pthelms
New Member
Awesome
Posts: 4
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Post by pthelms on Sept 25, 2013 18:30:02 GMT -8
I'm Pete. I write over at Aspis of Ares, am a fine arts student (not my real focus, but a degree is a degree and I'm filling up time) and a writer/soon-to-be-editor for my college newspaper. I was an Arabic Linguist and Analyst in the USAF and have a degree from the Defense Language Institute. My hobbies include pretty much everything, but I focus a lot on making things (sculpture, weapons, clothing,musical instruments, you name it).
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Post by theinfinitebattle on Sept 25, 2013 18:40:44 GMT -8
I am Costel Hildr (or [the] Infinite Battle) and I follow with the Norse pantheon. I work primarily with Loki (and host a public altar for Him), Odin, and Hel, primarily, as well as the rest of Loki's family (except Sleipnir, who has yet to step forward). I live in MD, USA and am 25. Hel was the first deity I met and used to come to me when I was 4, except I didn't really "know" who She was. Loki came later. I originally tried to find worship for the Kemetic deities (as my family seems to have a natural interest or magnetism to Them), but I ran into a form of Wiccanism that put a bad taste in my mouth (n.b. Not all Wiccanism does this, but what I ran into gave me a relatively negative experience), so after that I didn't pay attention to the Gods. Eventually, deciding that I had no Gods, I became an atheist for 5 or 6 years (depending on how you want to count it). After being invited by my oldest friend to observe Lokablot in summer '11, I found that I -had- to participate. I couldn't really explain it, but I realized that, yes, Loki was calling to me. So I joined my friend, who then in turn became my mentor and wolfmate. Since then, I have had what I consider to be a sort of "intensive course in the Gods" (led by the Gods) to catch up for lost time (from when I refused to believe in Them).
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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2013 19:12:35 GMT -8
Merry Meet! I am Kitten-mate to James Grimswolf. It is due to him that I even learned about hard polytheism and slowly realised that my path has been moving towards that from the Wicca one I started on in my 20s...which makes me realise that I have been practicing and studying Paganism for close to 30 years now! I do not have one set pantheon I follow....except knowing that I have a bond/kinship to the Fae. I have been slowly learning more about the Norse due to that being James's path. I am open to learning more about all these different traditions as I was actually raised Roman Catholic and did the Committed Catholic(Born-again for Catholics) thing for a bit until I realised that Witchcraft was an actual religion and began to research and study what I could find. I am always looking for new friends and teachers and playmates!
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Post by tekalynn on Sept 25, 2013 20:41:30 GMT -8
My online handle is Teka Lynn, and I'm 46 years old. I sing, sometimes compose, sometimes write, and will edit and proofread on request. I'm in the Eugene, Oregon area. Baby polytheist-ish, watching, learning, libating at dawn. I choose to be respectful of all Powers, though I currently actively honor mostly the Norse, particularly Bragi, Idunn, Sol/Sunna and Máni, as well as Bast. Best wishes and blessings for this forum and its members and guests.
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Post by rose0486 on Sept 25, 2013 23:31:12 GMT -8
Hi everyone my name is Rachel however I go by Rose online. Feel free to call me either one.
I am 27 I am from and live in southern California I have been actively Pagan for 5 years now. I follow and work with mostly the Greek Gods however Isis called to me as well so I follow her also.
I am a hard pollythisist(sorry if my spelling is wrong). I am not a Recon. I came to my faith in the Gods in a very dark time in my life and I truly believe They saved my life.
The deities I currently follow are: Isis, Dionysus, Zeus, Selene, The Fates, and The FerryMan.
I am physically disabled due to a brain injury at birth and because of this I need to use a wheelchair to get around however I can think and talk just fine.
Due to my chair and my current living situation I do not have shrines I am also not able to do as much faith wise as I would like to.
I hope that by joining this site I can grow in my faith and met others of like mind/beliefs. I wish you all blessings on your journeys.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2013 1:30:40 GMT -8
I'm Sobekemiti, or Emiti for short. I also go by the name Sasha. I'm nearly 30, and I live in Australia, where I'm on the cusp of finishing a uni degree. I've been Pagan for thirteen years now, and have gone through Wicca, Kemetic reconstructionism, Kemetic Orthodoxy, general pagan eclecticism, and other assorted things before ending up where I am now. I consider my path a work-in-progress. I'm also genderqueer, and tend to have a somewhat queer sort of practice and how I see the gods.
I'm a syncretic Graeco-Roman-Egyptian polytheist, primarily dedicated to Sobek and Heru-sa-Aset, and working with a broader, but mostly Egyptian pantheon of gods including Aset, Djehuty, Wesir and Ra, Amun, Hekate, Hestia, Ganesha, and Quan Yin. I generally believe all gods exist, and won't rule out working with anyOne, if Sobek still comes first. I have obligations to Him as my Father that I won't reneg on for other gods. I keep a lararium inconsistently, I'm still trying to nut out a Wheel of the Year/set of Romanish Hugh Days that won't drive me bonkers, I try to do proper moon rites for Hekate, and dabble in folk magic and ADF/SDF-style druidry. I also write things for Sobek, and occasionally other gods, and also just because not writing is not an option.
