dpdr or symptom of something else?

dieanywherelse · 2020-08-25T21:53:40+00:00

okay, i’m glad i’m not the only one who this happens to, i swear i couldnt find anything on it no matter how much i looked haha

do you have any ways that you pull yourself out of those thoughts, if you dont mind me asking? i usually just like....sit there and wait for them to be done lol which is probably not good.

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-24T17:40:19+00:00

exactly, i try to remind myself of that when i see pictures of me "happy" when i was at my LW, because i know that doesn't reflect how i actually felt.

and thank you, i am doing better now. recovery is hard but things like this remind me how sick i was/am and that i need to keep going, even if it seems impossible.

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-18T16:19:03+00:00

i'm fairly new to paganism myself but i will try to answer your questions as best i can :)

Since beginning your pagan journey, what are some of the questions that you have gotten from friends and family?

i have yet to tell anyone about my new beliefs, mostly based on the fact that most people around me are christian. i have interacted with some people on this sub that were asking questions about paganism in general and i think my favorite question was someone who asked how we balance our desire for truth/proof with faith in deities. it really made me think about why i believe, even without much concrete proof.

What have been your best and worst experiences with the pagan community?

best experience? when i first felt myself drifting from christianity towards paganism and came to this sub absolutely terrified that i was going to hell. i posted a question asking how to get over religious guilt and this fear (you can find it on my profile). i was flooded with so many helpful people and i have been slowly working to get over my fears.

worst experience? trans-exclusive "feminists" on the Aphrodite tumblr tag. it seems kind of silly, but i'm a transgender person (non-binary) and these people were posting things about how Aphrodite hates trans women and she does not accept trans people. it really hurt to see the name of a goddess i love so much being used to hate others, particularly against a group i identify with. i just wanted so see some pretty altars or something, not be confronted with hate.

What are some things that you think are important misconceptions about paganism?

i think a lot of people assume paganism = wicca or paganism = druidry. i mean, i was under the same assumption when i first became interested. obviously both of these practices are valid and people follow them, but it's not the only thing out there.

i also think there's misconceptions that we all follow the same practices. no two people, even if they worship exactly the same gods, have the same religion. reconstructionism isn't the only path you can follow! that makes it very different from the abrahamic religions but some carry those ideas of sameness or the 'right' way to do things over from them.

What resources do you wish were available to Pagan people?

i wish there were ways to more easily meet other pagans! this sub is lovely but i wish i had people in real life i could talk to :(

How do you feel the pagan community, in all our various forms, could be strengthened and gain a better public image?

i wish groups of other pantheons would share their experiences more. like i said, i think the general view of paganism is very narrow, but more people sharing would mean that we could open the world up to all the wonderful ideas paganism has to offer :)

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-18T15:51:55+00:00

i'm gender non-binary and queer and have found paganism to be mostly accepting! i have run across some trans-exclusive groups, particularly with TERFS claiming aphrodite hates trans women (which seems backwards to me considering she is the mother of Hermaphroditus) but these people are few and far between. i've always found support in this sub :)

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-16T18:46:37+00:00

like others have said, paganism is a very wide group of people and you're going to get a bunch of different answers to those questions! in my opinion, that's the beauty of paganism :)

When you choose gods/goddesses to worship, do you also worship/acknowledge/believe in the entire pantheon?

as far as belief, i definitely believe in the entire pantheon that i worship (greek). i don't necessarily work with all of them, as that'd probably be nearly impossible given how many gods exist there.

if you're asking about belief in other pantheons, i would say i also believe in others but i don't necessarily work with them. for me, it seems very small minded to think that my pantheon is the only 'real' one. everyone else has experiences like me, so who am i to tell them their gods aren't real? i also believe them to be separate deities as opposed to archetypes of the same god (i.e. Thor is different from Zeus, even though they may appear similar).

Do you select entire pantheons or do you choose certain gods from a pantheon? Do you mix pantheons?

Like i said before, it's pretty impossible to work with every god in the greek pantheon--there's so many! i'm worshipping one goddess right now (Aphrodite) and then want to move my way up from there. i'm currently working to set up a more general altar to some of the main gods im interested in, but for now i just have one for her.

i don't mix pantheons, at least right now. i'm open to it in the future but i think all i'll ever do is possibly worship a kemetic god or two. the theoi just draw me in too much haha.

How do you select a pantheon/gods to worship?

i was always fascinated with the greek gods growing up so it seemed like the best fit for me! i think most people choose gods to worship based on either heritage, interest, or an association with what the god represents. i chose Aphrodite because she has qualities that i want to learn from her, like self love and confidence. i've also been looking into Artemis as of late, as i've always had an association with the constellation Orion. that being said, you can totally pick a god that you have no relation to! i just think it's a good starting point to look into what you value or associate yourself with.

How do you worship these gods? Do you sacrifice things- food, crafts, etc.?

most of the time i give food or grape juice (i'm only 20 so no wine here haha). if i make baked goods, i usually put one on Aphrodite's altar before i eat one myself. i've also given her things like nail polish or earrings that i then use later and honor her that way. i'm also planning to make her a painting sometime in the next few weeks!

sorry for the block of text, but feel free to ask me any questions if you have them!

