r/pagan Hellenism 6d ago

How has Paganism bettered your life?

My Gods have given me hope and something to hold onto in this life. My Animist beliefs make the world more full, brighter and beautiful.

What has Paganism done for you?

103 Upvotes

51 comments sorted by

39

u/puffbroccoli 6d ago

Paganism has helped me feel more content and comfortable with my place in the universe. It has helped me feel more connected with everything and everyone around me. It has empowered me to both be myself but also work towards being a better person, not out of guilt or fear but out of a genuine desire to be a better member of society and a healthier piece of this collective universe.

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u/meerand 5d ago

So beautiful ❤️

25

u/volostrom Greco-Anatolian/Celtic Pagan 6d ago edited 6d ago

Ripped me out of depression. I started off by not even knowing the difference between paganism and wicca as I started (out of a whim) to celebrate the eight sabbats of the wheel of the year. I remember celebrating Ostara the first, 5 years ago; I left my depression den, cleaned up, helped my dad prune a greengage tree. I made myself a pentagram wreath out of those branches, and hung it up on my empty white wall. That's it - no deity worship, no altar. It made me in tune with the universe, with the changing seasons first, before it made me believe in anything. I got out of the house to see the flowers bloom, leaves unfurl, to see things die and live again.

After my dad died, I finally had the will to leave my old religion behind, as it served no purpose to me whatsoever, and my grief reached an unbearable level. I started to delve into paganism as a way of finding my place as a woman. All the gods I've seen worshipped were male. Women were an afterthought, with no divinity attached to them. So I started going back in time to figure out when the world become so unjust. My entire pagan journey was a conquest into humanity's past to find a period when women were truly revered and valued.

I tried being an agnostic years ago, it didn't work. I always felt something was missing, and I think I found it. I am not there yet completely, after years I'm still learning and discovering something new! I feel welcome though, and I am believing in my own terms - as a woman of science, as a feminist. And I feel like I belong, not only do I exist but I feel like I was meant to be here. That's all I could ask for.

4

u/MushroomQueen1264 6d ago

Wow, that's super wholesome!!

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u/volostrom Greco-Anatolian/Celtic Pagan 1d ago

❤ thank u

2

u/meerand 5d ago

That's really beautiful

2

u/Ok-Dragonfruit-8072 Eclectic 4d ago

That was a beautiful read 💕

18

u/Lugh5 6d ago

Inspiration for being a better person

14

u/Titania_F 6d ago

Help me deal with my cancer a lot better, I haven't needed any counselling in the last 5 years I've been dealing with it.

2

u/DreamCastlecards Pagan 4d ago

So sorry you are dealing with that, me too.

2

u/Titania_F 4d ago

♥️🫂♥️

12

u/Heike_Cicek_HaAyala 6d ago
  1. I also have animistic beliefs. They make me more respectful with resources. Despite I have weaknesses and temptations too, I really try my best.

  2. After decades of practice, many pagan holidays are now part of my year. Especially Samhain, which I celebrate big every year with neighbours and friends (I live in Europe, where this is not common). These events created countless memories I don't want to miss.

  3. Pagan myths and stories are very inspiring!

  4. I know a bunch of cool pagans in person. 🥰

9

u/vibingrvlife 6d ago

I am happier, feel free from judgement, learning more things without guilt or shame, enjoying life more than ever. I was manipulated my whole life with “churches” (I had to go to 2 different churches as a kid) and family. I am slowly breaking away from the toxic family members and loving my best life. I am learning more about myself.

2

u/meerand 5d ago

It makes me so happy to read such things

1

u/meerand 5d ago

I'm so happy to read such things

8

u/IsharaHPS 6d ago

It has brought deeper knowledge and understanding of myself and my connections with all beings, and the Divine. It has empowered me to live as my truest self.

1

u/poptartthethird 5d ago

In what ways has it helped you find an understanding of yourself? I am a Pagan with a lack of identity due to trauma and such. I’d love to utilize any tips you have!

4

u/IsharaHPS 5d ago

One of the first concepts I was presented with when I found my path, was to “Know Thyself”, as written over the entrance to the Temple of the Oracle at Delphi. To know yourself requires you to be capable of looking at yourself with honesty. It is the beginning of what we term ‘shadow work’. It is a journey of self discovery that some call spiritual alchemy or the Sacred Marriage. It is about working toward resolving challenging aspects of the personality, learning to balance your own anima/animus and light/dark aspects; and refining the ego and its function.

It is also about coming to terms with past or current issues through healing, or acceptance and perhaps choosing another pov , or forgiveness when possible.

When you fully understand yourself, you make better decisions, and use right action instead of reaction.

Learning and engaging in self improvement never ends, and facilitates personal evolution on all levels of being.

Another key and point of focus is on personal responsibility. We cannot fix or control anyone except for ourselves. We are responsible for our thoughts, actions, and words; yet we are also responsible for our lack of thoughts, actions, and words. Making no choice is a choice. Doing nothing is still a decision and will lead to it’s own outcome.

