Question 4: What is your spiritual background?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Dec 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Sara	22 Dec 2002
This is related to the cards, so it might have been better in the Talking Tarot forum, but since it has to do with spirituality, I thought I'd put it here. Moderators feel free to move it if you feel it fits better somewhere else, I wasn't sure. (Just have to make trouble, that's all :)) So what is your spiritual background (Do I dare say religious beliefs or will that get me in trouble? :)) Has that affected your perceptions of the cards in any particular way? How does your spirituality, and your use of the cards, fit into your life in general? Sara

RedWood	22 Dec 2002
My background: I grew up what you would term "non-denominal"..Our beliefs are as follows..(trying to keep it relatively short and simple) 1)The Sabbath is on a Saturday.. 2) NO pork or shell fish 3)No xmas, easter or halloween 4) they have holy days..Where you get to take a trip with fellow believers..The church helps out those who cant afford The Church Was World Wide Church of God..but when the main guy died..the Heirs..changed everything..So We dont follow that church anymore. 5) Days of unleavened bread (which is near lent) no leavened bread..And you cleaned all products and everything that had leavened bread out 6) There was one day ayear you fast..Sun up to Sun down--No drink, No food...Now as a child..obvioulsy my mom didnt make us..She gave us a banana or a piece of fruit when we were little..By the time I was 8 Years old..I could go the whole day...Going the whole day was my choice..My mom always offered some fruit..Cuz she didnt feel kids should have to go the whole day since we were younger... There were many other things..But honestly I dont remember that much more. I did grow up to fear Tarot etc..Cuz it was considered Pagan..now I do believe this is out of ignorance.. When I met the man I was with.>he got me interested in tarot (that was 4 years ago) I got back into tarot..and Find no evil involved..My mom listens to what i have to say..She doesnt shun me..She still believes her way..and thats fine..Since getting into tarot i found spirituality and gone from there...Now i try to practice mainly shamanism..and add some wicca into it..tarot is now a part of my spiritual growing..and it was teh spring board that brought me here and to shamanism..wicca..and everything else i have learned on this forum.

RedWood	22 Dec 2002
Oh..if that doesnt answer your questions completely..let me know..I can add more lol

cricket	22 Dec 2002
I was raised in a strict Roman Catholic family. Very strict. This is one of those families that kneels down and prays the rosary every night. This is one of those families that believes if you don't go to church at least three times a week (barring sickness or inability to get around well) that you're damned to hell. It was not a pleasant experience. Anyway, about the time family members realized that I'd already formed my own opinions about the church, learning chatechism by rote, simply accepting what was said just because the priest said so, etc. (was about 10 or so) it was too late and the local church renounced me, etc. etc., basically setting me free to find my own path. *insert evil laughter here* Things went from a very strict, confining way to there being nearly no rules (most of the house rules had been formed by what was taught in the church, and they no longer applied, because I had been 'forsaken') and I started dabbling here and there in just about anything spiritual I could get my mitts on. Everything sort of got blended together until it developed into some oddball sort of paganism, which is what I follow now. It's also a very individual approach that nobody else would probably understand.

wavebreaker	22 Dec 2002
I was raised as a Catholic. My parents weren't strict at all; we didn't pray at home and they only went to Church at Easter and Christmas. But the primary school I went to was very strict. I especially remember the old priest who taught us religion: he made us feel like we would go to hell if we didn't behave in his class... And I was only 6 or 7 years old at the time... Luckily, he was replaced by a younger priest later on, who was a little bit more modern and a lot friendlier, but the school remained as strict. The secondary school I went to was a catholic school as well, but the priest teaching us religion there was a lot more open-minded. He encouraged us to think for ourselves and discuss everything. That's when I realised the catholic church just wasn't for me. So in a way, this open-minded priest helped me turn away from his own church... ;) For years after that, I called myself an atheist, but deep inside I knew that's not really what I was. Over the years, I sort of created my own beliefs and at some point I realised that my beliefs coincided with pagan and wiccan beliefs.

zorya	22 Dec 2002
my father's family were byzantine catholic. my mothers family was jewish. my mother's mother became very involved in theosophy. she was the psychic in the family, and although we never met, i believe she had the strongest influence on me. she had also been a card reader, so i developed interests in the tarot and psychic phenomenon early on. my parents were not religious, but did expose me to many different religions and beliefs, primarily through books. i can't remember a time when i didn't have questions of a spiritual nature. what happens when we die? what is the purpose of life? etc. etc. i spent my high school years in a roman catholic boarding school. i didn't believe a bit of catholicism, hahaha. after i graduated, i explored my jewish roots, and practiced conservative judaism for a few years. (still reading the tarot though, lol) now, i consider myself to be an aeclectic ;) pagan with an emphasis on shamanism, and strong wiccan influences. the cards play a huge role in my spirituality. they are a tool to help connect me to all that is :) i don't start my day without them.

lunalafey	22 Dec 2002
Spirituality vs. Religion. I grew up in a un-religious home. My father was a man of science(his sis exposed me to tarot by reading playing cards), so Genesis is not quite how it happened. I was taught that Jesus was a man who tried to bring peace and respect into humanity, and that God meant GOOD. My mother (anti-organised religion)was the one to mention pre-destiny as well as dreams, hypnosis and all that self exploration stuff. Basically I was left to discover the wonders of the universe on my own. From that, through my observations and experiences I have come to be where I am today. I am spiritual but not religious.

