I was your typical cradle Catholic. I was baptised, had my first communion and my confirmation, and went to a Catholic school for my entire education. I went on religious retreats, you name it.

But something was missing. It felt… routine. Like a habit you get into. I’d heard of people who had this great feeling of love or peace whenever they entered the church. I felt none of that. I wanted to feel that.

When I left home, I put aside the church but still continued to call myself a Catholic, be it a lapsed one. Then one day I was in a thrift store and I found a book called Simple Wicca. It intrigued me, so I thought I’d read it. Well, as Oprah would put it, that was my “aha!” moment. Everything that I believed didn’t fit in with Christian dogma fell into place here. The more I read, the more I felt that feeling I was searching for. That peace, that love, that “rightness”.  I found my home, and I had to learn more. I devoured every book I could get my hands on, and Google became my best friend.  

I learned if you ask 20 pagans what Paganism is, you’ll get 25 answers! That’s one of the beauties of Paganism; you’re free to follow the path that works best for you. But Paganism is simply an umbrella term covering many different religions and belief systems.

Paganism is a spiritual way of life and its origins are rooted in the ancient nature religions of the world. Pagans view the Earth as a sacred living being and worships it as such. They worship many deities, both masculine and feminine. The Sacred Feminine is an important aspect of Paganism, no matter which branch one follows. Just as Christianity is a broad term that encompasses different branches like Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Pentecostal, so too does Paganism. Under that umbrella, you have Wiccans, Druids, Norse/Asatru, Shamans, Neo-Pagans and Eclectic Pagans, just to name a few.

If you’d like to learn more, please join me at The Carrot on May 14 at 4:30 p.m.

Featured Image: Stocksnap.io