A Wiccan-Hindu God?

The Dictionary’s definition of eclectic:

1. Selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles.

2. Made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources.

Wicca is a nature religion where the wheel of the year is celebrated as the seasons come and go. We celebrate a God and Goddess, both in their many forms.

Eclectic Wicca has the basic “outlines” of the original traditions as well as the beliefs of following our true paths, so long as we hurt none. However Eclectic Wiccans do borrow a little here and there to put together a spiritual path that they associate with strongly, and to bring in Gods and Goddesses that they feel are right for them.

I personally am an Eclectic Wiccan, and proud to say so. My beliefs at times have a strong Hindu line running through them and sometimes the more traditional line.

For example, if you were to look at my altar as it currently stands, you would see a beautiful image of the Goddess, with a moon in blues and whites, then right next to it you would see a gold and silver and brightly coloured image of Lord Ganesha.

To call on the Goddess in rituals, I sing the witches’ chant and to call on the God I use the mantra of Lord Ganesha.

On my wrist I have the ‘aum’ of Lord Ganesha tattooed, as well as a Scandinavian rune, both have special meaning to me.

There will be days when, perhaps in meditation, the Great Horned God or God of The Grove will appear to me and so will the Triple Goddess (The Crone is most likely to show herself to me).

However the Goddess that rings most true to me is the Spider Goddess. A form of her can be found in almost every ancient culture throughout the world and every time I walk through a spider’s web, I see it as a blessing. When I feel lost, or depressed, I tend to find that I am suddenly attracting spiders to me, reminding me that I am not alone. They are always there and are sacred to me (killing a spider in my home or around me is strictly prohibited).

I often laugh at the idea that perhaps it was my fate to be drawn to the Spider Goddess. When I was a baby I was put down in an orchard and was bitten by a spider and almost died due to it.

So yes, I tend to take a little from here and a little from there, if I am drawn to something that might not be ‘strictly’ in accordance with the very traditional Wiccan paths and it calls to me, I don’t see why I should ignore it. I believe that even if it is something completely different but that it is guiding me, I should welcome it with open arms because perhaps it will take me on a new adventure that will help me to learn more about being true to myself.

If you are new to Wicca and you find yourself worrying about the influences of other religions or pantheons on your beliefs, embrace it instead of pushing it away. Perhaps it is guiding you to a different path, one that suits you better for where you are meant to be in your life right NOW! It might change in a few days, months or even years, but accept every moment.

For example, the other day I found myself worrying about one of my cats (I hadn’t seen him in 24 hours and I’m one of those moms who panic easily) and out of the blue I found myself praying to Bast to guide him home. Within a couple minutes he came in through his kitty door, and I was immensely relieved. I have never been drawn to any of the Egyptian Gods or Goddesses before but at that moment, it came naturally to me and felt right.

So eclectic may seem a little eccentric and scary at first but that’s one of the wonderful things about Wicca and Paganism, there is no strict dogma and no strict rules on who you can and cannot worship.

However if Traditional Wicca feels right for you, with the Triple Goddess and Celtic Gods, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it in any way.

Do what feels right for you.

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