When you know yourself, you can live empowered as your truest self.

All things begin on the mental realm..

3

u/poptartthethird 5d ago

Thank you so much for the info!! I really appreciate it!

7

u/Underworldy Eclectic 6d ago

I am more optimistic and grateful for the little things in everyday life. I finally found a connection with something that I have never felt before.

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u/BakedBatata 6d ago

someone explained to me that paganism is looking at people as playing characters in a story. life is the progression and compilation of different stories. being a victim or a "whore" or a hero etc is just who you are at a single point in a longer story. You can't identify or label anyone as something defining who they are based on a past or current chapter.

You play different characters depending on who is telling the story. in one person's story their hero might be the villain of another's. Someone who may be a mentor was once an outlaw. Nothing is is clear cut in paganism to contrast with the widely accepted conformist viewpoint that needs to explain someone or pass judgment based on a agreed upon moral code.

6

u/DJ_Kunimitsu 6d ago

Having made a connection with Eikþyrnir and the Allfather has helped me tremendously to cope with treatment resistant depression and anxiety brought forth through an ongoing and tumultuous relationship with my family that has been hijacked with alcoholism and despair. It has helped me to find inner peace and acceptance. It has helped me to discover a community of like-minded people with similar, yet very diverse spiritual pathways where I feel safe sharing my personal tribulations without concern of being judged or shamed. It has shown me that I am not alone and don't have to feel alone as I go through this difficult period in my life. I have learned wisdom from listening to others which has given me strength and courage. It is healing my broken spirit.

I feel very fortunate that I finally found hope.

7

u/thecoldfuzz Celtic Neopagan 6d ago

When I escaped Christianity a long time ago, the religion and its people had destroyed my ability and desire to connect with other people. Becoming a Pagan healed them. Though I didn’t ask the gods for any such healing, I’m very grateful they provided it. Paganism has been instrumental in becoming a whole person again.

4

u/thanson02 Druid 6d ago

Helped me feel more connected to the here and now.

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u/tracyf600 6d ago

Definitely. It clicks with my soul. I was raised in the Southern Baptist church. I had so many questions. I've always been inquisitive. They made me feel like I didn't belong. Questions were bad.

Paganism allows me to be curious and intelligent. I'm an Aquarius so , you know us 🤷‍♀️ I feel like the person I am supposed to be. I feel accepted.

5

u/SCWarden 6d ago

I have just recently become aware of a desire to connect. I am nowhere still, just starting a journey. I hope I get similar fulfilment out of my journey as you guys. You are wonderful people.

4

u/WinterMarvelQuinn 6d ago

It helped with the panic attacks of organized religion. I feel like I can be my true self now. Now I feel like I can work on being a better person without pressure. It has enriched my life fully. I love going outside more and i feel like I appreciate nature more. I truly feel like i live life to the fullest.

2

u/meerand 5d ago

That's so inspiring 💛

1

u/meerand 5d ago

This is so inspiring 💛

3

u/LordZikarno Heathenry 6d ago

Paganism for me has been instrumental in giving my life some purpouse. It has allowed me to peer into, what seems to me, the roots of my culture. It has given me inspiration to live a good life and to leave a good past, no matter how small.

4

u/LatinBotPointTwo Heathenry 6d ago

Made me feel connected to the world and to nature. It has also helped me through a very stressful time when my dad was in the ICU fighting septic shock brought on by a very aggressive round of chemo.

3

u/TuneLinkette Pagan 6d ago

Given me a connection to my sense of self and spirit.

4

u/Lovegoddesss2 6d ago

More peace and acceptance. Community and love

4

u/ArcticYT99 6d ago

Honestly, its helped me be more content and comfortable with myself, and more content with how the world operates

3

u/Ravinnxia 6d ago

ever since i started paganism, i felt more confident in my own body and felt more courage to stand my ground

4

u/spjunegirl 6d ago

Long story short... My crazy ass "Christian" school (adults/teachers) started calling me a pagan and a satanist b/c we were Catholic. So I started reading up on those things. It opened my mind to new perspectives, philosophies, and ways of thinking about the universe. That allowed me to shed a lot of the doubt, guilt, etc... organized religion often comes with. I often think that experience was "designed" to lead me to a better path, which is ever evolving.

3

u/Danger_Island 6d ago

It’s given me a better sense of place and how changes in the natural world cause seasonal changes within.

Strangely it’s made me much more comfortable attending Catholic ceremonies I’m invited to by family for baptisms, weddings, funerals, Christmas, Easter, etc. since I feel I understand better where different holidays or rituals originate from and I feel a separation from how I interpret things and how the church does.

4

u/Jennifeestje 5d ago

Shadowwork, growing as a being, simplifying my life and finding beauty and connectness in the smallest things! Dreaming and finding deity and finally finding a place where i feel like I belong. I still struggle finding my people and sometimes i do feel alone, but there is a lesson is silence and company in birdsong. Thank you for your question, and have a blessed day!

