Welcome to Gaia! ::

As I am wont to do, I'm on first, just so there's an example. You may find as we go along that you think of something more to add. By all means, revisit topics as your thinking evolves or inspiration hits. Yes, there is a method to my madness in the order I post the topics but do not feel bound by my structure. I am not a step-by-step person; no, I think growth is organic and sporadic!

I have a distinct advantage, I think, in not having been raised in a religion. I tend to think that, then, I didn't have a box to break out of in order to find a new place to call my own. In addition, I have never had a "Book" that told me what to believe. Very powerful in that then belief and 'right behavior' are solely an internal matter rather than an imposed one. I can, however, get this feeling of rootlessness and feel like I lack reference points - not two weeks ago someone got peeved at my lack of appropriate self-labels and wanted a book reference for what I believe and I couldn't tell them. They seriously did not understand, all because I have no "Book."
Another thought: I can't escape my wider culture so you can be sure that I can recite the Lord's Prayer, the Order of Mass is familiar, and I can quote certain aphorisms. But I know these for what they are: the comforts of someone's belief system and I can look somewhat objectively at the purpose of these things.

Oh, and my mother is a Dianic, initiated into a mystery tradition. She might self-indentify as a sort of wiccan but is very private about her practices. So I guess that there's a certain amount of family support for pagan belief in my background.

I had to look up the 'Lutheran' part - I can't keep Protestant denominations straight and my head hurts after trying to make sense of what Wikipedia had to say. Conservative sect, closer to Catholicism than many, members concentrated in the German and Scandanavian countries? I hope I have a reasonable image fixed in my head.
I understand the Native part much better though I am aware that religion varies greatly tribe to tribe.
What sings in our blood is important, not to get too far down a road called 'heritage.' My folk have only been in the US for five generations, now - my great-grandparents came over from Denmark and Norway early in the last century. So I read runes and have read the northern mythology, have good conversations with an Asatruar friend but that's as far as it goes.

I think I'm trying to make a coherent whole out of ancestry, studies and experiences.

It's funny, the cultural/lit references you bring up: "Dances with Wolves" is one of my husband's favorite films so I get to see it all the time.
The Star Trek Klingon culture was based loosely on the Vikings - would you believe that there was a 'Klingon Wicca' mentioned in Rosemary Edghill's "Bell, Book and Murder" series? It's a hoot but probably can't be mentioned around any really strict Wiccans....
The blood sings, harmonizes, finds amazing melodies. It is a rhythm to walk by, a tune to hum while I wander, a poem to dwell upon....There's a song in there someplace.
Rambling is good.

Hmmm, lion1b, maybe? Done!

Actually it IS lion2b .... bad case of fumlefingers! sorry!

hehe...you hit right on the nose >.< and that doesn't even make a percentage of the bad things that have led me into believing what i do now... and thank you for this thread. Not many people know why i converted. not even my friends.

your right about that. When i started questioning the people at my old church. the were very abrupt and basically gave the same answer to every question i asked. It was annoying.