Paths

The descriptions given here are very basic for the sake of brevity. My intention here is not to give an in-depth explanation of who's what, but rather to give basic, simple information and a starting point for various paths which the reader may possibly have never run across before. I am making the list as complete as I can, though I by no means claim to know every single path in existance....<G>

Asatru - A relatively modern term (approximately 18th century) referring to the reconstructionist version of indigenous Nordic and Germanic religion. The beliefs concerning the Gods are preserved primarily in the Eddas (The Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda), as well as in other surviving tales collectively known as the Sagas. Odin, Thor, and Frigga are three of the more commonly known gods of the pantheon.

1) Life is suffering. To live, you must suffer. It is impossible to live without experiencing some kind of suffering. We have to endure physical suffering like sickness, injury, tiredness, old age and eventually death and we have to endure psychological suffering like loneliness, frustrations, fear, embarrassment, disappointment, anger, etc.

2) All suffering is caused by craving. When we look at psychological suffering, it is easy to see how it is caused by craving. When we want something but are unable to get it, we feel frustrated. When we expect someone to live up to our expectation and they do not, we feel let down and disappointed. When we want others to like us and they don't, we feel hurt. Even when we want something and are able to get it, this does not often lead to happiness either because it is not long before we feel bored with that thing, lose interest in it and commence to want something else.

3) Suffering can be overcome and happiness attained. This is perhaps the most important of the Four Noble Truths because in it the Buddha reassures us that true happiness and contentment are possible. When we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time, enjoying without restlessly wanting the experiences that life offers us, patiently enduring the problems that life involves, without fear, hatred and anger, then we become happy and free. Then, and then only, do we begin to live fully. Because we are no longer obsessed with satisfying our own selfish wants, we find that we have so much time to help others fulfill their needs. This state is called Nirvana. We are free from psychological suffering.

4) The Fourth Noble Truth is the Path leading to the overcoming of suffering. This path is called the Noble Eightfold Path and consists of Perfect Understanding, Perfect Thought, Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, Perfect Livelihood, Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness, and Perfect Concentration. Buddhist practice consist of practicing these eight things until they become more complete. You will notice that the steps on the Noble Eightfold Path cover every aspect of life: the intellectual, the ethical and economic and the psychological and therefore contains everything a person needs to lead a good life and to develop spiritually

Discordianism - (Also known as Erisianism) Founded in 1958 by Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst (Greg Hill and Kery Thornley). Discordians presuppose that the world is actually chaos, confusion and disorder that we veil with a thin sheet of order and stability. Problems in the world come from those who impose order on others when it really isn't needed. Discordians worship Eris, the Greek Goddess of confusion. Eris began the Trojan War when she threw a golden apple into the crowd at a party she wasn't invited to. On it was inscribed the word "Kallisti." In Greek, it means "to the fairest." The other Goddesses fought over it and the ensuing chaos gave Eris a name. Discordians state that they have been talking about Chaos theory long before it became popular among scientists. The Discordians also revere the Sacred Chao, a yin-yang symbol that replaces the dots with a pentagon and the golden apple of Eris. They call this symbol the hodge podge and it represents the endless cycle of order and disorder that constantly redistribute power between themselves.

Druidism - Modern Druidism is mostly a reconstructionist path. That is, most practitioners attempt to duplicate the original, historic practice as accurately as possible. The difficulty in this is that the ancient Druids passed on their traditions orally, rather than in writing, leaving only scattered references and recorded observation from which to work. For more detailed information, I suggest the following site: The Order of bards, Ovates, and Druids

Freemasonry - Freemasonry is not itself a religion. It is a fraternal order, although a lot of Christian ideas and ideals are important to the Masons and are incorporated in their rituals. To become a Mason one must ask a friend in the Lodge to recommend him, sign a petition stating name, age, occupation, and place of residence, and all the members must vote unanimously on the acceptance. The requirement for membership is a belief in one non-specific Supreme Being.

Gnosticism - Gnosis refers to a knowledge that is essential to free oneself from the flawed material world and bodily existence. Gnostics believe humans err because they are ignorant, unlike the Christian belief that man is sinful by nature. Gnostics will receive salvation when they gain knolwedge, gnosis. The knowledge must be of their inner self or soul.