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WordMorris
New Member
"To know thyself, therefore, is to know God."
Posts: 6
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Post by WordMorris on Sept 26, 2013 8:22:43 GMT -8
I'm Amanda, I live in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. For the sake of labels, I'm an initiated Neo-Wiccan (yes, I know that's a source of controversy among some people) and an ordained Gnostic minister. I'm in graduate school right now and I help facilitate a local Sabbat celebratory group. My personal practices and interests really focus on Mediterranean mystery traditions, but I'm pretty chill with most anything. That's one of the best things about helping with an open group - we're very eclectic and we've had a lot of success with tailoring rituals for a variety of paths and expressions.
Currently I'm partnering with some other folks for an area Pagan Alliance, with the focus of connecting more with the local community and groups. Figure a place like this would be another good place to get involved. ^_^
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lorna
New Member
Posts: 19
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Post by lorna on Sept 26, 2013 11:02:37 GMT -8
Hi everybody I'm Lorna. I'm a poet and Druid Bard living in Lancashire in the North West of England.
My practice is grounded in my local area and focuses on building relationships with the landscape, its spirits and deities. These include Belisama, the goddess of the river Ribble and Brigantia, the goddess of the ancient tribes of Northern Britain. I also work with the genius loci of a nearby woodland and individual tree and plant spirits.
My personal patron is Gwyn ap Nudd- a huntsman, guide of souls and king of the Otherworld. It was through his aid I learnt to journey to experience the myths of my land directly.
For me writing poetry is a religious practice which I use as a way of connecting with the divine and sharing the inspiration within my communities.
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Post by brigidsblest on Sept 26, 2013 12:56:50 GMT -8
Hmm, let's see if I'm doing this right... Hi, I'm Jennifer. Multi-trad semi-recon hard polytheist (Greek/Irish/Norse heathen). 46, two adult kids (24 and 21), 5 cats. Attended a small midwestern Catholic liberal arts college, where I earned a B.A. in English (concentration in Literature, specialization in Medieval Lit), B.S. in Criminal Justice (concentration in forensic science), one post-grad class I took to learn Latin. I live in northwestern Indiana, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Chicago. Brought up in a Roman Catholic family, I took an interest in other ways in second or third grade, as I recall, first reading the books on Greek and Norse mythology by the D'Aulaires, then moving on to Edith Hamilton and Robert Graves before sixth grade. I count myself as pagan from about the age of 14, but didn't come out of the broom closet until I hit 18 and moved out of the family house and off to college (dad's house, dad's faith, dad's rules). These days, I prefer primary sources, then folks like Ellis-Davidson, Burkert, and Kerenyi. I have some relationships with individual deities outside those three pantheons, but none as strong as those. I am fulltrui to Odin and consider Hermes my patron. I also have very strong relationships with Brigid, the Morrighan, Dionysos, Apollo, Demeter, Artemis, Athena, and am in the process of working on strengthening my interactions with An Daghda, Manannan, and Cernunnos. I also regularly venerate and speak with my ancestors, whom I have a shrine for in my home. I garden obsessively (mostly herbs, with an emphasis on poisonous plants, because...useful!) I have a very strong relationship with the land spirits around me, and no trip to the park, the nature preserve, or the state park is complete without me picking up multiple bags of trash on my hike. I also collect animal remnants/relics (bones, legal feathers, roadkill, etc.) and use those relics as bridges to better communicate with the spirits of the deceased creatures once the relics have been cleaned. I write as a religious duty that is also joy. Aside from writing the regular herbalism column for the Troth's magazine Idunna, I also write a very great deal of devotional poetry, which has seen publication in a number of anthologies (Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Gullinbursti Press, Asphodel Press) and on sites online like Eternal Haunted Summer (where I also do book reviews). I've had one guest piece at No Unsacred Place on ecological damage done to the environment on the Fourth of July. I also write non-devotional, non-religious works, including several romance novellas based on fairy tales and a number of contracted pieces for a major RPG. I'm the Troth's steward for the state of Illinois; I'm the Tamias (treasurer/bookkeeper) and recording Grammateus for Hellenion. I'm a member of ADF who finished my Dedicant Path material earlier this year and have now moved on to the Naturalists' Guild and Bardic Guild, and I'm also a member of Ord Brigideach, as Brigid is one of the deities I've venerated the longest. Like Rebecca (*waves*), I recognize a few folks here.  |
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Lomaz
New Member
Posts: 22
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Post by Lomaz on Sept 26, 2013 13:22:57 GMT -8
Hi all! Call me Lomaz. I am a 32-year-old man from Vermont. I have been a heathen/germanic polytheist since my early teens. Although I do rely on Norse lore, and am comfortable working within a Norse framework in group settings, my own practice is more focused on migration era and pre-migration era continental cultural context. I use both formal proto-germanic and informal idiosyncratic names when honoring my gods. I primarily devote myself to Frijjo Birkijoniz (Fri Berkja; Norse Frigg[?]). I also offer to Wodanaz (Wodan, Grimm; Norse Odhinn), and Thunaraz (Dunner; Norse Thor) at every blaut.
