I think I'm a pagan
 

I was raised muslim .. left Islam at the age of 18
became an agnostic for a couple of years but loved to read about buddhism
believed in many different things from different sources
I wasn't sure what am I so I took a religion test and the result showed that I'm a pagan
wasn't sure what pagan is so I started to read about it and it feels right
so, my question is .. do you discover that you are a pagan or do you have to do something to become one ?

Do you discover that you are Neopagan? Sometimes. In some cases, individuals can be adopting practices and beliefs that fall under the umbrella. They don't realize it because Neopaganism isn't exactly a mainstream group of religious beliefs, so they don't use that label for it. Many describe their awareness of Neopaganism as a "coming home" and then they begin to walk the path more conscientiously.

Do you have to do something to become one? Sometimes. Walking the path more conscientiously involves that. Also, some people become part of Neopagan traditions that have specific entry and training requirements. Not all traditions have that, but for those that do, there are things you have to do in order to be part of that specific tradition.

Sara, you are one of the bravest people I have ever met - which says a LOT. To be a female and leave islam has to be one of the most dangerous acts a human can do today, especially if she is part of a devout family. You have my deepest respect.

I was born Protestant, moved on to what I called 'cynical agnosticism' and now I am back to wondering what the heck is going on in the unseen worlds. I am still not comfortable with the traditional God concept. But in the last year I have communicated with.... spirits of formerly living people, mostly people I knew myself. Spirits of formerly living animals. Angels. Trolls. Fairies. Mother Earth. I expect certain other supposedly mythical beings to turn up any minute now. I don't know what I am any longer, but it sure isn't atheist.

WhiteWarrior, the same can be said of any of the Abrahamic religions, particularly orthodox Judaism and possibly Catholicism. However I will concur that for us women-folk it is more difficult and takes a lot of bravery sometimes to do so :)

Sara, I was born into an incredibly religious Christian family; if they had known that I converted I would likely not have very many family members left. My mother knows, but she too converted from Christianity. We are each others' support in that respect.


Your question about having to do something to become a pagan is not very simple- as Quin says it depends on the path you choose. To be solitary, no one can tell you what you are or what you're not. You are what you choose to be and believe what you choose to believe, no one can take that away from you.

My suggestion would be to study solitary first; ask questions around the forum and learn all you can, not only about things you may not know but things that you believe in your heart. Take that knowledge and mold it. When you've learned, seek out a tradition that appeals to you.

My second suggestion would be to research covens or circles that meet near you, and speak with them. My mother was my guide more or less through my pagan path and so sometimes having a person help you each step of the way is good.

If at any time, however, you feel uncomfortable with the person who is leading you, remember you are always free to come and go as you wish.

Most Neopagan religions are rather informal in some regards. There's no literal conversion process like in Catholicism and so on. One thing you must keep in mind is that paganism is an umbrella term that covers several disparate and distinct religions. Some are similar and others are very different. And then you have other trends such as eclecticism (which is something people generally, and incorrectly assume is pan-pagan), revivialism and reconstructionism. But overall, it's about learning and following the religion, and for some, like heathenry, it's about modifying your worldview, which is even harder than any conversion process - but that's hardly universal in pagan religions.

For a good starting point, the Cauldron has a nice primer on the subject: http://www.ecauldron.net/newpagan.php

How sweet of you to say those words to her...don't think I didn't notice.
I wrote you down in my little black book.

What are you implying?

Which particular branch of Paganism are you drawn to? Very little is known about the Paganism practiced by the ancestors of today's Muslims.

Really? Wouldn't they simply be traced back to Mesopotamian, Egyptian, or Hellenic Pagan religions? Same as with the Christians and Jews?

The Arabic tribes and peoples before their conversion to Islam, and Christianity, practiced a form of Semitic paganism similar to the Canaanites, but there's almost no real records or knowledge of what deities they worshiped or how they did their religious ceremonies, if my memory is doing me right. The only thing I can recall at the moment is that the name Allah was the word used for one of the major deities before the name was used for the revealed god of Muhammad. Just like El was the name of a Canaanite god before it was co-opted by the Israelites in the form of Elohim.