Another unique aspect of the Gnostic belief system is their view of the creation of the world. They believe that the true God has a feminine side, Sophia, the Spirit part of God. Jesus was a product of God and Spirit, and joined them to make up the Trinity. Sophia wanted to give birth to a being like herself. She proceeded without permission from God. The result was imperfect and she was ashamed of it, so she hid it in a cloud away from the other immortals. The child was the Demiurge. He was born with some power (from the Spirit) and used it to create the physical world. This trapped the "spirit in matter". The view of the imperfections of creation are similar to those in Hebrew scripture. The Gnostics taught that the Demiurge was Yehovah from the Old Testament. Jesus, on the other hand, they believe came from God and the Holy Spirit, not from the Demiurge. Jesus taught Gnostics the secret knowledge (gnosis), which he did not teach to the church. This belief created animosity between the church and the Gnostics. Also, contrary to Christian teachings about Jesus being born of the virgin Mary, Gnostics believe that Jesus entered Mary's body via sexual intercourse between Mary and Joseph.

Hinduism - Hinduism differs from many other religions in that it has no single founder, specific theological system, single system of morality, or religious organization. It centers on the belief that all reality is a unity. It perceives the entire universe as one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe, and who transcends it as well. Deity is simultaneously visualized as a triad consisting of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Due to its seeming contradictions, coupled with my limited knowledge, this does not translate well to such a limited description as I am able to offer here.

is believed by its followers to be much older than its "founding" in approximately 622 CE. Although Islam is historically considered to have been "founded" around this time by the prophet Muhammad, Muslims believe that he was the last in a series of messengers from Allah which included Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. It is believed that his purpose was to formalize and purify the faith of the "People of the Book" (the Christians and the Jews) by removing misinterpretations and foreign ideas which were believed to have been added in error. For more detailed information, I suggest the following site: Islamic Web

Rosicrucianism (A.M.O.R.C.) - A.M.O.R.C. stands for the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, and is an esoteric fraternal group founded by H. Spencer Lewis in 1915. The AMORC takes no definitive stance on the religious doctrines of any church or religious movement and states that its teachings do not contradict anything in the Bible, but rather new knowledge is revealed that provides a practical guide to living the right life that the teachings of various churches espouse. The AMORC views itself as a continuation of the ancient schools of Amenhotep IV and Solomon. The system of their fraternity operates on 180 year cycles, alternating between silence and secrecy, then public operation. The Order shifted to a public cycle beginning in 1909. The AMORC is not a religion. A specific code of belief or conduct is not required, and becoming a Rosicrucian student does not mean one has to change one's previous religious beliefs or affiliation. The Rosicrucian path provides the means to awaken one's innate potential for higher knowledge, which lays dormant without enlightenment. Natural laws are learned and applied which allow one to experience an aware union with Divine or Cosmic Consciousness. The AMORC allows the student to decide what this deity is, and this type of freedom of personal interpretation is extended to everything that is presented in the teachings.

Santeria - A Caribbean religion which blends the worship of the Orisha ("head guardian") with beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantu people and Roman Catholicism. Due to suppression of the beliefs of the Yoruba and Bantus who were brought to the Caribbean as slaves, the Orisha were "equated" or "assigned to" Catholic Saints as a means to covertly continue to practice their faith.

Satanism - Satanism has three main traditions, The Church of Satan, The Temple of Set, and The Church of Satanic Liberation. Religious Satanism recognizes Satan, either as a deity or as a life principle. It is important, however, to realize that the Satan which many adherents of this path recognize has little to nothing to do with the Christian concept of Satan. For more detailed information, I recommend either The First Church of Satan or The Temple of Set

Shamanism - Shamanism is not a religion, but rather a set of techniques and practices immersed within a regional culture. Traditional shamans develop techniques for lucid dreaming, and what is commonly referred to as astral projection. The distinguishing characteristic of shamanism is its focus on entering an altered state (typically by means of drumming, fasting, chanting, or the use of mind-altering substances) in which the soul (or spirit) of the shaman is believed to leave the body and ascend to the sky (heavens) or descend into the earth (underworld). The shaman makes use of spirit helpers, with whom he or she communicates, all the while retaining control over his or her own consciousness. The shaman may at times fill the role of priest, magician, metaphysician or healer, Guide and Counselor.

