wiccanesque Neopagans is that it's a fairly recent trend which began its popularity in the 1990s. Prior to then, Celtic-ness was not especially common, much less the dominant culture-related influence among Neopagans. Yeah, I was reading Drawing Down the Moon, and Neopaganism (or at least reconstructionist neopaganism) was mostly Hellenic-based. And I'm sure there was a healthy bit of First Nations stuff thrown in.
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callisto
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Post by callisto on Jul 26, 2015 18:15:17 GMT -6
Roman and Egyptian along with Hellenic were the most dominant presence from the early 1900s on. Not Surprising given the focus of Neopaganism was the inspiration from/restoration of European polytheisms that came out of earlier Western esotericism. The gradual appearance of non-European indigenous practices is a latter day devolpment as well, though predating the '90s Celtic trend.
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Post by Intaier on Jul 27, 2015 5:09:35 GMT -6
When I did a "choosing" of the tradition, I chose Christianity (Orthodox branch of it) - there were many logical reasons behind this: it was weighted decision, as 15-y.old was capable to make. It was mainstream, time-tested religion. Well appreciated in society (Even in late soviet atheist/agnostic society Orthodoxy was something "okay" to tolerate) Deeply tied to my country, culture and tradition. High aesthetic values of music, sacred art, architecture. Easy access to religious facilities and community. "This might be a right religion for me" This was "choosing" and this was wrong :) I became truly spiritually happy only when I followed my heart, not the voice of logic that I used while choosing. Instead of "choosing the tradition", I stepped into honoring the Gods I've been always drawn to; and, you know, in the moment of the "turning point" I did NOT care if other kemetics in the world exist at all or not (however I knew these people exist; I learned about their existence in the first days when I only connected to Internet in 1996; but honestly, in that moment, I did not care if I would want one day to contact these people or not. I thought only about the Netjeru I've been drawn to. Then, it was mutual Choice, but logic was silent. I did not need to make a list of traditions or deities and look which branch of polytheism I want to "try". The answer was right there, before me and in my heart: this was the moment of Latria.
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