Wiccans/witches/pagans/etc., have you had an experience so frightening that you considered giving up wicca?

As a pagan and magician, I've had a number of experiences that did seriously shake up my worldview. However, this is what happens once you get past th e basics, and realize that this isn't just symbolism and ease. Some people find they can't handle being responsible for their own realities, and so go running back to the religion they knew before.

For my own part, yes, magic and pagan beliefs have at times evoked situations that were tough to go trhough. However, I got through them and I learned a lot from the experinces. Therefore, they were well worth it.

First off, I'm going to guess you're talking about Magick here? Not all religious folks are Witches. Witchcraft and Pagan religions are very different groups. Moving on...

Being a practicing Heathen, I've not come across anything that ever frightened me in any way. Being a practicing witch, I've also never come across anything frightening. Actually, with both, all my experiences have ~encouraged~ me to continue what I'm doing!!

I'm afraid that you've been misinformed about Paganism (Wicca is a field of Pagan belief) and Witchcraft. It's good that you're asking questions to learn the truth though - whom better to ask than those that actually practice it!!

You're Wiccan the moment you think you are. You may not be a very good Wiccan, you may, in fact, be a crappy Wiccan, but the year and the day does not prevent you from being clueless or make you not clueless. Indeed, many people with many years and days behind them are clueless. UNLIKE the title "Witch" or the title "One of the Wica" or even the title Wicca (for a male) or Wicce (for a female) the title of Wiccan, used to refer to a PERSON, as a noun (well, as an adjective with the noun person implied) IS NOT OWNED by any tradition. It is a new title, and essentially meaningless when it comes to implying ability or knowledge. (Unless prefaced by a tradition type, or an adjective describing a type of Wiccan.) In regards to the comment: "99% of of Wiccans would not be considered Wiccan by Gardner. A majority of Wiccans today are "Eclectic", while most covens were started by Eclectic Wiccans." This is incorrect. 99% of "Wiccans" would not be considered WITCHES by Gardner. Gardner would have no clue what the heck a Wiccan (especially if pronounced Wick-en) was.

Nope. After practicing for a long time now I can say I have never ran into anything that scared me even the slightest about it. Its not even something that I have just "gotten used to" there absolutely has been nothing frightening that I have experienced. I think its a matter of common sense. Anyone who says they have had a frightening experience that almost made them give it up more likely than not did something wrong, was trying to do something that they were not prepared for, or was playing with something they shouldn't be. Like a Ouija board. Those things are evil. but that has nothing to do with Wicca.

Edited to add: And like soupcan I have had experiences that have deepened my faith as well. So I'm not sure why you have asked this question? are you experiencing fear due to a path that you chose? or are you simply a christian trying to get ammo for your "pagans worship satan" speaches?

I'm with Daughter here. My experience with my Gods and Goddesses has been one of feeling at peace and at home.

I have DAILY interaction with my Gods through UNGRUDGED worship. Why would I consider that something to panic over instead of having a sense of wonder that the Universe is so full of enriching experiences?

A friend of mine named Sannion wrote a tongue-in-cheek "Top Ten reasons NOT to practice Hellenismos" and guess what his "Number 1" reason was...... *drum roll please*

"And the number one reason not to be a Hellene:

1. The Gods actually listen to your prayers. You'd think this would be a good thing, wouldn't you? Especially coming from Christianity, with Yahweh the neglectful absentee Father God. But that's only because you haven't had Dionysos drag you into the desert to have a little heart to heart, while the temple where you were worshipping starts to burn down. Or have your wallet stolen every time you pray to Hermes. Or have four people proclaim their undying love to you within 24 hours of complaining to Aphrodite that you're feeling lonely. Or have your your telephone shut off after praying to have the chaos from your online life removed. The Gods have only had a handful of worshippers within the last 1600 years. This is a big change from the way it used to be, when whole cities would gather and burn oxen on their altars. They haven't had much to do in that time, and I think they're a little bored, you know. So they tend to take a very keen interest in our lives. Too keen sometimes. I saw a nymph watch me take a shower once. That was a very disturbing experience."

