Question by prairiecrow: Fellow Wiccans/Pagans, what does your religion say about the nature of suffering?
Hello, all:
I’m going through a rough time right now (the sudden death of a beloved pet), and so naturally the subject of suffering is on my mind.
Fellow Wiccans and Pagans, what does your religion have to say about suffering? Does it address the issue of why suffering exists? Is this an important question to ask, or is it reasonable to observe that suffering is a part of life and simply accept it? How does your religion help you to cope with the pain that comes with living?
Thanks to everyone who takes the time to respond.
Best answer:
Answer by SheWhoWatches
I’m so sorry to hear about your pet. I know how much it must hurt, because I love all of mine dearly.
I don’t know why suffering exists for animals or humans, but in one sense I believe for us it can bring us to a new level of understanding of the magical abilities that we have. I’ve been reading a book that talks about people who are “magicians,” many of whom have an infirmity or chronic disease that limits their life in some way, yet opens up a new world of connection to “the source.” Kind of makes sense to me. I don’t think I helped you with your grieving, but perhaps something to think about.
Here’s a link to the book: http://www.cotum.com
What do you think? Answer below!
mine education, rule’s meditation paryer’s with out object’s symblo’s. Regiltion blood line’s only neck less or these things. I used for easy suffuering of lost family member or firend or just lonly ness.., That my way healing and that my answer to qustion bless All waicca pagen blood line’s under spirital being of invesable dimastion unirves’s… All man kind means for amen in hebrew…
((((Prariecrow))))
I understand what you’re getting at. You are feeling a bit guilty about having your cat put to sleep. Try not to.
I know that my cat Thumper will come to me again, the same with your Mina.
Oh Prariecrow, I’m so sorry.
I tend to see suffering as a necessary part of life, not something with meaning in and of itself.
That doesn’t make it not suck.
Since the beginning there has been eternal war between the 4 element. The Goddesses Wind and Earth and the Gods Air and Fire. Since all are equal none can ever win. Earth grew tired of the fighting and decided to solve the struggle. She stole from Water and created our bodies. She stole from Fire to create our souls and from Air to give us the breath of life. Of herself she gave her own body for us to live on.
When the others found out about the theft they were upset. Instead of ending the war; Earth had brought it to a new, physical level. Until the elements can achieve peace there will always be fighting, wars and suffering for those of us created.
The best we can do is try and reach a balance with-in ourselves and our lives. We also believe that there were only a limited number of souls created. So for one to be born another must die.
That there is no point in it, so avoid it if you can.
Suffering exists because life exists. The extent of it depends on the choices that we make and the thigs that happen outside of our control. Its how we deal with these things that matters.
My religion helps me cope by giving me a community and a sense of…I dunno. Peace I suppose. Life is simply life. If you don’t like it, do something about it, is kinda how we see things.
When my mom died, it gave me a sense of being a part of her death in span of things I suppose. She was now more a part of my spiritual life then before since we practice ancestor worship. I still can’t pray to her though.
Ave, Prairiecrow!
While not every Satanist embraces the teachings of Crowley and Thelema, I have respect for a few things taught therein. Crowley said that, rather than willfully live in suffering (as was/is perceived to be the “righteous” way of life by a few of the more RHP Religions), that a wo/man should live embracing comfort rather than a lack thereof. He suggested that this would fill the hearts of men with fear, as it would force them to acknowledge that there /are/ other ways to live successfully. Or at least, that’s my best paraphrase on the subject.
As for why suffering exists, I think it’s there because we don’t live in an ideal world, and we never will. Suffering and discomfort have to exist to balance out ecstasy and comfort, without one you can’t have the other. However, while I don’t believe that suffering was created to be used to our advantage in any way (aka as a part of some divine plan), I do believe it can serve us well in terms of improving durability. In other words, if it doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger for having survived it and (hopefully) having gained the knowledge of the best means of avoiding it in the future. I think it was Confucius that said, “It is the wise man who learns from his mistakes”, though I might be wrong. Of course, that goes equally for all wo/men, not just males.
I believe that life is a test to see who will learn/grow and who will not. Evolution shows us that those species who do not evolve die out, and I believe that the same goes for Souls in a sense. I believe that when we choose to learn and grow, whether a lesson is learned through advice or experience, we choose to evolve. Conversely, when we choose to ignore the facts right in front of our faces and remain ignorant (albeit blissfully so) of the reality we live in, we choose not to evolve, and that’s when we’ve truly failed.
My advice to you is, accept that you hurt, learn the best you can from it, and go on. You’ll be stronger and wiser in the end if you do. Since I’m in the mood for a metaphor, I’ll put it this way:
Think of the Soul like a good piece of Leather: sure, it has to take a good solid beating before it’ll be durable enough to protect your skin from turning into hamburger when you fall off a motorcycle, but if I you found yourself about to fall off a motorcycle, would you rather be wearing anything else?
