What is your religion?

[chongjasmine]

What is your religion and why do you believe in it?

Me? I am a christian.

I had been searching for God for a long time. I was born a taoist, but I had always believe in a all powerful God. I prayed to this God to reveal which religion he came from. After some times, I have a 99.99% certainty he came from the christian religion. Due to one special occasion, I finally become a christian.



Even though Christianity strong opposes tarot cards, I never regret being a christian as I have a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.




Enough about me. Time for you to share!

[Diana]

Me? I am a christian.

I had been searching for God for a long time. I was born a taoist, but I had always believe in a all powerful God.

Interesting. I have always thought that Taosim is amongst all the spiritual paths that I know of, the closest to the teachings of Jesus. The wisdom of the Tao is incredibly beautiful.

(As to your question, I don't have a religion and I would suspect that most members here don't have one either. Which doesn't exclude the fact that many are probably deeply engaged on a spiritual path.)

[Amoroso]

Roman Catholic.

Raised as one, studied in a school run by Dominicans in my formative years, and I still believe its tenets.

[Diana]

Roman Catholic.

Raised as one, studied in a school run by Dominicans in my formative years, and I still believe its tenets.

What are these tenets? I know little about Catholicism. Must have been very interesting to go to a Dominican school.

I grew up being schooled in metaphysics and non duality - my mother was a Christian Scientist, as was her mother (one of the very first in Switzerland in fact.) But I'm not interested in Christian Science, although I do think Mary Baker Eddy was, as a friend (also a non Christian Scientist) once called her, "a spritual genius".

[AstralPasta]

I was raised East African orthodox christian. It’s a very old church and very beautiful. But I also was raised in the states so I don’t know the songs and haven’t been to a big church holiday really.

Now I’m....pagan....polytheist....animist?? Pantheist? I don’t know. And am into witchcraft.....I guess I’m in the religion of “me and however that works.” Kinda hanged man vibes right now. I ‘work’ with some ancient Greek and Egyptian deities, as you do. I feel more comfortable on my path now and am starting to understand uncertainty, uncovering, discovering, and making it up as you go is kinda how it goes. And that maybe there is no finish line. I guess maybe aside from “uncovering the true will” and the “great work” haha.

I guess self actualization has become my religion somehow....and achieving some sort of comfort with myself, seeing what’s on the other side, maybe even piercing the veil, becoming a skillful oneironaut and traverser of the astral plane, becoming comfortable with the idea of death maybe, or at least my own....spirit world contact and exploring the psychic....

Eh, I’ll just say magic / magick and occultism / witchcraft is my religion. Haha. Idk. Being a magician.

[Diana]

I was raised East African orthodox christian. It’s a very old church and very beautiful. But I also was raised in the states so I don’t know the songs and haven’t been to a big church holiday really.

Do you mean this one ? https://www.britannica.com/topic/Africa ... dox-Church. I wonder if there are any branches in Europe. I've never heard of it.

Eh, I’ll just say magic / magick and occultism / witchcraft is my religion. Haha. Idk. Being a magician.

I think that's most likely what we're all here to do : magic.

So wherever our individual path leads us, where we need to be in our present state of consciousness, and also where we choose and want to be and to discover and to reveal, we're all doing magic I reckon. That's the part that unites us. Reminds me of the Two of Cups. Separate due to the fact that they are now two, but both being nourished by same water, the same source. So they're not really separate, because the same life force is in both of them.

[AstralPasta]

Do you mean this one ? https://www.britannica.com/topic/Africa ... dox-Church. I wonder if there are any branches in Europe. I've never heard of it.

Nah, this one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea ... edo_Church

Also, that’s very beautiful. I appreciated the visual.

One thing I appreciate about the orthodox church is the emphasis on the mystery of ‘god’ and consequently it’s bent towards mysticism (and occasionally and also consequently this weird peculiar grey area where magic or folk practices pop up). So there’s often more room for paradox too as a result. But there’s still dogma, same as any other organized religion. I’ve sort of officially parted ways this past July hehe, but I’m taking the aesthetics and that mystery aspect with me

edit: also the archangel celebrations and their namesake churches, i think catholicism has that too. Reminds me pleasantly of the SKT. I suppose the orthodox church is the model I’m partly deriving my new spiritual infrastructure from. The archangels become the pagan deities I work with quite comfortably then.

[Diana]

Do you mean this one ? https://www.britannica.com/topic/Africa ... dox-Church. I wonder if there are any branches in Europe. I've never heard of it.