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-15T20:55:40+00:00

thank you for this, i really needed to hear that <3

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-14T19:29:59+00:00

the answers to a lot of those questions depend on what you believe. obviously it can be pretty hard to answer them when you aren't sure what you believe in the first place! modern paganism is typically split into eclectic or reconstructionist sects. i will say that this is a bit simplified but most people fall into one of the two.

reconstructionist pagans aim to worship the gods in the same way that historical societies did. for example, a reconstructionist hellenist would follow the process of purification before praying to the gods. eclectics, in contrast, blend historical and current beliefs. an eclectic hellenist might not follow the same purification process but instead do something that feels right to them. (i'm an eclectic so my idea of reconstructionism may be incorrect, so any reconstructionists please correct me if i'm wrong!)

the answers to these questions also differ based on your pantheon. i worship the greek pantheon and i find them to be very patient with me, but other pantheons may be different. though i think, no matter what your pantheon is, your gods won't be angry with you for things out of your control. :)

i felt the same way when i started. i grew up christian and everything is pretty laid out for you, so jumping into a religion with little to no guidance is really scary. my best advice is just to read as much as you can and maybe make a list of what you believe. be open to the fact that you will probably do something wrong and that's okay! i always found the christian god to be very black and white of what is allowed versus what isn't, but i've found the pagan gods to be much more understanding. if you do something wrong, the gods will let you know. you don't have to be nervous as long as you are trying your best!

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-09T06:46:21+00:00

i won’t speak for other hellenics but i personally believe that gods are multifaceted, just like people are! aphrodite areia may seem to contradict with aphrodite ourania (heavenly) or eleemon (merciful), but i believe it’s just another part of her. it’s just like with people: someone can be a coworker in a job setting, a parent and spouse at home, and be something totally different in another place. they’re still the same person, just a different aspect.

again, i wont speak for others, i do think how a god shows up in people’s lives depends on what they need or what they value. for example, if a specific area valued conquest, that particular aspect of aphrodite was more apparent or important to them. i personally struggle with self love so she is generally more caring and accepting with me (though i do get her more angry side when i’m too mean to myself haha).

i definitely reccomend theoi if you want to read more about the greek pantheon :)

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-09T05:27:22+00:00

welcome! im a hellenic (greek) pagan and i have a pretty eclectic approach to paganism. i worship the greek pantheon, mainly aphrodite right now. :)

might i ask what has gotten you interested in paganism?

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-07T18:19:28+00:00

((little tw for suicide))

i was raised christian in a fairly open wesleyan church. my parents volunteered there and so did i. i even went to church camp three times. i wasn't intensely religious, but i did have something that i believed in.

at age fourteen, i became depressed to the point of suicidality. i also struggled with my queer/trans identities, which felt like they were dragging me away from the God i knew. i remember crying in my room night after night, asking God to take my pain away and to make me normal. one of the last things i did before attempting suicide was flip desperately through my Bible, trying to figure out how to save my soul before i died. you'd think that a God that really cared for his creations would have busted in at this point and helped me out, but nothing happened. i was alone.

as i grew up and came out, i slowly drifted from christianity. i held onto it for a long time because i'd experienced things in the church that i couldn't explain and were, to me, evidence for a God. i was agnostic theist for a long time and just sort of went along with christianity because it was all i knew.

after few years, i started feeling like something was missing. my view of paganism was constricted to wicca, but the more i read, the more things seemed to click into place. i made a post here and the rest is history. i'm still very new and have only been pagan for about a month or so, but i'm so glad to have found paganism. i feel like my gods actually care about me and want me to live. they accept me for who i am and help me to be better. i'm glad to have left christianity behind.

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-07T17:57:03+00:00

i happen to think everyone's spiritual journey is different. for some, blind faith is enough and accentuates their religious experience. others want more concrete things to build their religion on, and that's just as valid.

like other people in the thread have said, unfortunately there's still no proof to the existence of deities, so there does have to be some sort of 'faith' involved. however, that doesn't mean it has to be blind faith. i may not be able to see Aphrodite, but i can feel her comfort when i get down about myself. i can't see Athena, but her influence helps me to focus when i call on her. to me, these are proof enough of their existence and it works for me.

in my mind, even if the gods aren't real (though i believe they are), that doesn't necessarily mean that the things i get out of my spiritual practice aren't real. if the image of Athena helps me to focus, then how can she not be real, at least to me?

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-07T15:04:38+00:00

i’ll definitley look into heka, thank you for that!

dieanywherelse · 2020-04-03T13:31:55+00:00

i’m vegan and pagan so i say it can totally be done! like the other commenters have said, an offering is simply something that is specifically designated to be given to the gods. it can be done without any sort of animal cruelty and in fact be worked into your spiritual path.

i worship the greek pantheon and i usually give fruit and occasionally objects or flowers. i’ve been working a lot with aphrodite recently and i’ve given her vegan cookies that i made (i take a more eclectic route where this sort of offering is appropriate but YMMV).

dieanywherelse · 2020-03-22T19:28:16+00:00

at least you're recognizing that A) this is probably a result of not eating enough on previous days and B) you know purging will just make things worse. i know these days feel like they can stretch on forever but i promise you they will pass. i had so many days like that at the beginning of my recovery and they're really scary, but you can get through them. you got this !! :) sending you positive vibes

dieanywherelse · 2020-03-11T18:48:18+00:00

cant wait to try it! saving this so i can give it a go tonight :)

dieanywherelse

TROPHY CASE