An Open Letter To A Witch

I do not know what tradition you follow. That does not matter. Indeed, for all I know, you may not follow any of the traditions. You may be one of those lonely ones who, for whatever reason, must worship by “feel’ rather than through any formal coven training or participation. But whoever you are, and however you worship, all that matters to me is that you hold true to the Goddess and the God. My purpose in writing this letter is to enjoin your aid in destroying that which cripples our Craft. Dissension is the disease. It is not a cancer, for it can be cured; and, as with most herbal cures, the best treatment is that administered internally.

Friend, help spread the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Craft. Do not seek to establish a scale of Wicca purism, (for no two Witches will ever agree on the relative positions on the scale of even their own tradition.) There is no one religion for all people, and THERE IS NO ONE TRADITION FOR ALL WITCHES! Let this be understood, and accepted. Choose your own path and let your neighbor choose his or hers. Remember the primary tenet: “AN YE HARM NONE, DO AS YE WILL.”

Yet never forget:”An ye harm none…” If your path leads to sex rites, to homosexuality, to phallic-initiation… do not put it forward as “THE WICCAN WAY”. It is only A Wiccan way, one of MANY. And by the same token, if a path so presented is not your way, do not decry it simply because it is not your way. Who are you to say another is wrong, so long as it harms none.

Strive for honesty, friend. Do not make false Craft claims, whether of position, heredity, lineage, or whatever. If you have a quarrel with someone, seek out the one you disagree with, rather than utilize perhaps unreliable intermediaries. Do not spread unfound rumors and question those who do so. News of battle makes more exciting reading than news of peace. Why, then, provide battle news for publication when the serenity of the Craft is what we should be showing?

We have come a long way, friend, in a few short years. Let us move along our chosen paths till we emerge- as we will- accepted and respected by ALL as a religion in our own right.

Help us bring an end to washing our dirty linen in public. There will always be disagreements. There will always be those who cannot tolerate others, but they are in the minority and so they should remain, if you wish. But do not deny them their right to those differences.

Friend, we are Children of the Universe, and Children of the Goddess and the God. Let us remember that, and live in Peace.

Blesses Be, and Merry Part!

An Introduction to Traditional Wicca

© 1987, Keepers of the Ancient Mysteries ( .K.A.M. )

Often Traditional Wiccans are asked to describe our religion and beliefs for interested people, who may or may not have confused us with other Pagan religions, with inversions of Christian/Islamic religions like Satanism, or with purely magical traditions with no religious base. There is a lot of flexibility in the ways that we describe ourselves, and one characteristic of Wicca is a large degree of personal liberty to practice as we please. Still, there is an outline that can be described in general terms. Many traditions will depart from one particular or another, but groups departing from all or most of these features are probably non-Wiccan Traditions attempting to stretch or distort the Wiccan name to cover what they want to do.

Mysteries and Initiation

Wicca is an Initiatory religion descended from the Ancient Mystery Religions. A mystery religion is not like Catholicism where a Priest is the contact point between the worshiper and the Deity, nor like Protestantism where a sacred Book provides the contact and guidelines for being with the divine. Rather a Mystery Religion is a religion of personal experience and responsibility, in which each worshiper is encouraged, taught and expected to develop an ongoing and positive direct relationship with the Gods. The religion is called a “Mystery” because such experiences are very hard to communicate in words, and are usually distorted in the telling. You have to have been there in person to appreciate what is meant. Near and far-Eastern religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto are probably Mystery traditions, but Wicca is very western in cultural flavor and quite different than eastern religions in many ways.

A Blend of Pagan Roots

Most Wiccan Traditions, .K.A.M. included, have particular roots in the British Mystery Traditions. This includes traditions of the Picts who lived before the rise of Celtic consciousness, the early Celts, and some selected aspects of Celtic Druidism. American Wicca is directly descended from British Wicca, brought in the late 1950’s by English and American Initiates of Gardnerian, Alexandrian and Celtic Wicca. These traditions are a little like the denominations in Christianity, but hopefully far more harmonious.

While British Traditions are very strong in Wicca, or the Craft as it is sometimes called, other Western Mystery traditions feature prominently, including the ancient Greek Mysteries of Eleusis, Italian Mysteries of Rome, Etruria and the general countryside, Mysteries of Egypt and Persia before Islam, and various Babylonian, Assyrian and other mid-eastern Mysteries that flourished before the political rise of the advocates of “one god”.

What’s In a Name?

Wicca, Witchcraft, and “The Craft” are used interchangeably at times by many kinds of people. It is fair to say that all Wiccans are Witches, and many of us believe we are the only people entitled to the name. It is important to know that many people call themselves witches who are not in the least Wiccan, and that Masons also refer to themselves as “Craft”, with good historical precedent. Carefully question people on the particular things they do and believe as part of their religion rather than relying on labels. Any real Wiccan would welcome such honest inquiry.