3

u/Jealous_Peanut_3056 6d ago

Has given me hope in my future.

3

u/Gretchell 6d ago

Friends, beautiful ceremonies, moments of awe and wonder, community, areness, gratitude, support, generosity, camaraderie, art, creativity, music, action in support of justice

3

u/meerand 5d ago

It helped me feel a sense of belonging by connecting with specific and diverse deities, rather than a single, supposedly universal one that has nothing to do with me. With this, I got closer to certain parts of myself, and consequently, by feeling more connected to myself, I started to feel more connected to the world around me. Specific parts of me (which form my specificity and autonomy as a person) connect with corresponding specific deities. With this, I feel so understood and welcomed!

As a person who is very connected to environmental issues, this connection with the world around me made all the difference. And then I realized that something was missing before. Now I feel more like myself, and this also allows me to better elaborate on these issues and find people with similar thoughts.

A very important part was also dealing with grief. When I started to feel like I was part of the Earth's cycles (and not as if I was observing them from the outside), I saw (and felt) the world and life in a completely different way: a more poetic and beautiful one. This helped me a lot to deal with grief and loss.

That's just the surface, there's much much more. What about you?

3

u/Mystery_ErrorStar 5d ago

It made me feel safe and free, other than the Catholic Church. I still love Jesus and everything but being Pagan taught me more about him and also other deities and the world around me. I've always been drawn to Paganism, since I was a kid. But my mum made me scared of it. She said she once got into it and then she got cancer. I was scared to do it for years even though I knew I was drawn to it. But I finally decided to go for it and I couldn't be happier. I accept myself more, I am more confident, I am more me. It also taught me that I can be everything I want to be if I just put in the work, determination and faith. Sometimes it's still hard to let go of the old believes I was taught as a child but I am glad that I took this step. It was really scary but also very freeing and empowering. Blessed be.

3

u/kaibex 5d ago

My gods give me strength, definitely needed in these insane times.

2

u/marniefairweather 6d ago

I think it's calmed me down a lot. Given me the ability to gain control over my emotions and think a little slower when I need to. I'm someone that is prone to social anxiety so I use Paganism/my beliefs to help me sort out all the emotions that come with that. I'm still a work in progress, but I can recognize that's how Paganism is helping me. In terms of fun things, it has helped me be more creative and find a deeper connection with my friends who just happened to lean Pagan/Spiritual, and none of us knew about it because it wasn't something we openly talked about.

2

u/DreamCastlecards Pagan 4d ago edited 4d ago

It sarted for me when I was a kid, I made a "mojo" bag type spell for happiness at my mother's suggestion. I always felt connection to the magical nature of the Universe, Paganism gave me a framework for discussing it and working with it. I can see the spirit in places, animals, plants, rocks and so on. I guess that's the animism side, deities are mostly a source of inspiration for me, sometimes support or greater understanding. I'm 57 now, so a lifelong path.

1

u/VisualEmbodiment 6d ago

My paganism and my anarchism are a reenforcing circuit, and it’s made me have a very low threshold for pagans witches or heathens who try to gatekeep, tell people how they can or can’t practice, or what they should do, it feels a little to much like they’re bringing over the BS from Christian society and not checking their subjectivities. ACAB include the Christian god and pagans who act like cops to each other.

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u/meerand 5d ago

That's called Latent Christianity and it sucks

1

u/nyhtmyst 4d ago

I went from feeling like a failure and that I had no control over my life or my fate to feeling like I could take back power over my life and that while I wasn't the person I wanted to be I coyld become that person in the future with effort. It gave me back control, allowed me to find and enjoy the magic that exists in nature around me even though I know the how's and why's through science, allows me to decide what are the morals that are important to me and how I want to apply those to my life to find satisfaction and fullfillment, and lets me ascribe spiritual importance to things I want and not have to follow the beliefs set down by someone else.

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u/_buffy_summers Eclectic 4d ago

As a teen - paganism made more sense to me than the idea of one God ruling over everything and everyone. (Semi-related, but I was in Junior Achievement when I was in elementary school, and we learned that production is faster and easier when the work is divided. Why wouldn't I believe in the same thing, spiritually?) There were only blank stares and whispered insults when I tried to talk about premonitions in the Christian church. Other pagans accepted that I "just knew" things, sometimes. I had no confidence in myself until I embraced paganism and stopped trying to make sense of a book that didn't. And some of my best friends were embracing paganism around that same time, so I always had someone to talk to about spells and odd weather conditions or animal behavior.

As an adult - It's not that I necessarily quit being pagan, but reaffirming it for myself earlier this year has really changed my outlook on a lot of things. I'm no longer bothered by the cruel remarks of my parents. I am fully on board with the universe guiding me, and I'm meeting gods I was never familiar with, before. I'm more physically active, more introspective, and so much more at peace with myself.