Ask a Wiccan!

[one_lost_coin]

I know what the pagan philosopher Plato would have believed. Something far more compatible with Christianity than atheism.

"Evildoers, in the end, do not sit at table at the eternal banquet beside their victims without distinction, as though nothing had happened. Here I would like to quote a passage from Plato which expresses a premonition of just judgement that in many respects remains true and salutary for Christians too. Albeit using mythological images, he expresses the truth with an unambiguous clarity, saying that in the end souls will stand naked before the judge. It no longer matters what they once were in history, but only what they are in truth: “Often, when it is the king or some other monarch or potentate that he (the judge) has to deal with, he finds that there is no soundness in the soul whatever; he finds it scourged and scarred by the various acts of perjury and wrong-doing ...; it is twisted and warped by lies and vanity, and nothing is straight because truth has had no part in its development. Power, luxury, pride, and debauchery have left it so full of disproportion and ugliness that when he has inspected it (he) sends it straight to prison, where on its arrival it will undergo the appropriate punishment ... Sometimes, though, the eye of the judge lights on a different soul which has lived in purity and truth ... then he is struck with admiration and sends him to the isles of the blessed”[36]. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (cf. Lk 16:19-31), Jesus admonishes us through the image of a soul destroyed by arrogance and opulence, who has created an impassable chasm between himself and the poor man; the chasm of being trapped within material pleasures; the chasm of forgetting the other, of incapacity to love, which then becomes a burning and unquenchable thirst. We must note that in this parable Jesus is not referring to the final destiny after the Last Judgement, but is taking up a notion found, inter alia, in early Judaism, namely that of an intermediate state between death and resurrection, a state in which the final sentence is yet to be pronounced." - Spe Salvi

Why don't you?

The new paganism seems to be nothing more than a way to say I am the center of the universe. No wonder you never quote the early pagan philosophers but prefer the new atheist ones. You have nothing in common with paganism of old.

[technomage]

We have had a concept of rights towards others from day one.

The virtues espoused by John Chrysostom that you quote are about the farthest thing from "rights" as can be had. John is preaching that the rich have no rights to their property: it is to be distributed to the poor, for it is not theirs, but God's.

Easy enough the Catholic Church is 2,000 years old and has been teaching the same things for all that time.

Which is why bishops still has authority to torture? (Ad extirpanda, 1252) Or was John Paul II in error when he begged pardon for "the violence some have used in the service of the truth"?

Finally, if we consider the law of charity, which is kind, we shall be convinced that to practice the good offices of mildness, clemency, and other kindred virtues, is a duty prescribed by that law."

Very pretty, and I happen to agree (for the main) with the sentiment expressed here. But still--this is not based on the concept of "rights."

Actually they are the same. It is very easy to trace them through history.

And trivially easy to see how they have changed throughout those years.

I wish everyone would follow the evidence. Our consciences have an absolute authority over us.

Your second statement is a faith-based statement, held as a priori truth. I respect your beliefs, but they have nothing whatsoever to do with "evidence."

The second premise is that the only possible source of absolute authority is an absolutely perfect will, a divine being. The conclusion follows that such a being exists.

The first premise (that our conscience holds absolute authority) is demonstrably false: if it were true, then we would not be capable of going against our conscience ... yet each day in the confessional, the priests listen to the penitents who did precisely that.

How would someone disagree with the second premise?

Because, given the falseness of the first, the second becomes moot.

[technomage]

The new paganism seems to be nothing more than a way to say I am the center of the universe.

If the "new paganism" had any relationship to the cruel and distorted strawman you erect, you might have a point.

[justwannaplay]

is there a connection between chakras and the zodiac or planets or something like that?

[Seri]

Insofar as the systems of correspondence all refer to the same thing, yes.

[justwannaplay]

Then can your horoscope tell you what day energizes which chakra? If yes what sign(s) correspond with which chakra?

[Seri]

Then can your horoscope tell you what day energizes which chakra? If yes what sign(s) correspond with which chakra?

Perhaps Silent Running and I haven't been transparent enough about what we've been saying. Here's what I've been trying to impart.

