Dogma: the 2-edged sword

Shamanism, and most other pagan traditions as a rule, are not bound by strict interpretation of dogma. We do not have a single sacred text that contains everything we know about the Spirit. Most of us do not have a long and ancient tradition to guide us or often even pastors, bishops or other ministers to counsel us. Pagans usually see this as a benefit; our experiences are not limited by what another person tells us we should experience. However, it can be a double-edged sword. As anyone who has been through a high school civics course can tell you, the price of freedom is responsibility. We become responsible for our own development. It is great to have the freedom to choose our own destiny, but it can be more difficult as well. Christians who desire a deeper understanding of God, for instance, can study the Bible. They have the benefit of centuries of other studies into the same text. This can draw out the deepest meanings and greatest insights from one collection of books. Pagans, on the other hand, have the internet and a few shelves of books written from many different points of view, often by unknown authors with names like HawkRaven or Silvermoon Shadowdancer. By necessity we must learn to follow the winding, sometimes faint, path that is laid out before us by the Spirit. And the decisions are all our own without the comfort of anyone telling us what we should do or what we should believe. Once one develops that relationship, you cannot really go back. Once we start on the path we are committed and sometimes the spirits will push us along, even if we are not particularly excited about going. A friend once shared a very good analogy with me on this point. She said, "Sometimes the spirit may point out a path that lies through a lake." If you don't know how to swim, you might be very reluctant to step into the water and start across. You may prefer to go around the lake, even though it takes longer to get where you need to go. Other times, your path MUST go through the lake. At that point, you have two choices: wade in & trust the spirit to teach you to swim; or stall until the spirit picks you up and tosses you into the lake. I have followed both options. The first option is definitely the easiest! There have been times, however, when I was so reluctant to move forward for one reason or another, that I eventually was tossed into the water and floundered around, wishing I could have just waded in gently!