PAGANISIM: AN OVERVIEW BY RAVENSONG
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     This text file is designed to give basic explanations to my various 
PC-Link friends and correspondents of what I am refering to in my understanding
of Paganisim...so that they may avoid the simplicity of answers that the News
Media has previously fed about Pagans and all their subdivisions. Anyone
wanting more information then I have on file to Download should check out 
the list of Pagan Books file that I've downloaded via E-Mail to many of you.

     I do not discriminate against other people for their religious beliefes, 
so long as their beliefs  are not mearly doggoral they quote back at me word
for word without actual creative thought on their part or putting their 
beliefs to test in their own lives. I do discriminate against those who 
believe they have the one way and true path towards enlightment that everyone 
should follow and go out of their way to force upon us all (or threaten the 
doom/destruction/extiniction/descrimination against those who don't comform 
to their ideas).

     I strongly believe there are forces in the Universe and in the multiple 
realities that extend beyond our personal point of view that are above me in 
power and knowledge, but I also believe that they are in the long run 
Benificent and Loving forces (or at least neutral in action) that wish us to 
advance along our own paths of enlightment to achieve our own places of power 
and understanding that we are both seperate and part of the balance of Nature/
Life in our existance. No one person is more important to the scheme of things,
but some have had a harder time achieving their potential within the Universal 
whole and must continue '.o seek their place (I know no one who has fully 
reached their place...I think thats because those who do cease to need the 
material/physical realities and exist and work from the energy side of 
reality (though not all energies are fully enlightened or more advanced on 
the path).

     I am no longer attatched to the title Witch, I have found it too 
cumbersome against my physical survival in this lifetime as there is still 
too much persecution. Likewise I feel that many of the other sects in 
Paganisim (Discordia, Wicca, etc) are too easily bogged down in their own 
doggeral, and that will always lead to stagnation...a state the universe 
really abhors. Thus I am a Pagan, a believer in many powers and paths to 
enlightment, not one of which is totally wrong or right but some of which 
are better defined then others.

     I celebrate the joys of life and the world, The Fullness of the Moon, 
and its Darkness, the Plant and animal life as well as the humanoids, The 
Longest and shortest days of the year and the rituals of Birth and death 
which are part of the natural cycle of existance (In simpiler terms the Full 
Moons, Dark Moons, Solstice, Equinox, Beltane and Sam Hain).

      I believe in magic as a means of manipulating the natural energies 
of life to improve ones physical or spiritual status in this lifetime (yes 
I believe in multiple lives and incarnations as well as having multiple 
things to learn thru ones lives). I believe in three basic ways of performing 
magic, the first being standardized Ritual, which works off the energies of 
the participants and observers both to achieve its ends and uses classic 
Jungian-based Archetypes or God-images to help those involved raise up the 
energy needed to achieve a standard result (AKA Magic by Rote); the second 
is Outlined Ritual, the middle point in magic, which draws its energies off 
the participants mainly and a little from the observers, uses Jungian 
archetypes and gods but is not for a standardized purpose but by need, it 
usually is done up mearly as an outline of steps to achieve the ends, not 
a series of stage directions as Classical Ritual uses, the third kind is 
improvisational magic and this is done almost at the spur of the moment by 
a small group of people who focus their talents and energies on an end 
without a formalized plan of action (it is the fastest but hardest to get 
good results from). All magic uses tools to achieve their ends, be they 
crystals, cards, runes, knives, blood or whatever. Herbs and drugs are 
often used in magic to heighten ones senses to the energies around oneself, 
but are not manditory to make magic work - the important thing is 
understanding and will.