Ok or not ok to mix and match?

[PurpleShroom]

I have been reading a ton of the threads on this board and I know I am probably not even halfway. But one thing seemed a bit odd to me. I read that Wiccan has nothing to do with Satan. He belongs purely to christianity. But then why can you use the arch angels then? I mean they belong in christianity too. Is it ok to mix and match from other areas/religions? Or is it me that is completely off here?

[Greymalkin]

True Wiccans (and by 'true' I mean the ones who follow the teachings laid down by Dr. Gerald Gardner) have nothing whatsoever to do with Satan, generally they also have nothing to do with archangels either, preffering to call upon various Gods and Goddesses for help instead.

There are plenty of Wiccans who do, however, call upon archangels for help from time to time as there is a school of thought that the notion of archangels pre-dates christianity and they were (like so many other things) incorporated into the christian faith.

As far as Satan is concerned, speaking as an ex-Satanist myself I can tell you that many Satanists would take issue with your statement "Satan belongs to Christianity".
The Satan of Satanism is very, very different to the Satan of Christianity.
Satanist see Satan as the godhead, the creator of all life, they have nothing at all to do with the christian notion of Satan being the 'evil one'.

As far as your path goes PurpleShroom, one of the things the christians always throw at us as a critisism is the fact that we pagans 'pick and choose' what to believe in.
For some reason they see not having strict dogma as a bad thing.
Personally I see it as a wonderful thing. We CAN pick and choose what we do and what we believe in.
We are free to be adult and make informed choices on our spirituality without anybody telling us what to believe (even though many so-called 'Pagans' will try and tell you what you should and shouldn't believe or do).

The best advise I can give you is go with your gut. If working with archangels or Satan or anything else for that matter feels right to you then do, if it feels wrong - don't.

I've said it before and no doubt I will say it a million times more - YOU ARE YOUR BEST TEACHER.

[PurpleShroom]

Thanks Greymalkin.

That cleared up a lot of the confusion.
Just to be clear, with saying that "Satan belongs to Chrstianity" I was referring to the bad version of him. I have known satanists and I have absolutely nothing against them. They can be nice people too

As for your "You are your best teacher" I think you are right in many ways. But that doesn't mean I am the most knowledgeable teacher for me. When I look around in this forum something I feel like a beginner-newbie (if such a phrase even exist Lol) with people throwing around technical terms left and right - hooray for the search ability.

I do work a bit with gems but I have never read one book about them nor do I plan to. So many books tells you what stone is best for this or that thing. I know that according to those books I am using all the wrong stones for all the wrong things. But they work for me. My best remedy for a headache is a kunzit (very pale purple stone) in a glass of water for 5 min then I drink the water. 30 min later, no headache. And some of my best work has been done with amethysts even though they have nothing to do with me (I am a Scorpio).

But rest assured I will probably ask a ton more here as the more I read, the more questions I have

[Greymalkin]

As far as I can tell you are doing exactly the right thing.

Generally people who read all the books and spout of all the technical knowledge usually couldn't raise enough energy to blow out a candle.

Read the books, sure, but they are just guidance and most importantly - they are just somebody else's point of view - they are not holy writ.

If a gemstone works in a particualr way for you then stick with it. Others will tell you you're doing it wrong and should do it their way, take what they say on board and accept it or reject it as you see fit.
If their way doesn't work for you then it doesn't mean you're wrong it just means that particular way is right for you.

There are a lot of 'know-it-alls' out there. They have to get people to see things their way otherwise they feel like failures.

That's their problem - not yours.

[Chaos Shaman]

I have been reading a ton of the threads on this board and I know I am probably not even halfway. But one thing seemed a bit odd to me. I read that Wiccan has nothing to do with Satan. He belongs purely to christianity. But then why can you use the arch angels then? I mean they belong in christianity too. Is it ok to mix and match from other areas/religions? Or is it me that is completely off here?

YES. Screamingly yes. Spirituality should be personal. Do, use, and think what works for you. It doesn't matter if everyone tells you are wrong. Do what suits you.

[Greymalkin]

Well said Chaos Shaman! Couldn't have put it better myself.

[PurpleShroom]

Well then what about the God and Goddess? That concept seems a bit religious to me as well. But if they are such a big part of it all then what does atheist witches do?

[Greymalkin]

Well, in my opinion the 'God and Goddess' are only called that for want of a better word.
To me, they aren't like the 'gods' of other religions.
I don't pray to them, I don't 'worship' them, I don't view them as these all-mighty beings sitting in judgement of me.
They are just human-like manifestations of the masculine and feminine aspects of nature.
We make them human-like just so it's easier for little monkey brains to relate to them.