I Am Pagan
by Selena FoxI am Pagan. I am a part of the whole of Nature. The Rocks, the Animals, the Plants,
the Elements, and Stars are my relatives. Other humans are my sisters and brothers,
whatever their races, colors, genders, sexual orientations, ages, nationalities, religions,
lifestyles. Planet Earth is my home. I am a part of this large family of Nature, not the
master of it. I have my own special part to play and I seek to discover and play that
part to the best of my ability. I seek to live in harmony with others in the family of
Nature, treating others with respect.I am Pagan. I celebrate the changing seasons, the turning of the Wheel of the Year. I
celebrate with singing, dancing, feasting, rituals, and in other ways. I celebrate each turn
of the Wheel with personal spiritual practices and by taking part in community festivals.Samhain, commonly known as Halloween, is a time for gazing into the future and
for paying homage to my Ancestors and other loved ones in the Spirit world. I
work magic for greater religious freedom for Pagan peoples and humankind as a
whole. I celebrate the Wiccan and Celtic spiritual New Year.Yule, the Winter Solstice, is a festival of peace and a celebration of waxing solar
light. I honor the new Sun child by burning a oaken Yule log in a sacred fire. I
honor the Great Goddess in her many Great Mother aspects, and the Father
God as Santa in his Old Sky God, Father Time, and Holly King forms. I
decorate my home with lights and with holly, ivy, mistletoe, evergreens and other
herbs sacred to this season. I ring in the new Solar year with bells.At the beginning of February, I celebrate Candlemas, known to ancient Celts as
Imbolc and to contemporary Americans as Groundhog's Day. I focus on
spiritual purification and clearing away blockages to prepare for the coming of
Spring and new growth. During this festival, I light candles to honor Brigid and I
invite her to inspire my artistic works and guide my healing practice. I give
offerings of seeds to wild birds.At the time of the Spring Equinox, I welcome the renewal of Spring and
celebrate the greening of the Earth by dressing in green myself. I honor the
Teutonic Goddess Ostara and the spirit of the Rabbit, Her consort. I color eggs
with friends and divine choices for new growth.Beltane at the beginning of May is a festival of fertility and pleasure. I dress in
bright colors and wear a garland of flowers in my hair. I dance the Maypole to
bless gardens and creative projects. I leap the Beltane bonfire for good luck. I
place flowers at the Bast Sacred Cat Shrine and other sacred sites.Summer Solstice time, also known as Midsummer and Litha, is a grand
gathering time when I greet old friends and meet new ones. I dance with them
around a sacred bonfire to the magic rhythms of drums. I honor my spiritual
community and tribe. I celebrate Pagan culture. I add stones to the sacred Stone
Circle on Circle Sanctuary land with prayers for planetary harmony and
well-being.As August arrives, I celebrate Lammas, also known as Lughnassad. At this
festival, I honor the height of Summer and prosperity. I not only give thanks for
wild and cultivated plants and for blessings that are starting to come to fruition,
but I also pray for continued abundance. I break and eat bread with others in
ritual and I give bread and herb offerings to the Goddesses and Gods of
agriculture.Fall Equinox, which some call Mabon, is the time of thanksgiving for all the
harvests I've reaped during the growing time. I give thanks for food I have
received from the gardens and fields and for other blessings which have come
into my life. I return to the Mother Earth offerings that come from the best of the
fruit, vegetables, herbs, nuts, and other food stuffs I've gathered.And at Samhain, this Wheel of the Year starts again.
I am Pagan. I also honor the seasons of life within my life's journey -- beginnings,
growth, fruition, harvest, endings, rest, and beginnings again. Life is a Circle with many
cycles. With every Ending comes a new Beginning. Within Death there is the promise
of Rebirth.I am Pagan. I see circles of change and renewal not only within my own life's journey,
but in my heritage. I see my life as a circle that connects with the life circles of my
ancestors. They are part of me and my life. The ancient wisdom of Nature's Renewal
and Recycling is embodied in the crests of two of my Ancestoral clans. From my
German ancestors of my mother's mother's lineage is the totem of the heron, a family
emblem signifying perseverance and renewal after difficulties. From my Celtic ancestors
of my father's father's lineage is the crest bearing the symbol of a hewn oak tree
sprouting new branches and leaves from its stump, enclosed in a circle with the motto,
Iterum Viriscit, which means It grows Green again. These symbols and motto remind
me not only of my own renewal and the renewal of Nature, but also the renewal of
Pagan philosophy on this planet that is part of my life's work as a Pagan priestess.I am Pagan. Intentional consciousness change, Magic, is part of my spirituality. For
every problem there is at least one workable solution as well as opportunity for growth.