Maan	22 Dec 2002
My parents used to be catholics and still have alot of friends and family practising, but in a very open minded way. My parents raised us with reincarnation, past life regressions healings sessions etc. But most of all they tought us that what feels good for you is right for you. So my little brother is now traveling the path of taoisme My mother loves everything mansuhk patel writes, my father is a reiki master and i'm a witch. Great dinner table conversations;)

DeLani	22 Dec 2002
I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness <>, but my family taught me to always think for myself. So I left the JW's at age 12, after confronting them for being so patriarchal. I ran across the Spiral Dance quite by accident at the local library and knew at once I was a Witch! Have been ever since. I began reading cards with the help of a lady who lived in my apt. bldg. at age 13. My beliefs do color my interpretations somewhat, as my beliefs about what is "good" and "bad" vary from the mainstream (protestant christian) version. For example, see my posts on the Devil in the "Using Tarot Cards" board. I prefer to use decks with non-Christian imagery, obviously. I like the Thoth, Robin Wood, World Spirit, etc. I feel they speak the truth in a language I can understand. Of course, we all speak different languages, and that's why there are so many different decks. Peace!

allibee	22 Dec 2002
You have PM Sara, because I don't think these guys could stand me boring the pants off them anymore LOL allibee I've just remembered something: When I was at primary school, about 11 I think I was, everybody went on a school trip to France - apart from me - and I got a postcard back from a group of boys from my class (yes, I was the archetypal tomboy), and it was addressed to "madame Allison, Tea Leaf Reader". I never knew why and I never got the chance to ask because we all split up and went to all boys and all girls high schools. Then when I was 18 my Mum brought me a tea cosy and it was a fortune teller outside of a tent with a table and a crystal ball - very Madame Arcarti - I asked Mum why she brought it for me and she just said she thought I'd like it. Oh, says I, and thinks no more about it. I'd never even seen a tarot card or fortune teller in those days, I was into sports 24/7. I'd never even had the thought cross through my mind. But now, on reflection, do you think they all saw something I didn't? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Alex	22 Dec 2002
like 70% of the people in Brazil. When I entered college I switched my religion over to "science". Right now I just wish there is a God up there and I also wish there's not something like "life after death" or re-incarnation. I believe in sense of humor and I think we should not take ourselves, human beings, so seriously as we have so far. Anyway, hope that helps your pool.

mehrdad	22 Dec 2002
Since, most in here have Christian background, my post might add a new variety to your statistics. I was born a Shih Moslem so I might have slightly different awareness toward spirituality than others here. Shih Islam is practiced mostly in Iran, and the Persian created it after the invasion of Persia by Arabs, in order to keep their identity as an independent community intact. Shih is a mixture of Christianity, Islam, and Zoroastrian religion, in which among other thing, Shih believes in rapture and coming of “Imam Time”. “Imam Zaman” or “Imam Time” is someone like Jesus who comes back to rule over Earth after a period of evil kingdom has passed. Mainstream Islam does not have such a doctrine and the concept of ‘forces of good’ against the ‘forces of bad’ is of course purely Zoroastrian concept. My father was almost an atheist and my mother is very religious, so I feel that my mind somehow has incorporated these two acute believes into my own concept of spirituality and religion. I am always standing on the borderline. In the span time of blink of an eye, I believe and I don’t believe, I do believe in god and I am atheist to extreme. One day I feel stupid conversing with Tarot, the next day I am using Tarot to make an important decision. In general, I believe in Tarot very much but no matter what Tarot says, I always follow my own instinct and logic in my own decision-making. So, I am constantly being pulled between these two extreme and there are times that I am hanging around in the gray area in between.

