The term "Paganism", or "Neo-Paganism" (neo meaning "a modern form of") refers to a variety of religious and spiritual paths that honour the Earth and follow the cycle of the seasons, based on pre-Christian beliefs. The most popular Pagan path today is known as Wicca, with more books than one cares to mention appearing on the shelves. But due to this popularity, confusion can be found, for, as with other paths, there appears to be no one distinct way of practising Paganism, and indeed upon further reading, one may even decide that Paganism is not truly the spiritual path for them. So how does one find the spiritual path most appropriate to their needs?

When I started walking this path, I was not aware of any specific names describing what I did, nor did I have access to any books. Being brought up in the country, it was not uncommon to find me sitting under trees and watching the clouds, birds and animals. I enjoyed nature and being out in it. I even had a grandmother who used to read tea leaves, talk about the "wee folk" in her garden and curtsy at the New Moon. But she did not called herself a Pagan, Witch or a Wiccan. Indeed, when she passed over the Otherworld, she was buried as an Anglican. It was only through of self-discovering, personal experience, and later reading, that I found the spiritual path that I now follow, and this path is one of constant change as I learn and experience more.

When one begins to walk any spiritual path, it calls for the Truth. Being able to look at yourself honestly and learning to accept yourself for who you are is often the hardness part for most people. Being "spiritual" means doing just this. We must understand who we are and why we are here today, and we can only do this by completely knowing ourselves.

Paganism is a spiritual path, and like other such paths, in order for us to advance spiritually, we must identify with the aspects within ourselves that could hold us back, such as negative thoughts and emotions. Over the doorways to the ancient mystery schools and temples, including the Oracle at Delphi, Greece, were the words "To Know Thyself is to Know the Way". A simple quote but how many of us really know ourselves?

As humans, we have the unique talent of lying to ourselves. If given the task to list our positive and negative qualities, we can come up with long lists with tend to be mostly based on imagination or wishful thinking. Whether such lists are beneficial, depends on the person making them, but one point that should be taken into consideration is if a positive aspect is taken to extremes, it can actually be a negative aspect. A good example of this is being a totally selfless person who tries to please everyone, only to find that in order to achieve this goal, you leave nothing for yourself and tend to be treated as a doormat by others. Every aspect of ourselves, the positive and the negative, need to be balanced, for they both go towards making each of us unique individuals. If we can truly accept the fact that we are not perfect, and all have negative qualities, then instead of hiding or denying these qualities, we can then be put them to better use.

So what does all this have to do with Paganism? Without knowing ourselves, we can never truly understand any religious or spiritual path that calls for direct experience of Divinity, which is the essence of Paganism. If we know our True Self, we can discover with is the most appropriate path, Pagan or otherwise, that will suit our needs. Discovery of our own Divinity is discovery of our True Self.

EXERCISE TO KNOW THYSELF

The following meditation can be beneficial by anyone walking a spiritual path who wishes to understand who they truly are. If possible, perform this exercise during the Waxing Moon, when the Moon is beginning to increase in size until it is Full, for this is the phase of the Moon associated with new beginnings. Make sure you will not be disturbed for the next twenty minutes as you perform the meditation. Take the phone off the hook, close the door, and if you share your home with others, tell them that you do not want to be disturbed for a set period of time. You may wish to light a white or purple candle, colours associated with peace and spirituality.

Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. As most Westerners are not used to sitting on the floor, it is better to use a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor and hands resting on your thighs (sometimes referred to as the "Hero" position). You may, however, choose to sit on a cushion on the floor, but make sure your back is supported.

Once you are comfortable, begin concentrating on your breathing. Breathe in through your nose slowly, feeling the upper half of your stomach expanding as you inhale. Hold your breath for a count of "4" (or to a lower count that you are comfortable with). Then slowly exhale through your mouth until you feel all the air is gone from your lungs, visualising all the tension and stress leaving your body. At the exhalation, wait for a count of "4" before inhaling again. Repeat this process for a total of ten times.

Then move your concentration to your body and, starting at your feet, imagine each part relaxing with the tension being released. There will be some areas, such as neck and shoulders, that could take a bit more effort to relax.

When you feel relaxed, repeat the following questions and answers to yourself. Allow yourself time to reflect upon each phase before moving on to the next.

Inwardly pose the question: "Who am I?"
Answer to yourself: "I am not my body."

Inwardly pose the question: "Who am I?"
Answer to yourself: "I am not my emotions."

Inwardly pose the question: "Who am I?"
Answer to yourself: "I am not my thoughts."

Inwardly pose the question: "Who am I?"
Answer to yourself: "I am a centre of pure consciousness."

When you are ready to come back to normal consciousness, begin by returning your focus to your breathing, and then slowly wriggle your toes and fingers, before opening your eyes. You may wish to record any of the thoughts or questions that came to mind during the meditation. These can be further investigated later at your leisure.

If "To Know Thyself is to Know the Way", then by further exploration the parts of the Way we have already discovered and through understanding how we feel and interpret them, we can ascertain more about both, our True Self and the spiritual path we are following.

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