Reconstructionism - Fact or Filler?

I've been lurking for a while now, and I've been seriously looking at the CR Sig in particular. But I've got some questions/thoughts about Reconstructionism in general.

Most religions have large and robust content covering history/creation of their people, rules/procedures for ceremonies, key guidelines for living, ethical/moral codes, taboos, blessings, curses, rites of passage, and many many more things. From what I've seen it seems that most Recon groups are lucky if they have evidence for 20%-40% of what the ORIGINAL religion believed about those things. Which means 60%-80% of the Recon religion has to be "made up" (thus the reconstruction Smiley )

So if you have to make up/reconstruct/guess about a majority of your religion how is that any different from other "modern" pagan religions such as Wicca which was cobbled together from a variety of sources and then had the gaps filled in by Gardner(sp)? How do you know you've "got it right" (reconstructed it correctly)? How do you know that the "filler" material is true to real world history? And if staying true to real world history isn't a priority, why bother with the reconstruction?

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Choosing a Path?

I am really unsure of how to proceed on my pagan path, as I'm not sure which path to follow. There are aspects of several paths that I like, but none seems to fit me perfectly.

I like ritualized magic and spellcasting, but I just don't believe there are only 2 deities. I believe in Cernunnos (my patron) and a 3-faced moon-goddess, but I also believe in the Earth Mother and Lugh.

I don't believe in reincarnation or past lives. I find it hard enough to believe that the Divine are cruel enough to make us go through this life once, but to willingly believe that they are sadistic enough to make us come back and endure it time and time again is just beyond me.

I don't like anything which even has the flavor of Eastern religions. Things like Aikido, Chakras, Tantras, Yoga, Feng Shui, Taoism, Shakti, Reiki, Yin/Yang, I Ching... mere mention of these are enough to make me instantly lose interest in a conversation. I do, however, like Taiko drumming and am interested in learning more about Pashupati.

I have a deep reverence for life which borders on the silly sometimes.
* I cry if I hit anything with my car.
* I won't use a cut Christmas tree... I cry when I have to carry the poor dead thing out to the curb.
* I have an interest in Bonsai, but I won't try because I'm afraid of killing the poor little trees.
* I often talk to plants and animals.

I have always felt that there was a living, intelligent presence in the woods. I get the distinct impression that it is male. I usually find myself looking in the underbrush for eyes looking back at me. I find myself in a state of awe when I'm in the woods.

Whenever I go out at night, I always look to see where the moon is, what phase she is in, and pause to admire her beauty. I tell her just how beautiful I think she is.

I love divination. I work with the Tarot and with the Ogham. I am also just starting to get into pendulums and am getting ready to try making a black mirror. Astrology, however, bores me to tears.

I am fascinated with Celtic and Native American cultures. I like reading about the Druids and the Shamans. I feel Stonehenge is a holy place and have 2 totem animals: wolf and crow. I love Celtic music and I am slowly teaching myslef to speak Scottish Gaelic. I want to learn more about Spirit Quests and OOBEs.

Holly and Oak are holy plants for me.

I am interested in learning more about faeire, the Greenman, the Wild Hunt, and the Holly King/Oak King stories. I love wind chimes, fountains, bells, incense and candles.

So what path do you think would fit me best?

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Charming an Object?

Has anyone ever placed a charm or spell on an object/ imbued it with a spell? I'm wondering how i could do a spell such as a healing spell, and put that onto an object which i could then give to someone and the spell would work on them...is this feasible?

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Familiars in Ritual/Familiar vs. Pet

What role do/can familiars take in rituals/practices/ceremonies and such?

I have a sudden deep interest in this particular topic because my familiar came to me recently, unexpectedly, out of nowhere, and I knew it the moment I saw him. Now that he's here, I'm not exactly sure what to do with him (for lack of a better phrase) in regards to my practices. I haven't been able to find much on this topic though.

Also, I'm curious as to everyone's opinion on what makes an animal a familiar. I ask because I see often people stating they chose a pet for a familiar because they have a bond with it, their dog/cat/whatever loves them and always wants to be around them, etc. Which is wonderful, but to me this seems like "just a pet" (again, lack of a better phrase), and doesn't necessarily make a familiar. Of course everyone's experiences are different, but for me I couldn't have chosen or decided this.

