Lately I’ve been getting inquiries from friends and acquaintances about my belief system and recommendations to learn more about Paganism and general woo woo stuff. So I thought I’d write up a blog post for you to share more about what it means to be a Pagan and the resources you can use to learn more.

I’d say I officially became Pagan about twenty years ago, whoa…that sounds forever ago! I was in a strange place in my life, more like a deep dark hole and I was really searching for meaning and guidance. I was raised Catholic but it just didn’t resonate with me. And though I did pray to God at the time and pray in general I wasn’t connected or felt comfort in praying to one God.

Thinking back, I can recall distinctly in middle school reading a book about Greek mythology and finding it utterly fascinating. So at that time, twenty years ago I started picking up books on mythology and specifically Celtic paganism. This was right about the same time Braveheart came out and I was kinda obsessed to say the least. Something about connection to land, to the Goddess and the mystical was calling me.

Pagan is a term that began in the fourth century by early Christians for the Roman Empire that practiced Polytheism (source Wikipedia). I’d say that Pagan refers to any earth based polytheistic tradition or belief. So Budhhism could be described as Pagan or Hinduism as well, as they believe in many Gods and deities. So we can go even further to say Celtic paganism or Greek paganism etc. You could liken it to the Christian faith in that there are many subsets of it, such as Catholicism, Baptist, Mormon etc.

For myself personally I find Paganism too broad a term but I’d rather use Pagan versus polythistic or earth based for a term to describe my faith. I’ve always found Christianity lacked the feminine divine, the honoring of the earth and especially listening to ones own inner divinity and wisdom.

What I love about being Pagan is the deep connection to our inner teacher, our inner guide that puts us in touch with our intuition. The gut is where we KNOW, we understand and feel with our every fiber what is right for us. And not only that but the balance of the yin and yang, the light and dark, the feminine and the masculine. Monotheism is too singular for me, and within Christianity there isn’t room for listening to ones own teacher but looking outside of ourselves, looking to one God and I find it to rigid for my inclinations. In addition Christianity is built upon a patriarchal worship and faith. With Celtic Paganism there is a balance and a worship of the divine feminine which is so lost in our current culture and society.

As a Celtic Pagan I honor the deities of the land, connecting and communing with the elements. The honoring of Mother Earth, Father Sky and Sun and the Moon Goddess. The deities of land and the universe are what we are made of, stardust and divinity. When I sit at my altar I meditate and connect to the deep dark mysteries of the Earth, I connect with the Dark Goddess below. When I pray I commune with my ancestors and pray for guidance, listening to messages and being quiet with the Self.

Now I’m not saying you can’t do the same within a Christian faith, and trust me that I appreciate and lovingly honor my Catholic upbringing but there just wasn’t the same connection. I couldn’t identify with the idolization of one God, there was always something missing for me.

Within a Celtic Pagan faith there is an infinite world, a world of complex symbols and colors. For example the Arthurian legend we find ourselves journey to the Otherworld, where the land becomes a symbol of integrity and stewardship. The King and Queen represent the God and Goddess, where the fae represent the fertility and magic of Mother Earth. Colors such as red, white and black are symbolic of the other world. The White Hare represents the hunt for inner knowing and journey to the soul. I could go on and on but the point being there is a synergy and relationship between humans and the earth. We are connected not separate from her.

Tools such as tarot, oracles, sage and lavender wands, the chalice and atham create a physical representation of the elements. When I first began dreaming of becoming a jeweler I mapped out ways to utilize jewelry as spiritual and divinitory tools to connect with the divine.

If you are curious about Paganism and specifically Celtic Paganism here are some books and resources I’d like to recommend for you:

John and Caitlin Matthews are my favorite authors on the subject, that are quite knowledgable and I probably own most of their books.

Ceisiwr Serith Pagan Book of Prayers is an excellent source for prayers and general information on the Celtic path.

Peter Berresford Ellis is another fantastic resource, he is the premier writer on Druids and Celts.

Online resources:

Mystic Mama

The Necormantical

A disclaimer that if you are researching Paganism please be very careful what you read as there is SO much misinformation out there. Reliable and accurate books are necessary to learning the history of Paganism. I’m still learning so much about this rich and in depth tradition. And if you ever have any questions, I’m more than happy to answer them - email me at info@eilisainjewelry.com

I believe that the old traditions, the earth based religions are coming back in popularity and curiosity because we are living in such a disconnected time. We are barraged by constant activity and distraction. Meditation, yoga and paganism is resonating with more people because of the extremism and separation from earth of Christianity. And if you are Christian but you’re still drawn to divination and other religions, give yourself a break and explore them, read more about them. Because at the end of the day we are ALL made up of Spirit, of the great cosmic energy that created this beautiful universe for us. Jesus loved everyone, so did Buddha, Brigid, Ali and all the other enlightened souls that have walked Mother Earth.

If you want to learn more about divination, paganism and how to use jewelry as a diviniatory tool please sign up for my email list and I’ll keep you informed. Thanks as always for reading my loves!