Question: Eclectic?
iCeHoT
Hello everybody,
First, I'll introduce myself a little, I'm Raymond, I am from Holland, and
I've been trying to find my way through wiccan/pagan history and lifestyle
for about 4
years now (I am 21 at the moment).
The only very confusing thing is, that the best information is only
available in English. And typically enough, they didn't teach me anything
about the word eclectic, and I see so many people describing themselves as
an Eclectic wiccan. Could anybody please explain to me what that particular
path means? It would make some things a lot clearer.
BTW I've been following the postings on here for a while now, and though a
lot are just a lot of fun, a lot are also quite informative. I really like
the atmosphere here in ARWM.
Best wishes to all,
Raymond
Darkhawk (H. Nicoll)
> The only very confusing thing is, that the best information is only
> available in English. And typically enough, they didn't teach me anything
> about the word eclectic, and I see so many people describing themselves as
> an Eclectic wiccan. Could anybody please explain to me what that particular
> path means? It would make some things a lot clearer.
>From www.dictionary.com:
e·clec·tic
adj.
1. Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of
sources, systems, or styles: an eclectic taste in music; an
eclectic approach to managing the economy.
2. Made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources: "a
popular bar patronized by an eclectic collection of artists,
writers, secretaries and aging soldiers on reserve duty" (Curtis
Wilkie).
n.
One that follows an eclectic method.
[Greek eklektikos, selective, from eklektos, selected, from eklegein,
to select : ek-, out; see ecto- + legein, to gather; see leg- in
Indo-European Roots.]
_________________
e·clec ti·cal·ly adv.
Source: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,
Fourth Edition
(There are more definitions there, but the first one seems good enough.)
An eclectic Wiccan might be one who draws from both Alexandrian and
Gardnerian Wicca, perhaps with a leavening of some shamanic traditions
and additional stuff from ceremonial magic. An eclectic pagan might
draw from Wicca, several shamanic traditions and Taoism, and primarily
revere the Hindu pantheon. . . .
Me, I'm mostly just eclectic; my path includes some things from Wicca,
some things from what I know of the druidic path a friend follows, some
shamanic things, some drawn from Christianity, from Buddhism, from
Taoism, from Discordianism, some odd bits of obscure magical paths, from
my family's peculiar traditions, from my study of languages, and from
various books.
What "that path" means depends on the eclectic, their sources, and how
they assemble what they've taken.
- Darkhawk, sometimes ponders the gargantuan task of
writing it all down . . .
--
Heather Anne Nicoll - Darkhawk - http://aelfhame.net/~darkhawk/
Dreams are not lost, they merely fall beneath the ashes of what is left
To the soul from where it starts to where it catches.
- "Matter," Josh Joplin Group
Shez
<ray...@brettschneider.nl> writes
not totally wiccan say, Their beliefs are far more personal, and they
follow their heart, and their spirit where it leads them, taking a
little from many other paths, as they go along, Usually the things that
ring a bell for them, or seem to be right.
They may be pagan with wiccan leanings, perhaps Dianic, or even druid
some might still have some beliefs from Christianity or other religious
paths that they find important to them.
Basically eclectic people have a very personal spiritual path, and they
take from other paths and religions those things they feel are right and
important. And discard the things they feel have no relevance to their
spiritual path.
--
Shez sh...@oldcity.demon.co.uk
francis freespirit
>I've been trying to find my way through wiccan/pagan history and lifestyle
>for about 4
>years now (I am 21 at the moment).
>The only very confusing thing is, that the best information is only
>available in English. And typically enough, they didn't teach me anything
>about the word eclectic, and I see so many people describing themselves as
>an Eclectic wiccan. Could anybody please explain to me what that particular
>path means? It would make some things a lot clearer.
Eclectic means : selecting ideas and practices from a variety of
different sources.
A good case can be made for reasoning that the religious movement spread
by Gerald Gardner was eclectic from the start. He combined ideas and
practices from various sources .. traditional (family) witchcraft,
ceremonial magic, and a revived Pagan fertility religion. The present
pattern, as I see it, is that some Wiccans prefer to follow as closely
as possible the published versions of Gardner's Book of Shadows. Others
prefer the Alexandrian version. Some others combine sections of either
or both with ideas of their own. Yet others retain only a small portion
of the 'original' texts, add selections from a variety of other beliefs
and practices, and go on to compose vital material of their own. I
suspect that the majority of today's United Kingdom Wiccans are
eclectic.
--
francis freespirit
oxford, england
sven
try joke & ko's books. good content, well researched, nice people. and in dutch
:-)
link: http://www.circewicca.nl/
sven
iCeHoT
Many thanx to everybody for your responses, it made a lot more clear to me,
and has given me some great new insights.
Perhaps I'll be able to help someone with a question in the future as well,
I'll stick around.
Have a great week,
Raymond
"Shez" <sh...@oldcity.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:gflO3TDu...@oldcity.demon.co.uk...