Some Doubts

[Sub]

So... Hi! It's been a little while since I've been on here. I'm not too good at forums, sorry about that. But I have some questions that I would like to your opinion on, some questions that have been wracking my brain for a while now. I'm going to be as respectful as possible here, but I'm sorry if I wasn't tactful enough.

So... How do you gain a relationship with deity in the Christian faith? How do you find Him and make sure that it's actually Him? He comes into you heart and makes you anew, and then He guides you to the Bible and its teachings. That's mainly how He communicates with you with the laws and stories of the Bible. To me, an outsider, this relationship is very one way; God dictates, and you obey. God may guide you in your interpretation of His instructions, but that's the main jist of that relationship.

So, Wicca is a two way road with deity, correct? You're always changing your relationship with deity as you evolve, so it must be a dynamic thing, right? I'm not sure. Wicca has very loose rules, and while that does provide for growth, this means that Wicca lacks some form of an external presence that Christians have with the Bible. Christians have deity in their hearts and in paper and ink, while Wiccans have only the former. Christians have all of these rules (What to eat and when, when to worship, what behaviors are forbidden.) while Wiccans don't. Is Wicca simply another one way road, as in you only want the relationship with deity when it benefits you?

To put it plainly, my question is this; What have you sacrificed in your life for deity? What sort of rules do you follow because of deity? Does this depend on what God or Goddess you worship, do these regulations occur when you agree to follow them? If there are no rules or sacrifices, how could have a honest relationship without both sides putting in work for it, both you and deity?

I'm sorry if these questions are rude, disrespectful, or ignorant. But I really need some sort of answer in order to put my doubts to rest. Thank you so much in advance.

[MsMollimizz]

I've heard of x-ian witches, not being one I'll leave that
to those who know but Christians is a 2-way street also.

My path has changed over time, I felt I was called by Isis
and so I pray to her and Mother Earth; leaning more towards
Mother Earth now-a-days since I didn't do the whole Egyptian
pantheon, have trouble with Isis's brother-husband thing as
an incest survivor it bothers me ! That's what directed to
paganism, that god didn't help me when I needed it, Diana
did ! So I believed like the Romans and Egyptians did, there's
more than one up there !
Wicca is not a one-way street, in meditation I have felt the
love of Goddess coarse thru me like the most awesome
head-rush only all over warmth while sending Mother Earth
energy due to all She puts up with from "them".
We have a few rules, mainly one, ...and it harm none,
do what you will. All the rest, I believe is self-imposed so
they could stay "in check" (?)
I contemplated this question quite abit...what did I sacrifice
in my life ? I sacrificed ridicule, being targeted as a witch,
the top one tho: what will Mom think ? That weighed heavy
on my mind for years before I told her. I got: I figured as
much, go for it ! I borrowed SRW's BOS and took it camping
when I went with Mom.
My hubby is an asshole and says so himself...
I went thru the book looking for something to help me
deal 'til everything worked out like it should.
I found a simple one I can do while camping,
except it called for a terra cotta pot to break at the end.
We always camped down at Slab City, Ca
www.desertdutch.org there's stuff all over from people
dumping trash, what blew it on that strong wind...etc.
I went looking for some terra cotta pieces I may be able
to make work... Wouldn't you know it, Mom came up
with a whole pot ! She asked me later if it worked, I did
feel I could handle him better when I decided his little
jabs trying to start a fight. It won't get to me anymore,
I'm not going to allow it to bother anymore ! I have to
refresh it now and then, but that's understandable !
Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

[Aesiryth]

Your questions aren't disrespectful so don't worry. I like your curiosity and there's a few things that may have been told to you in a not-so-detailed way or you just didn't completely understand it. Which is fine either way.

First, I'm not sure what you mean by deity in the Christian faith. Christians believe in one god which is true, but I have heard anyone refer to him as deity. Wiccans usually refer to the universal power as deity (which I do all the time).

So, now the questions:
What have you sacrificed for deity?
Sacrifice is a heavy word and often contains negativity. I haven't really "sacrificed" anything, but I have made changes in my life. Not all Wiccans/pagans need to do this though. Sometimes its just a matter of bringing something new in without pushing anything out.

What rules do you follow?
Wiccans have whats called the Witches/Wiccans Rede. This resembles a poem and you can find it almost anywhere. It basically says (and there are various interpretaions, but the one I have come to believe is) that if one causes no harm then let him/her do what they want. So, our rule is the universal rule, do to others as you want done to yourself.

Do these rules change depending on God/Goddess?
Not really, or at least I haven't seen it. Wicca is a very peaceful practice and this rule comes into play no matter what. Rules, however, may be added or more strict depending on the path.

If there are no rules or sacrifices, how could have a honest relationship without both sides putting in work for it, both you and deity?
There are most definitely rules. Rules are made for everything whether we want them or not. If the world was anarchy and chaos-filled then there would even be rules then, like keep the world in chaos. Otherwise change would happen. Both sides (person and deity) do work to achieve a goal. That's when spells, rituals, etc. come into play. The spell is meant to put oneself into focus for the end goal. Once you've accomplished the spell you will be always thinking about it (consciously or subconsciously). You have called to the Gods, Goddesses, pantheons, and/or deity to involve them and fuel this drive towards the goal. This ultimately completes the goal with both sides help.

Curiosity fueled questions are nothing to be sorry about. And you worded them in a non-offensive way so kudos to you! Hope I helped out
-Aesiryth

[lwelke3]

I believe that the gods are just conciousness in a higher form, something we all could potentialy reach. I to call the universe diety, but value the guidinance of the Freyja conciousness, and respect the influence of the other germanic gods.


Christianity is pretty much the same thing, only more focused about it. XD

[Sub]

Thank you so much for responding, guys. I'll probably have some follow up questions, but I need time to put them into words. But I can say that you helped a lot. Thank you.