Why not Buddhist, Christian, Baptist or one of the many other religions? Why did I have to pick a path that I knew was going to be filled with obstructions that society has taken hundreds of years to build?

I like a good challenge.

I did not choose the path I walk, it picked me, drew me into itself and carried me away on spiritual heights that I had never know. I had tried a few of the Judeo-Christian belief systems, and very bluntly, I was tired of being scared out of my wits day in and day out that my immortal soul was about to be damned to burn in hell.

For a god that supposedly loves you that is a bit harsh isn't it? I mean, you have sex, and suddenly you are now going to spend eternity having a red-hot poker shoved up your ass, your sensitive parts are going to be used for a intense golf game, all the while a bunch of creeps in red devil suits dance around you in delight.

Let me off at the next stop please, I think I got on the wrong train...

The first time I actually read factual material about Wicca, a sect of Paganism, I was astounded. I mean, there were Gods that were older than this young willful one, and they believed that everything we did in life was OK, since we would end up actually paying for it, and hopefully learn for it.

Do a good deed; get one or a few in return. Kick a cat, a lion breaks out of the zoo and eats you. Imagine that, something called karmatic debt, kind of like a good/bad credit card with interest. I can actually understand that, makes more sense than some fat guy with bad breath in a bad suit screaming at me every Sunday about how I am going to hell.

I read as much information on Wicca, and eventually started practicing. The concepts, philosophies and theories that I discovered are interactive. They challenge you to actually take an active part in your religion, not sit in the backseat while that fat guy mentioned above drives you around where he wants to go.

You walk your own path, and you are responsible for your own actions. I think we just struck on a concept that a lot of people should learn.

What I find even better about Paganism is the wide diversity of paths to walk. I started as a Gardanarian Wiccan and eventually I follow my path to where I am now. I basically say I am a General Paganist, I follow many paths, all of them dealing with Paganism. At no time did anyone tell me I was doing wrong (OK some of the die hard Gardanarians did, but they hate it when people actually discover there is life after Gardner and sometimes, it is more relaxed) I was doing the ultimate right, I was continuing to learn.

Now, when I first started learning, the focus was not on spells, hexes and curses. This is one of the saddest mistakes made by practitioners who decided to cash in by publishing the material that was hype. Lets get this out in the open right now:

Casting love spells, revenge spells, binding spells, and all sorts of other spells does not make you a witch or a pagan. Most the time, it just makes you an idiot. Why? Because you are now someone who is raping other people of their free will, or using something that was suppose to be a tool as a crutch.

If you really want to be a witch, quit imitating the movies and TV shows. Sit down and discover the beliefs that the elders of these practices follow. Learn the truth and actually walk the path. The spells come later, and with the beliefs and philosophies behind you, you will understand what a small part they actually are. The power is elsewhere, and to gain that power, you must work hard, study hard, and dedicate yourself to actually learning spirituality.

So daily, I learn something about life, myself, the people around me and I know that I am doing exactly what I should be doing.

In order to live, you must learn. Stop learning, and you are not truly living.