Now that you have begun your journey, you should also realize the many misconceptions. First of all, finding your spirit doesn't mean that you are abandoning your religion or looking for a new one. While seeking your spirit, you should try to look at some of the other beliefs out there and learn about them. That doesn't mean to say, that you should join them, despise them, etc. But you should learn to understand them. There are many misconceptions out there about many different beliefs such as Wicca, Native American and other indigenious beliefs, Eastern beliefs, Hindu, Muslim, etc. But when you take the time to learn about them, you find many things very similiar and some that may help you as travel along your own journey.

Here are just a few of the misconceptions that many have had (and I have to admit that I was guilty also).
 

 The practice of Wicca doesn't mean that they are devil          worshippers, do animal and/or human sacrifices. Those who practice Wiccan, celebrate life and their beliefs evolve around nature. They do not believe in the devil so they can now worship him. The devil is part of the Christian religion, not theirs. They do practice hexes and curses as they believe in "Do harm to none". 

Another misconception is, if you don't beleive in God, you can't be spiritual. Very wrong. Being spiritual and being religious are very different. A spiritual person is one who accepts who they are, are happy with who they are, and accept others for who they are. A person can be happy and show kindness to others without believing in God. A person who is religious believes in God, believes in the Bible, and they can be a good person or even a bad person. What I mean by this is that a religious person can believe in something and still not be accpeting of others who do not believe as they do. Take for example, those people who are religious but yet judge and condem those who are black, gay, etc and they will do it in God's name. I do not agree with these people but it is their belief. So you see, it is possible to be spiritual but not religious.

Remember years ago, there was a song called "I was country before country was cool"? I bet alot of Native Americans are now singing "I was Native American before Native American was cool". In the last decade, there has a been a growing interest in Native Americans and their culture and along with that, alot of misconceptions. For non-Natives, if you you shared an interest in their beliefs, Natives would assume you are a wannabe. (So would other non-Natives). There has also been alot of resentment from Natives towards other Natives who share their culture and beliefs with non-Natives. 

In the following pages, I am going to attempt to explain more about the misconceptions. You are probably wondering why learning about the misconceptions can help you on your path. Understanding other cultures and their beliefs, you may learn more about yourself and find some of the answers you are looking for. Many times, the answers are simple and because Indigenious people believed in the simple truth, you can sometimes find the answers in their culture and beliefs. So, let's explore some of those cultures and see if we can get a better understanding of who they are.