Is self-identification with Paganism what makes a Pagan?

The Cauldron's server is expensive and requires monthly payments. Please become a Bronze, Silver or Gold Donor if you can. Donations are needed every month. Without member support, we can't afford the server.

Or donate directly via Paypal

This message board is The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's SMF Archive Board. It is closed to new memberships and to posting, but there are over 250,000 messages here that you can still search and read -- many full of interesting and useful information. (This board was open from February 2007 through June 2011).

Our new vBulletin discussion board is located at http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/ -- if you would like to participate in discussions like those you see here, please visit our new vBulletin message board, register an account and join in our discussions. We hope you will find the information in this message archive useful and will consider joining us on our new board.

[Morag]

Technically in reply to Ellen, but really to most of the thread and this is just a convenient place to hang the question:  Do y'all draw a distinction between "validating" experiences and "understanding" them?

For me it's sort of six of one, half a dozen of the other. If I have what I think is a mystical experience, and I run with that, and then later I find out it was just wishful thinking, I feel really dumb. This has happened far too many times to me, so using logic not only to understand but also validate (insofar as it can) my mystical experiences has real appeal for me.

I mean, the mistakes are still valid experiences -- "they say that the truth will set you free, but then so will a lie" -- insofar as I learn from them (well, one would hope), but they're not valid as in 'they come from a mystical source' or 'they're really actually mystical'.

That was a lot clearer in my head; I hope it made sense.

[yewberry]

If you don't mind, I'd like to use your words as a standard to set myself by.

Not all mine, but have at it.  All hail King Missile. 

Brina

[Morag]

Not all mine, but have at it.  All hail King Missile. 

Brina

Awesome. I'm going to check them out.

[AmberHeart]

Technically in reply to Ellen, but really to most of the thread and this is just a convenient place to hang the question:  Do y'all draw a distinction between "validating" experiences and "understanding" them?

I ask because when Amber was talking about validation, I read that as...  sort of seeking self-approval, I guess, looking for a feeling of "it's OK for me to have this mystical experience, it's a valid experience".  When other people are responding to it, though, I get more of a feeling that validation is being interpreted as "I need to understand this experience and what it means or doesn't mean and why I might have had it, including any mundane and rational causes".  I definitely agree that the latter is a necessary process to go through with any experience (mystical or otherwise), but I'm not as sure about the former.  I'm not sure I exactly understand what would make an experience "valid"--or, rather, I'm not sure how I understand how an experience could be invalid.

My brainspace is a little crowded lately, though, and I know my thought processes are a little cloudy, so I wasn't sure if I was maybe reading one side or the other incorrectly, or if I'm just way out in left field here, or what.

Thank you Star. Glad someone got my point.

Amber

[Tags:]

Jump to: Please select a destination: ----------------------------- About The Cauldron ----------------------------- => Rules and Regulations => Cauldron Announcements ===> Volunteers Needed: Site Assistants and Projects => Introductions => Board Questions, Suggestions, and Feedback => Chat and CauldronMUX Support => Test Board ----------------------------- Religion and Philosophy ----------------------------- => Paganism For Beginners => Books and Other Resources => Pagan Religions => Pagan Spirituality => Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology => Worship and Ritual => Holidays and Festivals => History and Religion => Faith in Everyday Life => Philosophy and Metaphysics => Non-Pagan Religions and Interfaith Discussions => Miscellaneous Religious Discussions ----------------------------- Magic and the Occult ----------------------------- => Magic and the Occult for Beginners => Witchcraft, Hoodoo, and Folk Magic => The Western Magical Tradition => Chaos Magic => Lodges and Other Magic Organizations => Miscellaneous Magical Discussions ----------------------------- Special Interest Groups & Special Discussions ----------------------------- => Special Topic Discussions => Chavi Memorial Chronic Illness SIG => General SIGS ===> College Pagans SIG ===> Cooking SIG ===> Divination SIG ===> Home and Garden SIG ===> Pagan Parents SIG ===> Teen Pagans SIG => Religious SIGS ===> Asatru and Heathenry SIG ===> Cauldron Cill ===> FlameKeeping SIG ===> Hazel and Oak: A Celtic Polytheism SIG ===> Neo-Druidry SIG ===> Reformed Kemeticism SIG ===> Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheism SIG => Book/Media Discussion Boards ===> Academic Book Discussions ===> Pagan Religion Book Discussions ===> Magick Book Discussions ===> Fiction Book Discussions ===> DVD/Video Discussions ----------------------------- Life, the Universe, and Everything Else ----------------------------- => Pagan Announcements => Prayer and Energy Requests => News and Politics ===> Religious News ===> Non-Religious News ===> Political Discussions => Social Discussion Boards ===> Art, Poetry and Writing ===> Books ===> Computers and the Internet ===> Crafts and Hobbies ===> Family Life ===> Gaming ===> Health and Medicine ===> Humor and Quizzes ===> Music, Television, and Film ===> Pets ===> Science and Technology ===> Sports and Recreation