Eclectic

Week #9 - the letter "E"

ec·lec·tic [ih-klek-tik] adjective
1. selecting or choosing from various sources.
2. made up of what is selected from different sources.
3. not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.

Even when I didn't know any different, I was an eclectic Pagan.  When I first started out, I was Wiccan because that was my only option and experience.  Even then, I was still eclectic.

Being able to create my own spiritual path and religion was one of the reasons I continued on the Pagan path.  It was freeing to use what worked for me and what connected with my inner self and let the rest go.  That was not something I was afforded when I was raised in the Catholic faith.

You don't get to pick and choose in Catholicism.  You are to follow the rules/commandments, abide by the teachings you are presented, and not question...at least that was my experience/interpretation.  If you didn't agree - say on abortion - you didn't get to just "ignore" that view.

(Begin mini-rant)  Yes, there are Catholics and persons of all faiths that do not follow their religion as it is taught.  I understand that.  My biggest complaint is the person who uses their religion as a reason for doing and thinking in a certain way but then disregards what does not work for them. 

In my past, I had two Catholic ladies in one of the classes I was taking.  Both had "gotten" pregnant and were not overly happy about the situation they now found themselves in.  We - multiple classmates - were discussing this with the ladies prior to class when someone suggested abortion.  The ladies were shocked. "Oh no," one said, "I could never do that, it goes against my religion."  

The conversation moved on when someone asked if the ladies had been using any means of birth control.  Both had been - one on birth control pills and the other using condoms - but the methods had failed.

So...the Catholic ladies won't do something (abortion) to remedy a situation because it goes against their religion.  BUT the unmarried (premarital sex) ladies had tried to prevent pregnancy (birth control)...wait, how does that work?  You cannot do A because it violates the code of your religious beliefs, but you did do B and C that were against your religion.  I didn't realize the Catholic faith was so grey in terms of dos and don'ts. (End mini-rant)

My belief system/spirituality is a extremely eclectic.  There are elements of Wicca, Native American traditions, Feri tradition, Buddhism, and Druidry.  I draw influence from the solemnness of the Catholic mass and the fervour of a Baptist Revival.  My heart and intuition inspire and assure me while my personal moral and ethical values steer the course.  And that is just the start of my inspiration.

Another benefit to being eclectic is that as I grow and change and gain more experience, I am free to change up my system.  Something that once served my needs can be dropped or replaced.  A tried and true method can be tweaked with a bit of flair from a recent ritual experience.  As I am constantly evolving, so is my spirituality.

There is chatter in the Pagan community about someone being too eclectic.  One issue is that those who are eclectic never fully experience one tradition before just taking what they want from it and abandoning the rest.  Another statement is that the eclectic Pagan is "raping" other religions/traditions and not honoring the sacredness of the original intent. And, of course, you hear the question of "if you are eclectic, how do you know if you are doing something correctly?"

To address those issues, I have this to say:

You are right that I often do not fully experience a tradition before I find something I like about it and incorporate it into my own system.  But I do not just abandon that tradition that I have drawn from.  I do study it and learn what I can.  I don't dedicate myself to it but do continue to educate myself.  Besides, if I found one thing I liked enough to use for myself, perhaps I will discover more.  After some time, yes, I may just stop studying about said tradition but I will have learned something and grown.

Anything that I find or experience that is pulled into my practice is done so with the utmost respect and humility.  I honor and recognize the sacredness and keep it as part of my beliefs. Inspiration is everywhere and my spirituality is rooted in reverence for nature and all of humanity.

As for knowing if I'm doing something right or wrong, well that is totally on me. If a spell fails or a ritual flops, I know something didn't go right.  I don't need to trash the entire thing, at least not yet, but I do need to work out the kinks.  It's a learning process.  What is "right" is also dictated by my own morals and ethics.  If it feels "wrong", I don't do it and if it feels "right", I do.  Simple.

I'm not a fan of limiting statements such as, "you must", "always", "never", "the right way", etc.  Someone, at some time, decided you must put your altar in the East, you should always cast the circle in a clockwise fashion, never use a black candle for a prosperity spell...so why can I not make the same decisions based on what feels right for me?

This is MY belief system and MY spirituality.  It is unique to ME. Eclectic is what, and who, I am.