Pagan aspies?

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Any pagan aspies here? I am a witch, interested in astrology, tarot, mythology. Have had bad experiences with NT pagan groups but would love to talk with other people on the spectrum who share these interests.

I'm not sure that I qualify as "Pagan", since I believe that all religions and rituals are both meaningless and a waste of time, money, and effort.

But I do enjoy "Cakes & Ales" during a Solstice or Equinox observance!

is shamanism considerd pagan?

I briefly converted to paganism last year in order to be the maypole in a circle of dancing naked women, does that count?

For me, paganism is very much about experiencing some sense of immanence in nature. I celebrate the pagan holidays (quarters and cross-quarters of the year) because, since they are based on the earth's movement around the sun, they make more sense to me than either formal religious holidays or patriotic holidays. Paganism is also about appreciating life on the earth plane, rather than the sense of guilt/judgement that mainstream religion often carries.

Basically was hoping to find someone in this forum who resonated with at least some of this, who might want to discuss anything from astrology to tarot/other forms of divination to shamanic power animals. There are many ways of being a pagan, both in terms of individual practice and different flavors of paganism (Druids, Gardnerians, etc.) Not looking to exclude anyone although I do hope people will join in the discussion with some sense of mutual respect.

Its too bad Bloodheart does not seem to be around lately, I'm sure she would talk paganism with you. There are a few other pagan believers floating around as well who's names escape me

I listen to Pagan music, does that count?

In my post-Christian and pre-atheist days, I briefly considered converting to Asatru / Odinism I used to drink a lot and was into heavy metal groups like Manowar back then, so it seemed like a good fit. But then I tried honey mead It tasted so totally awful that I decided to stick with beer and agnosticism. (In my defense, I was 18 or 19 at that time).

i love it that you choose you religion by the kind of booze you ingest it seems to fit shamanism quite well in some obscure way

Well, if a Jesus-loving Pagan is still a Pagan, then Hi.

If not, well, just skip the hate mail and we'll call it even.

Yes, my personal beliefs revolve around the natural world. I do not believe in magic or spell-casting, though. My personal rituals are more of a meditation and self-reflection than anything else, as well.

Also, BuyerBeware, I'm a Jesus lover too. Not the modern Christian Jesus, though, but the traditional compassionate wanderer of the Bible.

I have nothing against Jesus--although I am put off by the misogyny and homophobia some people practice in his name. I get along fine with openminded Christians. I once did a ritual with a mixed pagan-Christian group in which we called in Jesus and Isis as the presiding deities.

I am attracted to the respect and connection with nature but paganism turns me off.
I believe tarot cards, magic and polytheism to be more illogical than the Virgin Mary.

If pagans did not worship many gods and believed to posses magic then I may not be so turned off by it.
Pantheists also respect nature but don't worship it and create a god for every thing.

Pagan =/= Pantheist

I don't know if I'm a pagan, but I'm a general esotericist, which has been caricaturized as witch craft in the past. A lot of the people burned for being witches were actually ecclectics that held Christian beliefs, like Hermeticists and Gnostics.

I'm in that category and see the trinity as something that potentially extends to all of creation. I don't think Christ's divinity was based in a virgin birth, but rather his virtue and just life. I believe that anyone who lives a just life magnifies and reflects divinity more clearly, while one who doesn't blasphemes against divinity. This is actually a Platonic or Socratic idea that I find fits very well in interpreting the nature of Christ.

I definitely identify with the Shinto concept of Kami, in that I think there is spirit present within everythig and that gnosis or knowledge of this spirit is essentially what being filled with the holy spirit actually is, as its the bridge between created and creator. The creator,I think is the totality of that universal spirit, the creation is parts or manifestations of it, and the holy spirit is the relationship between the two, between the infinite whole and finite form of that infinite whole.

Last edited by JNathanK on 10 Feb 2012, 7:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Not all Pagans are polytheists. Some only worship a mother goddess, and some believe in spirits but not in gods. "Pagan" is an awfully wide umbrella term that was originally used by Abrahamic believers to refer to all non-Abrahamic religions. Nowadays, it can mean anything outside of the established majority religions that borrows elements from pre-Christian spiritual beliefs, including non-theistic shamanism and animism.