(You can read the entire essay here: http://www.winterscapes.com/sannion/top_ten.htm )

Nope.

I was raised in a catholic household, but was never really Catholic. In other words, I didn't buy it.

As a teenager, there was no information about the Hellenic reconstructionist movement, so I got interested in Celtic polytheism, since I'm Irish. It didn't seem "real" to me, and I abandoned that before I could really identify myself as such.

A little later after high school, I called myself a Satanist (as defined by Anton LaVey), but abandoned THAT after about a year and some because, frankly, _The Satanic Bible_ is like _Ayn Rand & Frederich Neitzche For Dummies_ with the forward to _The Complete Idiot's Guide to Thelema_ thrown in. LaVey's "philosophy" is pretty much that of every two-year-old I've ever met (ie: "I am an individual! The universe revolves around me!"), and his Enochian is REALLY dumbed-down for the angsty teen sect. Basically, I grew up.

Since recognising my "fitted" path as Hellenic polytheism, no, I have not had any "frightening" experiences that may make me want to give it up. I've had a few incredible ecstatic experiences as well as a couple or so dreams that simply left me feeling like, yes, these Gods *are* real and they *are* out there guiding me and sometimes (in their own ways) protecting me. Occasionally, I'm left feeling "shaken" but that's because of the intensity of the experience, not because it was in any way "frightening".

Why would our practices or experiences be frightening? Your statement implies that you believe that we are dealing with something... evil or what???

Our daily and nightly lives are just like any other religious people's. We work, we play and we live our lives in a very strict religious way, where we do whatever we like as long as we don't do any harm to others. Try that some time. It is not as capricious as it sounds. You would be amazed how hard that is when you want to get others to just open their eyes and see you for what you are. We are not devil worshippers and we are tied tightly to the earth.

Our God and Goddess have never done anything to us that is frightening or too hard to deal with. They don't test our loyalty, they don't promise that everything will be rosy and they have never asked us for sacrifices. Unlike the Christian God who demands strict obedience, our deities gave us life free of sin from our ancestors, because we didn't do anything to deserve that. All of our people have been born as they should be and Goddess didn't create anything that she didn't mean to. So we have no preconceived ideas or biblical reference that our deities didn't made people like Gays or that they hold the puppet strings waiting for us to do wrong. Life, all life is precious and we honor our God and Goddess part in all of our life.

Hell and damnation is frightening and it would seem that it would drive Christians to find other more loving and respectful religions.

Perhaps your friend was operating from a point of fear and inexperience. What she saw was more than likely a manifestation of her own fears and worries.. deep inside, she was probably feeling that she was sinning in what she was doing, and projected that into a thoughtform.

I've seen some things that might scare people and I've seen some things that surprised the heck out of me.. but nothing that ever made me want to give up my paganism.. I've run the gamut of religious beliefs and this is my heritage and destiny.

Feel free to email me or add me as a contact if you have any other questions you'd rather not discuss in a public forum.

Many blessings on your path.

No. Fear was never my motive in trying to give up Wicca or Paganism. I walked away from Wicca because it simply wasn't the path for me. I tried to walk away from Paganism/Heathenry due to personal reasons involving me being angry, depressed, and feeling the Gods had abandoned me but long story short what I was really running from were my own issues and self-doubts that had nothing to do with my path and if anything trying to turn from my Gods made matters worse for me. But fear has never played a part in it and indeed if fear is something that is hassling you I would ask myself first what it is you're really afraid of, and then second seriouly consider if you are on the right path for you if fear is what you're experiencing. Since you won't elaborate on what exactly is scaring you I can't offer much more.

No. I have been physcially threatened by christians and tormented by them as well. Never by wiccans or pagans so you tell me who is more fightening. My craft gives me peace. Christian practices are much more frightening than any pagan or Wiccan ones. Hatrid is a frighening practice.