Salutations!

Hello, everyone! I'll do my best not to ramble too much here, but no promises. I'm a wordy critter.

So, I found this site on a quick google search - I was looking for occult forums for no particular reason, per se, just an odd whim. I've looked through them before, but never felt any real need to join any. I'm a solitary person at heart, and don't really seek out the counsel of others. Not lightly, at least. If I'm coming to you for help, well, you know I done effed up. That being said, I feel I've matured more over the years and am now comfortable with approaching those I trust for help if truly needed, but I've been having a weird urge to find companionship among others who have at least similar beliefs to me. As in, they believe in the paranormal, at least, and have some semblance of spirituality. Spending time around purely logical people who are deeply rooted solely in the physical world is draining. There are a lot of people in the area who "practice" various crafts, Wicca and Paganism being among them, but my beliefs are not so succinctly summarized as to identify with any particular existing subset. Though, I will say, that from the extensive reading I've done on this site, quite a few of you hold at least some similar beliefs to me. Of course, I didn't join because I only want to converse with people who think and believe like I do. That's completely the opposite of the purpose, actually.

I'm here because I want to have my beliefs challenged, and I want to see what other people have to say based on their experiences. Experience is the best teacher, but never in my lifetime will I be able to have all the experiences there are to have. Not from lack of trying, rest assured, but because it's simply impossible. So, I turn to those with more experience under their belt who have been at it longer than I have, to get their insights, and possibly learn something from what they personally have witnessed and or gone through. Granted, I take everything with a grain of salt, because I am a skeptic at heart. But I do firmly believe that the truest words ever spoken were "A wise man knows he knows nothing." So, in my perspective, every belief I have built up over the last sixteen years is just a strongly rooted theory. A theory I'm prepared to study further, or dismiss entirely, based on new information.

I'm a lover of learning, and have a marked thirst for knowledge that can sometimes lead me to icky places, but I'd like to think I've learned (the hard way, naturally) where and who to avoid along the way. I've spent an entire 24 hours scoping the place out before I decided to join, and I think I might find at least some good companionship here, if not learn a thing or two from people more experienced than I.

Alright, more directly about me; summarized!:

I'm a complete nerd; I play video games, read comic books, love the sci-fi and high fantasy genre to death. And yes, I do table top RPGS, like DnD and of course, Vampire the Masquerade. And to assuage any worries you might have, yes, I can tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

I am very much a bibliophile, I love art, nature, animals, cooking, and kind of have a problem with obsessive cleaning and organization. I love music and writing, and am actually taking a crack at being an aspiring novelist. I am a knowledge hoarder, and I have a ton of mostly useless facts memorized, but I love the subjects of science and history, and I have studied a crap ton of mythology. I'm into holistic medicine and consider myself to be a creative individual, with a happy-go-lucky attitude. I'm kind, open, talkative, and have been told I'm quite easy and fun to talk to. I've also been told that I'm the funniest person on the planet, but I'm pretty sure that spot is forever reserved for Robin Williams, may he rest in peace.

Complete and utter movie buff, as well!

I think I covered the more important bits; I'm willing to answer any specific questions if you have any! I look forward to speaking with you all!

Also, keep in mind, when I say "purely logical people," I'm more referring to "non-magical" people, or "clay people" as I call them. Granted, I think everyone has magic in them, but I'm not referring to logical people in general. Just the ones who look at me funny if I say I use Jasper as a protective stone. You know, the ones that don't believe in the supernatural or mock spiritual beliefs and customs. Some of my good friends don't believe what I do, and sometimes it's exhausting being around them because I have questions and the need to talk about things, but they're so closed off to anything related to what I need to discuss that it's pointless to bring it up to them. A few reject anything not explained by science or written in a textbook. Just clarifying!

Welcome to the community. That's a long and thorough introduction, we can certainly appreciate the time you took writing it. Looking forward to reading about your views and beliefs as you decide to share them across the threads. Although we're an old community that features several experienced users I think it's safe to say that we're always looking to learn more and explore more, at least I certainly am.

Thank you for your warm welcome!