I am a Witch. I am a spiritual person. I believe in a God and a Goddess, the different planes of existance, the power of herbs and stones, magic, the chakras, and much more. I also believe in parts of the Buddhist philosophy, as well as some Hebrew mysticism, such as the Qabalistic Tree of Life.
I believe that a person does not need to be committed to one single religion to be a religious or spiritual being. I think that a "take what benefits you and leave the rest" attitude toward Spirituality is a good frame of mind. I see no harm in taking pieces of Wicca, Buddha's philosophies, Jesus's teachings, Jewish mysticism, Gnosticism, and Other Beliefs and ideas to blend them together to form a spiritual system all your own. I firmly believe that embracing the good in many different paths, a person can only grow spiritually and become even closer to the end of the spiral of rebirth, to reunification with Deity.
It is important for spiritual development that we keep an open mind in regards to the beliefs of other people and other cultures. There is so much good we can pull from those different beliefs if we seperate the useful, productive ideas from the shortcomings of religion. All religions have some good and bad, and if we let ourselves abandon the idea of a systematic, organized Spiritual Path we can free our minds and open up to so many positive ideas to help us along our way. There is no "one true" path to Deity, so why restrict ourselves to following one of countless different paths? Our ultimate goals are to grow, to learn and to find peace, so does it really matter how we go about achieving those goals?
Many spiritual paths are not all that different from one another. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, as do Wiccans, and Wiccans believe in an ultimate higher power, much like Christians do. But not all of the beliefs from every religion or philosophy need to be followed.
For example, I find the Buddhist ideas of Karma and the Six Transcendent Perfections to be mostly helpful in working toward achieving my ultimate goals, yet the concept of Emptiness and the rejection of the "self" clash with my belief that each individual soul is unique and that the personal self is important so long as we do not focus solely on our physical self and neglect the other aspects of our being.
Wicca is the path that influences me the most. The belief that the God and Goddess (or Spirit, Deity, et cetera) inhabit everything in nature is a Wiccan concept that I embrace wholeheartedly, but I don't find it absolutely necessary to celebrate every Pagan holiday in the wheel of the year; rather, I think that taking the time to meditate and thank the Lord and Lady for their blessings is enough if I don't have all of the many materials, the time, or the privacy needed for a full ritual.
Though I believe in many different philosophies, I still proudly call myself a Pagan, a Witch. Ultimately, the Earth is my Mother and my primary belief system is that of Wicca -- but I am not tied down to that one path. I leave myself open to all ideas I think will aid me in spiritual evolution and reunification with Deity at the end of my cycle of rebirth; I feel that I am a better and more spiritual person for it. People constantly change. It is our nature. What one person believes early in life may not be what they put their faith into later on. Explore, learn, and above all else, keep an open mind.
Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
Paul Foster Case - The Early Writings Vol I Occult Fundamentals Spiritual UnfoldmentBertrand Russell - Why I Am Not A Christian
Sirona Knight - A Witch Like Me The Spiritual Journeys Of Today Pagan Practitioners
Frances Billinghurst - Is Wicca The Right Spiritual Path For Me
