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Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

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  • #31
    Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

    Terms from different cultures can effect how things are defined...Very interesting..

    And now all I can say is "Who is on first"
    MAGIC is MAGIC,black OR white or even blood RED

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    • #32
      Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

      Originally posted by anunitu View Post
      That is an interesting explanation,could you provide links for the various aspects for further exploring?
      My copy of the "Golden Bough" might go into this,but I have not read in a while,my eyesight being less than it used to be.
      Unfortunately, no. I don't use on-line sources, most of which could be the personal opinions of anybody -- and that goes for Wikipedia. I'm lucky in having access to a good academic library. As for the Golden Bough, it's years since I read it, but its reputation was always strongest among people who had no expertise in the fields covered!

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      • #33
        Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

        Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
        It doesn't matter. Like evolution, it happens whether you believe in it or not, and whether you are aware of it or not...
        I think it does matter. Saying that inanimate objects have souls and spirits is a belief, not a fact.

        - - - Updated - - -

        Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
        Do not confuse the finger pointing at the moon for the moon.
        I wasn't doing that, just observing that Buddhist teachings on emptiness aren't compatible with the idea of things having souls, spirits or essences.
        Once a man, like the sea I raged;
        Once a woman, like the earth I gave;
        And there is in fact more earth than sea.
        Genesis lyric

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        • #34
          Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

          Originally posted by Spiny Norman View Post
          I think it does matter. Saying that inanimate objects have souls and spirits is a belief, not a fact.
          It would depend on the definition a person uses for "soul."

          At any rate, I am here to talk, not convince. And I believe I am now done talking.
          Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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          • #35
            Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

            Originally posted by Spiny Norman View Post
            What do you think?
            No belief is "compulsory" in any pagan religion, so far as I know. Nor, really, in any religion outside of a theocracy where "compulsory" can be enforced. "Strongly encouraged and expected" maybe, in a social sense; "intrinsic" maybe for the philosophical side of things.

            In any case, no, it's not intrinsic to paganism. Plenty of pagans don't believe in a soul or spirit as a literal thing. Though, in my experience, a lot of such people lean towards parapsychology, psychism, and other pseudo-scientific methods of "explaining" phenomena traditionally ascribed to spiritualism and magic. Your call if that counts as believing in spiritualism or not.

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            • #36
              Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

              I, personally belive in souls, and spirits, and spirits of things that have never lived in the flesh that represent 'Aspects'

              However I belive someone can Easily Call themselves a pagan without beliving in a soul, spirit or even an afterlife. or Re-incarnation.

              I belive that the path of life is about Finding oneself. If I had more time, money and fewer responsibilities I would love to go on what Aboriginals call a 'walkabout'. I would wander the country, on foot, until I met myself. Unfortunately I have to use less reliable and more time consuming methods. Meditation, writing my thoughts, amoung other things. I have found parts of myself ( That Odin, Loki and Thor watch over me and guide me - don't ask not going into that pile of contreversy.) I also don't belive that there are exclusively the Norse Deities out there - just that they are the ones that have connected best with me.

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              • #37
                Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                Considering that along with a belief Deities, it is one of the most consistent elements of pagan theology throughout history, yes.

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                • #38
                  Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                  Originally posted by Riothamus12 View Post
                  Considering that along with a belief Deities, it is one of the most consistent elements of pagan theology throughout history, yes.
                  What about pagan paths that do not have any such belief?
                  “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” -- Bruce Lee

                  Army of Darkness: Guardians of the Chat

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                  • #39
                    Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                    An interesting concept B. De. Could we use the word connection in the place of "Alive" then?

                    I think the concept is harder because of how we personally define the words "Soul" and "spirit"

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                    • #40
                      Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                      Originally posted by noface0711 View Post
                      An interesting concept B. De. Could we use the word connection in the place of "Alive" then?

                      I think the concept is harder because of how we personally define the words "Soul" and "spirit"
                      Yes - it is a way of describing connections.

                      Definitions matter. One problem with discussions of "esoterica" is that the words used to describe concepts are not well defined. Any discussion needs to begin with agreeing on definitions.
                      Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                      • #41
                        Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                        Originally posted by B. de Corbin View Post
                        Yes - it is a way of describing connections.

                        Definitions matter. One problem with discussions of "esoterica" is that the words used to describe concepts are not well defined. Any discussion needs to begin with agreeing on definitions.
                        Isn't that the truth. I've been lost or misdirected in more discussions than I can count because I define a word one way and the person or person's I was speaking to defined it differently. That doesn't even touch upon the idea of academic definitions versus common usage definitions of words, ideas or even concepts / theories.
                        I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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                        • #42
                          Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                          I don't believe that anything is compulsory for pagans.


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                          • #43
                            Re: Is the belief in a soul or spirit compulsory for Pagans?

                            Originally posted by noface0711 View Post
                            I don't believe that anything is compulsory for pagans.

                            Will you please make your posts default color? The grey is pretty much impossible for me to read against my forum skin.

                            But I do agree with you. Paganism is too varied for anything to be compulsory.
                            “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” -- Bruce Lee

                            Army of Darkness: Guardians of the Chat

                            Honorary Nord.

                            Habbalah Vlogs

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