Nah, this one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea ... edo_Church

Also, that’s very beautiful. I appreciated the visual.

One thing I appreciate about the orthodox church is the emphasis on the mystery of ‘god’ and consequently it’s bent towards mysticism (and occasionally and also consequently this weird peculiar grey area where magic or folk practices pop up). So there’s often more room for paradox too as a result. But there’s still dogma, same as any other organized religion. I’ve sort of officially parted ways this past July hehe, but I’m taking the aesthetics and that mystery aspect with me

Ooh. That church - thanks for correcting me. How wonderful. There are many Eritreans in Switzerland who came here as refugees so I know of this church quite well. Once a year, they come together, some from quite far, and hold a most beautiful religious ceremony in the park that is very near to where I live. Is it maybe in honour of the Virgin Mary ? They are dressed in beautiful white clothes and they drum and sing around a huge burning fire. I love to watch from afar - it's incredibly moving and something very magical occurs it seems to me.

[AstralPasta]

That might be Easter? Instead of Christmas being the big one, it’s Easter. I think there’s a whole seasonal thing for it even, like how there is for Christmas in the west. The date doesn’t line up the same with other churches though, I think because the church follows a lunar calendar....? Not sure. Lucky lucky, maybe here in the states people are a bit more on edge and stick to celebrating in the church where it’s safe. That’s nice that they go a bit more full out and gather together outdoors at the park and celebrate. I wish I could’ve gone to a bonfire like that as a kid.

Ah well, might’ve made it that much harder to embrace witchcraft though, haha!

[Diana]

That might be Easter? Instead of Christmas being the big one, it’s Easter. I think there’s a whole seasonal thing for it even, like how there is for Christmas in the west. The date doesn’t line up the same with other churches though, I think because the church follows a lunar calendar....? Not sure. Lucky lucky, maybe here in the states people are a bit more on edge and stick to celebrating in the church where it’s safe. That’s nice that they go a bit more full out and gather together outdoors at the park and celebrate. I wish I could’ve gone to a bonfire like that as a kid.

Ah well, might’ve made it that much harder to embrace witchcraft though, haha!

I don't know if it's Easter, AstralPasta. I have a strong memory that a woman I asked told me it had something to do with Mary. It's not in winter, that's for sure but I can't recall now the exact date. I don't see it every year as it's not something that's publicised or anything. It's very musical anyway. With drums and singing. Maybe the Annunciation ?

[AstralPasta]

That might be Easter? Instead of Christmas being the big one, it’s Easter. I think there’s a whole seasonal thing for it even, like how there is for Christmas in the west. The date doesn’t line up the same with other churches though, I think because the church follows a lunar calendar....? Not sure. Lucky lucky, maybe here in the states people are a bit more on edge and stick to celebrating in the church where it’s safe. That’s nice that they go a bit more full out and gather together outdoors at the park and celebrate. I wish I could’ve gone to a bonfire like that as a kid.

Ah well, might’ve made it that much harder to embrace witchcraft though, haha!

I don't know if it's Easter, AstralPasta. I have a strong memory that a woman I asked told me it had something to do with Mary. It's not in winter, that's for sure but I can't recall now the exact date. I don't see it every year as it's not something that's publicised or anything. It's very musical anyway. With drums and singing. Maybe the Annunciation ?

Oh it must be Lidet nay Mariam. I feel like we celebrate everyone a lot though, especially Mariam and other folks. Every day 'belongs' to someone. I think Mariam has a couple, a big one in spring and one in fall. Though the seasons are flipped here (basically Nov / May). I googled and saw the big one might be called Hidar Zion / Festival of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which is about the Ark of the Covenant, I think, though I'm not sure why that's related to Mariam. Most of our celebrations have drums and singing. But the songs are specific to the celebration. The three main schools for priests after basic education are Music, Dance, and Poetry (Zema, Qena, Aquaquam) I think. So the music is considered sacred and potent.

Haha I'll stop the thread derailing now though. I'm glad you enjoyed it and got to experience that. I hope you're able to see it again. <3

[Diana]

I googled and saw the big one might be called Hidar Zion / Festival of Our Lady Mary of Zion, which is about the Ark of the Covenant, I think, though I'm not sure why that's related to Mariam. Most of our celebrations have drums and singing. But the songs are specific to the celebration. The three main schools for priests after basic education are Music, Dance, and Poetry (Zema, Qena, Aquaquam) I think. So the music is considered sacred and potent.