Ave Divinus!!
-Valkyr
“Why do we fall, sir? So that we might learn to pick ourselves up.”
-Alfred Pennyworth (Batman Begins)
Shit happens. If you’re strong and have wits, you survive shit and you become stronger.
If you’re not, then you’re screwed, but that’s the way it works.
My religion does not espouse social darwinistic ways, we are encouraged to make the world a better, fairer, freer, more prosperous place for everyone that’s not our enemy.
Shit happens, but one way to deal with it is damage control 😛
Dealing with the pain that comes with living? Our advice is just to deal with it, how we see fit.
I am so sorry to hear about your beloved Mina. I have lost a pet, and watched him die at the car of another,and I still hurt for my Cosmo-Kitty.
But pain is no less just because it is from another.
For me, pain is a daily part of life, emotional pain, I mean.
I’ve tried to walk way, ignore it, push it aside, deal with it, and I’ve given up. When it is ready to go, on its own,it will happen.
For the loss of a loved one,be it a pet or person,the impact is huge, depending on the level of love one has for the deceased person.
I empathize,PC, as I’ve been there.
I hope you’ve heard of the Rainbow bridge website. I am sure someone’s pointed you in that direction.
Have you heard of the poem ” 4 feet in heaven?”
It is a christian one, but the message is the same.
My religion has not helped me to cope, because of the confusion caused by other people’s conflicting answers. Mostly all of the people I have turned to for comfort have given me different answers concerning my reason for my grief.
If anything, it has given me few answers,concerning the afterlife.
my religion takes a practical approach to suffering: stuff happens. it’s not a reflection on you as a person or a spiritual being, it’s just the way things are.
you’ll recover, and you’ll be stronger afterwards. you may or may not get karma points, there’s no way of knowing, and it doesn’t really matter for this life anyway.
the best you can do is accept your emotions and work thru them. do something to acknowledge your loss. i learned this lesson just this month. one of my dearest friends died in june and the memorial service isn’t until next month. there wasn’t even an informal gathering in her memory, and i felt helpless and isolated. it’s been a month and i’m still depressed. get out there and do something to acknowledge your loss and show yourself that you can get on with your life.
I’m sorry for your loss. *hugs* I don’t know if I have ever read anything that directly addressed suffering. But if I tap into my knowledge of all I have read…I’d have to say, death is a natural cycle of life…not all suffering is necessary and is often caused by victim mentality, dis-empowerment, the illusion of separation (between souls)…but most importantly, the refusal to feel one’s feelings openly.
Mourning is healthy, purging emotions is necessary. Even though we are spiritual beings having a physical experience, part of that means being present in your body and feeling the physical effects of life. It is important to balance our spiritual selves with our physical selves. So even though on a higher level we might know that when someone dies, they carry on we still have to deal with the physicality of never being able to hold them again or talk to them or laugh with them…
What is suffering really? I think that to suffer…means to me that we do not want to deal with how we are feeling. If we are fighting it, that is where the suffering comes in. To suffer is to prevent the natural feel, way of things. If I am crying my eyes out over someone I have lost, I am not really suffering, I am crying, I am sad but I only suffer if I hold that grief in.
I think suffering is part of the human condition because we don’t understand enough about the spiritual and physical in order to pull ourselves out of it, to honor our feelings and be brave enough to sit with them…
Not to mention the implication of suffering in our society: To suffer is good, it makes you stronger, everyone suffers, it will get you into heaven, no one suffered as much as Jesus etc.
We are almost programmed to suffer. But I don’t think that it was part of the Divine plan.
Oh I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences.
I do believe that suffering is part of life– especially when we suffer illness or death of a loved one. That yin/yang thing– its all about balance… and so the wheel turns, the cycle of life continues. I try to keep in mind all the things the deceased has brought to my life, and how because of their impact on me they will always be with me.
Certainly a sad time indeed, but if we didnt understand great sorrow we would not be able to appreciate great joys.
I had a major crisis of faith once due to the untimely death of a friend, and I guess it led to an equally major lesson in life. I wrote an essay about it which can be seen here if you’re interested: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1666873/transitions_of_the_soul_one_pagan_womans.html?cat=38
I’m very sorry to hear about the death of your pet.
Essentially our religion tells us that the Goddess
does not interfere in the affairs of the material world.
She has created the universe with some expectations
for our long-term evolution and destiny, but it’s all
up to us how (or even if) we fulfill them.
On the other hand, we do have some access to
the metaphysical aspect and assistance of the
Goddess. We are quite sure that upon the death
of one of Her children (animals included) that the
spirit rejoins with Her where it finds peace
Blessings,
Jean