My Testimony of sorts, why I’ve came to believe as I do.

Originally Posted On a Myspace Profile Blog -- November 14th, 2007.

How I came to find my path is not really dramatic at all, in fact it's very anticlimactic, I guess on how natural the transition was.

I grew up, Christian for the most part, though I use the term "christian" loosely.

I would go with "Christian-By-Default" my family members would go to church and what not, and they'd drag me along with them.

I really cant remember anything I learned in my early years at church from ages 5-10, except the Sunday school kids church coloring sessions coloring bible characters, and candy and snacks.

and the Christmas and Easter programs where the kids got to sing carols and do skits and what not.

then my family stopped going to church, and I stepped into the christian-by-default thing, I would only pray, or whatever when it benefited me.

and I was always open minded towards other faiths and ideas, I always - Always gave people the benefit of the doubt.

when i was about 12, I started going back to church again by myself,and it was alright for awhile, I wouldn't go every Sunday but maybe 1-2sundays a month.

Then I basically got to the point that I didn't care.

I wouldn't say I was atheist or agnostic by any stretch of the imagination, because I did believe in God, but I was like y'know I don't think god really cares how we choose to honor him just that we do.

I was like this for a few years.

then in 2005, I started college, and I met some neat people, I met a girl who I went to high school with..but it was one of the people whom I knew of but never really talked too.

anyway she was a Pagan, and at the time we were just friends, so we'd talk about things an...

also, at that time in my life I felt something speak to me, I didn't like the whole traditional church thing.

but the college I attend has a campus Crusade for Christ chapter, and I would go to their weekly meetings, and fellowship and just hang outwith them..and I would feel rejuvenated.

at the same time me and my pagan friend of mine..we kept getting closer and closer...until one night we just simply starting dating .and we've been together ever since lol.

well, I would ask her questions about paganism, and go to the local metaphysical shop. and read her mini-library collection on Wicca and paganism and witchcraft.

and i found it all really neat. and it seemed that the people I was meeting in the community, and the books I was read pointed to a very open minded non-judgmental community.

I was still attending Campus Crusade meetings at the time too, mind you.

(did I tell you I was open minded?, and saw all attempts to connect with spirit and the divine a noble endevor)

Well, eventually it got back to them that I was dating a pagan, and theclub members started distancing themselves from me, and their hypocracybegan to show. until eventually I was like to hell with it and stopped going.

and at that point I reliazed that I had no problems whatsoever withJesus/Yeshua..my problems laid with the mainstream church organizationsand the hypiocritial mainstream christian practioners (though not all were like that, the ones I had encountered that WERE like that finally pushed me away)

so, I started embracing paganism more, and researching the history of the church and the bible and what not. and I took a few college classes on philosophy of religion and "early Christian History"

I've studied some on Asatru (Norse Paganism), Wicca, Witchcraft, general Neo-Paganism,New-age ness, Reiki, Healing techniques, herbs, stones/crystals,Gnostic Christianity, Mystical traditions of the world, mysticalaspects of yeshua/Jesus's teachings and Christianity.

and its all helped shape my "Paulism" Path, my "Universalist" approach to eclectic Paganism.

I identify myself as a Pagan because most of my concepts about deity comes from the NeoPagan movement. and when I do ritual Its more so geared towards outer-court Wiccan ritual structure,purification/creation of sacred space, elementals, casting of circle,envoking the gods, ritual work/spellcraft, cakes and ale, dismissing the gods and elements, opening the circle.

I just appreciate all forms of spirit and spiritual traditions, thats why i like studying all that I can.

and I guess thats about it.