Traditions and Flavor

There are specific Wiccan beliefs and traditions, including worship of an equal and mated Goddess and God who take many forms and have many Names. Groups who worship only a Goddess or only a God are not traditional Wicca however they may protest, although they may be perfectly good Pagans of another sort. The Wiccan Goddess and God are linked to nature, ordinary love and children — Wicca is very life affirming in flavor.

Because we have and love our own Gods, Wiccans have nothing to do with other people’s deities or devils, like the Christian God or Satan, the Muslim Allah or the Jewish Jehovah (reputedly not his real name). Christians often deny this fact because they think that their particular god is the only God, and everybody else in the whole world must be worshipping their devil. How arrogant. They’re wrong on both counts.

Traditional Wicca is a religion of personal responsibility and growth. Initiates take on a particular obligation to personal development throughout their lives, and work hard to achieve what we call our “True Will”, which is the best possibility that we can conceive for ourselves. Finding your Will isn’t easy, and requires a lot of honesty, courage and hard work. It is also very rewarding.

Wicca is generally a cheerful religion, and has many holidays and festivals. In fact, most of the more pleasant holidays now on our calendar are descended from the roots Wicca draws on, including Christmas, May Day, Easter and Summer Vacation. Wicca is definitely not always serious. Dancing, feasting and general merriment are a central part of the celebrations.

Wiccan Ethics

Wiccans have ethics which are different in nature than most “one-god” religions, which hand out a list of “do’s and don’ts”. We have a single extremely powerful ethical principal which Initiates are responsible for applying in specific situations according to their best judgment. That principle is called the Wiccan Rede (Old-English for rule) and reads:

“An (if) it harm none, do as ye Will”

Based on the earlier mention of “True Will”, you will understand that the Rede is far more complex than it sounds, and is quite different than saying “Do whatever you want as long as nobody is hurt”. Finding out your Will is difficult sometimes, and figuring out what is harmful, rather than just painful or unpleasant is not much easier.

Initiation into Wicca

People become Wiccans only by Initiation, which is a process of contacting and forming a good relationship with the Gods and Goddesses of Wicca. Initiation is preceded by at least a year and a day of preparation and study, and must be performed by a qualified Wiccan Priestess and Priest. The central event of Initiation is between you and your Gods, but the Priestess is necessary to make the Initiation a Wiccan one, to pass some of her power onto you as a new-made Priestess or Priest and to connect you to the Tradition you’re joining.

Women hold the central place in Wicca. A Traditional Coven is always headed by a High Priestess, a Third Degree female Witch with at least three years and three days of specific training. A Priest is optional, but the Priestess is essential. Similarly, a Priest may not Initiate without a Priestess, but a Priestess alone is sufficient. Women are primary in Wicca for many reasons, one of which is that the Goddess is central to our religion.

One Religion at a Time

People often ask “Can I become a Wiccan and still remain a Christian, Muslim, practicing Jew, etc. The answer is no. The “one god” religions reject other paths besides their own, including each other’s. “One-god” religions also do not exalt the Female as does Wicca, and mixing two such different traditions would water them both down. Besides, you’d have to ask how serious a person who practiced two religions was about either one. Being Jewish is an exception, since it is a race and culture as well as a religion. There are many Wiccan Jews, but they practice Wicca, not Judaism.

Magick and Science

People interested in Wicca are usually curious about the magick that Wiccans can do. While magick (spelled with a “k” to distinguish from stage conjuring) is not a religion in itself, it is related to our religious beliefs. Wiccans believe that people have many more abilities than are generally realized, and that it is a good idea to develop them. Our magick is a way of using natural forces to change consciousness and material conditions as an expression of our “True Wills”. Part of becoming a Wiccan is training in our methods of psychic and magickal development.

Because we believe that everything a person does returns to them magnified, a Wiccan will not work a magick for harm, since they would pay too high a price. But a helpful magick is good for both the giver and receiver! Wicca is entirely compatible with the scientific method, and we believe all the Gods and forces we work with to be quite natural, not supernatural at all. We do not, however, hold with the kind of scientific dogma or pseudo religion that sees everything as dead matter and neglects its own method by trumpeting “facts” without honest examination of evidence.

Priestesses at Large?

Long ago the spiritual (and sometimes physical) ancestors of Wiccans were Priestesses and Priests to the Pagan culture as well as devotees of their Mystery. Now that a Pagan culture is rising again, some ask if today’s Wiccans could resume that role. This seems unlikely.

Today’s Pagan culture is very diverse and more interested in exploring and creating new forms than in building on existing traditions. A public role would either dilute our traditions or force them on an unwilling audience. The neo-Pagan community generally prefers “media figures” and rapid membership and growth. This is not compatible with our slow methods of training and Initiation, the insistence that livelihood come from work outside the Craft, or our needs for privacy. Our religion is not accepted in the American workplace or political system, and may never be. The most powerful Priestesses are often unknown to all but their Coveners. While all Wiccans are Pagans, all Pagans are not Wiccan, and it is best that it remain so.

Eleven Things Every Witch Should Know

1. Magic is what happens when you open yourself to the Divine. All real magic is
a manifestation of the Divine – it is how you co-create reality with deity.