anjocoxo	23 Dec 2002
Well I have to say I'm an exception here in portugal, b/c I'm not catholic, not even baptised (which is almost a deadly sin around here :)). My parents and grandparents are atheists and they totally hate organized religions, namely catholic church. This hapens b/c Salazar was a dictator who ruled portugal for 48 years (1926-1974), people were very poor, and there was no freedom of speech, we even had a special police like the Gestapo, who used to arrest and torture anyone who spoke bad of the regime. My parents and grandparents were almost arrested (they weren't b/c they were very lucky) since they were anti-regime activists working underground. The hate my parents have to the church comes from the help the chruch gave to Salazar, and the support the bishops/priests gave to the regime (and it wasn't something they were obliged to do)... so you can imagine how I was brought up... that's why I wasn't baptised and my parents always told me to think with my own head. Read, analise, think, observe... those seem to be the "religions" here at home... and I'm very glad it was so. Anjo PS- sorry if I was boring, just giving some of my background

Sulis	23 Dec 2002
Hi Sara My parents are what is generally classed as C of E - This basically means that they don`t go to church or act in any particularly religeous way but they would say that they are Christianand they had both myself and my sister christened. The 2 schools I went to were both High Anglican and were very involved with the church and were very religeous. When I was about 16 I started to question it all. I became very involved in the peace movement and in the animal rights movement (early `80`s) and I didn`t like the churches views on either of these things. I soon found that I didn`t like the churches views on most things. I`ve been a pagan but without the label (just thought I was a hippy -lol) since my mid 20`s and decided I was a witch a few years ago - I`m 37 now. My path now is very eclectic, I have a definate aversion to any sort of organised religeon and I wouldn`t really say that I`m very religeous although I would consider myself to be quite a spiritual person. I think of the Universe and the Earth as an organism (alive) and we are all part of that organism and so we are all connected on some level. I see reality as multilayered, the cards help me to connect to these layers. Sorry for the waffle. love and light Crystalmynx xx

Karenwhe	23 Dec 2002
This is like totally interesting.... I was born and raised Roman Catholic (as most of my family is Hungarian by origin). I never even saw Hungary in my life. At the age of 10, I moved countries to a part of the world where the practice all the things that RedWood mentioned...... Judaism. I then stopped believing in any religion and moved to something of my own. I believe there is a Universal/Cosmic Law. I also believe that there are energies which make us what we are, but I believe humanity didn't understand itself so it had to create religion to have something to believe in. ..... and... to control people. I believe in Spiritual things (many things) not in any religion as it serves the good of one group and mainly the groups Leaders who love to control and get lots of benefit and money out of this. I also believe that when humanity will realize that each person has FREE WILL and the birth given Power of Creation, religion and all the rest of "human controling things" will vanish. I personally can't wait for that day... :)

amyel	23 Dec 2002
Like Lunalefey, I was raised in a non-religious or spiritual household. In fact, I remember my mom once telling me - on an early foray of reading a modern Bible called "The Way" - that the Bible was simply stories, sorta like Aesop's Tales. She denies this, but I remember it so clearly. As a child of the early '60's, I was raised with a mom who did Astrology the old fashioned way (sans computers) and dream anyalsis, and followed Jungian philosophy. She likes anything with a scientific spiritual bend to it. My dad was very aethiest. Extremely so. It harboured on a hatred so strong, that I shudder to think what his childhood must have been like to foster such hate. Neither of my step parents ever discussed religion with me. When I left home, my mom returned to the Episcople (sp?) church, and both my sister & brother were baptised as teenagers in this church. My mom often said I should, but I never did. I didn't feel the need. As adults, my sister started a spitutal path that has lead her to wicca. She and her Roman Catolic husband teach their daughter about both the Goddess and God. My brother and his Jewish wife are teaching their son both faiths. I am still on a spitual quest and call myself "pagan" - my lasped Catolic husband is proud of my earthier spirituality and I suspect secretly follows it himself - although as a Aquarian, he may just like the shock value of saying his wife is a witch. :) I credit our diverse paths, but more importantly, our acceptance of each other's paths - to my mom, who never hindered our beliefs (not to say she didn't debate them with us - she likes a good debate!) and isn't afraid of our choices as adults.

Woof	23 Dec 2002
Raised typical New York Roman Catholic. Often referred to as cafeteria Catholic: take what you like and throw out the rest. My grandpa only went to church on ash wednesday and palm sunday because those were the only days you ever got anything back from the church and my dad would proudly state that "religion was the opiate of the people" but his kids were going to church on sunday (with mom of course). Mom's opinion on religion was kind of "whatever". The only one who really believed was my grandmother and she also was the only one who admitted to being psychic or sensitive. Anyway, gave it all up at 12 but allways have been interested in comparitive religion. At 33 had a year or two stint as a Unitarian Universalist (religion light as my husband says) but got annoyed at a few things there and turned born-again athiest. Lately I've come back to needing something and have been moving towards a more pagan sensibility. Woof

jamesriouxctm	23 Dec 2002
Sara, I was surprised to see so many Roman Catholics who've replied to this thread - I honestly didn't think there were that many of us out there who worked with the Tarot! Well, I suppose I'm just one voice in a sea now, but I guess you can add another chalk mark under your "Catholic" column for me. Perhaps one fact that will make my story a little more unique is the fact that Tarot actually brought me _back_ to Christianity after a long absence. It was the sign I needed to see that God really did exist after all, and that I could still be a conduit for His wisdom and healing, despite the years I spent with my back to Him. Now I am an actively practising Christian once more. And just to skew things a little bit towards the weird side, I am also a physicist by training, a computer scientist by profession, and in my spare time (such as it is) I study the Jewish Qabalah and some of the variants of ceremonial magic based upon it. Best of luck with your project, and happy holidays.

