Got A Question?

[LittleSage]

Chicken tacos for the win

Another question: Do you celebrate Halloween?

You mean personally or Pagans?

Pagans celebrate Samhain (pronounced Sow-wen), which is the celebration of he coming of the cold months, and the passing of life. It’s also the day we honour those who have departed this world.

As for me? I celebrate Samhain, but I love to dress up and go to Halloween parties - my friends always throw a few.

 

[The_Iambic_Pen]

Do you believe in an afterlife, and, if so, do you believe our actions in this life have any effect on our eternal state?

 

[LittleSage]

Do you believe in an afterlife, and, if so, do you believe our actions in this life have any effect on our eternal state?

I believe in an afterlife, but not a permanent one. I believe that when someone dies, they rest for a time in the spirit world and visit loved ones who are also there, and then when they’re ready they are reincarnated.

As for actions, I believe in the threefold law, which is a lot like Karma. “All you do will come back threefold.” That means that if you do something selflessly, you will be blessed threefold for your actions. Likewise, if you do something selfishly or with intent to harm, that will come back to you threefold as well. Also, the way you choose to live your life affects your next life. For instance, if you led a really good life (lots of selfless deeds, kindness, etc) last time around, your next life will be blessed, and vice versa. So it’s the threefold law here as well, only with a more extended timeline.

The threefold law is a belief popularized by Wiccans, so it’s a fairly new concept (50 years or so), but many Pagans live by this law today.

 

[The_Iambic_Pen]

Do you believe in an eventual end to the current state of things, where reincarnation will cease and the spirit world or some form of it will be our permanent residence? This world will not last forever, after all.

Also, would you agree with the oft-quoted statement, “And it harm none, do as ye will?”

 

[LittleSage]

Do you believe in an eventual end to the current state of things, where reincarnation will cease and the spirit world or some form of it will be our permanent residence? This world will not last forever, after all.

Also, would you agree with the oft-quoted statement, “And it harm none, do as ye will?”

I don’t think the world will be ending any time soon, but I am completely open to the idea, and I’d assume that we will just stay in the spirit world after that. It’s a lovely place, from the descriptions I’ve read.

“An it harm none, do as ye will.” is commonly referred to as the Wiccan Rede. As I am not a Wiccan, I do not follow this religiously. However, I do live my life according to this quote, but by coincidence only. After all, you probably do too, don’t you?

 

[SSTeacher]

Pagan faiths base their beliefs on the concept that Nature is holy, and should be treated as such.

Hi LittleSage,

I noticed that when you adduced the notion that nature is holy you capitalized the word nature i.e. Nature. For me, as a Christian, holiness is a characteristic unique to God’s nature that becomes the goal for human moral character. How do you (or pagan faiths) understand the adjective holy and the noun nature?

Curiously,
Mick

 

[LittleSage]

Hi LittleSage,

I noticed that when you adduced the notion that nature is holy you capitalized the word nature i.e. Nature. For me, as a Christian, holiness is a characteristic unique to God’s nature that becomes the goal for human moral character. How do you (or pagan faiths) understand the adjective holy and the noun nature?

Curiously,
Mick

Well, I use the term holy loosely, but when I refer to something as such I mean that it is something that deserves reverence. As far as nature goes, I mean it as in forests, the ocean, etc.

 

[SSTeacher]

SSTeacher;4953110:

I noticed that when you adduced the notion that nature is holy you capitalized the word nature i.e. Nature. For me, as a Christian, holiness is a characteristic unique to God’s nature that becomes the goal for human moral character. How do you (or pagan faiths) understand the adjective holy

and the noun nature?Well, I use the term holy loosely, but when I refer to something as such I mean that it is something that deserves reverence. As far as nature goes, I mean it as in forests, the ocean, etc.

So can you say why you believe that forests, oceans and mountains deserve to be revered? I won’t be able to understand your worldview until I can fit in the “why.”

Grace and peace,
Mick

 

[james_dillaplai]

Forgive me if my question is worded offensively, I don’t mean anything behind this but cant think of how to word it otherwise.
Isn’t a hedge witch, a mish-mash of paganism heavily influenced by celtic druidism? (I’m not very good at wording these.)

 

[LittleSage]

So can you say why you believe that forests, oceans and mountains deserve to be revered? I won’t be able to understand your worldview until I can fit in the “why.”

Grace and peace,
Mick

I totally get that.

You’ll have to bear with me, because I’ve never actually been asked to explain this to anyone. Let’s see… Nature is constant. It has always been. It shelters us and nurtures us. It makes up the entire world around us. This is where the concept “Mother Nature” comes from. This is exactly how I view it: Nature is our Mother, in the same way that God is a Christian’s Father.

Did that make any sense at all? It’s kind of noisy where I am so I’m having a hard time focusing enough to write well.

 

[SSTeacher]

SSTeacher;4954261:

So can you say why

you believe that forests, oceans and mountains deserve to be revered? I won’t be able to understand your worldview until I can fit in the “why.”

Grace and peace,
Mick
:thumbsup:I totally get that.

You’ll have to bear with me, because I’ve never actually been asked to explain this to anyone. Let’s see… Nature is constant. It has always been. It shelters us and nurtures us. It makes up the entire world around us. This is where the concept “Mother Nature” comes from. This is exactly how I view it: Nature is our Mother, in the same way that God is a Christian’s Father.

Did that make any sense at all? It’s kind of noisy where I am so I’m having a hard time focusing enough to write well.