2. The Divine is within you and is everywhere present in the natural world. And
everything is interconnected by this sacred energy.

3. Wicca is not about information — it’s about transformation, so practice,
practice, practice — and do it as much as possible in Nature! Witchcraft
enables you to commune with divinity and to manifest your destiny, your desires
and your highest and sacred self.

4. The real ethics of how Witches live and practice magic are simple: Witches
live in a sacred manner because we live in a sacred world. We therefore treat
all of life with reverence and respect.

5. Because all magic flows from our connection to the Sacred, our lives and our
magic, must be guided by the sacred nature of the energy with which we work.

6. The energy Witches work with is not neutral — it is divine love.

7. Magic often works in unexpected way because it is not a mechanical process,
and the Universe is not a machine. You are living and making magic within a
divine, organic, living reality.

8. Witches don’t command and control — they commune and co-create.

9. The real secret of successful spellcasting, as with all of magic, is your
connection to the Divine power that dwells within you, and surrounds you. And
spells do work so be careful what you ask for!

10. Nature makes the Divine tangible. By working, living, and practicing your
magic in harmony with Nature, you are in harmony with the Divine.

11. The ultimate teacher is the God/Goddess inside you and in the world of
Nature all around you.

Author unknown

Speaking Out About Halloween

by Dana Corby

Halloween: the time of year that just about everyone associates with Witches, along with ghosts, goblins, and other scary “supernatural” beings. But I’ve been a witch for more than twenty years and I can tell you there is nothing either scary or supernatural about us. And there is nothing more to fear on Halloween night than on any other night of the year.

Each year as October approaches, self styled experts flood the media with dire warnings about the supposed physical and spiritual dangers of celebrating Halloween. They trot out the same tired old rumors of poisons and razor blades in trick or treatcandy. They hint that your neighbors are probably child molesters. Lately they’ve been making the astonishing claim that Witches put curses on the treats they distribute, so that the children who eat them will be “possessed by demons.”

There is no truth to any of it, there never has been!

Witches are actually rather ordinary folks; not a wiggly nose among us. We have jobs and families, we vote and pay taxes, and we want most of the same things you do: Peace, prosperity, a good world to leave our children. Unlike most people, though, we spend part of each autumn faced with open religious discrimination, based on needless ignorance and fear.

Witchcraft, also known as Wicca, is a modern revival of the pre-Christian religions of western Europe. We are pagans, that is, we see divinity in nature rather than in a transcendent spiritual realm or an omnipotent being. We speak of our deity as the Goddess or Mother Nature, although to most of us the godhead is dual – both Goddess and God. As such, our beliefs lie outside mainstream Judeo-Christian concepts.

This does not mean however, that Witches are in any way opposed to Christianity. Like most religions throughout history, we grant that different faiths are right for different people. We oppose only the mistaken belief of some individual Christians that since they posses the only “real” religion, constitutional freedoms of religion do not apply to the rest of us. On the rare occasions that Witches find themselves in conflict with Christians, we see it as a civil rights matter, not a religious dispute. We are not interested in arguing “my Gods better than your God.”

Wicca’s ethic laws are at least as stringent as those of other faiths: Our law says “Harm none,” and that means not our neighbor, not our neighbor’s dog, and certainly not out neighbor’s child. It prohibits not only physical harm but such intangibles as violation of another’s free will. And it means ourselves, as well; a Witch should cultivate both bodily and mental health.

This outlook on morality, because it does not rely on obedience to specific commandments, covers much more behavior: Rather than worrying about sinning, we try to foresee the results of our actions so as to take the wisest course. While we may not share Christianity’s beliefs in heaven and hell, we do believe that all actions have consequences, and that whatever good or evil we do will find it’s way back to us. Our ethos comes from within rather than being imposed from outside or above. It is based on personal honor and responsibility, and by these principals we live and hope to live again on our beloved Mother Earth.

As worshippers of nature, Witches celebrate a wheel of eight Sabbats or sacred days: Ancient festivals marking the round of the seasons. The Christian calendar, as even some Christian writers have noted, borrows heavily from Paganism. This is no doubt because until very recently people of every faith shared the same experience of the land and the passing seasons.

We share Yule, for instance, which is the old name of both the winter solstice and Christmas. Easter, derived from the celebration of the Spring Equinox, is even named after the Saxon fertility Goddess Eostre. And though Protestantism abandoned them long ago, both Imbolc (Lady Day) and Lammas (August Eve) have been retained in the Catholic year, as has All Hallows Eve…Halloween

To witches, Halloween is a religious holiday much like Thanksgiving, a time to feast in praise of nature’s bounty. It is also our New Year’s day, time to let go of the old and look forward into the future. The old name for this festival is Samhain, pronounced approximately “Sow-un.” This is a Celtic (Irish, Scottish) word meaning “summer’s end.” Some writers have claimed that Samhain is the name of a Celtic death god, but Celtic scholars consider this a fabrication. In fact, Samhain is to this day the name in parts of Ireland and Scotland for the month of November.