Sara	23 Dec 2002
Everyone has such interesting stories about their backgrounds. Thanks so much for sharing. Here's my background. My parents have both been very open minded about spiritual paths, or at least, my mom is open, I'm not really sure how much my dad cares one way or another, he just kind of roles his eyes and we do as we will. Both have their reservations about organized religions, for different reasons, and I do too, but I have come to respect it more than I once did in some respects. My mom has always been interested in various spiritual philosophies and different self improvement techniques, and I can remember when I was younger she was very much into the self hypnosis tapes produced by Dick Sutphen. My dad is somewhat atheistic, depending on what mood he is in. For myself, I've never really considered myself a part of one spiritual path over another, like many I pick and choose, play with ideas. I go between being very skeptical of things spiritual and believing in them fully. One could say that I'm skeptical enough to try to think of a scientific or psychological reason for everything, but in no way do I believe that that is the only possible explanation, I've had a few personal experiences that seem to, at least to me, prove otherwise. The tarot came into my life fairly early, I was ten or eleven. I think actually the first decks of cards I had weren't tarot, but the Phoenix cards and the Medicine Cards, as I was interested in Native American beliefs and past life experiences at the time. At around that time, my mom had her cards read by a reader ho is also a friend of hers, and that friend showed me her collection. I bought a deck for myself not long after that, then another, and another, and I was hooked! My friends and family now just roll their eyes when I get a new one, at least, those people who I have mentioned it to. I live in a fairly small town, and here most, not all though, are very conservative. It is much more open at the university. Although I have collected the cards for a fairly long time, it has only been fairly recently that I have begun really studying them, taking the time to learn about them in detail. I always wanted to before, but it's one of thos things where something would always come up. I am glad now for the opportunity to learn. Thanks again everybody for your replies, and your insights. Sara

Natalya	24 Dec 2002
I grew up with my great grandmother and my aunts. I was taught to read at a very young age. My first book was the bible. I would read and read all day for my great grandmother. Started to know many biblical stories. My aunts are very religious and follow what the priests say to the letter, but my great grandmother never forced any belief on me and allowed me to interpret the biblical stories for myself. Thats what I always did and still do.

ihcoyc	24 Dec 2002
I was raised a Protestant, in a variety of different denominations. When I lived in Canada we were Presbyterians; down here, we became United Methodists. I became disenchanted with Christianity while fairly young, for a time; mostly after the preacher preached a sermon doubting evolution. I was a heavy reader of science books. I was attracted to Wicca for a while, especially in high school and college, back in the days when Wicca was still mostly a British import. Wicca changed after this time, during the 1980s, or so it seemed to me, and moved in a direction I was not comfortable with. The other thing was that I made the mistake of graduating from college and started working. The Christianity I grew up with seemed something of a better fit after a while, if only because I had given up most of my optimism about human nature. I would call myself a liberal Protestant now. Actually, in theology I am fairly conservative, but I still reject authoritarian politics and cultural warfare.

Trish	24 Dec 2002
I was born into a Christian family. Mom's family is Catholic, but not really devoutly Catholic. Many of my cousins were baptized in Catholic churches. My great-grandmother still goes to a Catholic church regularly. One of my cousins has even taken his First Communion. Yet nobody in my mom's family really has a problem with me doing Tarot. My dad's family is a bit more Protestant. They go to a Presbyterian church, and they say a grace before dinner on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. My aunt (father's sister) married a Jewish man, and my dad's family had no problem with that. However, my grandmother (my dad and aunt's mom) was insistent that some sort of religious figure perform the marriage. I myself was baptized as a Protestant Christian in my dad's family's church when I was just a baby. My grandfather (mom's father) was pretty insistent that his grandchildren were baptized as babies. But I'm unsure about being a Christian. *shrugs* I think I'm another one of those people who goes against organized religion. I don't like the mentality that "OUR religion is the best and anybody who doesn't worship the EXACT SAME god in the EXACT SAME way we do is condemned forever." It doesn't work that way. :(