I am married and the father of two boys (ages 7 and 1). My wife sometimes identifies as a witch or pagan for convenience, but her true spirituality is highly individual. When discussing the religious upbringing of our kids we decided that they would be raised primarily within my tradition, since hers is essentially non-transferable. Of course this meant that I had to take my solitary heathendom and transform it into a tradition worth raising kids within. In the last few years I've put out feelers and built real-world bonds with another local heathen. I like to think that we have a nice little community now. Its just two adults and three kids, so its nothing that rises to the level of a kindred, but its a very good start.
Most of my free time is given over to some sort of religious or devotional activity. We also raise chickens as a family.
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Post by Phaedra on Sept 26, 2013 13:24:50 GMT -8
Hey, Phaedra here from England. I'd say I've been lurking on Pagan sites on the internet for some time... but that sounds wrong. Got drawn to Hellenimos a few years ago after starting off trying to be a solo Wiccan and not finding it very fulfilling. The more I found out about the gods and Hellenism the more I knew that was the route I wanted to go down and the best way to honour them properly. Still trying to honour them properly and trying not to develop an inferiority complex to the bloggers who seem to know so much  I've found I've developed a link to Hermes that has grown stronger over time but I also have a shrine to Apollon and Athene. Other than that I enjoy crochet, belly dancing, viking re-enactment and Tai Chi. Just here to try and learn more and interact with some like minded people ^_^ |
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Post by stubmle on Sept 26, 2013 16:57:20 GMT -8
As you could probably tell, stubmle is not my real name. I am a student living in Boston. I am a Roman polytheist, but very new to it. I was raised a Catholic, but it never sat very well with me and I left quite some time ago. I didn't believe in much of anything after that, but I have always been intrigued by Paganism. After doing a fair amount of research, I made the decision to adopt the old religion of Rome. I keep a lararium and honor the gods as best I can, but my lack of experience and the constraints of living in a dormitory keep me from doing as much as I would like. Currently I am tracking down and reading scholarly works and primary sources. If anyone has any advise or expertise about anything relating to the religio Romana I would be happy to hear it.
I am very glad to meet you all, as I have had difficulty finding a community like this anywhere online.
Edit: Should have mentioned I was drawn to this particular faith from my study of Latin. I also have some family from Italy who have been living there pretty much forever, as far as we can tell.
Second Edit: I also happen to be an ordained minister of the ULC, but I'm not planning on performing any weddings or similar. It's mostly a "just in case" type thing.
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Post by redeseeker on Sept 26, 2013 17:13:40 GMT -8
Ok, I've got to ask - What's the story behind your name MadGastronomer?
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Post by kyndyl on Sept 26, 2013 17:14:06 GMT -8
Hi, I'm Kyndyl, and well I'm not sure exactly what or where my path lies right now other than knowing I believe in Deity as many different individual faces. I live in central Mass, and spend a lot of time at a local farm with friends I've made over the last almost 2 years. Prior to that, I practiced a primarily Celtic Path focusing on the Morrigan and Lugh. Between training in different traditions and where my own feelings have lead me I've studied shamanism (indo-european, and aboriginal american), Buddhism, Wicca, and other paths along the way.
right now, I'm starting from square one in a lot of things
- I spend a lot of time working on fiber arts things: Spinning, knitting, crocheting- Mostly through Ravelry website. I'm on Team Rangers on Nerd Wars (ravnerdwars.com)
-I'm a student at Woolston-Steen Wiccan Seminary . (Wiccanseminary.edu)
-and if I'm not doing either of those. I'm spoiling my cat and my partner .. whenever possible.
-kyndyl
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Post by MadGastronomer on Sept 26, 2013 19:41:48 GMT -8
Ok, I've got to ask - What's the story behind your name MadGastronomer? Gastronomy is the science and study of food and cooking. I have a culinary degree, have worked as a professional cook, and have owned a restaurant. I am also mentally ill (I have bipolar disorder, type 1), and, separately but relatedly, have a religious interest in divine madness (actually, I have a piece on divine madness in Bibliotheca Alexandrina's Sacred Journeys collection, due out in December I think). I am a mad food scientist, hence MadGastronomer. Somewhere, I have a picture of myself in my Steampunk Mad Gastronomer outfit, which may or may not make an appearance as my user icon. |
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I've found I've developed a link to Hermes that has grown stronger over time but I also have a shrine to Apollon and Athene. 
