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A Walk on the Pagan Path

February 1, 2010 /
Someone once asked me what a typical day was like for a pagan. I hope they weren’t expecting a one sentence response. It humored me how that question could be asked as if all pagans share a “typical” type day. I recall laughing out loud and walking away. Keeping in mind the type of person that was asking me this question, I felt it was better to attempt answering their question once they opened their mind a bit more and realized there were far better questions they could be asking.I can say the same thing on behalf of parents who homeschool their children. Once someone knows you homeschool, a few of the first questions asked are “Are you doing this for religious reasons?” or “Don’t you have to have some type of certification for that?” or “Don’t you worry that your child will not get the socialization they need?” At first, I would try to answer all the questions asked. Now, I simply walk away. It is one thing to be curious and genuinely interested; it is another to be inquisitive and only looking for the negative. Then when you clump together the fact that I am a pagan homeschooling mom, the possibilities of questions are endless.

My typical day as a pagan may not be the typical day another pagan experiences. We as pagans are individual human beings and live our own lives. We personally decide what we want our daily lives to consist of spiritually. There is not a wrong way or a right way to be a pagan.  Most of us already know this, but for a person just coming onto the pagan path, they may question what they should be doing. In some religions, it is known what one does. For instance, Christians normally have churches and go there on Wednesdays and Sundays. They have a Bible that they read and learn from. Catholics have mass and confession. You get the idea. Some new pagans feel strange not having so much laid out for them if they came from an organized religion and if they find that they are alone on their new journey, for now anyway.

Let me repeat, there is not a wrong way or a right way to be a pagan. The joy of paganism is that you can individualize your spiritual journey as much as you individualize your personal belongings. Do what feels right to you. Just remember, harm none. If you want to meditate twice a day as a means to communicate with deity, go for it! If you want to lay in your backyard naked and admire the twinkling stars above as you think about the positive aspects of your day, do it! However, if you decide to lay naked in your backyard, consider your neighbors and the area where you live to determine if this is acceptable. Focus on spiritual aspects that are important to you. For instance, is it important that you take time every day to connect to the God and Goddess or would you rather do this less frequently? Do you want to do spell work? Do you want to learn a form of divination? Make a list of this type of information and go from there. You can choose a specific path you want to learn about or you can make your own. Again, do what feels right to you and natural.

The point of my article this month is simple, make your journey on the pagan path your own. If you feel comforted following along with a book you may be reading, that is fine, but know that you are free to express and explore your spirituality in whatever way is best for yourself. This past weekend, I discovered that two of my relatives were interested in paganism. One studied Wicca many years ago and now wants to reintroduce herself to it. The other relative is studying Wicca as well and is very secret about it due to a negative response she fears from her mother if she knew. In both cases, they mentioned the same book that they cherished deeply for their studies. It is good that they have found a book that they connect well with, but they feel they must abide by every specific detail written in the book. If this comforts them now, then they should do what feels best. However, I am eager to see them break out of the shell and make their spiritual practice their own. Blessed be to all of us who walk on the pagan path.