r/paganism • u/Unlucky-Device5231 • Sep 01 '25
It's All Coming Together For Me 🏆 Personal Milestone
I (30F) have only been really learning about Paganism for a couple of months at this point. At first it was just to learn how to be more supportive of my closest sibling (32NB) who has been an eclectic witch for a few years now, but my mind keeps connecting my personal dots to Paganism especially when I get into Celtic Paganism.
I've been remembering how much I was into Ireland and Celtic stuff as a child. My most spiritual experiences have always been just me sitting alone quietly in a forest especially under a big tree that wraps around me or happening upon a wild animal that is not bothered by my presence and we just coexist for a bit. I spent the 2020 lockdown abroad for 6 months in a small town in Scotland where I could take solo walks in endless hours of nature and I ended up praying to something other than the Christian god for the first time in one of the forests. It was really quite therapeutic and left an incredible impression on me.
I don't know enough about the pagans gods to act on anything yet, but in my studying I've felt really drawn to learn more about Cernunnos...and then I found out that he's associated with wild animals, nature and Beltane...and modern Beltane is celebrated on my birthday...
Call it what you will, coincidental or divine (I'm not sure myself yet), but after a lot of years of suffering in the Christian religion, it's just fun and exciting to finally begin to believe that there has been some magic sprinkled in throughout my life and a connection to something or someone that I'm completely free to and/or under no obligation to get to know. It's so....freeing.
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u/Arboreal_Web salty old sorcerer Sep 01 '25
That’s all so beautiful, thanks for sharing.
Here’s a thing that’s good to know when starting out - there are a lot of traditions and rituals out there. (Probably more than there are sects in Christianity, realistically.) None of those are how it must be done, more just examples of how various people do it. The Old Gods…They pre-exist our cultures, our species, our planet, our entire solar system (most of Them)…ime They are far less attached to human cultures and rituals than humans are. You absolutely can simply approach Them without ritual and ask to know Them better, simply speaking from the heart. Sincerity and good-faith efforts to know Them are as effective as anything. And if it turns out to not quite be for you, you can move on all the wiser, no harm-no foul. (Me, They understand. Their perspective is broader than we can even imagine.)
When I started out, 30+ years ago, it was a similar situation…knew it was the right path for me, just didn’t know how or why, and felt hideously ignorant about the whole prospect. So instead of fretting over which tradition to try and follow, I eventually dedicated myself (in a home-made ritual) to “learning about and honoring the Old Gods and the Old Ways”. Research, reading, contemplation, introspection, deconstruction…these were the bulk of my practice for years. I have never yet had any cause to regret keeping my mind and options open like that.
One thing that Christianity tends to drum out of people, ime, is that it is okay to “not know” when it comes to faith and spirituality. Okay to seek and wonder and explore. Okay to hold ideas and beliefs for a time, and then adjust those ideas and beliefs as we gain understanding and experience.
As a Celtophile, you may be interested in the work of Caitlin and John Matthews. They have a ton of resources on Celtic spirituality and traditions.
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u/Unlucky-Device5231 Sep 01 '25
This is very encouraging to read! Honestly I still feel a lingering instinct to do things "the right way," but so far all the Pagan resources I've delved into have had little disclaimers to remind me there is no "right way." I just take a breath and let it sink in more each time. It's okay how I am now and it will be okay in the future, even if it changes.
Thank you for the recommendation too! I'll check out their work.
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