There is so much of what I do that is based on my own experiences, my own perspective and my own associations. My path may share many things with other people's paths, but ultimately is is my own and no one else will walk the same path as I do.
It can be very scary to step out into the world and to share what you do with others. Especially when you do things a little differently. What works for other people might not work so well for you and vice versa. And yet it is a very empowering process to step into your own, to claim what you do and to give your experiences to those around you.
While other people might not walk the same path, they may find great benefit from your experiences. How you do things could open them up to practices they weren't able to connect with before. You may introduce them to deities they had never even heard of. Or you help them claim their own methods and interpretations of something they were afraid to branch out into because they couldn't connect with the standard way of doing things.
I am a great book lover. Books have always been my go-to for learning. And yet, in many ways books have been a hindrance to my path. There have been many places along the way where I didn't grow at all until I was ready to make the plunge and leave what I was reading behind and forge out on my own.
I think that one of the areas where this is the greatest pitfall is in divination. So many books and resources offer up their perspective without pointing out that it is just one way of looking at things. Even when the explanation is written by the creator of the symbols being used (for example, the creator of an oracle deck), what they drew into the cards might not be the only messages that you receive from those cards.
Art is a great example of this. Art hits people on a very emotional level. The artist who created a work might have made it as an expression of love and tenderness, but you might see loss and pain. Both perspectives are real, and as a viewer of the art piece, you can even see both yourself. But knowing and seeing the vision of the artist doesn't make your own reaction to the piece any less important. In fact, I would go so far as to say that your perspective is more important to you than the artist's intention.
Part of walking your own path is being open to these personal connections. But a great deal can also be learned from seeing how other people approach the same thing. There is a lot of wonderful information out there, and the more you know about a thing the deeper your understanding of it will be. The more perspectives you can comprehend, the more complex your reaction to a thing will be.
It can be very easy, especially when just starting out, to not want to trust your own reactions. Especially when they are not in agreement with what everything else you are learning is saying. Even for those who have been working for a long time may struggle with breaking free from the general consensus.
So how do you develop this confidence? The first step is admitting it to yourself. Be aware of the ways in which your personal experiences differ from what other people are saying. You don't have to tell other people at first, you can just keep your thoughts to yourself, but whenever you find your reactions differ, acknowledge that difference and remind yourself that it is not only perfectly normal but also very empowering!
When you are comfortable with admitting things to yourself, then think about the people around you. Start by sharing your experience with people who are supportive. Many of us know someone who always feels that they are right and their way is best. This is not the greatest person to start sharing your experiences with. Instead, look for the people who show an interest in your life and your interests. Typically, people who ask you questions about how things are going for you are more likely to be open to listening and supporting your opinions!
A discussion group can be a great way to help people to open up, to share their thoughts on a thing and their personal experiences. Picking an outside source to discuss (such as a book or article not written by anyone in the group) can be an excellent starting point. It provides a neutral perspective that everyone can then talk about what works or doesn't work for them.
Another thing that can be helpful in sharing your opinion and speaking with confidence is keeping to 'I statements'. This puts your language into a personal perspective. You are giving your opinion on a thing and this makes people less likely to try to discount your experience. If I were to say that red aura's mean anger, that would be received more like a fact that could be true or false, where as if I were to instead say that I see anger as red in an aura, a listener would be less likely to feel like my opinion negates their own experience.
I also think that being confident doesn't always mean having all the answers. As contradictory as this sounds, I can be confident in my own path and perspective and still admit that I don't fully understand a thing or that I may not know what the meaning of something is. Much of what I do works through symbolism, either through interpreting symbols or using symbols to communicate. I don't always know every detail of a symbol. I am always looking to refine my comprehension of the symbols I use. I do think that part of being confident in my path as a whole is being honest about the parts that I am unclear on.
I feel more confidant, when talking to people, when I admit that I am unsure about a thing, than I do when I try to explain something I am unsure about. For example, if I am reading the runes, and one comes up that I just am not getting a clear message from, sometimes pointing out that the rune is not fitting well for me in that reading works better than trying to force what I do know into a situation that doesn't resonate with it. Often, in situations like this, the other person may have input that will make sense to me, or I may come back to it later and realize why it wasn't speaking to me.
Ultimately, I think we all have to pave our own path. No matter how much we draw from others, there will always be points where we have to step into our own and claim our personal point of view. You do you, and I'll do me, and we can work together by exploring where our paths merge and where they diverge!
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