I know that we have a few multi-faith members who are fairly active on these boards, and I know that some of us have practices originating in other faiths that we participate in for mystical reasons or as part of honoring our ancestors.

For those of you who are multi-faith, how did you come to be so? How do you reconcile your faiths when they disagree? Do you hold one religion in a higher standing than others?

I've distilled my spirituality down to pretty much KO and Vodou. They seem to mesh in my life (not ritual) perfectly, and I can't imagine abandoning one for the other.

Because I took the Shemsu vows, I do consider this my "primary" faith. It doesn't mean it's better, or necessarily a "higher standing", but I do consider it first in matters of faith. This is entirely for the sake of my oath, made in faith and love for my gods. I don't make oaths lightly.

I haven't been officially initiated into a Vodou society, but certain dreams made it crystal clear to me that I serve Erzulie Dantor. She gives me strength. Vodou also tends to operate, for me, as a way to bring ancestral (southern folk) traditions into my magical practices. Sometimes, Heka can feel a little stilted to me (though, there are times when guidelines are VERY useful), so when I feel the need for something with a little more "wiggle room," Vodou/Hoodoo works beautifully.

Also, the Vodou came first, for me, though I had been casually interested in KO far before. I just balked at what I saw as "authoritarian." I actually went to a St John's Eve ceremony in New Orleans, and was slapped with a vision of Hethert! That's how I decided to finally sign up for the beginners' course.

That would be me. Simply put, I do multiple traditions*, with the Jackal holding the first and biggest claim on my heart/spirit. But there is also no way to deny my strong tie with my ancestors (Swedish) or the fact that I am quite taken with Odin and He rather likes having me around. (I need to revisit that story for my blog one of these days) I also do serve the lwa, though still have a long way to go on that front. Then add to it Hekate starting to bug me not long after my RPD, and now Hermes is trying to get my attention.

I'll be honest, these days I wish my spiritual life were a little less jam-packed. It's very difficult to balance and juggle everything, and I'm having to re-learn just how to do that and figure out Who wants what and such.


*Calling it syncretic is not so much that I put things together, it's the way it all flows together.

Oh, and one more which might be of interest.
The way in which my shemsu oaths practically manifest is this: I make Netjer my priority and do something for the Names on a daily basis (except for when seriously ill or stressed). Purity permitting, I do senut daily. When purity does not allow (and I am not so poorly off that even Dad would say "forget it") I still sit before my covered shrine and do my morning prayer and holy day hekau. I have a personal prayer I say in shrine daily, along with some acknowledgment of any festivals for the day.
My other gods and spirits get other days, but They do not get something in a collective way every day.

I work with two faiths, at the moment. Kemeticism and Shintoism. I came to practice Shinto after Set told me to head in that direction. Currently, Shinto is on higher ritual grounds than my Kemetic practice because I have an active ofuda in my kamidana, which for all intents and purposes, is like having an open statue. So I can't really afford to miss a day. Set and O have already made it clear that I am still on PT duty for Kemetic practices, so once again, it takes secondary rank - at least with ritual stuff. I am far more active with my Kemetic peeps than I am with any Shinto folks, but that could change with time.

Luckily, the two religions are very very similar. So I don't have to do much reconciling. It's crazy how similar they are.

-Devo

Em Hotep! *henu*

For me, integrating and balancing the various elements of my personal "path" is an ongoing process. As I've posted elsewhere, I took Shemsu vows in 2010, but then stepped down to Divined Remetj status as I was feeling a significant pull from Thor and the Aesir.

Since then, however, a lot of things have changed and I'm honestly not feeling as connected to the Aesir. I was so happy when Hemet gave me permission last year to return as a Shemsu. Since then I've been praying and considering how I might best proceed in terms of being a Shemsu and also working with elements from other traditions.

I have found that I can continue to work with the Norse Runes as symbols and tools for energy work, without being a follower of the Aesir. I realize some may disagree with this kind of practice, but this is what I've found, and I certainly don't disrespect any of the Deities associated with the Runes.

I still consider myself Wiccan in a sense, but honestly I don't practice much in terms of Wicca; I don't do much if anything for the Sabbats and whatnot. I mostly observe the Moon cycles and stuff like that. And the Moon cycles can also play a part in Kemetic Orthodoxy, so I'm getting more attuned to that.

Again, for me it's an evolving process, and I think part of the process is learning to trust and know that things won't always stay the same. For me the key is honesty and integrity, doing things because I feel that is what Netjer/Spirit wants me to do, not just because it seems intellectually fascinating (an all too easy trap to fall into when one is eclectic!).

One of the nice things that Kemetic Orthodoxy has taught me is the ability to relate respectfully to the Gods and Goddesses of others, while knowing that I don't have to embrace every one of them as my own. For instance, I'm developing a new perspective on the Christ and His followers recently, and I think the Kemetic Orthodox perspective is helping me come to this new understanding.

I follow Druidry alongside my Kemetic practice, and find both are similar in many ways, but I follow them separately, Druidism being nature based. I find no problems following both, the Druidry stemming from my Celtic heritage. Kemeticism is first for me with Druidry a close second.

I am not multi-faith. My only religious affiliation is Kemetic Orthodoxy. What usually bothers people about me is that I also self identify as Ignostic (not the same thing as Agnostic).

As for me, I don't know that I ever would have even considered "mixing faiths" or pantheons until I stumbled across this community. It's been something on my mind as of late now, mostly because of everyone here who seems to manage to balance the places they want to be. It's very inspiring, and once I get comfortable here, I think I want to cast my net about and see what else may be waiting for me. ^.^

I hold to both Wiccan and Shemsu vows. The Wiccan vows actually came first, though I hold both my paths equally. My Mother Aset however, is essentially "my God". I honestly don't find them conflicting too much, it's pretty easy to keep them seperate. It's also very easy to spot the "Egyptian-y Wicca(n) stuff cropping up and I usually try to gently educate and when I can't do that, I just hold my tongue and smile. I'm very active in my church, but internally I feel more Kemetic. There was a period of time recently where I wasn't sure if I really wanted to continue with Wicca, but Aset basically said "Uh-uh, oh no you don't, get in thar!" Aset seems to speak to me alot through lessons I learn in my coven and church, mostly about responsibility and duty. There is just too much there that I will learn that I can't get through KO and so she pushes me "back on the horse" so to speak, all the time.