Believing your Way
There are a lot of religious and faithful people out there. We as a people need faith. We need something to believe in. It is hard though when we believe in a different way than our loved ones. I don’t talk about my beliefs often. So many people are so strong in their beliefs that they are not and will not accept or see any other way to believe. First off, most of us believe in the same thing, we just practice that belief in different ways or so we think. Believing your way is the best way to connect with the higher power.
I always knew that traditional methods were not for me. I never felt comfortable in a church. For a long time, I identified as an atheist because I could not fathom a single entity creating all this, and much of this was explainable by science. After some experiences I became agnostic. I felt there was something more out there and I needed something to believe in at that time. But the whole personifying it like you or me did not sit right. I was in search of a way of believing that resonated with my higher self.
Finding my belief
After that, I visited many polytheistic religions that seemed more plausible to me than a single entity in charge of fate and destiny, but that had other issues embedded into the fabric of their faiths that I was not willing to succumb to. Finally, I found Wicca, and believing in something more made sense.
I had always been drawn to witchcraft, Wicca, magic, and nature, but always shied away from it because the people around me were ‘scared’ of it and had negative connotations of it. Until the day I didn’t.
Once I set out to follow the Wiccan path, things started to make sense. I had something to believe in and turn to for guidance. It felt right and that is all that matters. When it comes to faith and having faith, you can’t allow yourself to be swayed.
When I first came out and said I was Wiccan, I was hit with the Satan argument, and the child sacrifice argument, and none of this aligned with what I was doing and/or believing in. People just assumed Wicca is witchcraft, and witchcraft is Satan. Very few allowed me or listened with open ears about my Wicca. Honestly, I was in the wrong circles at that time.
How do you cope with people who dont understand your beliefs?
So how do you cope with people around you not understanding your beliefs, well:
1. They don’t have to, and you can’t make them. This is the whole problem with some religions. The assumption is that their way is the right way, and you have to believe, or you will not be saved. You cannot make anyone understand/accept your beliefs.
2. It is not their path. Most people won’t get it because it is not their path. I believe that we all essentially believe in the same thing, just how we believe is different, and I feel that is necessary and also part of the design. Just like we have different people on this planet, it was by design. There is a reason, even if it is not clear to us at this time.
3. You don’t have to share. Just because the question is asked, does not mean it needs to be answered. For example, if your friend is catholic and she is devoted to that faith more so than her life and asks you about your faith, simply decline the conversation. I mean is an argument about God worth losing a friendship over? When you are truly only arguing about How to worship him/her?
4. Draw comparisons between your faith and theirs. Again, at the end of the day, we all believe in the same thing, and it is just the how that we disagree on.
If all else fails, get a cottage in the woods and live out all your witchy dreams without judging and prying eyes.
Long story short, be true to who you are, those that love you and want you around will try to understand and accommodate you. Keep your chin up and follow the magic.