Samhain is the last of three harvest festivals. August has Lammas, the grain harvest; In September was Mabon, Autumn Equinox and the apple harvest; and on the eve of November is Samhain, the cattle harvest.

The idea of a cattle harvest is strange today. But in ancient times, it was essential. Though the Celts counted their wealth in cattle, they could not keep whole herds alive through the winter. Rather than let all of them starve, they kept the best animals for breeding stock, the rest were blessed, thanked, and butchered. This was not some occult “blood sacrifice” but practical animal husbandry, done with respect – essentially “pagan kosher.”

Every community held it’s own Samhain feat, and the people stuffed themselves with all the autumn goodies they would not see for another year, especially that great seasonal luxury, meat. They stored up food for the winter not in a refrigerator, but as fat on their own bodies. (We of course do have refrigerators. Our feasts come mostly from the super market.)

With the dying of the cattle and the seeming dying of the year, it was appropriate also to remember the communities’ human dead. The religious side of the feast of Samhain has always included recalling by name our loved ones who have passed over during the year, with prayers for their safe passage. This is the origin of the secular Halloween’s “spooks”: The spirits of all the beloved dead gathering around one last time for our farewells. For us this formal letting-go is an important aspect of the grief process.

Pagans in general, and Witches especially, do not share the horror of death which pervades mainstream culture. Because we are a joyful people , we hope to avoid death as long as is practical, but we do not particularly fear it. Witches see it as a transition, an alternate reality, which in it’s own manner serves life. Because we love life, Witches are healers and gardeners and artists, cooks and craftspeople and teachers of lore. Because we value balance, Witches honor Death at Samhain.

The part of Halloween that makes it Halloween to most Americans is of course, “trick or treat.” Interestingly, this custom, though ancient, is preserved much more faithfully in North America than in the old countries. Large numbers of Irish and Scots emigrated here just before the old ways began dying out in the British Isles, in the period between Queen Victoria and World War 1. By then the celebration was far different than it had once been.

The house to house begging processions that we now call trick or treat were not originally part of Halloween at all. From the Middle Ages right up through he renaissance such processions were a major part of Advent and Christmas; like most Yule customs, the true origin is lost in Pagan antiquity. Along with other Yule merriment, the processions were suppressed during the Protestant Reformation. But the people would not give them up, and took them underground by simply moving them to Halloween.

One feature of modern Halloween, though, has always been a part of it: disguises…

The ancient Celts believed in fairies, as many modern Celts still do. And they believed that at Samhain the walls between our world and the realm of fairy grew thin, and that the fair folk could come over. The fairies were said to ride the mortal lands then stealing beautiful human children to raise as their own. So, mothers “uglified: their children for the night: dirtied their faces, ratted their hair, dressed them in rags – whatever might make the fairies overlook them. And the children, kids being kids even in the middle ages, thought this was a blast! Eventually, as usually happens with folk customs, the reason for it was forgotten: today any kind of costume can be worn, or none at all.

So, what should a modern parent do? Is it safe to send your children out trick-or-treating? Though not as safe as it used to be, the truth is that it’s fairly safe if you use some common sense.

Those horrifying tales of razor blades and drugs in candy have happily proven to be what is called an urban myth, like the sewer alligators and the ghost hitchhiker: You know someone who says they know someone it happened to, only no one actually does. Hospitals have offered free X-rays of Halloween treats for many years now, and have never found a foreign object. Only one case of Halloween poisoning has ever actually been substantiated by the authorities, and it proved to have been done by the children’s own father after they came home. It seems they were insured better than they were loved.

Nor are your children likely to have any spells cast on them on Halloween or any other time. While there are a few “wanna-be-Satanists” around who might like to cast spells on your kids, the truth is, they can’t. Magick has natural laws, just like any other physics and chemistry. One of those laws is that innocence is armor against evil. Another is that magick takes work. The kind of people attracted to “black magick” generally either are just showing off or think they’ve found a way to get what they want without work. Once they realize the enormous amount of effort it takes to violate the free will of even a child, they’re all through.

What the Witches on your children’s route are likely to do to them is make them mad: We tend to give out healthy stuff instead of candy. One Witch I know gives toothpaste!

But real dangers do exist. Every year trick-or-treaters are hit by cars on dark streets, bitten by dogs, fall down stairs – any number of mishaps. Predatory humans, though mercifully few, are real. And excited, sugar high children are not careful. So the parents must be.

Make sure that your children’s costumes enable them to see and be seen; if you can’t talk them out of going in black as Dracula or a ninja (or despite all I’ve said here, as the “wicked witch.”) Make sure they carry a flashlight so they’re not invisible in the dark.

Arrange with your neighbors for a “safe house” on each block; make sure your children know where it is and forbid them to enter any other house on their route. This could be a great PTA project. Best of all, of course, is to go with them.

Ration the sweets once they’re brought home. A heavy sugar overdose can trigger hyperactivity, hypoglycemia or in rare cases, even diabetes. In any case it’s bad for their teeth and hard on tummies. But don’t worry about your neighborhood Witches, we’ll be busy celebrating Samhain!

