Hello, Spiritual/Openminded Individual With Pagan Curiosity
Hello my name is Steven and I am a 19 year old Chicagoan. Since I was around 14 years old I have curiously explored different religions. I was raised Catholic, but found going to church was inconvenient and simply not fun. :/ I explored an all American "Christian Youth Group" and that was a nightmare. Being a young gay man, it was, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." (That one made me cringe). I then was introduced to non denominational Christianity and quickly got a lot of anti-gay backlash. . which was the point in my life where I stopped getting involved with Christianity and organized religion. I doubt I would have stayed with any of these churches or beliefs for long had I not been gay, because I never believed in Jesus no matter how hard I tried or wanted. At the time it was what I thought I needed, because I was convinced it was necessary to adhere to a monotheistic belief system to experience joy and contentment.
Anyways, as I got older I dabbled with Buddhism, because of a then boyfriend. I really admired the attention to mental well being and calmness-- but it still wasn't for me. It felt forced. Soon after, I started developing appreciation for many things people take for granted.. The beauty of the sky, the trees, the bodies of water. I saw (and still do see God(s) in nature. I can look up in the sky for hours and be mesmerized. But maybe that's as far as my faith goes, being in awe at what's already seen. Just recently I began hearing the word Pagan and Wicca and it has grabbed my attention. I don't want a how-to become a Pagan, but I want to learn a lot more and see if some Pagan or Wicca beliefs or practices can be integrated into my everyday life and help me achieve something greater than myself-- perhaps: mental clarity, relaxation, inspiration, meditative-focus?
Can I get some advice on where to start? Not looking to purchase anything..
articles, websites, or any personal words of advice from you is awesome and would be highly appreciated. Thank You.
Hello my name is Steven and I am a 19 year old Chicagoan. Since I was around 14 years old I have curiously explored different religions. I was raised Catholic, but found going to church was inconvenient and simply not fun. :/ I explored an all American "Christian Youth Group" and that was a nightmare. Being a young gay man, it was, "Hate the sin, love the sinner." (That one made me cringe). I then was introduced to non denominational Christianity and quickly got a lot of anti-gay backlash. . which was the point in my life where I stopped getting involved with Christianity and organized religion. I doubt I would have stayed with any of these churches or beliefs for long had I not been gay, because I never believed in Jesus no matter how hard I tried or wanted. At the time it was what I thought I needed, because I was convinced it was necessary to adhere to a monotheistic belief system to experience joy and contentment.
Anyways, as I got older I dabbled with Buddhism, because of a then boyfriend. I really admired the attention to mental well being and calmness-- but it still wasn't for me. It felt forced. Soon after, I started developing appreciation for many things people take for granted.. The beauty of the sky, the trees, the bodies of water. I saw (and still do see God(s) in nature. I can look up in the sky for hours and be mesmerized. But maybe that's as far as my faith goes, being in awe at what's already seen. Just recently I began hearing the word Pagan and Wicca and it has grabbed my attention. I don't want a how-to become a Pagan, but I want to learn a lot more and see if some Pagan or Wicca beliefs or practices can be integrated into my everyday life and help me achieve something greater than myself-- perhaps: mental clarity, relaxation, inspiration, meditative-focus?
Can I get some advice on where to start? Not looking to purchase anything..
articles, websites, or any personal words of advice from you is awesome and would be highly appreciated. Thank You.
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