Trogon	24 Dec 2002
Howdy Sara; I'd have to say that I come from a family who's religious beliefs I'm rather unsure of. My mother & father are ... well ... I don't really know. My mother was confirmed in the Lutheran church I think. I'm pretty sure my father grew up Lutheran as well. But "religion" wasn't something that was really a big part of my life growing up. My parents were, I think, pretty much ambivelent towards religion. While in high school I started learning more about Jesus and the bible and accepted him as my savior. I attended a small protestant church at the north end of town for several years. However, over the years I did something which most organized religions seem to really frown on... I kept my eyes open and used my brain to think for myself. I've seen way too many injustices and way to much intolerance perpertrated in the name of religion. Hence I became rather disenchanted with organized religion. I've "wandered" around a lot spiritually and may continue to do so for a long time, who knows where my path may lead in the end? Right now, I guess I'd describe myself myself as a Christian New Ager. ;) I still consider myself to be a Christian, but have moved beyond what so many of our "religions" teach. I kind of hate to leave this somewhat open-ended... but my journey continues...

rota	24 Dec 2002
After being raised in the Congregational faith (about the most liberal version of Protestantism), I dropped it about the age of 12 or 13. I was convinced that there must be some sort of truth common to any and all religions. Eventually and currently I hold Theosophical beliefs.

DarkElectric	24 Dec 2002
Hello Sara :) Another recovering Catholic here. I was raised by my Gramma, because my mom was a single mom for a while. The church made sure my poor mom was duly ashamed of the fact she was unwed. She chose not to remain Catholic. My Gramma, however, took me to church regularly. I always liked the church itself, the beautiful windows and the organ music. But, even as a small child, I felt something vaguely tainted about the rest of it. By the time I was 11, I was through with it all, and refused to go to church anymore. In high school, Protestant friends took me to church with them. Nope, not for me. Later on I met a Jewish guy, and we planned on getting married. I converted to Judiasm. I really liked it a lot, but had a problem with my Episcopalian dad over this. He didn't understand Judiasm, and thought I would be treated like a pariah because I was a convert. I knew that wasn't so, but something still didn't "fit". Even though I liked Judaism a lot, it didn't feel like exactly the right thing for me, so I kept searching. I encountered Japanese Buddhism through a friend. I learned a slight bit about Sufism through another person. Underneath it all, I had been aware that there was something else. It had always been my personal belief that what the priest was calling "God" was in my view, Goddess and God. This was as far back as I remember. I used to go into my Gramma's backyard and say my prayers to "Mother Nature and God". (I got in trouble with my extremely Catholic Aunt once, because she asked me if I knew who God was, and I said "Mother Nature's husband".) I was exposed to Wicca by seeing Laurie Cabot on TV. She was doing the public Samhain thing, and it was on the local news. I asked my mom "What's that about?" And it was my DAD who actually said "That's the kind of thing your great Gramma Fians used to do, only she didn't dress up". Then he proceeded to tell me about her, the Druid history of our family, and some Spanish Celtic witch stuff that I had never heard about. He was the LAST person in the world I would have expected to hear this from. My mom then told me that there was a large dollop of Native American from her side, and that there had been an uncle who was a root healer, sort of a medicine man, who had a cabin with a full herb garden. He had been a hermit, and was sort of a local shaman dude out in Southbridge MA. Something clicked with all this. I realised that "Pagan" was what I had always been, even though I never knew what to call it. It seemed right that the old ways were for me. I started studying Wicca, but lately have been seriously contemplating the shamanic path. I think that's where my road might lead. I know, this was pretty long. I hope I didn't bore anybody.

RedWood	24 Dec 2002
Oh I think if forgot to include what i do now...I follow mainly Shamanism and throw wicca into..I like to mix and match..I am teacching my son shamanism and wicca..He will know about the other religions available..My mom will be showing him her way..This suits me fine..When he gets older..He will choose the path best for him. The man I am with..He is more wiccan then shaman..So it is an easy compromise on what to do..We both like them..Just he prefers Wicca..Since I see Wicca and Shamanism closely related..There are no problems.

Demonesse	24 Dec 2002
I was raised in a family that didn't set any religious rules for me -for which I'm glad, since I wouldn't have listened anyway. Now, all family members accounted for, it's a mix of Buddhists/Taoists/Protestant Christians and a couple of agnostics. Weird. One good thing is that man here have had the freedom to switch to something else they felt comfortable with. Just for contrast, for a Muslim living in my country (I am not one), apostasy (as in to renounce one's faith) would be a very serious crime.

