)O(  My Personal Beliefs  )O(

First of all, why? Why do I have the belief in a higher power? Because I believe we are too complex...nature is too complex...to just pop out of nowhere. I believe there must have been sort of intelligence to the make up of the Universe, the Earth, of the plants and animals, of us. I see nature and I see the Divine in it all. I see the Sun and Moon and stars and I see the Divine. It's also hard for me to discount many many years of ancient peoples belief in a higher power. That is what I have chosen to follow - the more ancient beliefs. At that time it wasn't specifically called anything. Today, we call it Paganism.

Paganism is a very broad term that encompasses many belief systems. Some people follow Wicca, some follow Asatru, some are Hellenists or Reconstructionists, some choose not to follow anything specific. Paganism allows choice whereas mainstream religions generally do not.

Starting out, about a year and a half ago, I called myself Wiccan. I bought books about Wicca and at first didn't really have much of a structure to my beliefs. I kind of just followed what the books said. I was a newbie, but I guess one could very well call me a sort of fluff bunny. Though I personally love the dark aspect of things, I couldn't quite bring myself to accept the darkness within spirituality. I was a "light and happiness" bunny. Thank the Goddess, a lot has changed. I now accept and acknowledge that even while I have a lightness and darkness within me, so too does the Creator. There is no light without dark, for to have one without the other creates chaos - while having both creates a balance.

I am Pagan, but I no longer refer to myself as Wiccan. I do follow a lot of the Wiccan teachings (mostly because it is Celtic based and that culture seems to suit me best), but I do not follow all. I see Wicca as being more Gardnerian and Alexandrian and any other close Traditions, rather than eclectic. I do not follow the Gardnerian Tradition at all, so I personally don't believe I should be referring to myself as Wiccan...a name for his religion. So I refer to myself only as Pagan.

Deity
I believe there is one "supreme divine power, unknowable, ultimate, from which the entire universe sprang." This divine power is "personified into two basic beings: the Goddess and the God."¹ All the Gods and Goddesses that ever were throughout history are aspects of these two. All are just names imposed over the originals so as to attempt to bring them closer to us. Neither is above the other, nor is either of them all-loving or all-evil. This was a later development in history (see Zoroastrianism) as opposed to both harboring a light and a dark side in earlier times. Just as I believe all the many names for the divine in the past are only aspects, so too do I believe this of both Jehovah/Jesus and Satan. I don't hold true that one is all-loving, while the other all-evil. Both aspects have both a light and a dark side. Just by having a look at the Bible we see that Jehovah was not the "good" god he is made out to be. And Satan ultimately brought us knowledge and a chance to think for ourselves. I don't view this as a bad or "evil" thing. I hold true the phrase "All Gods are One God".

I revere both the God and the Goddess, as to leave one out creates an imbalance. While both are light and dark as well as masculine and feminine each unto Themselves, They complete each other. A perfect Whole from the Source. I revere Them in a spiritual manner, as well as an Earthly one...for just as They are creative spiritual energy, They are also the Universe, the Earth, the trees and plants, the rocks, the animals, and us. They are the air we breath, the water we drink, the ground we walk on, the fire we use as heat. They are our souls.
The Sun is representative of the God, the Moon the Goddess. I have always felt comfort in the moon. I revere both God and Goddess, but I feel I have a better connection with the Goddess. I always felt I could talk to a female easier than a male, and it seems to be this way on divine level as well.

I prefer to use the terms God and Goddess over any specific names, though I have come close to using both Brighid and Morrigan. These are the two Goddesses I have felt closest to. As to the God, I've always referred to Him as the Horned God. A specific name really hasn't struck a cord with me. Maybe for me, a lack of specifics makes things seem more limitless...less restricting when I don't have to have a specific deity in mind. I feel I connect better with just the God and Goddess, rather than a specific name for each.

For more information on specific deities, see the section entitled The Deities.

Reincarnation
See my article Karma and Reincarnation (coming soon)

Magick
Yes, I do believe in magick. Magick is using the energies within and around you, sometimes in conjunction with the divine, to produce change. It is not supernatural, but in fact, very natural. Everything has some sort of energy manifested within. We call upon this energy with our will power to make changes in our lives.

I believe we all have this ability - to control our will and the energies around and within us - but only a small amount of people are in tune with it or even believe it. The energies are not dark, as energy is neither dark, nor light...it just is. Just as our souls just "are". No good, no bad. It's our choices that determine good and bad. Magick can be very powerful, hence a lot of studying must take place. Magick is not a toy to be played with foolishly, for whatever energies you put out, you will get in return.

For more information on magick, see the section entitled Magick.

¹Scott Cunningham, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner

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