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Welcome!

Pagan- Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin paganus, from Latin, country dweller, from pagus country district; akin to Latin pangere to fix

  My family lives in the hills of West Virginia where many of the old ways have been preserved and I was lucky enough to be exposed to them from the very beginning.  My mothers side of the family were farmers and planted and harvested by the cycles of the moon.  May people on that side are guided by a deep and powerful "intuition" that never seems to lead them astray.  My father's family is led by a matriarch who has a deep belief in  direct interaction with "angels" and actually conversing with the Divine.  Along with many prophetic dreams, the ability to see through any lie, and coming back from Death several times because "God said it just wasn't time yet," the family is all but typical.

My personal experiences outside of the family began quite early as well.  My parents taught me to read at a very early age and never held me back as far as that went.  My uncle fueled my passion for unicorns and fantasy and listened to me when I told him that I thought they were real and tried to rationalize it.  At the age of six, I had read every book at the public library on fantasy creatures and had stumbled across mythology.

Mythology became an undying passion in me.  Unlike the fantasy I had studied before, these were the actual beliefs aof civilizations.  By the age of eight, I was moved to a "gifted" class because I kept correcting the teachers when they tried to teach about the Greeks and Romans.  My parents were really supportive of my newest interest and bought an entire set of encyclopedias so I could research whenever I wanted.  I read each one cover to cover. 

Finally, with all of this knowledge in my head, I began questioning the popular ideals of society and mainstream religion.  My parents were very supportive and carried on deep conversations about their personal faiths with me on into the nights.  Sometimes we would talk for hours.  Just imagine having a theological debate with a ten year old!  My mother and father both were Christian but with their own beliefs.  My father, like his mother, believed in a personal connection with God.  Very personal, in fact.  He also believed that there was nowhere on Earth he felt closer to God than when he was out in Nature hunting and fishing.  My mother was raised Christian as well, but had her own interests in Native American Shamanism.  So much so, that she named my brother Seneca.  She incorporated her Christian beliefs with Shamanic ones.  Basically, the Great Sky Spirit was God.  She also practiced many Folk Arts and could cure anything with Folk medicine.  She bought me my first deck of Tarot cards when I was ten. Of which I still have today.  I have to say, I was very lucky to have parents so open-minded, supportive about religion.  And as far as Faith goes, there were no better role models than my family.

As they years passed, the myths of my ancestors became more than that.  With all that I had studied of religion, I saw so many universal truths.  I saw so many reincarnations of the basic beliefs of the Ancients.  I just couldn't get the ideas out of my head.  The idea of the wheel of the year tied in with everything I was ever taught by my family.  And the idea of a Great Mother became so natural.  I began adopting the ways of my Celtic ancestors and cherishing the traditions that still exist within my family.  I certainly can't consider myself New Age, since all that I believe is so old, some of it is lost in time forever.  I try not to classify myself under any religion since my beliefs are made up from so many wonderful influences.  SO, if you must call me something, call me pagan. 

 

Brief descriptions of Celtic  holidays and sabbats
 
The way the ancient Celts measured the year
 
Different outlines for meditations, crafts and activities.
 
  Briefly describes how I began walking my path.  Eventually, I would like to link to other sites illustrating personal journeys  pagan pathways.
 
 

Pagan/Celtic/Family Links:

Ferret's Glen

This is a link to my best friend, Dan's site.  His site is filled with personal experience from one who is experienced in his path.

Witches' Tutorial

This is Dan's wife, my cousin, Aimee's page.  She is new to her path, but definitely has done her homework.  Her resources are very informative and worth your time.

Celtic Paganism vs. Wicca

This is an article I stumbled across and decided to post.  I don't think it represents me entirely, but it definitely clears the confusion most people have about Wicca and Celtic Paganism.

WitchVox

One of THE BEST resources on the web for pagans, witches and what nots...  There section on the military is wonderful as well.

 

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How to contact me:

on AOL IM "AmandaAwbrey"

on Yahoo IM "Aithnefire"

on MSN "AmandaAwbrey"

or email me

The ivy and Celtic knots came from Pats Web Graphics.  Be sure to visit!

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