What's your path?

[rhi]

What is your path, and how long have you been practicing?

I consider myself to be an Eclectic pagan. I've been practicing around 10 years.

[Druidseeker23]

I use to be Wiccan and I left the religion (tried many other paths) and finally settled on Druidry.

[Vermillion]

I haven't the faintest idea. I've explored every religion I can find and nothing really fits. I was into Paganism (eclectic) for awhile because it aligned with several values and goals. Tried several subcategories and related areas, too, before I realized I actually found most of it ridiculous or pointless. Out of respect and boredom, I left.

At this time I'm just a solitary student of the occult. I haven't started to cry myself to sleep at night yet, though. :p

[Tryptaminescape]

I don't have one. I do what I feel works for me, and never really tried to figure out if it had a name, which it probably doesn't. If I had to name it, I'd say it's a mix between shamanism and whatever else uses chants from the top of their head, lol.

[tavthe]

There's probably a better name for it, but i call it eclectic paganism or eclectic witchcraft.

[KashakuTatsu]

It has it's own name in it's own language, but for brevity's sake I refer to it as Draconic Khayoz Magick (spelled this way for numerology purposes). I don't know if it still counts as chaos magic with the fact that I use strictly dragons, but anything I do that could be considered a paradigm shift can still be worked with in dragons only. So who knows its late lol.

[devakxes]

I simply follow the Left Hand Path. I don't necessarily consider myself ''Luciferian'' anymore for such a label limits me... though I primarily work with demons, I also have worked with many gods and try to see things through the perspective of the Left Hand Path.

[Gemnus32]

If I were keeping my explanation to as few words as possible, I would say, 'A Left Hand Path Gnostic.'

I've been studying the occult since my first year of college (1997), but did not start seriously studying until I discovered Gnosticism in 2003. I spend a large amount of time studying texts, particularly the Nag Hammadi Library. My other work involves a number of different practices - significantly art and artistry, meditation and meditative exercises like hatha yoga.

I'm also a fan of Gurdjieff and Jeanne de Salzmann, and I use some of their methods in terms of both meditative exercise and teaching methods. Gurdjieff and de Salzmann did not consider themselves Gnostic, but I find their ideas brilliant.

Finally, I made a commitment a few years ago to permanently remain a solitary. I am willing to teach lessons or study with someone else. I also enjoy an intelligent esoteric coffee-klastch. However, I practice alone and only alone. I'm also not one for much in terms of, 'ceremony,' although I have done ritual magic(k) in the past.

As far as, 'Left Hand Path,' I've had a thing for the dark and gothic since I was a kid. I don't dress, 'goth,' but I get into gothic literature and art. I also see my own path as a path to self-realization, which is in keeping with the basic definition of, 'Left Hand Path.'

[Daisy]

I suppose I'm an eclectic pagan, but follow a shamanistic path in a lot of my workings. It's hard because I've collected so much information from so many sources that like many others here it boils down to 'whatever works'. My 'natural' tendencies are shamanistic, my research oriented brain has collected a head-full of 'alternatives' though to things you'd consider traditional or even necessary to that path. (Yes, I own drums and rattles. Do I use them? ... not as often as one would think necessary.)

[Daisy]

i hope not they are irritating. a pseudo shaman shoved a rattle in my face, she regretted it.

Sound has its place and time, like in any ritual. A lot of shamanism that I've read up on goes on pretty incessantly about beats per minute and whatnot .. I think one of the best and worst things that could have happened to shamanism was Harner. He brought a lot of what was hidden out into the light, but then codified it in a sense that now it feels like in the magical community you need a degree in his school, and don't you dare call yourself a SHAMAN, you are a 'shamanic practicioner'... whatever happened to spirit called? My ancestry is Russian, where Shamanism was pretty much crushed into the underground under the boots of the Socialism movement -- teaching couldn't easily (if at all) be passed down - not without getting kicked out of one of Stalin's helicopters with the phrase 'So you can turn into a bird? Then fly.'

So my handling of the matter is a lot less about open ritual and more about travelling the realms -- which with my imagery set look only shares a few aspects of the ones you find outlined in a lot of books that say 'you now SHOULD SEE...' imho defeating the purpose of the sort of visceral, ground level spiritualism and magic that traditional shamanism represents..

/slaps a gag on herself

Worse than the rattle, isnt it ;)

[Gemnus32]

'much more about traveling the realms,'

I am very interested in the concept of other realms that might possibly touch or lie parallel to, 'standard reality.' As with flinging fireballs, I can offer no absolute proof.

[devakxes]

'much more about traveling the realms,'

I am very interested in the concept of other realms that might possibly touch or lie parallel to, 'standard reality.' As with flinging fireballs, I can offer no absolute proof.

You live in a number of realities everyday, depending on your beliefs, what your mind is experiencing and thinking at this very moment, as well as the environment around you.

Subjective reality is beautiful because it can affect the objective reality.

[Cartoon Character]

I too have a rattle that I sometimes use to help induce a trance state, although I can say I've never shoved it in someone's face. That might also be a quick means of achieving an "altered" state. I agree with Daisy's premise that Michael Harner has caused some harm in this area....he's like the St. Augustine of Shamanism in that respect.

While I'm sure he is well-intentioned, Harner leads the pack of those whose proponents subscribe to the "Instant Shaman Mix" school. It ain't like grits, folks. I personally know people who are scared of their own shadows and are bummed for 3 weeks if someone doesn't wave to them at the grocery store who profess to be Shamans of some sort, largely because of the mentality promoted by followers of Harner and others of his ilk. True Shamanism is not meant for the mainstream, and the vast majority of us are not and will never be Shamans. Thankfully.

[Morrigan]

I have a bodhran that works in much the same way as that rattle. I think any think which can be used to beat out a rhythm can be used to induce a trance state. Stringed instruments don't work so well in doing this. And yes I agree thankfully I'm not a shaman I can manage to get into enough ..interesting situations as it is.

[Cartoon Character]

Why, thank you, Iza.