Haha I'll stop the thread derailing now though. I'm glad you enjoyed it and got to experience that. I hope you're able to see it again. <3

Post edited as I had gone on a wrong trail which was worthless here. Added the correct information this time.

Thread's not derailing. That's what it's all about I think. What would be the point of just a long list of who follows what if we can't discuss it a bit.

The ceremony I saw is the one you mention. It's in winter, so my memory was not serving me well. Watching the fire probably warmed the cockles of my heart so I didn't feel cold.

I read this :

"Mariam Zion(Hidar Zion)- Celebration of Saint Mary of Axum is one of themain festivals celebrated in Axum. This festival is celebrated once a year to venerate St. Mary and especially to honor the believed existence of the Ark of the Covenant in St. Mary church of Axum. It is celebrated on November 30th (December 1st in a leap year), Hidar 21 according to the Ethiopian calendar. The celebration starts from the eve of the actual festival date.

St. Mary of Zion claims to contain the original Ark of the Covenant. Reportedly, the Ark was moved to the Chapel of the Tablet adjacent to the old church because a divine 'heat' from the Tablets had cracked the stones of its previous sanctum. Emperor Haile Selassie's wife, Empress Menen paid for the construction of the new chapel.

According to tradition, the Ark came to Ethiopia with Minilik I after he visited his father King Solomon, whose mother was the Queen of Sheba. Only the guardian monk may view the Ark,in accordance with the Biblical accounts of the dangers of doing so for non-Kohanim. This lack of accessibility, and questions about the account as a whole, has led foreign scholars to express doubt about the veracity of the claim. The guardian monk is appointed for life by his predecessor before the predecessor dies. If the incumbent guardian dies without naming a successor, then the monks of the monastery hold an election to select the new guardian. The guardian then is confined to the chapel of the Ark of the Covenant for the rest of his life, praying before it and offering incense.

Axum Zion (Hidar Zion) is associated with the presence of the Ark of the Covenant in Axum. This church is the first to be built in Ethiopia. This festival is attended by hundreds and thousands of people from all over the World every year, making it one of the most joyous annual pilgrimages in Axum, the "sacred city of the Ethiopians”. "

Most interesting and lovely and beautiful about those three main schools for priests. Sounds... well, sounds RIGHT.

[sarahtmagic]

I would say I'm close to being Agnostic.

[JudyK]

tldr; I'm a witch.

I was baptised Anglican simply by virtue of being born in England at a time when people still did that as a matter of course.

My mother was areligious, but nevertheless instilled in me a strong sense of the presence of "God" and the wonder of nature.

My family weren't "church goers", but just out of curiosity I took myself off to church a few times when I was about 10/11-ish. But I knew early on that Christianity wasn't for me. No middleman, thank you - I wanted direct access to the boss.

Because of this need to connect with "God", I was fascinated by all the different ways people related to and/or worshipped him/her/them/it, so I devoured books on various religions/spiritualities (plus an awful lot of metaphysics).

In my 30s I began to feel the need for a community with which to share my interest, for lack of a better word, and decided on Quakers (UK Quakers being generally far less overtly "Christian" than in other countries). After four years of being an "attender" I applied for membership. I remained an active member for about 10 years, but as time went by I felt less and less drawn to communal worship and activity, and more inclined to focus on the solitary magickal path I'd nurtured to a greater or lesser extent my whole life. Eventually I resigned my membership.

Now, when required, I identify as a witch. Specifically a solitary monotheist witch with Panentheist (not Pantheist) leanings.

Did you need to know all this about me? Surely not. But I am glad to have had this opportunity to consider how I got here.

[TheLoracular]

I'm a metaphysical humanist with a deep affection for just about every non-Hate-based religion that crosses my path. But I'm like that beloved aunt/uncle who loves to play with the kids and then happily goes back home before the hard part of "parenting" starts. lol. I don't "practice" religion vs. simply living my life according to my ethics/principles well at all.

[MaggieMae]

I have never been religious. My spiritual path has always been a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Whatever works for me really. I have been to churches, mosque, synagoge. Even did a witches education and now I am studying tarot. I won't ever adopt a religion or a certain belief for the rest of my life. People evolve and grow and thought patterns change. At least that is how it works for me. The things I once believed in as a teenager are no longer serving me, even thing from few months ago are tossed our of the window because I am growing and evolving so much on my spiritual path.