Systems of Correspondence (chakras, planets, symbols of all sorts) all refer back to the same essential thing: the underlying unity of all things through energy. All magick works as a function of Will. Every system of Correspondence is designed to give you a focus by which to leverage your Will to change reality. In essence, it is an attempt to make you feel as though you have more power because of some symbol. In truth, the power is now, and always will be, within you, not the symbol. The symbol merely gives you confidence if you believe it to be powerful.

Ultimately, all spellcraft is an attempt at "power over," as Kerr Cuhulain would put it. "Power over" only really works when you are focusing, if at all. "Power with," by contrast, is the use of Will to master one's self. The wonder of magick is that the days you are "energized" are simply the days that you allow yourself to feel so and, conversely, the days you do not feel "energized" are the days that you allow yourself to feel such. "Power with" is working towards the betterment of oneself and it is not limited to magickal pursuits. Exercising regularly, keeping in good health, and learning to be more aware of your surroundings are all important to "power with" as a concept.

I find that the times in which I am tempted to do spellcrafting are the times that I am unhappy with something. It is better to seek out the reason for that unhappiness than to follow the whims of spellcraft. I am surprised regularly with how magickal my life is for attempting to better myself rather than change individual situations.

[justwannaplay]

Perhaps Silent Running and I haven't been transparent enough about what we've been saying. Here's what I've been trying to impart..

Sorry I guess I'm not being staightfoward in what I really trying to ask is what ARE the different connections. for example The sun, Sunday, Leo, topaz, oak, Helios. Do you know any sites maybe I could look at? I specifically wasn't sure which chakra is sybolized by what. I only am asking for trivia's sake.

[Tasogare]

The new paganism seems to be nothing more than a way to say I am the center of the universe.

Dude, you really, really need to stop saying that. I've never met another follower of any pagan beliefs that holds this self-centered view you keep rambling on about. It's becoming painfully obvious you don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about.

[Lili]

I realize that Wicca was a 20th century creation, but did it borrow at all from Celtic Paganism?

[Seri]

I realize that Wicca was a 20th century creation, but did it borrow at all from Celtic Paganism?

Some forms of Paganism/Neo-Paganism borrowed from Celtic Paganism. That many people who adhere to Wicca are also Pagan/Neo-Pagan is coincidental belief, coincidental here meaning that they occur together commonly, not that they occur together by chance.

[technomage]

More accurate to say that, originally, Wicca borrowed from a badly researched and quite erroneous 20th century understanding of Celtic Paganism. More research has been done now, and there are forms of eclectic Wicca that are slightly closer to what some of the Celts believed, but the "core beliefs" have little, if anything, to do with pre-Christian Paganism in any form.

As a side note--there isn't really any such thing as "Celtic Paganism"--the Celts were a diverse lot, religiously speaking.

(Sorry, Seri--I didn't want to contradict your statement, but some historical perspective is needed for an accurate answer.)

[Seri]

More accurate to say that, originally, Wicca borrowed from a badly researched and quite erroneous 20th century understanding of Celtic Paganism. More research has been done now, and there are forms of eclectic Wicca that are slightly closer to what some of the Celts believed, but the "core beliefs" have little, if anything, to do with pre-Christian Paganism in any form.

As a side note--there isn't really any such thing as "Celtic Paganism"--the Celts were a diverse lot, religiously speaking.

(Sorry, Seri--I didn't want to contradict your statement, but some historical perspective is needed for an accurate answer.)

No offense taken. Yours is the more accurate answer. I had 5 minutes to come up with something snappy.

[staldorr]

I've never have this before. For months i have been having dreams, continously, every-night, and before that i rarely dream, even last night i dreamt. Please tell me if this situation of mine have any meaning? I really interested in this and i appreciate your answer very much. Im a sixteen-year-old girl in Vietnam. Thank you very very much. Im really grateful

[thetan66]

Hi staldorr! It depends on what the dream was. I believe that dreams are a form of communication from diety so yes it has meaning. So , what was your dream? Blessings my sister...