Do your own search on terms that interest your own path. What is working for me, may not work for you. I had a spiritual leader tell me that if you don't question faith than you have no faith. Go to a temple. Read the Bible. Talk to people. Stare at the Moon. As long as none are harmed, try it. Wicca can be very open so step out and explore...
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an
alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the
essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people
live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual's inner life;
spiritual experience includes that of connectedness with a larger reality, yielding a more comprehensive self; with
other individuals or the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or
with the divine realm. Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or
orientation in life. It can encompass belief in
immaterial realities or experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the World.
Whilst the terms spirituality and religion both relate to a
search for an Absolute or God, and thus have much overlap, there are also
characteristic differences in their usage. Religion implies a particular faith
tradition that includes acceptance of a metaphysical or supernatural reality;
whereas spirituality is not necessarily bound to any particular religious
tradition. Thus William Irwin
Thompson suggests
that "religion is the form spirituality takes in civilization."
The earliest evidence of Hominids, such as Neanderthals and even Homo heidelbergensis (100,000 BC), deliberately disposing
of deceased individuals usually in funerary caches. The graves, located throughout Eurasia are believed to represent the beginnings of ceremonial rites. Neanderthals placed their deceased in simple
graves with little or no concern for grave goods or markers; however, their
graves occasionally appeared with limestone blocks in or on them, possibly an
archaic form of grave marking. These practices were possibly the result of
empathetic feelings towards fellow tribe's people, for example: an infant
buried in the Dederiyeh Cave after its joints had disarticulated
was placed with concern for the correct anatomical arrangement of its body parts.
The word religion is sometimes used interchangeably
with faith or belief system, but religion differs from private belief in that it
has a public aspect. Most religions have organized behaviors, including clerical hierarchies, a definition of what constitutes adherence or
membership, congregations of laity, regular meetings or services for the purposes of
veneration of a deity or for prayer, holy places (either natural or architectural),
and/or scriptures. The practice of a religion may also include sermons, commemoration of the activities of a God or Gods, sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trance, initiations, funerary services, matrimonial services, meditation, music, art, dance, public service, or other aspects of human culture.
Religion (from L. religionem "respect for what is
sacred, reverence for the Gods," "obligation, the bond between man
and the Gods") is derived from the Latin religiō, the ultimate origins of which are obscure. Many languages have
words that can be translated as "religion", but they may use them in
a very different way, and some have no word for religion at all. For example,
the Sanskrit word dharma, sometimes translated as
"religion", also means law. There is no precise equivalent of
"religion" in Hebrew, and Judaism does not distinguish clearly between religious, national,
racial, or ethnic identities. The use of other terms, such as obedience to God
or Islam are likewise grounded in particular histories and vocabularies.
The four largest religious groups by population, estimated to
account for between 5 and 7 billion people, are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,
and Hinduism.
In the Catholic Church, spirituality is generally seen as an integral part of
religion. The Catholic Church, also
known as the Roman Catholic Church, is, with over
a billion members, the World's largest Christian church. Led by the Pope, it
defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering its sacraments and exercising charity. The Roman Catholic Church is among the oldest institutions
in the World and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilization. It teaches that it is the one true church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the sole
successor to Saint Peter.
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. Atheists tend
to be skeptical of supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence. Rationales for not believing in any
deity include the problem of evil, the argument
from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelievers. Other arguments for atheism range
from the philosophical to the social to the historical. Although some atheists
have adopted secular philosophies, there is no one
ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere.
The Baha'i Faith was founded in the 19th century in
Iran and since then has spread Worldwide. It teaches unity of all religious
philosophies and accepts all of the prophets of Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam as well as additional prophets including its founder Baha'u'llah.
In the Bahá'í Faith, faith is ultimately the acceptance
of the divine authority of the Manifestations of
God. In the
religion's view, faith and knowledge are both required for spiritual growth.
