Do you practice any religions or faiths?

[Hu96ie]

I was born and raised a Christian, but I soon abandoned that religion. For a long time, I remained faithful to the psychological interpretation of magic (it's all in our heads), but something didn't add up.
In my mind, it wasn't possible that we "humans" were the only sentient beings in the entire universe and that everything depended on our minds—or, more precisely, my mind.
A few years ago, I was enlightened by a simple and basic concept, but it popped into my head at just the right time: listen to the spirits (I think I read it on a blog by Frather Acher).
Since then, I've followed the calls, intuitions, and synchronicities, and everything seems to be working exactly as it should.
I'd like to be part of a faith, a lineage, or a movement, but in my opinion, these are human and mental constraints on something that is neither human nor mental.
Now I just think I have to find my way to meet, converse and honor these "other" entities that live around me, perhaps in different planes of existence or frequencies.

 

[Konsciencia]

I was born and raised a Christian, but I soon abandoned that religion. For a long time, I remained faithful to the psychological interpretation of magic (it's all in our heads), but something didn't add up.
In my mind, it wasn't possible that we "humans" were the only sentient beings in the entire universe and that everything depended on our minds—or, more precisely, my mind.
A few years ago, I was enlightened by a simple and basic concept, but it popped into my head at just the right time: listen to the spirits (I think I read it on a blog by Frather Acher).
Since then, I've followed the calls, intuitions, and synchronicities, and everything seems to be working exactly as it should.
I'd like to be part of a faith, a lineage, or a movement, but in my opinion, these are human and mental constraints on something that is neither human nor mental.
Now I just think I have to find my way to meet, converse and honor these "other" entities that live around me, perhaps in different planes of existence or frequencies.

You are Powerful enough as it is. Remember, that you are God. I recommend not to give your Power away to any other entities. You are your own God. Take it or leave it. Your choice.

 

[hollowglasd]

Roman Catholic but a bad one.
I try though .it’s tough

 

[dcwilson]

I was raised Christian but left. Looked into Buddhism but wasn't for me. I've tried being a pagan, a Heathen, and a Satanist.

I've learned from these religions, but I can't seem to fit in entirety with a single tradition. I'm a lot happier beimg a freelance occultist and doing my own thing in private.

What about the rest of you?

I was also raised Christian but I became disenchanted by many of their beliefs, like burning books and speaking in tongues, so I picked up a few Circle Network Newspapers and found an advertisement for" Green Egg Magazine", and I decided I'd try Neo-Paganism, and I did a cartoon for them. The first step was to read "Stranger in a Strange Land" which somewhat influenced a "New" religion created around that Sci Fi book. It lets its members believe or not believe in gods, or dogmas. Most of the members are Wiccan, but there's also Gaia. But there's belief in the gods or belief in a strict dogma you have to believe in. But somethings were badly in need of changing, so I "helped" those changes along. A Priesthood that wanted a cozy, but small church instead of an international one, a priestess that came up with a conflict resolution procedure, but decided not to use her own creation when she tried to ruin 2 Scions (I am one of them!) They hadn't read some of the things in SISL they should have which became my defense which resulted in some major changes. One was the creation of the church in another country, how to release secrets that had to be revealed without it sounding like bragging, a fast track to priesthood for one young lady and her husband, ministers, an ombudsman, etc. Most would consider it to be moon-battery, but it wasn't as totalitarian as even Wicca can be at times. There are 3 churches that come out of Sci Fi: CAW, Scientology and the Jedis.

 

[MorganBlack]

Gen-X and raised a very liberal very secular nerd in the hyper-materialist 1980's.

I was raised a mild Unitarian, with a Mexican Catholic mom and Jewish dad. Zen Buddhist as a teenager. Now I view reality mostly through a Neoplatonic-Hermetic syncretism meets Daimonic-Animist lens. About 50 / 50.

Mystically, I'm a Pantheist and Neoplatonist who sees the Divine as expressed in different names and cultures. Neoplatonism in the Hermetic, Catholic, and Greek pagan Western school forms the perennial philosophy where most of my thinking-work sits, while I work-work mostly in a sacramental Folk Catholic ritual framework.

I don’t "do" religion much. I do myth and engagement. I take some of my myths so seriously they are pretty much a religion, but I keep a part of my intellectual brain reserved for where I slot them. My left-brain thinking is separate, a bit, from my right-brained mythic thinking. It lets me just be a regular person hanging out enjoying the world, and not get lost in an always-on mythic "depth-charge." That drives folk's totally insane, I've noticed. And not in the good-insane (inspired) ways.

To me, there is just Reality and our limited ways of trying to understand it. I am more than happy to use the names of any religion because they all attempt to speak to Reality, at some level. I still have a hierarchy, based on Western myth, but I see that as mostly being for me to make sense of it. So I'm happy to engage with Jewish, Catholic, pagan, Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, and indigenous stories and myths from many cultures because I see us all in the same place, making space for the Numinous, the Mystery, as best we can.

I have a soft spot for Catholicism because of the theophanic manifestation in that myth-stream. You dance with the ones who brought you, and I owe them a lot. Most of my personal spiritual/theurgic work is Folk Catholic and entails using its stories and myths as theurgic practice, to not be such an asshole, forgo Wrath, and have compassion.

I make ontological concessions for other people's theophanies and their own visions. I'm not omnipresent nor onmiscient. So while I do not venerate or honor, say "Thor", I have to acknowledge the deep mystical sense when pagans use that name. It does not matter if they are made-up stories from scraps left in books written by Christians. As a Pantheist, I feel there is probably some aspect of the Mystery they are reaching, even if I have not taken the time to engage with it.

Magic, as sorcery , I view as a tool, , and it is no more spiritual than a lawnmower or a box of watercolors. Magic is a mirror and you make of it what you are. So become something less ugly and horrible. The "religion and Neoplatonic prerennial western philosophy part of this thing called "Western Magic " is about this being a better, bigger , person part.

 

[fungus77]

I was raised Christian but it didn't really "feel" like anything. I was just praying because my dad told me to. I went to Catholic middle + high school, but at that point I was self-aware enough that I realized what I was being taught (or indoctrinated into) didn't really click with me, I had no connection to it. I dabbled (read about) a good mix of stuff like Buddhism, Satanism, Luciferianism, Wicca, paganism in general, etc. I'm still finding my way around.