It makes perfect sense, LittleSage. Thanks for spending time enlightening me.

Cordially,
Mick

 

[Ceil-1]

Little Sage,

Your religion sounds an awful lot like a philosophy I adhered to as a teenager and young person. Mine was more scientific than naturalistic. Yet, it had many of the same beliefs and points that yours does. It promoted virtues such as devotion, kindness, efficiency, etc. It also embraced the idea of karma, and reincarnation, much as yours does.

I eventually came to realize that this belief system was contrived. The person who promoted it was exposed as a fraud. Plus, the reincarnation belief just did not hold up to serious scrutiny. Funny thing, it did not in any way promote anything outwardly evil.

I’m wondering, aside from the attraction to nature, and all, what makes you convinced it is the source of all truth? Wouldn’t truth embrace and explain all things, including the sometimes not so pleasant and fulfulling lives people are forced to lead? These are things karma could not answer for me, because if karma exists, we should be living better and better lives. Instead, we are spiralling downward. I don’t wish to get too intense for you, but, you have been around long enough to experience some of these things, to be sure.

Nice to have you on the forums.

 

[john_ennis]

It seems like, regardless of religion, there are two different beliefs that people hold, and this seems to determine what they believe about all kinds of things: education, crime, how to raise children the best way…

One view is that people have a selfishness that’s natural to them, and that they must work to be as loving and self-giving as they can be, putting others first, trying not to indulge themselves…

The other view is that people are born with no selfishness.

Does your faith believe one or the other of these?

Peace.
John

 

[Eucharisted]

It seems like, regardless of religion, there are two different beliefs that people hold, and this seems to determine what they believe about all kinds of things: education, crime, how to raise children the best way…

One view is that people have a selfishness that’s natural to them, and that they must work to be as loving and self-giving as they can be, putting others first, trying not to indulge themselves…

The other view is that people are born with no selfishness.

Does your faith believe one or the other of these?

Peace.
John

Christianity believes man is weak, and because of his weak nature, he is inclined toward evil. Evil is not natural to man, but he is inclined toward it, because he is weakened in mind and will, due to Original Sin. It is like a man addicted to alcohol: Drinking is not in his nature, but he is inclined toward it, due to his weakened conscience and self-control. And all men are born with Original Sin because all men, in their sins, share in the sin of disobedience of Adam, who was created the head of mankind.

Sorry to burst into the thread, Little Sage.

 

[john_ennis]

Christianity believes man is weak, and because of his weak nature, he is inclined toward evil. Evil is not natural to man, but he is inclined toward it, because he is weakened in mind and will, due to Original Sin. It is like a man addicted to alcohol: Drinking is not in his nature, but he is inclined toward it, due to his weakened conscience and self-control. And all men are born with Original Sin because all men, in their sins, share in the sin of disobedience of Adam, who was created the head of mankind.

Sorry to burst into the thread, Little Sage.

I was hoping to find out if Little Sage believes one or the other, based on her faith tradition.

John

 

[LittleSage]

Good grief! I’m gone for a few minutes…

It makes perfect sense, LittleSage. Thanks for spending time enlightening me.

Cordially,
Mick

Any time, man! That’s what the thread’s for.

Little Sage,

Your religion sounds an awful lot like a philosophy I adhered to as a teenager and young person. Mine was more scientific than naturalistic. Yet, it had many of the same beliefs and points that yours does. It promoted virtues such as devotion, kindness, efficiency, etc. It also embraced the idea of karma, and reincarnation, much as yours does.

I eventually came to realize that this belief system was contrived. The person who promoted it was exposed as a fraud. Plus, the reincarnation belief just did not hold up to serious scrutiny. Funny thing, it did not in any way promote anything outwardly evil.

I’m wondering, aside from the attraction to nature, and all, what makes you convinced it is the source of all truth? Wouldn’t truth embrace and explain all things, including the sometimes not so pleasant and fulfulling lives people are forced to lead? These are things karma could not answer for me, because if karma exists, we should be living better and better lives. Instead, we are spiralling downward. I don’t wish to get too intense for you, but, you have been around long enough to experience some of these things, to be sure.

Nice to have you on the forums.

Thanks, and don’t worry about it! I like a good challenge.
Actually, Karma does explain the bad things that happen to people. People have free will, and can make the choice to do something for a selfish or hurtful purpose. The law of Karma makes it so that while the person who instigated the problem will receive negative karma for what he did, the innocent will be blessed, because he suffered without deserving it. It all balances out. I consider this the origin of “good luck”. I’m not sure if a lot of other Pagans would agree with me on that, but this is what I believe.

It seems like, regardless of religion, there are two different beliefs that people hold, and this seems to determine what they believe about all kinds of things: education, crime, how to raise children the best way…

One view is that people have a selfishness that’s natural to them, and that they must work to be as loving and self-giving as they can be, putting others first, trying not to indulge themselves…

The other view is that people are born with no selfishness.

Does your faith believe one or the other of these?

Peace.
John

I believe that people are born balanced between the two, and in their childhood years, their life and family greatly influence which way they begin to lean. Of course, it’s entirely possible for someone to have an epiphany and jump sides (so to speak) - that happens often, actually.

Sorry to burst into the thread, Little Sage.

No biggie.

 

[LittleSage]

UPDATE TO ALL WHO POST!!!

I’ve left the site, but am still willing to answer questions. If you have a question, you can contact me via the info on my profile.

Take care, everyone!