Oh. Hai. So I've been on hiatus for awhile due to overall CRAZINESS at my place (as well as a month without internet, trying to fix and sell a house, moving stuff to another house, etc) so I haven't posted in...okay I really don't want to think about it. But I miss blogging and I like my little blog so I think I'll keep at it even if nobody reads it.
Also, what the heck happened to Blogspot while I was away? I am so confused.
Anyways, here's a link to a good article on eclectic traditions. http://witchesandpagans.com/EasyBlog/scavenge-synthesize.html
I'm an eclectic myself because I like to take everything good out of all the traditions worldwide. Plus, my philosophy is that nobody is right or wrong about religion, and no religion is "The One" so limiting myself to only one religion would be narrow minded to me and kind of boring. The Divine has many faces and to only worship one aspect of it feels wrong to me. Which is why I hate that religions are constantly trying to wipe each other form the face of the Earth because each one thinks their the only "true" religion. Just as we have faith, we must also doubt, and so not trap ourselves in a little spiritualism box. We must be willing to both move towards new ideas and doubt or leave behind old ones. This is simply how we grow. It is natural.
What is unnatural is being forced (by oneself or others) to only follow one path, even if you don't like it, because of the pressure of fear, which could be fear of the community's opinion of you, or fear of that deity or deities themselves. Both fears are equally bad for one's soul. There should be no fear in religion. It is not the point of religion to scare you into doing what is right. Religion is supposed to be simple philosophy, by which you learn for yourself not "how to do good things" but how to be a better person on the inside. You can be an upstanding member of a religious group and do everything that religion tells you to do and still have a soul as black as coal. People always seem to miss out on the point of religion, and view it only as something to follow or be damned.
This is the problem with religion: damning. No religion should damn, not other religions or their own followers for committing "sins". Religion isn't about damning. It's about personal philosophy and the positive growth of one's soul.
And so, with this in mind, I'm not afraid of "going to hell" because of moving away from Christianity, which was my birth-religion, by exploring other religions. I'm not afraid of some divine punishment for seeking out myself through various faces of deities. I think life is a quest to create oneself, and if we don't doubt or explore we become mindless sheep, following unquestionably whoever was appointed to lead us, even if they lead us into dark places.
It is so hard to break away from one's birth religion, for fear of punishment in some form or another, or fear of being wrong. It really is, and takes a lot of courage to deviate from one's original path. I commend eclectics, because they don't take crap from anybody and they travel enough paths to gain true wisdom.
If you only travel one path, how do you know it is taking you to where you want to go? How do you know if there is not a better path somewhere that you've yet to find?
Here's a challenge for you:
Forget about religion. Forget whatever it is that you follow, or, if you're an atheist, don't follow. Strip away all the tethers those religions and philosophies have put on your moral compass, trying to pull it this was and that. Let is spin freely, and see where it points to.
Examine everything within you. What do you cherish in life, what do you find sacred (it could be anything, not what you've been TOLD is sacred) what do you value in other human beings? Kindness, compassion, the ability to listen without judgement and speak without hindrance of fear? Find what is is that you value, find your philosophy, YOUR philosophy--not your church's, coven's, mosque's, temple's, what have you; find YOUR philosophy.
It might sound kind of difficult at first, but here's an easy way to see into your subconscious morality--remember all your favorite movies, books, etc. Remember why you liked a certain person, or commended someone for a specific action.
Cinna from the Hunger Games, because he listened to Katniss and snuck her the pin? Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet because he tried to stop Romeo and Tybalt from fighting? The Good Witch from ABC because she forgave the man who tried to steal her house?
Figure out why you feel the way you do about things. That tells you where your morals are.
Now, remember all those faces of all the different deities of the religions of the world? Yeah, forget those. Forget they ever existed.
How do YOU picture god, goddess, or gods? What is the face of the divine (to you)? It might not even necessarily have to be a face. It could be like my idea of the Divine, that is has no exact form. Could it be in the face of a child, rife with hope and wonder and innocence, and full of benevolence and trust? Could it be a strong warrior-like figure, a protector of the weak? Or is it something darker, a hooded figure, silently guiding you through the night? Perhaps it is all of these things.
You must find for yourself what your philosophy, your religion is, even if it is one that you have created yourself. If it feels right to you, do it. And I don't mean creating some false religion where you have to eat pizza every Friday or stealing is acceptable or you can do whatever you want because it's fun and easy or whatnot. No. I mean you pull out your own heart, examine it, and find what is divine in the world to you. Then either find a world religion (or two or three or however many) that mesh with your personal philosophies and follow it, or follow your own path.
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