Hey,
So this is just a little letter I write for people who consider themselves a beginner Pagan. Hi. Welcome. I am so happy you have found something you want to pursue spiritually. But here is what I ask you: What is it about you that you consider a beginner?
Is it because you don't know a lot? Fantastic! Neither do I! Ask me questions, ask others questions. Read. Stay curious. I cannot stress this enough. Choosing the Pagan path means choosing a path of constant learning. There is no one who knows everything there is to know about modern Paganism and there is no one person who has all the answers. You don't know all the answers? Congratulations on being human. And, it just means you will always have something to learn. Your life cannot be boring if you always have something new to learn. There are many ways to learn: read everything you can get your hands on (and read it critically: ask if this makes sense to you. If the answer is no, then why does it not make sense?), ask questions (ask everyone, and listen critically: ask if their answer makes sense to you. If the answer is no, then why does it not make sense? Do not be afraid to ask people to clarify), practice (learn by doing in a safe way. You can't just read about meditation, the only way to truly know how to meditate is to... meditate [as an example of course]).
Is it because you don't have any altar tools? Altar tools just HELP. You don't need all of the fancy tools other people have. I will be making a separate post on alternatives to altar tools that are free or cheap. I was once where you were: no altar tools to call my own. But now I have a fair altar with a fair collection of tools to call my own that I have collected over the past year in various ways and from various sources.
Is it because you aren't in a coven? Who needs one! You don't have to be in a coven to call yourself a witch or a Pagan. Many towns and cities will have a group of practising Pagans. My city has a small group of local witches and Pagans who get together to celebrate the Sabbats. Maybe your city/towns group isn't right for you or maybe non-existent. THAT'S OKAY! You can practice solitary while seeking out people in your local area who are interested in learning and practising with you. My best friend Miranda and I get together to learn new things together, just a few weeks ago we got together to talk about essential oils and their uses. We share resources together.
You can also meet people in the most unexpected of ways. I met my mentor in a completely unrelated group! A collective of queers who used to meet every week in my city to talk about queer (LGBT) issues and we also would do open mic nights. It was really fun but soon disintegrated, but I kept in contact with this person. She invited me to my first ever ritual, which was Samhain (excellent time, eh?) and, well, I have been with the local Pagan community ever since! I talk to her about spiritual questions and just about life in general. We hang out together and laugh together. She is on one side of the coin my spiritual mentor, but on the other hand she is an invaluable friend.
So let me just say that everyone in Paganism could consider themselves a beginner because everyone has more to learn. So, if you consider yourself a beginner, please don't beat yourself up for it. Understand that it's okay to make mistakes, we all do it! Just take a nice deep breath and remind yourself that you can do it.
/end pep talk
See ya fuckers!
-Tara
No comments:
Post a Comment