Please excuse me if this has been talked about before (I didn't see it in the first page of posts).
Who here knows some about Wicca or paganism versus Sikhi?
I will admit, I feel that while Sikhi addresses some of my needs and beliefs, it doesn't work for me for other things...and where it doesn't mostly I identify with Wicca or something like that, and agnosticism.
I'm not well versed in Wicca admittedly. I have a few very good friends who are Wiccan and I have done some reading, but I find it is less easy to find good solid information on Wicca, I think partly because there seems to be more freedom and fewer hard set fast "rules" than some religions.
What I have noticed that is similar:
Wicca says all are accepted, and all religions are valid. This sounds pretty similar to Sikhi.
Wiccans believe in reincarnation from what I understand. However the idea is a bit different. Correct me if I am wrong but I think Sikhi seems to suggest that if you lead a good life this time around you will be reincarnated to a better life next time, and if you lead a bad life you might become a lower animal next time? Is this true? And only when you have led the best most pure life possible will you attain heaven? That is my basic understanding...? And Wicca seems to suggest that reincarnation is never ending, you don't ever get to heaven, and that humans will always come back as humans and never any other animal (such as snake or dog or whatever)?
While Sikhi says there's one god, I know some pagan beliefs believe in multiples, but Wicca I think is mostly concentrated on almost a ying-yang type mesh of male plus female goddess to make a whole...kinda thing, it's how I seem to understand it is portrayed?
Wicca obviously doesn't insist on any specific dress code (such as turban).
Alcohol is not only permitted but it seems that a lot of wiccans seem to find something maybe spiritual or important in mead (honey wine) particularly? However, there is no insistence that one *must* drink obviously.
Sikhs say ardas. Christians talk about prayer. I think Muslims call it doua (?). Some people think wiccans are evil for their spells. The way I've had it described to me is that spells are just another word for prayers...that tend to be more poetic. Wiccans tend to believe in the "rule of 3". Whatever energy you put out into the universe is returned to you 3-fold (3 times stronger). It's a bit like karma I think. If you were to cast an evil spell on someone, like curse them to death...you would expect to find that god or the universe somehow returned the evil to you three times worse. Idea being maybe 3 of your closest people would die or something similar. They also believe you should not ever ever try to cast a spell that would infringe on someone's free will. A simple example of this would be: it's really good and kind and noble to cast a spell for a poor family, asking god for them to have more food on the table. That does nothing for or against their free will, it just is to help them out. But if you cast a spell that suggested that said family should turn from vegetarian to meat eating (or anything else that implicates they change themself to suit something you would wish) that infringes on their free will and should not be done.
I think really, the biggest difference, though, is the sexuality. Wicca doesn't seem to care if you're gay, straight, polyamourous, divorced, unmarried and in a couple, or anything. It is in that aspect I think most, that it suits me over Sikhi...since I'm much more for that type of freedom versus society telling me I'm evil if I have unmarried sex, honestly...
Thanks for reading this far and if anyone has any personal understandings to add I'm happy to read them.
Who here knows some about Wicca or paganism versus Sikhi?
I will admit, I feel that while Sikhi addresses some of my needs and beliefs, it doesn't work for me for other things...and where it doesn't mostly I identify with Wicca or something like that, and agnosticism.
I'm not well versed in Wicca admittedly. I have a few very good friends who are Wiccan and I have done some reading, but I find it is less easy to find good solid information on Wicca, I think partly because there seems to be more freedom and fewer hard set fast "rules" than some religions.
What I have noticed that is similar:
Wicca says all are accepted, and all religions are valid. This sounds pretty similar to Sikhi.
Wiccans believe in reincarnation from what I understand. However the idea is a bit different. Correct me if I am wrong but I think Sikhi seems to suggest that if you lead a good life this time around you will be reincarnated to a better life next time, and if you lead a bad life you might become a lower animal next time? Is this true? And only when you have led the best most pure life possible will you attain heaven? That is my basic understanding...? And Wicca seems to suggest that reincarnation is never ending, you don't ever get to heaven, and that humans will always come back as humans and never any other animal (such as snake or dog or whatever)?
While Sikhi says there's one god, I know some pagan beliefs believe in multiples, but Wicca I think is mostly concentrated on almost a ying-yang type mesh of male plus female goddess to make a whole...kinda thing, it's how I seem to understand it is portrayed?
Wicca obviously doesn't insist on any specific dress code (such as turban).
Alcohol is not only permitted but it seems that a lot of wiccans seem to find something maybe spiritual or important in mead (honey wine) particularly? However, there is no insistence that one *must* drink obviously.
Sikhs say ardas. Christians talk about prayer. I think Muslims call it doua (?). Some people think wiccans are evil for their spells. The way I've had it described to me is that spells are just another word for prayers...that tend to be more poetic. Wiccans tend to believe in the "rule of 3". Whatever energy you put out into the universe is returned to you 3-fold (3 times stronger). It's a bit like karma I think. If you were to cast an evil spell on someone, like curse them to death...you would expect to find that god or the universe somehow returned the evil to you three times worse. Idea being maybe 3 of your closest people would die or something similar. They also believe you should not ever ever try to cast a spell that would infringe on someone's free will. A simple example of this would be: it's really good and kind and noble to cast a spell for a poor family, asking god for them to have more food on the table. That does nothing for or against their free will, it just is to help them out. But if you cast a spell that suggested that said family should turn from vegetarian to meat eating (or anything else that implicates they change themself to suit something you would wish) that infringes on their free will and should not be done.
I think really, the biggest difference, though, is the sexuality. Wicca doesn't seem to care if you're gay, straight, polyamourous, divorced, unmarried and in a couple, or anything. It is in that aspect I think most, that it suits me over Sikhi...since I'm much more for that type of freedom versus society telling me I'm evil if I have unmarried sex, honestly...
Thanks for reading this far and if anyone has any personal understandings to add I'm happy to read them.