I create my own reality with my thoughts, feelings, and actions. Whatever I send out
always returns. I seek to abide by the Wiccan Rede: "And It Harm None, Do What
You Will." When I do magic in rituals, before I raise and direct energy, I seek always
to look at the larger picture of which my needs are just a part. I endeavor to work for
the best for all as well as to help myself. When problems come my way, I seek to
understand their cause and messages as part of my finding a solution. In doing healing
work, I seek to address the underlying spiritual causes of disease, rather than only
focusing on relief of its symptoms.I am Pagan. I work magic by the Moon to help and to heal others, myself, and the
Planet. The Triple Goddess of the Moon guides me. I activate beginnings in the
Waxing, energize manifestations at the Full, and clear away obstructions with the
Waning and Dark. I take part in rituals at the New and Full Moons, and I know that
my Circles are part of a great web of Circles that meet at these times around Planet
Earth.I am Pagan. I embrace Pantheism, acknowledging that the Divine is everywhere and in
everything. I honor the Divine that is within the oak trees in the forest, in the herbs in
the garden, in the wild birds singing in the trees, in the rock outcroppings on the hillside,
in myself, and yes, even in "things" such as my car, cameras, and computers. I
understand that everything with a physical body has a spiritual body, too. The physical
and spiritual are deeply intertwined, not separate, in this world of form. I honor the
interconnectedness of Creator and Creation.I am Pagan. I know that Divinity has many facets and I experience this through a
variety of Goddesses, Gods, and other spiritual forms. I also honor Divine Oneness,
the Unity of All. My personal encounters with Pagan Goddesses, Gods, and other
Divine forms have transformed and enriched my life. Hecate appeared at a Death to
teach me of release and rebirth. As a young child, Artemis flowed through me and
helped me ward off a would-be rapist. Selena of the Full Moon brings me visions and
my name. Sacred Sun energizes me. Yemaya of the Ocean cleanses and renews me. I
have heard Pan play his pipes in the woods. Dionysius awakens within me the joys of
spontaneity and ecstatic bliss and teaches me the mysteries of androgyny. I have
experienced the union of Goddess and God while making love with my mate in the
garden. Bast has helped me deepen my connections with my Cat friends. Cernunnos
has appeared to me in the forest as a Stag. Isis has spoken to me in bursts of radiance
in the deep of the Night and in flows of energy through my hands in doing healings.
Saturn has given me lessons about discipline, time, and organic agriculture. Lady
Liberty protects me as I work for religious freedom for Wiccans and other Pagans.
Mother Earth guides my work on behalf of this Planet. I also experience the Divine as
totem animals, plant allies, and as other forms in my dreams, in guided inner journeys,
and while questing for vision alone in the wilderness.I am Pagan. My spiritual practices include self-acceptance and understanding, instead
of self-rejection. I share my views with others when I sense it is right, but I do not
proselytize, claiming my way is the only true right way for everyone. There are many
paths up the mountain of spiritual understanding, not just one path.I am Pagan. My worship takes the form of Divine communion with Nature. As part of
my worship, I founded and caretake a sacred Nature preserve, Circle Sanctuary. I do
rituals at special places there, such as in the Stone Circle atop a sacred mound; on
Spirit Rock high above the valleys; in the Magic Circle garden; by outdoor shrines; in
the indoor Temple room; and in the ancient sandstone rock shelters that housed the
ancient ones that lived on this land thousands of years ago. I also do rituals elsewhere
on the land and at other places, outdoors and indoors. My worship and rituals can be
anywhere since my sacred circle is portable. Wherever I am, I can set up a circle
around a sacred sphere with seven invocations: to the four compass point directions, to
the Cosmos above, to the Planet below, and to Spiritual Integration in the center.I am Pagan. I journey to the Otherworld in my dreams, meditations, and rituals. I use
sacred tools to aid me in my journeys and my magic making. These include cauldrons,
crystals, candles, censors of incense, chalices of water, pentacles of salt, dishes of soil,
feathers, bells, brooms, rattles, drums, wands, staffs, blades, mirrors, and a variety of
divination tools, including Tarot cards, I Ching yarrow stalks, and Rune stones. I fly
with my consciousness through time and space. I explore other dimensions and then I
return with insights, knowledge, and power. I go between the worlds for healing,
growth and transformation. Intuitive, psychic perception is a natural, not supernatural,
part of my daily life.I am Pagan. I attune myself to the four elements of Nature -- Earth, Air, Fire, Water --
and to the fifth element, Spirit, which is the spiritual force that connects all. I see these
Elements in Nature -- the Earth in the soil and rocks; the Air in the winds and
atmosphere; the Fire as the lightning, fires, and electricity; the Water in the springs,
rivers, oceans, rain, and other waters on the planet; and the Spirit as Divine Unity. I
also see these Elements as aspects of Self -- my physical body and physiology is my
Earth; my intellect and thoughts my Air; my will and actions my Fire; my emotions and
feelings my Water; and my Inner Self, my Soul, is my Spirit. I endeavor to keep myself
healthy and in balance in all these parts of Self. I work toward a restoring of balance of
the Elements in the environment.I am Pagan. I hear the cries of Mother Earth who is upset with the harm being done to
the environment by humankind. I am dismayed by the pollution of the air, the soil, and
the waters, and by the domination games being played by nations with the fire of
nuclear missles and other weapons of mass destruction. I also am concerned about
spiritual pollution on the Planet -- selfishness, hatred, greed for money and power,
addiction, violence, despair. Yet as I perceive these problems, I also perceive
cleansing and healing happening on Planet Earth at this time. I know that I can help in at
least a small way to bring the Planet into greater balance by seeking balance in my own
life, by being a catalyst for restoring balance in the lives of others, and by working for a
better environment. I know that my attitudes and my way of living can make a
difference. I endeavor to be a channel for healing and balance. I make the practice of
environmental responsibility a personal part of my daily life. I endeavor to live in
harmony with the other members of the family of Nature.I am Pagan. Nature Spirituality is my religion and my life's foundation. Nature is my
spiritual teacher and holy book. I am part of Nature and Nature is part of me. My
understanding of Nature's inner mysteries grows as I journey on this spiritual path.- copyright 1994, Selena Fox
12 natural laws of the Universe , 13 Goals of a Witch , I am Pagan , Colbrens of the Bards , A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality , 8 Keys to Celtic Magick , I've Learned , A Creed to Live By , Mayan Code of Honor , Pentagram Model , The Script that Works Wonders , Hopi Prayer of Compassion , Steps to Happiness , Thoughts to Ponder , Ancient Wisdoms , Symptoms of Inner Peace , Principles for Better Living , Ways to Enhance your Spiritual Awareness , The Be Attitudes
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