Dana Corby publishes pamphlets and booklets through her publishing company Rantin’ Raven Press.

“Pagans Worship The Ground you Walk On”.

“Pagans Worship The Ground You Walk On”

Author: Forest

This was the bumper sticker that I read on an old station wagon earlier today on my way to work which got me to smiling (and at 6 in the morning, that can be awfully hard to accomplish).

The car was sitting quietly in its spot beside my place of work, and I went to take a closer look at the sticker, smiling as I read what it said. I loved that bumper sticker; it brightened my day.

What surprised me though, wasn’t the fact that it could put a smile on my face at 6 in the morning, but the sheer horror as to the fact that someone had keyed “Witch Bit**” into the side of the car.

I mean come on, what is wrong with people nowadays? Are they so against our faith that they must do that in order to make themselves feel better? It’s ludicrous is what I think, but you can never be too sure.

I thought about it for a moment and I realized that almost every movie with witches in it has the phrase “Witch Bit**”. The whole thing must’ve started out with a movie like “The Witches of East Wick”, or “Practical Magic” or something along the lines of this. The phrase can be heard almost anytime someone wants to make a rude remark to a pagan person.

Honestly, the word has come to be a household name for people who are not of the old way.

I felt like crap as I walked into work, and saw who it was who must’ve owned the car. You see, apparently, she couldn’t get the car out of the theater parking lot because someone had slashed her tires and keyed that obscene remark on the side of her car. So, instead of feeling an ounce of sympathy, my boss told her that since she had the entire night to move her car and didn’t, that her car was being impounded.

The woman looked really strong; she must’ve seen a lot in her life, and she looked to be about 60 years old. Though, through all of this, you could tell that she was on the verge of crying.

I asked for a leave of absence so that I could take the woman home, and luckily, I got it. Her car was about to be towed, and/or impounded, and I didn’t think that she would be able to handle the fact that my boss was about to make her pay money for something that wasn’t her fault.

People aren’t very surprising. A lot of us have the same kind of arrogant personality going around and making people feel like fools.

You’ve seen some of those people, witches included, who say some stuff like, “Psh, I’ll make acid rain come down over his head while he’s sleeping, I have the power.”

I mean, we can be arrogant just like anyone else. When you go around parading something that some people really don’t care for, you’re begging for something bad to happen to you.

The same thing happens to those boys and girls who flaunt about how they’re homosexual. I mean, I understand about being open about it, but to hit on every guy or girl and dress like a girl/guy, that’s just pushing it, I mean, I’m bi, but I couldn’t really understand why some of them did it until recently.

Yea, the world’s screwed up, and these people know this, yet they flaunt themselves around like they’re a lamb on the spit. I’m sorry, but when they say that they’re victims, they’re absolutely right.

But they knew that it would eventually happen, so that’s what made me start pondering about the world.

Humans are a proud race. I mean, some of us are ill-willed and weak-minded, but in the end, we all pretty much stand up for what we believe in. We all have the power to delve into our memories and conjure up something that can fuel our onward path. All you have to do is believe ,right?

I love people when I think that these people chose to flaunt their religion, while knowing that by doing so, they might get in a little bit of trouble along the way. These people are truly my heroes. They stand up for their beliefs, they stand up for our religion, and these people are healing the earth in doing so.

Some of us are (using the melancholy term) “In the Broom Closet”. Well, it’s time to come out, because the world isn’t as terrible as you think it is. Sure, there are rough spots on the way, but then again, you have fellow pagans all around you who will help you along the way.

We all need to take a stand. We need to hear the voices of the people who were shamed because we were to weak to stand up for them when we were hiding in the shadows.

We all have it in us. I mean, we’re pagan, we’ve been here longer than anybody. Our souls have prospered the Earth. It’s time that we needed a batch of good karma, so why not make it ourselves?

I mean, we are witches, right?

I’m just putting this article out here for something for you to ponder on. You don’t need to respond, but hopefully some people can understand what it’s like to be these people, the ones who are ashamed, the ones who get beat up, broken down, and downright miserable.

We all need help once in awhile, so lets give some right now, just think about it ok?

If you understand what it feels like, then why let it happen to other people? We all need to understand that when you’re broken down and crying in the dirt, you’re not just at rock bottom; you’re rock bottom under 8 feet of mud and concrete, and you can’t get out without some help.

Just think about it.

Raising Children As a Pagan Parent

Raising Children As a Pagan Parent

Author: Josie

Because my beliefs are not the norm for my culture, I often wonder if I am raising my children well. I wandered into the path of Witchcraft when my oldest child was 2 years old. There was never the awkward moment of having to tell them that mommy was a witch and what that means. They grew up with the chants of the Pagan group Libana as their lullabies: “The Earth, the Air, the Fire, the Water, return, return, return, return. . .” In my arms, they watched me cast spells before they could speak or walk. Crystals, herbs, candles constantly burning, my creations of essential oils, Books of Shadows and ceremonial robes, swords, wands, staves, and chalices were their mundane world.