"Classical Taoist philosophy, formulated by Laozi (the Old Master, 5th century B.C.?), the anonymous editor of the Daodejing (Classic of the Way and its Power), and Zhuangzi (3rd century B.C.), was a reinterpretation and development of an ancient nameless tradition of nature worship and divination. Laozi and Zhuangzi, living at a time of social disorder and great religious skepticism (see article on Confucianism), developed the notion of the Dao (Tao -- way, or path) as the origin of all creation and the force -- unknowable in its essence but observable in its manifestations -- that lies behind the functionings and changes of the natural world. They saw in Dao and nature the basis of a spiritual approach to living."

Thelema - Founded in 1904 by Aleister Crowley, Thelema is a religion which gives its practitioners great freedom as relates to their personal practices, and expects them to interpret their chief text, The Book of the Law for themselves. While interacting online with Thelemites, you may frequently see the number 93 used as a greeting, and as a parting. Within a system of numerology used by Thelemites, the number 93 signifies both "Love" and "Will". The use of 93 as a greeting or parting is an abbreviated form of a customary Thelemite greeting: "Do what thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law" to which the customary response is "Love is the Law, Love under Will".

Vodou - (AKA Vodoun, Vodun, Voudou, and Voodoo) The basis for the religion was brought to Haiti and other islands in the West Indies in the process of slave trade. Vodou was formed from the beliefs of various African tribes among the slave population of Haiti during colonization, as members of tribes were spread out and separated as much as possible in an attempt to demoralize and control them. Vodou is practiced primarily in Benin, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and various areas of the US. There are many different traditions within vodou, each following a different spiritual path and pantheon of spirits.

Wicca - Wicca is a lineaged, initiatory religion popularized in the 1950's by its founder Gerald Gardner. It was his fictional novel, High Magick's Aid, as well as his nonfictional works Witchcraft Today and The Meaning of Witchcraft which set the stage for the Neo-Pagan movement as we know it today. While Wicca consists of a growing number of traditions, there is no central, organized body to the religion. Two beliefs which are commonly incorporated into to the Wiccan religion are the Wiccan Rede, which is commonly simplified to "an it harm none, do what thou wilt" and the Threefold Law which states, simply put, that any good or harm done returns to you threefold. Many people use the term Wicca to refer to Witchcraft. This is not entirely correct. As a general guideline, consider Wicca as a form of Witchcraft. All Wiccans are Witches, however, not all Witches are Wiccan. A simplified way in which to view this is:

"A practitioner of a nature-based belief system or religion. Not all Witches follow the same belief system. Some practice what is called the "old religion" which has its roots in pagan pre-monotheistic folk ways and beliefs and usually follows the seasonal cycles. These belief systems or "traditions" of Witches are often based upon the particular culture from whence they originated. Many Witches believe in a polytheistic deity structure (usually based upon the local gods and goddesses of the area of origin), but some simply practice magick (sometimes spelled with a 'k' to differentiate it from stage magic). Witches may practice alone as 'solitaries" or in covens. There are also family groups or traditions which trace their practices and beliefs within the same close group throughout several generations."

It is important to realize that not all Witches identify as Wiccan. While they typically do believe in personal responsibility for their actions, they do not feel bound by a Rede or recognize a "Threefold Law". While in recent years, many Wiccans seem to tend toward a more pacifist point of view due to the "harm none" clause in the Wiccan Rede, many non-Wiccan Witches will respond in their defense or in the defense of others as they see fit.

Zoroastrianism - Zarathustra, the founder of the religion, is believed by some scholars to have lived between 1500 BCE and 1000 BCE. Zoroastrianism shares several beliefs with Christianity. These include a belief in both a single god and adversary, a concept of Heaven and Hell (although they believe Hell is a temporary place of suffering until Good defeats Evil), and Saviors born of virgins (actually, it was prophesized that there would be three such Saviors born miraculously of Zarathustra's seed).