Phoenix	24 Dec 2002
I am an agnostic pagan, if you want to classify me at all. I am still not sure if there is a Divine being, nor do I believe that it is with in our own limited grasp to prove it's existance. I have many pagan beliefs; I believe in the elements, and use them frequently in spell working. I believe in otherworldly creatures(dragons, fae folk, etc.) and work with them. I believe( to an extent) in the God and Goddess, and to pray to them from time to time. I have some beliefs from Buddhism, and Satanism. I believe that we, as humans, can attain a higher level of existance through discipline, but I believe,at the same time, that we should do as we want, so long that it doesn't harm others. we should think for ourselves, and not worry about what other people think. I believe in reincarnation, but do not believe in Karma and the so-called "Rule of Three". I do not subscribe to this particular belief, and I do not appreciate it when people tell me that I will get bad Karma if I do such and such spell. I do not believe that the Tarot and other oracles are spiritual devices that should be reveared. They are pieces of cardboard. They have no apparent powers. Only the user has the ability to see the messages they present. This is pretty much the extent of my beliefs. If I sound negative, I'm not. These are simply my beliefs.

JC	24 Dec 2002
I am an ethnically Jewish - we think - Roman Catholic under heavy Protestant influence. BTW, I don't think it's that unusual to have so many Catholics respond to this thread. Since American culture tends to emphasize elements of the Church that were adapted from pagan religions, it seems logical that a fair number of lapsed Catholics would be attracted to Pagan traditions. Anyways. I'm not really certain of my mom's faith, but she might have a born again Christian. Her older sister insists that we are ethnically Jewish. My dad's side of the family is comprised of strict go-to-Church-every-morning type Catholics. My mom had to "convert" to marry my dad. The strict Catholics in my family are the first generation to have been born in the US. They lived through the Depression and idolize Kennedy. They also gave me a heavy socially liberal bend because of their concern for the underclass. They had a real rich v. everyone else attitude. They wouldn't believe it, but that's actually why I lapsed. The pastor at our parish was a real showoff. He drove brand-new Cadillacs with vanity plates. After a while, I just got tired of his act.

Diana	24 Dec 2002
I love reading about everyone's background. It makes for a very interesting read. Well, I'm not sure what my father's beliefs were. (I know he did not like the Catholic church at all though, although he was Polish and one of the very rare Poles not to have been brought up in the Catholic faith.) He certainly never talked about his beliefs. I reckoned that if he had wanted to share them, he would have. I suppose he shared whatever he believed in by living his beliefs, and not talking about them. He was a kind, honest, gentle man. Loyal and sincere. My mother was a Christian Scientist. She was a great spiritual healer, and I saw her healing people of their illnesses (sometimes seemingly serious) many times, including mine own. She lived her faith utterly and completely, and I have rarely met anyone so serene and loving as her. I suspect that even without her religion, she would have been a great spiritual healer - her powers were given to her by the gods, I think, for her incarnation. (I miss her terribly, but I think I will not meet her again for a long time, as I think she has attained a higher level now.) So I grew up with example more than an actual doctrine or dogma. Although I was taught that God is loving and was never taught that he was to be feared, on the contrary. I try and live up to the example I was given, but it is hard. The path is rockier for me. As to actual religious beliefs, I was very much influenced at a young age by another remarkable person who told me: "Never believe anything if you can't prove it." "Seek and you will find", was the message he gave me and I am still searching.

Moongold	24 Dec 2002
My family was Catholic. My father studied for the priesthood for a while but didn't finish. My mother was a convert to Catholicism and she was quite remarkable. She was more interested, I think, in Mary the Mother of God and had a strong devotion to her. After my mother died some years ago I heard a priest describe Mary not as the elegant woman of the Renassance paintings but as peasant woman whose life would have shown in her face and hands and I thought that my mother had that kind of spirituality - the simple beauty of kindness and commitment. My father's spirituality remained aesthetic. They were both Catholics all their lives. I was a fanatical Catholic in the teenage years - wanted desperately to be a nun in fact. Lost the faith when I learned to think and then got lost altogether. Eight years later I discovered the ordinary spirituality and kindness present in most of us and started another journey which has been ongoing for twenty years. I believe in the Divine but don't understand it. I can't even define it. I meditate and I attend other religions occasionally just to see how they operate. Studied the philosophy of religious belief at university. The Tarot has opened other doors, and I am still exploring those. Moongold

The Enchanter	27 Dec 2002
I put my own restrictions on myself when it comes to tarot. I don't do anything tarot or spells on sundays or on religous holidays. I hope I answered your question. Peace out!

