Without any offense meant to anyone who practices any form of alternative - "new age" - belief, I'm tired of reading fluff.

I know that in shamanism, I deal with a lot of the spiritual aspect of the world: spirits, demons, journeyings, spirit guides, totemic animals...stuff. But in the end, each and every decision made must be up to the person herself. Guides and totems might influence decisions made, but they can never make them for the person practicing the belief in the first place.

So I get really - extremely - annoyed when I keep reading about people who practice these faiths, and say that, "My guides told me that I Should Stay Here for now;" "the cards told me to - " "the pendulum said this is for the best for now;" "I should change my name because a deity said so and I think the deity won't lead me wrong."

Etc. etc. etc.

What utter bullshit!

1. MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS! Not make decisions based on what this-or-that says! How do YOU know they know what's the best for you? So you're going to rely on external devices to make every single important decision now, huh? Talk to your guides, talk to Ra, to Freya? Use the cards and dowsing stone? So, what? Next time, you're gonna ask the dowsing stone "yes?" or "no?" if you can go to the toilet and shit?

2. ALL GUIDES AND DEITIES HAVE THEIR OWN AGENDA FOR HELPING!!! I can't seem to knock this point into some people's heads. Spirits, whether of a lower or higher vibrational frequency than humans, Do-Not-Do-Things-Without-Wanting-Something-In-Return! They might "help" you for one time, for a few times, for a short period of time. And then they will want something back. Do not trust any guides you find so easily, not even if they FEEL right!

*growls* This is so fucking annoying. When can people stop relying on other things to make their decisions for them, instead of using their own heads?