Why are you hiding?

Hey! I hope everyone had a great "easter". Ok, so I was wondering, why do pagans still sneak around like we're not meant to be here? He have a right to believe what we want, so why do it in secret?
It's rediculous. To all you pagans who keep on the down low, please enlighten me as to why you are hiding? We will never get anywhere if we cower and hide, we need to stand up and be counted (wow, I think I just quoted from a song).
So what if most christains shun us? Does that mean we should back down? No.
Yes, we are a peaceful religion, but we have a right to earn respect.
Did you know that there are more of us than there are buddhists? Yeah. There's an article on it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/22/paganism-stonehenge-environmentalism-witchcraft.
And did you know that there are tons of people fighting for paganism to be a main stream religion? (http://www.paganlibrary.com/editorials/pagan_churches.php)
So please stop hiding! Group together if you must, but be strong and stand out.
I am pagan, and I am proud. Are you?

D.R.

All Things Pagan

In Paganism, there is alot of learning to do, in fact, you never stop learning. Some people devote their entire lives to it and are still learning new things when they're 80.
This path is not for everyone; you need to be comitted - well, that, or just believe in something you know nothing about. But in my opinion, it's totally worth it.

So, the common question: What is pagan?
Pagan is an umbrella term that covers a range of other religions, such as wicca, druidism, Asatru, Celtic, Shamanism, and many more. You may have read somewhere this phrase: "All wiccans are pagan, but not all pagans are wiccans."
Pagan is a nature loving, peacful religion. Pagans believe in karma, reincarnation, a God and Goddess, energy work, psychics, and much more.
There is a document called "The Wiccan Rede", and although it is refered to as wiccan, many pagans follow it too.

"Bide the wiccan law ye must,
in perfect love and perfect trust.
Eight words the wiccan rede fullful:
An ye harm none, do what ye will.
What you send forth comes back to thee,
So ever mind the law of three.
Follow this with mind and heart,
And merry ye meet, and merry ye part."

What do Pagans do?
Many pagans participate in rituals - though not all. Generally these rituals fall on the sabbats, but there are also those that are performed at any time.
It is frowned upon to cast spells (yes, spells count as rituals) on people to change their will - thats where karma and the three fold law comes in. We beleive that any spells we do don't effect other's will.
So how are you supposed to do that? Well, lets use the common request of love spells for example. If you were looking for romance, it would be frowned upon to cast a love spell on someone so they would fall in love with you; so instead, you do a spell to encourage romance. Or if someone you love is in love with someone else, instead of trying to break them up, do a spell to help you move on.
But Paganism isn't all about spells and such. Its about forming a connection with the goddess, about making a spiritual journy, about getting in touch with the spiritual you. The people I've personally met who have made this journy, are the happiest people I know; they are content with themselves and how their life is. To make this journey, pagans do all kinds of things. Concor their fears, meditate, learn to direct energy, attune themselves with the changes of the earth. It's mastering mind body and spirit.
The goal, in my opinion, is peace of mind.

D.R.

Paganism: The Truth

Recognise this simbol? Perhaps you know it as the sign of the devil? Wrong. This is the pentacle, a pagan symbol.
Paganism has been seen as evil and wicked, has been confused with devil worship and what not. But it's not.
Paganism is a good and pure religion about nature worship. The basic beliefs are: that there is a God and Goddess, what you send out come back to you times three, to harm none, and living in harmony with nature.
Anyone seen that movie Avatar? Yeah, I bet you have. That right there is a good portrayal of paganism.
Now, please explain to me how a religion can worship something they don't beleive? That's right, we don't beleive in the devil, he is a christian creation and they can keep him. Paganism doesn't use fear to scare people into behaving, no, paganism is about harmony and peace.
As for the witchcraft, that isn't fiction but not all pagans practice it. You can practice witchcraft without being pagan and you can be pagan without practicing witchcraft.
Paganism is the wrong religion? Oh, I'm sorry, but, correct me if I'm wrong, wasn't paganism the first relgion? Yes, there is proof everywhere - e.g. stonehenge - that paganism was the first ever religion. And then, way further down the line comes christianity. This is when paganism became "evil" - not to point fingers or anything *cough* their fault *cough*.
Don't beleive me? Fine, google it - and waste time searching 1200 pages - and see for yourself.

D.R.

What I'm about

Hey, I'm Dark Raven, welcome to the official first post of Views of a Teenage Pagan. I just thought I would do a small blog on what I'm all about.

I like long walks on the beach, romantic poetry- just kidding.
Ok, so, what's most likely going to happen is, I'm going to end up with some really boring post's here, because not even I can make reading through information fun - even when it's about witchcraft.
It's actually really cool to know all this stuff about weird things, because it means I'm the one my friends come to if they come across something freaky they don't know about (wait, I'm beginning to think that might not be such a great thing...) whether it's ghost's or aura's, they come to me. I've even been given a nick name: Dr Pagan (ok, I lied, that's not really my nick name, but never mind *thumbs up and freaky grin*), which is really cool because it fits in with with my 'magical' name: Dark Raven; why? becuase I sign with D.R., like Dr.
So why am I even making this blog? Because I should do my bit to try get the truth out about christianity- I mean, about paganism: it's not evil! Contrary to what you might want to beleive thanks to christianity - not being one of those bigot people *cough* - we are actualy very peaceful and caring.
Now, ask yourself these questions: do you want to know what paganism is and what it's about? Do you want to listen to me rant? Do you want something to fill in that free time you have? Do you want... ok, I'm out of questions, but you get the idea. Then my blog is the place to find it - well, that or you could search through thousands of google results, your choice.
That's me for now, stay tuned! (Wow that sounds super cheesy.)

D.R.

(Disclaimer: I do NOT own image, all credit goes to origional artist. If you feel the need to press legal charges, please contact me first and I will take it down.)