Indigo	29 Dec 2002
My mom's family is deeply religious United Methodist, and my dad's family is very loosely Lutheran. I was raised United Methodist, but for me, it was always a social thing rather than spiritual. My folks never tried to cram any particular faith down my throat, but they did assume that I would always subscribe to at least some degree of Christian belief. Boy, were they wrong! In high school, I tried to be a very conservative fundamentalist Christian. I even skipped Halloween that year. After Navy boot camp and a divorce, I decided to quit ignoring the fact that I was always drawn to Paganism. Now I'm exploring Asatru and Heathenism.

truthsayer	29 Dec 2002
i was not raised into any particular religious doctrine. my father encouraged me to believe in the Bible. he has a southern baptist background even though he wasn't brought up with the church. in the past 20+ years he has become a strong southern baptist-even though he's never read the Bible. my mother came from a family that became disenchanted with the church before she was born so she wasn't raised in the church either. my mother and grandmother encouraged my interest in spirits, reincarnation, divination, edgar cayce, etc. i was encouraged to the point that i thought everyone believed in these things just like us. however, the community and school was very down on us b/c we didn't go to church. somehow i never truly made the connection that the reason the community was critical of us was that they saw us as practicing pagans until i was grown. i took this social rejection as personal rejection. as a teen, it was how i rebelled--i refused to conform by becoming what our community wanted me to become. later, my beliefs led to more serious personal depression, self-doubt due to a sense of continuing religious persecution even as an adult from co-workers and others. as a child, i was never in the closet but due to the spiritual abuse i sustained, i went into the closet as an adult. i studied enough about christianity i could follow conversation about doctrines. my preference is studying world religions and participating in a wide variety of ceremonies. i find myself more compatible with earth religions. i decide what and if i believe. i don't belong to any spiritual group. occasionally i do attend church with my father. i have now grown to the point i don't take it as a personal attack when the sermon treads on the toes of my beliefs. i have participated in native american, shamanic and wiccan ceremonies. i feel most comfortable with them even tho i refuse to allow myself to be defined by any particular adjectives. in the spiritual grocery of life, i shop constantly for the best values and only keep buying what works best for me. some of what i get changes, some stays the same. however, it has long been a spiritual quest for me to recover from feeling ashamed of who i am as a spiritual being. my husband was brought up as a pentacostal holiness. he became disenchanted with the church and hasn't belonged to a church in around 30 years. he still believes in some of the ideals he was brought up with but he totally accepts me as who i am spiritually. he makes me feel safe to explore. my mother and siblings accept me spiritually. my father and i have agreed to disagree even tho we do agree on some points. when i was a teen i wrote a poem called,"life is my religion" and i still find that true today. i see the essence of god in the earth. seeing destruction of the earth's beauty is like seeing part of god's true nature destroyed. god is neither male or female. i don't know what happens after death but i know i do not fear it due to some experiences i've had while doing shamanic journeying. i am very much my own spiritual creation.

Mystica	29 Dec 2002
My parents did not attend church, and never made their beliefs clear to me. They did encourage me to go to different churches with friends, to explore various faiths and opinions. I became a Catholic in High School. Although I never considered myself extremely devout, I attended Mass off and on for quite a few years. Like some others on this forum, I've always felt a little "different." All my life I have had a strong interest in the occult, the mystical...Some people have just assumed that I practiced Paganism or Wicca, before I ever consciously thought about it. I can identify with Crystalmynx in that I always thought it was just the "hippy" in me. LOL I realize now that I have always been a Pagan at heart. ;) I've finally found the path that is right for me, as a solitary practitioner of Wicca.

Alex	29 Dec 2002
catastrophic; AND somewhat (forgive-me if I offend you) funny. I have had recently the opportunity to speak with a Catholic priest who's a researcher in my field and I was surprised at how articulated and knowledgable he is of philosophy, science, and teology. It made me think cause I'm catholic as well and I too could not have faith and thinking growing side-by-side. Actually it IS possible to do both; but I guess it needs a lot of commitment. Well, in case of that man, a life-long one. Alex Quote: Originally posted by Moongold Lost the faith when I learned to think and then got lost altogether.

Moongold	30 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Alex Re: Moongold, that sounds catastrophic; AND somewhat (forgive-me if I offend you) funny. I have had recently the opportunity to speak with a Catholic priest who's a researcher in my field and I was surprised at how articulated and knowledgable he is of philosophy, science, and teology. It made me think cause I'm catholic as well and I too could not have faith and thinking growing side-by-side. Actually it IS possible to do both; but I guess it needs a lot of commitment. Well, in case of that man, a life-long one. Alex Hi Alex, Our brand of Catholicism was the Irish Catholic kind which didn't encourage a lot of critical thinking. The Church itself was just beginning (out here at least) to come to grips with the ecumenical councils of the 1960's and it's all just a matter of time and place, Alex. Water under the bridge now. A lot of the Catholic dogma which we accepted so innocently as children simply doesn't stand up to historical or critical analysis and of course there was a bit of a vacuum for a while. As time went on the Church itself became a little more open to different views and began changes itself. Some dogma of organized religion still doesn't stand up to much, I think, but I accept that there are both spiritual and political - organizational aspects to the Churches now. Everyone has their own spiritual journey and I don't regret mine. I know it is possible to have faith and be a thinker at the same time. I am very interested now in aspects of reincarnation but have a lot to learn. The very best New Year to you, Moongold

zander770	30 Dec 2002
Quote: [i] World Wide Church of God..but when the main guy died..the Heirs..changed everything..So We dont follow that church anymore. [/b] geez . . . what a plight! i cannot help myself for asking you, redwood: what, pray tell, denomiation was this, exactly? baptist? christian science? and: who was the "main guy," anyway? sounds like hell on earth. unbelievable! ~Z~770 :TDEV