My children will never be like ordinary children at any point in their lives, and, I suppose, in many ways this is good. They will never wonder about being good enough to get into heaven. They will never fear “God’s Wrath.” They will not tally up the “sins” they’ve committed and worry about being saved. They will never feel that sex is evil and have extreme guilt for “doing it.” There is so much they won’t beat themselves up about, but there are also ways in which they may lose out.

Have you ever noticed that if someone meets a devout Christian, who is raising his children to be devout Christians, he is applauded for rearing his children with a belief system and a faith in this “faithless society”? But if you say that you are Wiccan, Pagan, Druid or another non-mainstream religion (after you’ve explained to them what you’re talking about) , they ask if you are giving them exposure to Christianity and giving them the option to be Christian.

At first my reaction is, “Why would we have to do that? Do you expose your children to other religions and give them the option to follow other beliefs? Have you taken your son to a Buddhist temple or a Wiccan circle to give him that experience?”

But in a way they are right – not about the religious part, but about the exposure. Imagine your child going to college and having to examine William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence” or Shakespeare’s “Henry V” and not knowing anything about Christian doctrine. It would be the same as studying Chinese poetry without knowing anything about Taoism or Confucianism.

But how much exposure to Christianity do our children need? How much leeway do we give them for their own beliefs?

I was raised in a fairly non-religious house, which, in this culture, means that we did not go to church, but we were still Christian. In fact, years ago when I told my parents I was Pagan, for the first time in their lives, they wanted to “save me.” “I already saved myself, thank you.” My mother was so disturbed that any “New-Age” music, including Enya, instantly gave her a migraine simply because she associated it with Paganism. It took them years to understand my beliefs and still more before they accepted them. I am sure that during those years they asked themselves, “Where did we go wrong?”

As Pagan parents, should we feel obligated to raise our children to believe only what we believe? Or should we expose them to our culture’s mainstream beliefs so they are not so shocked when they enter school or meet other children? In these days when Child Protective Services can take your children from you before they prove you are endangering them, are we afraid to let our children be open about what we practice? Can you imagine the commotion your child would create if he goes to school with the symbol of the Horned-one on his t-shirt?

In truth, I do not have simple answers to these questions. Everyone’s circumstances are different. Some of us can be more open without fear; other cannot. I can tell you what I’ve done and what I’ve learned, and I hope that my lessons may guide you in your and your children’s journey.

I’ve learned never to cling to any dogma so tight that if it shatters, chunks of me go with it. I constantly write down my ideas, not so that they are written in stone, but so that I won’t forget them and I can see how they and I have changed and grown. What I believed fifteen years ago is vastly different from what I believe today. What I believed last year is different from what I believe today. I constantly experiment, ask questions, read new topics and theories in order to learn more and test my ideas and beliefs. I never say, “So I’ve reach enlightenment now and this is the truth.”

So then what do I teach my children as “the truth” if “my truth” constantly changes? What do I teach them if my only stable ideal is that of learning and a willingness to change my beliefs if new evidence arises and new epiphanies are had?

Well, that is a good place to start. Teach them to read everything that interests them. Teach them that although you do not know what the truth of life, the universe and everything actually is, that you search for it, that you have theories, and that you are open to new ideas, and they should be too. Tell them your theories on everything from creation to the Gods. When you struggle with the validity of your beliefs, let them know what these struggles are. After you’ve reached new conclusions tell them about it. Have you ever thought of asking your children, “What is God?” Maybe their answers will surprise you.

Next, teach them some of the fundamentals of our beliefs that are less likely to change.

Revere the Earth for She is our Mother as well as our Home. The more we do to protect Her, the better our future will be. The more we neglect or harm her, the worse our future will be. Some may call Her Gaia or Mother Earth, but She is a constant in nearly all Pagan belief systems. With this reverence, speak to them the mantra of recycle, reduce, reuse, so that we may harm Her less than past generations did.

Teach them to understand the Wheel of the Year as a beautiful, never ending dance that celebrates nature in all its phases. It does not matter whether we call it Beltane or someone else calls it May Day; it is the principles behind the holidays that are important: a celebration of life, a celebration of change, and a celebration of the natural world.

Show them how the Moon, La Luna, in Her many guises represents our own lives and the stages through which we go. We all share the experience of going through waxing, mature, waning and dark phases in our lives, and She is our nightly reminder of this fact. Her monthly journey mirrors our own.

Encourage them to do Magick on their own. The skills we initially strive to learn when we start out on the Path (meditation and visualization) , children have not yet forgotten – they just call it daydreaming and imagination. Children are naturally more creative and Magickal than adults. They may surprise you by their ability. Teach them to cast spells in a very natural way. There is no need for ritual even as an adult, so teach them simple chants and spells.

I have had wonderful success with all children over four years old, whom I have taught to do simple meditations and spells. Teaching them to utilize these skills before they lose them will mean that they won’t struggle with re-learning them as many of us did.