Folk religion is a term applied loosely and vaguely to less-organized
local practices. It is also called paganism, shamanism, animism, ancestor worship, matriarchal religion, or totemism, although not all of these elements are necessarily present
in local belief systems. The category of "folk religion" can
generally include anything that is not part of an organization. Modern neopagan movement draws on folk religion for inspiration to varying
degrees. Neopaganism is an umbrella term used to identify a wide variety of modern religious
movements,
particularly those influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of pre-modern Europe.
Wiccan, one form of Neopaganism, beliefs vary markedly
between different traditions and individual practitioners. However, various
commonalities exist between these disparate groups, which usually include views
on theology, the afterlife, magic and morality.
Another characteristic of this religion is the celebration of seasonally-based festivals, known as Sabbats, of
which there are usually eight in number annually.
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and
organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents Worldwide. Methodism affirms the traditional Christian
belief in the triune Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as the
orthodox understanding of the consubstantial humanity and divinity of Jesus. Most Methodists also
affirm the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed. The Methodist Church is known for its missionary
work, and its establishment of hospitals, universities, orphanages, soup
kitchens, and schools to follow Jesus' command to spread the Good News and serve all people.
Agnosticism is the view that the truth values of certain
claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—are
unknown or unknowable. Agnosticism can
be defined in various ways, and is sometimes used to indicate doubt or a skeptical approach to
questions. In some senses, agnosticism is a stance about the difference between
belief and knowledge, rather
than about any specific claim or belief. In the popular sense, an agnostic is
someone who is undecided about the existence of a deity or deities
Religion in North America spans the period of Native
American dwelling, European settlement, and the present day. Its
various faiths have been a major influence on art, culture, philosophy and law.
Between them, the USA, Mexico and Canada account
for 85% of the population of North America. Religion in each of these countries
is dominated by Christianity.
A 2008 survey of 1,000 people concluded that, based on
their stated beliefs rather than their religious identification, 70% of
Americans believe in a personal God, roughly 12% of Americans are atheist or agnostic, and another 12% are deistic (believing in a higher
power/non-personal God, but no personal God).
The largest religion in the US is Christianity, practiced by the majority of the population (76% in
2008). From those queried, roughly 51.3% of Americans are Protestants, 25% are Catholics, 1.7% are Mormon (the name commonly used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints), and 1.7% of various other Christian denominations. Christianity was introduced during the
period of European colonization.
A 2001 survey directed by Dr. Ariela Keysar for the
City University of New York indicated that, amongst the more than 100
categories of response, "no religious identification" had the
greatest increase in population in both absolute and percentage terms. This
category included atheists, agnostics, humanists, and others with no theistic religious beliefs or
practices.
Buddhism entered the US during the 19th century with the
arrival of the first immigrants from Eastern Asia. The first Buddhist temple was established in San
Francisco in 1853 by Chinese Americans.
Because religion continues to be recognized in Western
thought as a universal impulse, many religious practitioners have aimed to band
together in interfaith dialogue and cooperation. The first major dialogue
was the Parliament of the World's Religions at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, which remains notable even today both in affirming
"universal values" and recognition of the diversity of practices
among different cultures. The 20th century has been especially fruitful in use
of interfaith dialogue as a means of solving ethnic, political, or even
religious conflict, with Christian-Jewish reconciliation representing a complete reverse in the attitudes of
many Christian communities towards Jews.
Recent interfaith initiatives include "A Common Word", launched
in 2007 and focused on bringing Muslim and Christian leaders together, the
"C1 World Dialogue", the "Common Ground" initiative between
Islam and Buddhism, and a United Nations sponsored "World Interfaith Harmony Week".
This is just a few short terms that helped me when I started. Many of these faiths are much more complex. The season of Earth is turning. It is a time to rest and a great time to explore.
This is just a few short terms that helped me when I started. Many of these faiths are much more complex. The season of Earth is turning. It is a time to rest and a great time to explore.
Garden of Love:
Plant four rows of squash;
Squash gossip, Squash
indifference,
Squash grumbling, Squash selfishness.
So may it be.
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