Greetings!
What exactly is Eclectic Paganism?
To comprehend what encompasses this term, we must first understand what the words mean separately:
1. Eclectic: Deriving ideas (or a person who derives ideas), style or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
2. Paganism: a broad group of indigenous and historical polytheistic religious traditions—primarily those of cultures known to the classical world.
In a wider sense, it has also been understood to include any non-Abrahamic folk/ethnic religion.
Now that we have that cleared up, we can begin to dissect the term.
It essentially means that you adopt and combine ideas and principles from many Pagan religions and make them your own. It's like a personalized way of thinking or religion, depending on what you have chosen to believe. You can mix and match depending on your spiritual needs and it gives you the freedom of choosing your own path. This is especially beneficial for people who don't like to feel restrained by any one religion.
It is of importance though that one fully studies and comprehends those principles or ideas that will be implemented into ones beliefs. One should not just take from here and there without full knowledge of what it means and how it will affect ones path. This can take days, months or years to achieve and one mustn't rush in any way. It's also important not to mix contradictory belief systems and this is why research and actual practice is what will let you know if it feels right for you and if it makes sense. There must be balance in between all the beliefs/practices you decide to adopt in order for your spiritual life to make sense and be cohesive and consistent, so it's not as simple as it sounds.
There are so many different religions and so many different ways of thinking out there and choosing something in a rush or just because it's trendy or sounds nice in theory is NOT honorable and truthful. It's also disrespectful towards the followers and founders of each religion. Keep in mind that finding your path is not always easy and it will take time. I remind myself of that every day. I take it one step at a time and embrace what feels right and reject what doesn't.
This whole explanation is just what I've gathered from reading and researching. I just wanted to express my opinion on the matter in case anyone needed a basic explanation of it. I hope you find this information helpful and here are some of the sources I read in order to come up with this post (bear in mind that none of this sources are authorities on the matter as neither am I):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_paganism
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eclectic
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080925143950AAAdO1T
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/eclectic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om946FjTYvw
Until next time.
| *The information on this blog is my personal opinion based on experience and research. Every post has a source link for credit purposes, should it contain material from other sources. I'm not an expert on any of the subject matters discussed herein and I'm not responsible for the material offered in the websites linked as sources.* |
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