AboutAlayne Grey Expertise I am a Druid and a scholar of Wicca and other forms of Paganism - I can answer people's questions about Wicca, Witchcraft, Druidry (specifically), how to begin Pagan studies, Asatru, Shamanism and so on. I also feel myself competent to deal with the questions of teenage seekers looking to be Pagans, as I am a teenager myself.
Experience I've been a Druid for almost a year, write essays for Witchvox, and I am currently writing a book on controversial Pagan issues. I am widely read about Wicca and other Pagan paths and about the best foundations for beginning such a rewarding spirituality.
Publications I am listed under "Alayne Grey" on Witchvox and have written several essays, including one about my own beginner's experience.
Education/Credentials I am a Pagan teenager completing my A-Levels, having achieved high GCSE awards the previous year in 2005.
Question Hi, I'm 16 and I have been considering the Pagan ways for sometime. Today I have decided to become a Pagan, but I do not know how. My parents are both Catholics and I was brought up with these beliefs however, I don't agree with many of these things, one being how the Church fail to see beauty in some things. i love nature and looking at the stars at night, a great sense of good feeling goes through me when I do. Please could you help me?
Answer Hi Ciaran,
This may seem like a strange beginning to my response, but - have you ever been a practising Catholic? Do you know WHY you don't believe in Catholicism, or Christianity? What does Christianity NOT satisfactorily explain to you? What is it that the Church fails to see beauty in? (I know many Christians who would argue against that, as plenty of ecology groups are Christian, and Christians consider themselves stewards of the earth [Genesis] appointed to look after the world.)
All religions ask you to believe something particular in order to belong - Christianity at its heart, whatever denomination, asks a person to accept Jesus Christ as their personal saviour, and that he rose from the dead to vanquish sin. Christians debate among themselves almost everything else, including whether to follow the Bible literally, whether abortion is right and wrong, whether gays are actually made the way they are by God etc. Is your reason for leaving Christianity that you don't believe in Jesus? That you never have, or have never felt God's presence? All other tenets are debatable, and you can always find a denomination or a section of Christianity that believes this or not that - but this is the crux.
Becoming a Pagan was an incredibly soul-searching time for me, as I had to justify why this religion was right for me, and why the Anglicanism I'd grown up with was not. It came down to the fact that I didn't believe the Bible was divinely inspired and I disagreed with almost everything in it, I didn't believe in God nor had I felt his presence nor did I believe he was loving, and the same for Jesus Christ, and I felt he had never answered my prayers.
Why did I become a Pagan? Because there was no judgement in it, no eternal damnation after death if you (as humans do) retained doubts right up until your last minute alive, because no one can ever really be convinced! Why did I become a Druid? Because I felt a God call out to me - one that responded to my prayers, and then others, Gods who listened and spoke to me. I felt their presence in everything, in a way I had never felt from the Christian God.
My advice to you is to look at as many Pagan paths as possible, as there may be one that calls out to you. The book "Pagan Paths" by Pete Jennings is an excellent starting point. Scott Cunningham's "Living Wicca" books are a good resource on Wicca, as is the no-nonsense website http://wicca.timerift.net
Isaac Bonewits' website and book "Bonewits' Essential Guide to Druidism" are good resources on Druidry. The website Witchvox is a good resource generally for different kinds of Pagans.
Remember that there is no "gospel." There is a lot of bullshit out there, and a lot of disagreement, as Paganism doesn't have a holy text. Stick to Pagan authors who are historically accurate, and avoid those that aren't (Silver Ravenwolf, Starhawk to some extent, D.J. Conway, Douglas Monroe). Anyone who says millions of people died in the "Burning Times" is immediately suspicious.
Ultimately, Paganism boils down to a holy communion between you and deity - whether this is one God, or a God and a Goddess, or many Gods. It's a connection you feel to the Gods, and your worship of them, which you do in everything; creativity, charity, prayer, or just sitting in a patch of sunlight and appreciating the warmth on your skin.
Or looking up at the stars in the night sky, and being awed by how distant they are, and how huge and vast and incredible the world breathing around you is. Religion can be a little like politics; you have your own opinions and beliefs, and they don't necessarily mesh with everyone else's.
But you want to be sure this is what you are. So I do advise giving Catholicism, or Christianity, one last try. Go to Mass, talk to your parents about their beliefs - hear their testimonies about why they believe in God - perhaps reread the Bible. Find the personal side of Catholicism. Can you find it meaningful? Because if you can't, and Paganism "feels" like home - you're already one of us.