Let your children figure out whom the Gods are for themselves, for if the adults were not sure, why would we expect them to know. Even in our own Pagan culture we call Divinity by many different names and we see a myriad of Its faces. Imparting a simple openness to the idea that everyone sees the Divine in a different way will negate the fear of exploration of your children’s own spirituality.

I spent most of my childhood communing with nature. I was the youngest of six children, and my closest sibling was five years older than I was. I grew up in the country with no one my age living nearby. I spent many a day buried in a pit of dry oak leaves melding with the natural world. My playmates were chickens and dogs. Even at a young age, I had a unique concept of God. I am very glad my parents did not try to supplant that with their own vision (even if it was through laziness) . It allowed me to grow at a natural pace.

Give to them that love of all things natural. Show them the magic of sitting under a tree, watching the clouds, and growing things in the ground. Even if some of us are not outdoorsy types, who among us does not feel uplifted by the first crisp fall morning or the first sweet drops of snow in winter, the smell of the ocean breeze or the brilliant colors of the first spring flowers.

Tell them to respect other people. For everyone, no matter his or her age or intelligence or belief system has something to teach you. Everyone has a unique perspective – this is the gift of diversity.

Demonstrate the courage, that although we may not advertise our beliefs, it is okay to be different and it is fine to believe things that not many others believe. To find the courage to hold our own in the face negative reactions and the desire to fit in is difficult, but we can be that example to educate our children to find it within themselves.

As far as what they should or should not tell others, use your judgment. Your situation may be different than mine. I homeschool my children, so I do not have to worry about what they say in school, because for us school is the playroom. But even so, there are people with whom we are comfortable telling all and there are people with whom we are not. It would be a wonderful world if all diversity was accepted, but it is not so. I feel that as long as I give them love and teach them acceptance of their ideas, they will be fine.

We’re Not Like Other Families

We’re Not Like Other Families

Author: RedBeanSidhe

Have you ever found yourself saying this to your kids? “We’re not like most other families. We’re different.” How do you feel when you say those words?

I know how I felt having to say that to my kids. My heart sank when I heard the words roll out of my mouth. I felt like I was setting my kids up for a harder life. I felt as if I was alone in a large uncaring society, and leading my kids to learn to feel the same way as I did when those words came out of my mouth.

I debated for a long time over it. Even made up ‘pro and con lists’ in my head just to try and figure out what, if anything, I was doing wrong.

I am a pagan mother of seven boys. Then to top that off I have an extended large family. I still have yet to find another large pagan family such as ours. AND… I home school. I am happy homeschooling, and I believe my kids are too, but sometimes looking at everything I am shocked at what a large load I have put on my kids. It is a lot to take in if you were not the one experiencing it. Could you imagine?

So after all the worrying and debating I asked my oldest, “How does it feel to be different?”

Then this 12-year-old son of mine answered me the way only a kid could.

“What do you mean different? I don’t feel any different. I feel like myself.”

I smiled and then felt put in my place. We’re not really different. When I asked him how he felt about our family, he said, “Well, our family is extraordinary.”

Overall, when you really get down to thinking about things, and how some things might appear to be different, just put things into perspective. Perhaps you aren’t all that different. Maybe it’s just the way you think about things. The ‘burden’ I thought I was giving my kids was actually just my desire for them to have an open mind and a different perspective on how our family exists.

See, I think my perspective comes from how I was raised. I was raised very Christian. I was in the church nursery as a baby. My mom was the Sunday school teacher when I got older. I knew the Bible, and it was a contest between the preacher’s son and me as to who knew all the answers in class.

We had weekly dinners with the preacher and his family. I went to youth service on Wednesdays, as I got older. I had a lot of questions though, and as my mom said, good Christians don’t have questions. they just have faith. So I knew I had problems because I couldn’t stop asking questions.

I wasn’t a good Christian. I couldn’t just believe. I had too many conflicts. I tried to talk to my mom, and I told her I didn’t like having a God I was afraid of. I explained that it’s not right when you fear God.

In response, I was told, you should fear God. It makes you a better Christian to know you will be punished if you don’t accept him and Jesus.

I just couldn’t win. I tried to talk to the preacher, who told me my mom could explain things to me. And when I talked to my mom, I got no answers.

I swore that growing up my children would not have to face the things I did. I found Paganism when I was younger.

I told my mom, “Those people who were hugging the tree looked so happy”.

My mom said, “They should be. They are all going to hell.”

I said, “Well, if all the people at our church are going to heaven, why are they all so sad?”

She replied. “Life is hard. There is nothing easy about it.”

I got books and read in private, figuring out my religion. When we had children we agreed that they would be able to pick their religion and they would be educated.

When my 12-year-old son had done some research and told me he chose Paganism, I must admit, my heart skipped a beat. But what he doesn’t know, he wasn’t raised to know, are the hardships involved. It’s both a blessing and a curse for him.

I have explained the secrets he will have to keep from his grandma. Some people won’t agree with his choice and he will have to either keep his faith secret or deal with this.

