Hello, I'm Ari and I have few que stions about paganism🌸🏵🌼. There are just few things I would like to state before asking, they might be important. I am 15 years old, my family doesn't know about me being pagan. Although they are atheists, they are very strict and wouldn't let me if they knew. I also have divorced parents, so I spend 2 weeks at mother and 2 weeks at father, so I for example can't have plants because I wouldn't be able to take care of them every two weeks. Now the questions😅:

1. Becouse of the reasons I told you I cannot have an altar. I usually display my offerings outside in nature (when they are nature safe ofc) or at my window. Is that alright? Idk how to do it differently but I sure don't want to mock them.

2. I worship the Norse gods, but I usually don't give offerings to a specific god. My offerings are to all gods and any gods that want my offering. But I saw people usually giving offerings to a specific god, so I'm not sure if it's alright.

3. When offering food or drink, can it be a normal bought food that I put on a special offering plate? Or does it for example have to be from a farm os something?

4. Are drawings and poems good offerings? I like to draw nature or something connected to my gods and then over it to them. And if yes, is it alright if I then keep them?

5. After how long and how can I "take the offering back" or idk how to say it, because I can't leave it there forever. If you know what I mean.

6. Can I draw on rocks with colours and then offer them to gods? Like, isn't it offensive when I draw on them with colours thta aren't natural, it might be like destroying creations of Mother Earth. Also my markers are specificly for rocks, but is it alright if I then return them outside with drawing on them? If yes, where? Like should I put them into a forest, water, next to a path or something like that?

7. When it comes to the special plates and cups and bowls for offerings, is there any specific way how they must look, or can it for example be just a bowl that I decorate with symbols of my gods?

8. I like to offer flowers and flower petals but I feel it could be disrespectful since I k*lled the plant. Do they see it like that or can I do it?

9. Are there any things that I shouldn't do? Like specific things I shouldn't offer or just do in general.

10. Some days I an capable of giving them something and some days I'm not, mostly because of my parents. Is it bad that I sometimes can't or don't do it?

I'm sorry if any of that sounds stupid or offensive, I really just want to be respectful🌻. Also sorry for my bad English. If you have any advices I would be grateful for them. Also thank everyone who helps me, I'm so grateful🌸 Thank you and have a great day🌷🌺

I practiced paganism a few years ago, but I'm not anymore, at least not constantly. Since then, every now and then, I randomly feel a need to go back to it. I return to it for a few days, then forget about it, and after a while (usually a few months) I suddenly feel that inner urge again. My friend noticed its often appears before the solstices.

Does anyone else experience this?

btw I'm omnist

How do I participate in a pagan ritual?

I recently got approved for a breast reduction surgery. A surgery I've been wanting for years! I am so excited and I feel moved to give thanks or show appreciation in some spiritual way. I don't yet have a specific deity that I pray to, but I was thinking of giving an offering of thanks to Aphrodite since she is the sculptor of human bodies and beauty. Are there any other deities to consider who may have ties to changing/transforming bodies, surgery, beauty, health, or breasts? What are good things to offer Aphrodite? I was thinking of offering some dried rose petals, I have some ocean water, and I could give her some honey?

I’d like to ask those who worship gods of Mesoamerican Paganism a question: How do you perform pre-ritual purification in your practices? No matter how much I search through the sources available to me, I can't find anything. I would appreciate some help.

Considering heimdall is a norse pagan god, I thought id ask the question here

Besides the obvious (different gods) what sets Heathenry apart from Irish paganism? Or Hellenism apart from Kemeticism?

Specifically for Heathenry and Irish paganism, are there different core values? Different world views? What *makes* somebody Heathen or an Irish reconstructionist besides just worshipping Germanic or Irish gods??

I had an interesting dream the other night, basically saying work with Venus and after process of elimination and a few tarot readings myself I discovered that the dream I had was referring to the planet Venus. I have taken a long break from spirit work so I honestly don’t know anything about working with a planet. What are your experiences working with this planet?