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Pantheon Structures?

Heard in a lecture recently that the ancient Egypt had a different pantheon structure than the ancient Greeks. The Egypt's' pantheon is hierarchical with all Gods coming from one God and there's supposed to be unity among all of them. (Like a pyramid?) In the Greek pantheon is no unity and the Gods are in sort of concurrence for worshippers. The prof also said that the Greek model is rare.

Not sure if I got this right?

How is that in Kemetism and Hellenismos today?

How about the other pantheons, Celtic, Norse etc.?

What structure does your personal pantheon have?
Do you see all Gods & Goddesses as aspects of one God/Goddess or all Gods & Goddesses entities of their own?
Is there a chief/chieftess God/Goddess?
Is there some sort of order in your pantheon or are the God/Goddesses like a loose bunch of cats who fight among each other for attention? Are Gods/Goddesses jealous of each other?
Or don't they have any relationship to each other whatsoever?
If there is a specific order/hierarchy in your pantheon, what kind of? Like in a big family? Patriarchic or matriarchic?

Sorry for the many (and maybe stupid) questions. I don't have any close relationship to a God or Goddess and try to make up my mind about if that would work for me or not, I feel slightly drawn to Artemis/Diana and Athena/Minerva.

I'm also just curious how Polytheism works today and how it worked in history.

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Offerings and Negotiations

I've been thinking a lot lately about this, and about offerings and what is appropriate under what conditions, etc. I'm really struggling with this because:

1) I need to honor Brighid to the best of my ability.
2) I'm a product of my times and feel uncomfortable with offerings of food or drink.
3) I've never asked Brighid for anything other than a way to let me know She's really there.
4) Now, when I really do need Her help, I don't know what to offer in return.

I've posted before about votive offerings (I'll do X for God So-n-So, if S/He does Y for me). And I understand them intellectually. But I'm having a really hard time wrapping my brain around the idea.

And, in this case, the help I need is pretty big (at least to me), so it feels as if the offering must be something really big (at least to me). I don't know how to figure this out.

I did a little divination last night -- which, itself, is an improvement. It's been so long since I've felt able to function on that level.

For some reason, I was punchy last night and my husband and I were joking about how much morphine I have to take just to be able to get out of bed in the morning. And he made some off-hand remark relating morphine to some of the mind-altering substances some cultures have used to facilitate vision quests (e.g., peyote, etc.). So, I thought, what the hell? I'll give it a try. Maybe morphine will open me up.

And it did. I was a bit freaked out at first, but then I just went with it.

And what I learned is that I am, indeed, on the right track with this big project. And that I do, indeed, need some Divine help. And that an offering would be a good idea. And that's as far as I got.

So, I'd love to hear more details about how people figure out what those special offerings are and/or how you negotiate with the gods to get the help you need in return for your offering.

Oh, and, yes, I've tried just asking Brighid. But apparently I have to either figure it out or just use trial and error until I get it right.

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Green Man Altar

Due to some recent experiences, I've been giving some thought to creating some sort of altar space dedicated to the Green Man/Cernunnos. I'm having a hard time finding very much information on him, and would really appreciate suggestions as to what would be suitable for such an altar space. (Suggestions of economical resources are also greatly appreciated-I'm perpetually broke.) And, is a temporary altar appropriate, or should I be ready for the long haul?

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Personal Traditions with more than one Pantheon?

I was wondering if anyone's traditions involved deities from more than one pantheon. Which ones? How do you make it work?

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Creating a Wand?

I've read a few articles on tree association and which ones are good for wands or other thing. Most of them just gave me the idea that I should find a tree associated with what the purpose of the wand is and leave an offering. None of those however, told me what the offering should be, or how to ask for permission. Or what to do with the branch afterwards. So, can someone point me to a guide, or give an account of their own methods?

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Sacred Plants

I'm curious as to how people view the importance (significance) of plants that are considered sacred to the deities they worship.

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