'Religion: And How it Has Changed My Life Essay\r'

'After thinking nigh it, I thought Wicca hasn’t really potpourrid my life that untold, at least not in concrete authoritys. I’ve constantly set down alongd the Earth and thought of it as organism beautiful and precious. I’ve al styluss been hypnotised at the beauty and whodunit of the Moon and the sparkling sky. I’ve always found Nature to be healing in an all inclusive way that encompasses the physical, mental and spiritual realms. I’ve always hoped that our minds m other the power to accomplish amazing things. I’ve always thought that in that location is oft more(prenominal)(prenominal) to this initiation than what we can see with our eyes and grasp with our minds.\r\nI rejected my family’s religion, Christianity, because despite m either claims of it being filled with peace and love, I found their saintly book to be filled with persecution and cruelty. I was accredited that no single culture had a claim-line to the Divine, that there was no â€Å"One Truth”. I became interested in natural remedies. I celebrated the seasons in my give simple manner. In many ways, I am as I always was, and however discovering irreligiousism has brought major changes to my life. When I realized that there was an actual religion whose beliefs so closely matched my own, I was filled with happiness and enthusiasm.\r\nI literally worn off(p) or so a year and a one-half utterly consumed in learning all I could get my hands on: the lore, mythology, magick and ritual. It was fascinating, and all my carry through while was devoted to gathering get alongledge and attempting to comprise what seemed true(p) into my life. I know that I exit always be learning and growing in my chosen philosophy, but it is more insidious now. I know the â€Å" elementals” at a basic level. I am branching out, studying mythology to an up to now ampleer depth, using meditation and divination to know myself wit h ever greater bring ining.\r\nI am accepted that each individual’s path im fragment be unique, but I consider Wicca to be a path more concerned with who I truly am and how I connect with this Universe. These be wonderful concepts to ponder, but how has Wicca actually busheled my insouciant life? As I thought roughly the question I realized that it has affected me in subtle but myriad ways. It has break a deeply intertwined part of my life. I think it affects all aspect of my day to day being. The small rituals, that are such a part of my daily turning now, enhance my life and confound it more more meaningful and fulfilling.\r\nWhen I wake in the aurora I step outside and greet the Sun. I sense a moment of thanks for its warmness and life-giving rays. I suppose a rhyme or a meditation about a graven imagedess/God. My evening routine is similar. I go out and welcome the Night, the Moon and the Stars. I acknowledge the mystery and magic that I find intrinsic in their beauty. I try to spend as much succession as possible out in Nature because I realize that such time is necessary for me. I light candles and whisper beloved thanks and love to my Goddess and God. But these actions, while all-important(prenominal) and meaningful to me, are things I’ve added to my life as a form of worship.\r\nHow has Paganism changed my everyday, mundane existence? As I mentioned earlier, I did not bewilder much respect for Christianity when I was younger. Learning about many dissimilar religions has helped me to realize that Christianity can be a satisfying and fulfilling path for many mint. It is just in the hands of extremists that it can become a path of hatredâ€just as with any other religion. Wicca has helped me to be tolerant of other people’s spirituality as long as they aren’t spewing prejudice and hatred for any other religion besides their own.\r\nThis didn’t happen overnight. At first I was indignant about Christianity’s attempt to destroy Paganism, the cruelty of the â€Å"Burning propagation” and the intolerance that most modern day Christians turn up toward other spiritual paths. As I read and learned and pondered the issues, I realized that even Christianity, with its grand history and its modern day fanatics, is a legal and rewarding path for most of its adherents. For most it is a path of love and peace. I never was to a fault concerned about throttleing my room â€Å" spic-and-span”. I’m a bit of a pack rat, and things tend to pile up.\r\nI’m also a procrastinator, it’s easy for me to redact things off until I’m in the humour to do them. Now I try to keep it less cluttered and more organized. This is a forthwith result of Wicca, because I hold out’t fate negativity to gain a foothold in my home. I realize that messiness can affect the feeling of my home if only in subtle ways. I’m far from perfect, but m uch better than I employ to be and upward(a) with time. I often had a terrible time making decisions, especially important ones, sometimes agonizing for days or even weeks over which extract to make.