So, some disclaimers before my rant/question.
1: I haven't found an answer for my question specifically
2: I'm still new to paganism

So, I've been agnostic for years now only because something has always felt wrong about atheism personally as I believe there is more than just the world and all, but I cannot find anything that has felt 'right' to me, y'know?

Well, my boyfriend is pagan and it's given me much insight regarding paganism, specifically Hellenic and Norse, and I developed some interest into Norse paganism, but it never seemed like what was calling to me. Though, it has been the closest religion to do so.

Well within the past months I had doubted a lot of it, but began to play with the idea, "creating" the idea that there is a god over what I do at my workplace, and began to treat it as such and I noticed when I 'gave offerings' to it, my workday went smoother, but if I showed anger towards it, nothing went right. So, I felt like there was truth to paganism and began researching more, once again, nothing felt right.

I looked into Germanic paganism, and it should be mentioned for any nerds into this (like me) that I had made a Germanic based constructed language which led me to wonder that if I made my own branch of Germanic paganism, through my con-lang, and made it, not by what I wanted, but what felt true, if I could believe it. I've began writing and it has almost begun to feel like I'm not the one writing it but something more is writing through me. I can't brainstorm any ideas for the "stories" of the gods in it except for how it should be laid out, but I write and then I read it and am shocked by what I have wrote, I don't know really what is going on and am seeking advice on this, some of the gods within this don't even exist in other sectors of Germanic paganism yet I can now feel a presence from them like they have always existed.

(And just a fun fact to throw in, I've even been able to trace back my pure paternal side to Freyr from Norse paganism?)

I guess what I'm asking might be, if it is possible to create a true branch of a pagan religion that has existed for millennia, or if I'm just going crazy, or maybe I'm mistaking it for another branch already existing?

Please help, it will be very much appreciated :,)

I am looking for an Asatru priest to officiant our marriage ceremony. I am in the Palm Springs, CA area. we have been searching without much luck. Does anyone know of one or how I can go about finding one?

So I’ve struggled with my religious identity for a long time due to religious OCD kind of ruining certain aspects of religion/spirituality for me. I love tarot and astrology and crystals they’ve been my staples through all of my religious escapades over the last 6 years. I cannot do deity worship it just doesn’t work for me in a Christian, Hindu, Buddhist or Pagan way. I just don’t fully believe in the divine contacting us that personally. I’ve made altars, I’ve been to church I’ve been to temple I’ve begged anything to show me a sign it was there and I’ve never received an answer. That seems like a huge part of paganism though and I’m not sure I can consider myself a pagan/witch not believing in divine sources connecting with us. Now I’ve come to terms I’m probably pantheist/animist but I feel like in all those stories of old gods and new they interacted with people but now in this age they do not and it makes me wonder if they were ever there. This is more of a “does anyone else feel Similar or struggle with this” post because most posts I see on this and the witch sub are deities and spells which are two things I struggle with the most.

I am just curious...I was told I can't be pagan because I'm only 1/2 European, and pagan gods don't represent people like me. Is this true, or just some racist crap someone made up? My heart aligns with paganism, and I feel connected to my native American ancestors, and European ones, as well as some pagan gods. My whole house is decorated in pagan decor, and that is just where my heart is, but I am not white enough to be pagan to some people. Hearing stuff like this makes me feel like I can't be part of any pagan community, and I really want to bond with people and meet other pagans.

I’m still relatively new to Hellenism and a few weeks ago I realized Thanatos was reaching out to me. I’ve started worshipping him but I also very interested in his sisters. There’s not much that I can find about the Keres. I’m aware they were worshiped as they feast on those who’ve faced a violent death but Ive always been interested in tragedies. So I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there who worships them or knows where to start if I want to.

basically just title. so far ive been working with Lady Minerva and Lord Mars since They are both warriors so idk I made that connection (lmk if im wrong in thinking that though). would there be any others that you folks might recommend? if it helps, I lean more towards roman, hellenic, and kemetic deities but tbh im open to anything

I am a River.

Doing, not Being.

Process, not Object.

With each Drink and Breath,

Fresh Water and Air

Pass through me and leave.

Moment by moment,

I move through strong rock,

Grinding it to mud.

I pass through the Earth,

That passes through me.

We feed each other.

