Certainly. To be a polytheist means nothing more than that one believes there are many Gods; it doesn’t speak to one’s practices. A person could easily say, “I am a polytheist (or, ‘I am a pagan’), that point of view seems correct to me, but I have not decided which God(s) I wish to worship or how I wish to go about it, nor am I interested in doing any magic at this time.” There is nothing at all inconsistent in this, and in fact I think that it speaks to the position of more than a few people.

I think the association of various Pagan paths with magic has come about because the occult revival happened before the Pagan revival.

What did it for me was a nice hit of acid and trying to comprehend the fact that the universe cannot be comprehended by the limited volume of grey matter inside your brain-bucket…

What if your comprehension does not originate in that limited volume of grey matter? What if consciousness is purely energy? What if one could expand that energy, and thus expand one’s ability to comprehend?

Also, I think it’s important to remember that much of astrological lore was brought to us by way of Christianity. Christ and his twelve disciples are themselves essentially astrological symbols

Tim, with all due respect Chaldean astrology, which is the method practiced by the Greeks and what has come down to us today, originated with the Babylonians long before Christianity. In fact I would argue that the early Church suppressed the study of astrology along with other sciences which is why those sciences ended up flowering in the Arabic countries instead during the Dark Ages.

It’s an interesting point about the twelve disciples. DaVinci’s painting “The Last Supper” relates the disciples to the zodiac.

Juana, I think that’s a great point both about the Jungians thing and about India as being a good example. That’s one of the greatest things about Hinduism, I think - is that you actually can have that opinion that you’re holding and that it’s perfectly orthodox to have it on some level. They acknowledge that - *gasp!* - different people have different religious needs.

http://voxday.blogspot.com/2005/12/mailvox-christians-are-polytheists.html

So if you get an easter/Christmas christian, you may have what you’re looking for…

seriously, though, what would be a good term for someone who follows the path of radical inquiry? an ‘enquirer’?

Categorization leads to calamity!

Or hilariousness! Seriously, people are too down on labels and categories, but that’s already been addressed here ad nauseum.

religious but not spiritual that is fuckin’ hilarious. I think your a fuckin agnostic, dude, like doubting Thomas.

It’s not really that easy to describe what I am I guess, but I’m 101% not agnostic. Hell, I even had a dream where Jesus came and told me a parable about my life’s mission, and another dream where God brought me to this cave and showed me a black rock carved with an agreement between me and him. Pretty much the opposite of agnostic if you ask me.

What did it for me was a nice hit of acid and trying to comprehend the fact that the universe cannot be comprehended by the limited volume of grey matter inside your brain-bucket…

I wrote an essay at St. Bonnie’s about how it was a legitimate ineffable religious experience and I consider it a point of samadhi, and I got an A on the paper, too.

I mean 12 times a day I’ll think “thank god that truck didn’t bang into me” and shit like that, I mean I don’t beseech the Lord or anything, but “Thank God” definitely comes out of my mouth at certain times (I think it was having the kids), its like a social programming thing I think or some hangover or vestige of something, Although I find the idea of the whole Kingdom of God thing a bit annoying, heaven as a carrot, “empire” as the stick to enforce rules, we all know that…

Don’t feel bad you are interested in this stuff, it shows a lot of personal open-minded-ness as if I just wear my little ol’ pentagram people always give me wierd looks, and I don’t have tats or an amputation or anything…

It sucks not being able to represent your “faith” like a fuckin cross…

I mean I call myself a witch if a jehova’s witness gets in my face, and yeah I’m a minerval or whatever but you know I kinda feel the same way, like I’m not a “joiner” I guess?

I do teach my kids to say “blessed be” when someone sneezes though. Sounds better than “bless you”.

Categorization leads to calamity!

-tc

“If my wings should fail me Lord,
won’t you meet me with another pair?”

I don’t know. It kind of bothers me, the way all kinds of nuances of belief (if you would even call that ‘belief’) and the ways people relate to what they consider divine are “off the map” so to speak.

Also, I think it’s important to remember that much of astrological lore was brought to us by way of Christianity. Christ and his twelve disciples are themselves essentially astrological symbols

I always want to tell people that I’m religious but not spiritual, just to be a jerk.

My sentiments exactly, especially the jerk part. A wise man once said:

Thank god I’m an atheist.