\r\nNow I’ve learned several different types of divination. These help me to know my own mind and make the best decision I can without indorse guessing myself or wondering if I should stick out chosen a different route. I just ever prayed before becoming Wiccan. I committed it with Christianity. Now prayer has become an important part of my life. This was something I didn’t plan. It just developed naturally. plea gives me peace of mind at times, gives me an instantaneous result to stressors and lets me break a spontaneous and intimate kin with Divinity.\r\nI piddle always written poetry. I have become more prolific. Even if my speech communication are only beautiful and meaningful to me, poetry adds a glorious dimension to my life. It is an amazing induce to be gin writing and have the words diminish onto the paper without any struggle, to realize that, in some very special moments, it is as if you are a conduit to Divinity and the words are a direct connection with God/Goddess. While I don’t believe anyone can know for legitimate what happens after close, I have accepted renascence as my soulal philosophy.\r\nIt just makes sense to me, and it gives me harbor and peace when I am faced with the death of others or my own mortality. I have become more calm and serene. I don’t let things bother me as much as I used to. I live more in the moment now than in badgering about the past or the future. I feel an even greater sense of gratitude for my life, the blessings that I have and the beauty and wonder of this amazing Universe. Meditation has tending(p) me much benefit, but the whole philosophy of life, that I’ve embraced in the past a couple of(prenominal) days, gives my existence a deeper meaning and makes sense of things that I couldn’t understand before.\r\nI have learned spellcraft and use it to mitigate my life. I believe that much, of the changes that magick makes, is within ones self. It gives me a self-assurance and a surety that affects my whole life. I believe that to make outward changes, a person must(prenominal) first change their inner self. That is what magick is to me, the ability to change myself for the better, to live in harmony with those that I love and the natural world around me. It also lets me transfer my desires to the Universe, and if it be for the greater good, I know my wishes go forth be granted.\r\nPerhaps in a way I hadn’t anticipated, but granted nonetheless. Of persist I realize I must do the mundane work, and I never ask for more than I truly occupy. I am not as shy as I used to be. I love writing, but just about 5 years ago, I would have been to a fault reticent to submit my thoughts in this essay or any other something that other eye s major power see. I’m in the process of created my own website, I have been for about 2 years. This was a gigantic step for me, but I matte up an almost overwhelming urge to honor my Goddess and God in this way.\r\nI spousal relationshiped a Pagan message board about two years ago. That was another huge step for me. It took me several months of â€Å"lurking” to get up enough courage to join, but I wanted to be a part of a community of like minded people and join in on those discussions that I found so interesting. This would have been impossible for me without all the small steps I’ve taken in the last few years. You could say that most of these things would have developed at any rate as I gain the experience and intuition that comes from living more than seventeen years.\r\nThat may be true, but then again it might not. I know others my age who are torn by angst, whose lives seem filled with a steady shoot of problems, who are anxious and unhappy and e ver inquisitive for what will bring them contentment and fulfillment. Perhaps it’s a matter of personality or temperament. I really don’t know, but I do know that Wicca has been a catalyst for changes that have greatly improved my personal life. My spirituality gives me a satisfaction that I searched for and couldn’t find for a long time. Wicca is an intrinsic part of me now.\r\nIt affects my every wake moment perhaps not consciously, but at a deeper, more profound level. Wicca answers an abiding need deep within the very core of my being. Because I have accepted and embraced its philosophy, my entire life has been affected. I am a totally different person than I was 7 or 8 years ago, yet I am the same in many ways. I know that’s a contradiction, but I know that it’s true also. We all change subtly with the passing of time. hopefully we change for the better. Wicca has changed my life in both great and small ways. I believe I am a better person f or it.\r\n'