“I feel drawn to…”

Another small, mini rant about pagans/wiccans. I belong to a lot of groups on FB, and needless to say, I find some of the things a bit ridiculous.

The most common thing I see is, “I feel drawn to [insert god/goddess here]. How do I start?”

Okay, first off…how do you know you are being drawn by this entity? Do you even believe in deities? What is your current core beliefs about them? Because, chances are, they don’t even know or care you exist, if they are even real. Second, what is it about this deity you are feeling drawn to, because that is what you are actually interested in, not the deity. The deity is the vehicle to imbue your spirit with what you are being drawn to.

If you feel you are finding yourself relating to a deity, DO THE RESEARCH!!!! I’m not just talking about how the deity relates to your brand of religion. I’m talking about the deity’s history, mythology, the culture from which they were born in, their story, their character, everything about them. Learn about them. That is where you start.

Once you know them as well as you can, you can then begin to find and create the rituals and ways that relate the energies you wish to receive from that deity as they fit with you. Do keep in mind the negative aspects of the deity! Be prepared to fight those challenges! That’s part of the work! You have to accept the negatives with the positives. That’s the challenge of working with a deity. Understanding the perspectives. You are attempting to embody the energy, spirit and positives (as you see them) of this entity. That means you will experience the opposite of them to understand the rewards of your attempt.

Paganism requires a lot from person. It requires study, understanding, acceptance and willingness to take on challenges based off following. It isn’t the “easy road”. It asks that you do all the work before the reward. It asks that you take on the negative to understand the positive. It asks that you understand your place in the process and what is expected of you. Yes, it is fulfilling and produces a balanced life, however, it still takes from you so that you may receive back.

What are the elders teaching our children these days?!