Why I Decided to be Wiccan
(NOTE: I am not trying to insult, bash or talk down about any religion at all, this is just why I chose to follow the path I follow)
I, like many children I knew during my childhood, was forced to go to a christian church, we had no choice in the matter, no say what-so-ever. My family like many other dutch immigrant families I know were very strict on religion. Stating one must know and believe in god for life to go as planned and not to stray from his path or commit sin lest we be sent to he!! The pastor didn't like my questions, my ideas about how there could be not one god but many, how I couldn't understand many of his teachings (it wasn't I didn't want to understand I just couldn't grasp the ideals of christian society.) I felt nature was more of a natural god, one you could touch, see, smell and connect with (I've always been in tune with nature) than a god which you could not see, touch, hear or feel.
As the years went by, me sitting in church on sundays wishing I was out in the woods, or sitting in a field with nature just seemed like my own version of he!! suffering inside feeling forced into things I decided to take things into my own hands, choose my own path, my own life, my own ideals.. I had a hard time grasping the ideals and concepts set before, told to me like a rule that could not be broken. When I hit my early teenage years I decided, it was time to break from conformity, time to break from the strong family rules, meditate and find my own path.
Through lots of soul searching, researching and meeting fellow pagans and wiccans (my best friend is a pagan priestess) I came to the decision that the life of a wiccan was the life for me. To me wicca is about discovering and bringing out your own spirituality, about connecting to the devine gods and goddesses in your own ways, its about naturalism, about freedom.
Over the years, since my initiation ritual, (which no does not involve killing or worshiping the devil as so many seem to think) I have felt the sting of peoples misconceptions. The wiccan rede, or law. Speaks to me in more ways than the bible ever has, I feel free, accepted with my own spirtuality and more in tune with the world around me then I felt when I attended church. I preform rites, passages and rituals at each of the changings of the seasons (I won't use names as some people are unfamiliar of them and their meanings. But two are and can be known as summer and winter solstace, and there is also yule) I have an alter in my home, I pay respects to the gods and goddesses and I feel my religion shows people the real me.
That is why I chose the religion I chose, and I hope everyone accepts that as I accept their own decisions in life and would never talk down about theirs.
It hurts deep down inside, when you hear people words flowing out of their mouths like venom from a deadly snake, about how wicca is poison, unhealthy, unnatural, wrong, its worshiping the devil, you harm animals and so on and so forth. Now I'm NOT saying anyone on this site has ever said that to me.. no one has. And I hope no one ever does. I just felt the need to express myself.
Merry meet and merry part
Blessed be