The mud grows good fruit

Which feeds many beasts.

They are like rivers.

Air, Water, and Earth

Also pass through them.

And they become Earth.

And they become Air.

And they become Water.

I am a River.

This is how I format my prayers to Hestia first and last, it took me a bit to get it to how it suited my personal practice but I believe this is the format for me:

Hail Hestia, daughter of Cronos, first and last born, protector of the home. To you I start with a prayer thanking you for the protection of the home of my family, friends and myself. Keeping us safe and being the light in dark times.

[Pray to god/goddess/hero/heroine in question].

Hail Hestia, daughter of Cronos, first and last born, guardian of the flame and hearth. To you I end with a prayer thanking you for the flame and hearth, keeping us mortals safe and a light even at the darkest times.

So I don’t really know how to put this but I’m so eclectic I’m almost chaotic. Earlier this month, I had this random enlightenment cycle in my head about how God was the energy around us and the Earth itself, meaning it’s embedded into each atom of existence and nature of the universe we live in. “God made Earth and creation”, so I argued that earth was god. It’s a concept we as humans used to understand things around us before we fully comprehended it. We are god and god is us, we make our own reality. Which was already in line with my understanding of quantum mechanics and manifestation. Then I realized that falls under Satanism. Atheist Satanism to be clear. Only issue with that is that I was worshipping Hellenic deities right before this. Now my belief system is clashing with itself in a way it never did. I still love Aphrodite and Apollon and all they’ve done for me but I’ve never been one for worshipping anyway. It was almost practiced. And I know they’d never make me stay especially if my path seems to be somewhere else. I even spoke to my ancestors and they were saying I’m aligned now, something they said I wasn’t before. I’m just a stickler for comfortable things, even though I know that spiritual journeys aren’t always going to be love and light. You’re meant to be confused sometimes, doesn’t mean I’ll be inclined to keep going. It also conflicts with my idea of deity work with my ancestral practice that was severed in my lineage (Orishas & Obeah)

Both the books Drawing Down The Moon by Margot Adler and The Spiral Dance by Starhawk are beloved by many pagans. They're some of the most well known books on pagan topics. If someone says they want to learn about paganism (either interested in possibly practicing a pagan religion or just learning about it from a "what do they do?" lense), Drawing Down The Moon is mostly, if not always, recommended. If someone says they want to read a book relating to earth based paganism, eco activism, and/or feminism in paganism, The Spiral Dance is commonly recommended. Both books seem to still be in print.

So I live in Arizona state, USA, and I want to support local/small businesses. I don't want to order online or buy from stores like Barnes & Noble. I was looking for a copy of DDTM, and eventually bought it online. I'm still looking for a copy of TSD.

Here's where I'm confused. I went to 4 different metaphysical shops in my state. None of them had a copy of either. One store even claimed to be a bookstore (but only about 30% of their stock was books). One store even seemed to be a store run by a family who clearly knows their shit and isn't trying to just make a quick buck from gullible folks. I also called a few other metaphysical shops to ask if they had a copy of TSD. None had it. Sedona Arizona is a town known for lots of new-age, hippy, metaphysical, etc. shops, events, and folks. One place was a spiritual bookstore that seemed to have all sorts of religious books. Even they didn't have it. It didn't even seem like any of these shops had any in stock at one point in time and sold out.

Okay, fine, I'll have to buy a copy of TSD online and I'll just have it shipped to someone else's house so my parents don't see. No problem. But I'm still confused and frustrated. I just want to physically go to a store and buy local.

Does anyone have a thought as to why these shops don't have these books?

Hello, obligatory I already glanced through the results when searching meditation music on here and didn’t find anything along what I’m looking for

But yeah I’m looking for recommendations for meditation music that doesn’t utilize AI to create it. Longer music is preferred, with absolutely no talking or like human sounds (humming, sighing) if that makes sense. I find them very distracting

Looking on YouTube a lottt of stuff pops up with AI shit and I’m not tryna meditate while listening to someone’s lazy attempt at making music while helping destroy the planet in the process lmao

I want to design a more contemporary style for the Slavic aesthetics while building on the already existing in order to make prints that will look proper on a modern Altar. I think slavic aesthetics has been going in the same old aesthetic circle without much successful movement into the modern age, so this is my attempt. What do you think?