RedWood	30 Dec 2002
I dont remember..but mom dooes..So i will get back to you on that one..as soon as I get the info! I really liked teh church..until teh main guy died LOL...weird stuff!

jema	30 Dec 2002
i grew up with my mother who is an agnostic and i spent a lot of time with my grandpa who was what i would term as a christian pagan. he passed on a lot of lore and stories to me but was himself also very strong in his christian faith. (in sweden christian is the same as lutheran) when i was a teen i was a seeker and since my aunt and all of her family were my safe harbour in a rough period in my life i turned to their religion - Jehovas witnesses. i was baptised at 17 but left them to go on to university (education is frowned upon by JW) i was then shunned and i have a whole thread about JW somewhere here in this forum. around 20 i picked up the tarot. when i was abour 25 i started to look more into paganism. i never been wicca and i don't really call myself witch unless hard pressed to lable myself. someone here mentioned they were agnostic-pagan! i like that expression. i would say i am a spiritual person but not a very religious one. i crave and want ritual and structure but have a hard time with it at the same time. i don't mind using god-names in ritual but i don't really believe in the divine as separate entities outside myself. when i give regards to Freja in ritual it is really that inside me which is "freja-like" i cherish.

Baneemy	18 Jan 2003
I was raised Mormon. I grew up believing Joseph Smith was God's one true prophet, and he was my hero. Now I believe he was a delightfully audacious con artist, and he's still my hero. Go figure. In fact, despite Mormonism's fundamentalist stance against all things occult, my religion led directly to my interest in tarot. Smith was a scryer before he got into the propheteering business, and his religious innovations were heavily influenced by esoteric traditions ranging from kabbalah to folk magic. I began studying tarot and related subjects so I could get a better understanding of certain secret Mormon rituals, and I've been addicted ever since. These days I'm a devout agnostic who doesn't participate in any organized religion, but I'm still proud to call myself a Mormon. In fact, my screen name is a tip of the hat to old Joe. -Baneemy

Fuchsia	20 Jan 2003
Born and raised an anglican, went through the paces, had a great fear of god.. for all i ever heard in church was ..."and ye shall burn in the bowels of the abyss if......" and the list is endless.... But somehwere in my childhood a question popped into my mind. "If god created Adam and Eve, then who the hell created him?" THAT question was my undoing... other than the fact that i had seen enough strange things happening back home to realise that the "heaven and hell and no i in between" atitude is one big fat lie. (in africa... lots of what i considered wierd but i now find normal tends to happen on a daily basis):D:D:D So i had a personal argument with the god of the church, of which i accused him of all my misery and guilt that had been forced down my throat by the church.. and when i was through... for the first time in my entire life.. i can say i experienced god. after which i walked out on the church. my whole family thinks i am pretty wierd, but i have always been that way. I still read the bible but at the same time, talk to my ancestors and the whole lot, as we do back home and in between, well.. i just do what i feel is right for me..

little	20 Jan 2003
I was raised in the Church of Christ, a very conservative fundamentalist tradition which insists that it is not a denomination because it is not centrally organized. Until I was about 25, I believed everything I was taught there, and behaved much like any other fundamentalist Christian. Even now, when I get frustrated and angry with the latest Harry-burning or other idiocy, I am glad that I have the personal experience that there is love, kindness, and even noninsanity in the fundamentalist tradition. But the older I got, the more apparent it became that it wasn't right for me. For one thing, as I passed the age when I should have gotten married and started reproducing and failed to do either, it was obvious that I was making my church very uncomfortable. Also, I was eager to help and work, but my church had so many rules about what things could only be done by men, and the few jobs left were for wives, so I didn't get to contribute as much as I would have liked. Fed up mostly with their attitudes about women and the anti-intellectualism, I started wandering from church to church. I finally landed, and despite some close calls, I am still a Christian, although not just fundies would call me a fairly liberal Christian, these days. My faith is stronger than ever after the experience of having to really question and re-examine it. I just discovered the Tarot relatively recently, and have become fascinated with it. I tend to read from a psychological perspective, and not a magickal one. Out of respect for God and because I believe strongly that we build our lives through our own actions, I now decline to read the future. Instead, the tenth card in my Celtic Cross is 'wisdom' or 'advice.' But that's just me.

The Question 4: What is your spiritual background? thread was originally posted on 22 Dec 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.