What do you believe in - and why?

[Sopdet]

Grab a cuppa and a bikkie

Family background:
Mother - her parents were Jewish, she was raised with the faith of her grandmother which was spiritual/pagan
Father - Raised catholic but his family background is Asatru (heathen)
Siblings - agnostic, catholic, pagan, spiritual

My beliefs:
I say I'm pagan because it is easier to say it than attempt to explain exactly what I am. In saying that, I have started to become more interested in my Jewish heritage & their belief system etc.

But I am going to give it a good try

I believe
in the universe,
in a universal energy (as opposed to a singular "god form"),
in balance (you can't have good without evil, male without female, black without white etc),
in a karmic force,
that we are the masters of our own lives but we are here to gain certain insights,
that we do come back to this realm time and time again to learn certain lessons
in evolution

I don't believe in
the belief that our lives are pre-ordained (ie fate)

I do call on gods and goddesses in my workings but more for a specific energy as opposed to them as "god forms" or "higher beings", I have a familiar and a few totem animals (one in particular who is now inked on my body - well him and a mix of my familiar), my spellwork is like prayers, the ritual component of the spells is to help with focussing and intent, I cast circles, dance naked in the moonlight, I meditate, I journal, I talk to "beings", I don't do spellwork to manipulate free will.

I think that is all. I may come back and add to this as I think of more.