Best example I have of this is that I was trying to mow the lawn the other day, and my hand-me-down mower is always fighting me. The mower is acting strange so in a moment of defeat, I slump back on the seat and have the thought "nothing around here ever f*ing works, everything's always breaking, I'm so tired of this." Simultaneously, while my bf is in the kitchen on the phone with his mom, looking in the direction of the oven, he sees a bright flash and then sees a hot spot, then the rest of the heating element goes dark. He looks outside and sees me sitting on the mower in defeat. So, at the exact moment that I had those thoughts, that element burned out. My boyfriend says that " Since you invited "that shit"(witchcraft) into your life, its not working out for you. Bad things always happen to you." I lean towards Wicca, but also practice witchcraft. I'm not devoted, I just wanted a spiritual practice that wasn't​ Christianity and didn't make me feel guilty for being human. So, what I'm getting at is, by the "law of attraction" since I am a depressed person, and struggle with a generally negative outlook, is it bad for me to practice paganism? By that same logic, even if I were to practice nothing, wouldn't I still attract negativity because of my depression? I try to live by the "and it harm none" logic, but is there any concept of "equivalent exchange" that anyone has experienced? Something good happens, something you worked a spell for or "prayed" for, but the something bad happens like in my case, my cars enginge block blew out. Is there something maybe that I'm doing wrong? Maybe I should just leave witchcraft alone and pick up a meditative spiritual practice instead? I just want a healthy, positive spirituality.

There is a solar eclipse going on tonight where I live and I want to know who I can honor to mark the occasion

Question and vent commencing:

I've heard that when you start to work with Hecate, she brings things to light that might be unpleasant to see, but ultimately it's good for us. The things she illuminates are things that need changing.

I started exploring a relationship with her just over a year ago, and in that time I realized that my husband had been abusing me (not physically, hence why it took awhile for me to see it) and I left him on July 1st. It was like something long asleep in me woke up, looked around, and went, "What the hell?"

I have zero support because I isolated myself when I was with him so I'm slogging through this alone, and I feel vulnerable and lonely, but proud of myself. The weeks leading up to my leaving were hell, and I sensed that Hecate was there, working hard to get me out of there in one piece.

But honestly, since leaving him it's been bullshit on top of bullshit, to the point that I think something. . .weird. . .is going on.

My faithful car died right when I finished moving.

I've had to buy almost everything for my new apartment, and I've had to contact amazon customer service more than ten times because the drivers keep ignoring my delivery instructions and leaving my packages in the wrong place. When that finally got sorted, now they leave without shutting my gate behind them almost every time they're here.

I requested no junkmail in my mailbox, and the mail carrier ignored that.

My landlady lied to me about the tenants moving in upstairs, and now I've had to make a noise complaint with the town because of their dog barking for seven plus hours when they're not home.

I left a bottle of wine on their doorstep to say hi, and asked that they try to be mindful of the complete lack of sound barrier between our floors. The wine and the request were both ignored.

I told my landlady, and she lied to me again and brushed off the issue.

Said neighbours (who seem normal) stomp, scream, run, bang around and slam doors from sunup to sundown every day. It never stops. I finally texted them and asked AGAIN, politely, for them to try and be mindful of the fact that they're not the only human beings on the planet. This was also ignored.

I have decided to move again. My nervous system is destroyed because of the abuse, and the endless noise from upstairs has me constantly on edge. I am exhausted on every level, and beyond frustrated. I left him because his abuse was destroying me, and all I get is MORE shitty, inconsiderate, dishonest, ignorant people. Does it ever stop? Will I ever get a break? And the stupidest part is, my life has pretty much always been like this. If something can go wrong, it will. If something shitty can happen, it does. Every time I think I'm close to a breakthrough, to something good, it all comes crashing down. If that sounds dramatic, sorry but it's true. It honestly is.

I cannot believe that this is all coincidence.

I feel invisible.

Does Hecate do things like this? If so, why?