[Bit]

An introduction--Hello! I'm Cath, screen name Bit; I answer to both but prefer Cath.

I'm an Eclectic Pagan. My family has Christian roots that go back hundreds if not at least a thousand years; it was hard to buck that, but Christianity just didn't fit me. I couldn't force myself to accept it, yanno? I just could not believe it. And when I finally discovered a book called When God Was a Woman, by Merlin Stone, I was shocked, astonished that I could have not recognized myself for so many years: I have always been Pagan. I grew up Pagan, despite my family's indoctrination. I have always seen the living world around me and known its Spirit.

My first steps into the world of acknowledged Paganism came through the Women's Spirituality Movement, through the Feminist Movement, and through books about both women's spirituality and Wicca, especially Dianne Stein's books and Starhawk's books. It took me a while, but I finally realized that although Wicca speaks deeply to me on many levels, I really don't feel comfortable in any one religion. I came to understand myself as an Eclectic Pagan, drawing what works for me from every spiritual source I could to craft a tradition, a way of life, that is intimately my own. Along the way, I explored the roots of Christianity and Judaism, the roots of Paganism, some Shamanic traditions, Buddhism, and even Humanism.

I am amused to tell you that after all that exploring, a large part of my inspiration, ethics, and philosophies come from none of those, but from science fiction and fantasy novels. I guess that's where all the "like minds" migrated to, since there was no room for them in the established institutional traditions!

As a Pagan Priestess, I work mostly with the Goddesses, but as an Eclectic Pagan, I pretty much speak to everyone and everything around me. I always seek to feel connected to the Land wherever I live, and to honor those who have lived here before me as well as those who share it with me now.

My primary psychic skill is Empathy. It's been hard, growing up an Empath in a skeptical world, and I still struggle with believing in myself sometimes.

So how about you? What kind of Path have you followed to get where you are today? What skills and talents have you wrestled with, what explorations have you made, to become who you are today? Who has inspired you along the way?

Let's talk!