Overall though, still he doesn’t see us as different. It’s a wonderful thing that he doesn’t take to heart all the hardships. He doesn’t see us as different because he was not raised to see anyone differently. I figured by his age these things would have come into perspective for him, but they haven’t.

What a wonderful experience, not being different! Having a large family, and being Pagan is just natural for my child. Maybe for other children of mine too, someday. I believe some will be Christian, some will be pagan, and maybe some will venture beyond these boundaries and dive headfirst into their own religious freedom to choose something totally different.

I will take them to the local Hindu temple. They go to church on occasion. We have been to two local Universal Unitarian churches. In the words, being ‘different’ is good because everyone is ‘different’. If we were all the same, the world would just be boring.

It’s true. Everyone is different. It’s just something we deal with throughout life. Maybe it’s not such a horrible thing to be ‘different’ and some of our children don’t even think we’re ‘different’ at all. It really puts things into perspective to believe that any religion, sincerely held and practiced, is just fine.

If you are not taught to believe that ‘different’ religions are bad, then they aren’t.

A Very Good & Blessed Sunday Morning to everyone out there this morning!

How’s everyone doing this morning? I hope the weather is beautiful where you are at. Around here, the wind is blowing around 70 mph. The backside of the house sounds like it is about ready to blow off. I have already been up and out this morning. We went to check on the animals, make sure no trees have fell on them, their tarps still over the tops and most of all feed the little vultures, lol! Just kidding, they are all growing and recovering fine. Next week, the weather is suppose to be back to normal. So Guess What? You get to put up with me, you lucky dogs, lol! I know at least three little fuzzy kids of mine will be glad of that. I come home every morning and the minute I walk through the door, I am jumped. Stinker, Kiki and Razzy all want to smell me. Razzy has gotten so big, she wraps one of her paws around my leg and she stops me. I have gotten were I just sit down in the floor and let them sniff away. I just can’t wait till I get sprayed by one of those baby skunks, lol! I shouldn’t even say that, I will jinx myself. I have never gotten sprayed, knock on wood.

I am getting ready to open up a can of worms now. I know I said I don’t talk about Politics on the blogs, but….something about this campaign is really eating at me. I just feel this need to express myself on certain subjects. I don’t know how many of you watched the Presidential Debate the other night. You know the one that Obama lost, yeah right! Romney made a comment that has been eating at me every since then. I don’t remember what he was replying too but he made the comment, “All Gods are one God!” That scares me. Now if a Pagan said that, I wouldn’t think a thing about it. But for him to say it, it bothers me. “All Gods are one God!” It makes me wonder if he is implying all Gods are one God and that God is his God. What is he planning on doing, making the U. S. a nation of one religion. Forget diversity! Forget Religious Freedom! I remember a comment that he made early in his campaign and I guess that is where these fears are coming from. His comment was, “a very unsavory influence was spreading across the United States.” The “unsavory influence” makes me think he is talking about Witchcraft and Paganism. You hear it on the News just like I do, people are leaving mainstream religions. The other night there was a Poll done and there was a big jump in people not claiming any religion at all anymore. Of course, the Poll did not mention “if you were affiliated with Witchcraft or Paganism.”

I know Romney keeps mentioning he wants to take us back to the times of Reagan. That’s a laugh. Reagan never did a thing for us. We like to have starved to death and my husband was out of work all the time. My husband was a union man and I remember Reagan trying to bust every union in this country. But all that is beside the point, if Romney wants to take us back to the past, how much further does he really want to go? “All Gods are one God,” “Unsavory Influences,” is he planning on taking away our Religious freedom. Enforcing how we worship. What happens if we don’t want to worship that way? Are they going to burn us at the stake again? There is something about that man, he has a hidden agenda. This feeling I do have and it is very strong. Romney has never come right out and told us what his plans are. How is he going to cut the debt? How is he going to handle the Middle East and our Foreign policies? He wants to do away with “Obama care,” what does he have in mind to replace it with? He has never answered any of these questions. Some say he has no idea what he is going to do. I believe he does. And it is my worse fear and I pray to the Goddess this country wakes up before it is too late. I believe he will take us back to Reagan’s time. We will all be broke and starving. Those who haven’t lost their homes already will. We will all be living in tents and be damn glad to Have’em. I sincerely believe this, Romney will take this country back to worshipping one Religion. I believe he will try but this time I don’t think it will happen. We have all, Pagans and non-Pagans, who have learned from the world’s history. We will never let another people be persecuted again. We are all individuals and we all have rights. That is our Goddess given birthright.

Whether you agree with me or not, that is your right (for now). I believe everyone needs to pay very close attention to every word that comes out of Romney’s mouth. I also believe you need to stop and think, “why isn’t he laying out any of his plans for the country?” I don’t believe it is because he doesn’t have any. I believe it is truly because he has a hidden agenda. Think about what I said. Then listen to the debate this week. Then we will talk afterwards.

Just remember the Goddess has given us our rights and freedom. This time we will not let anyone or any person take them away from us.

More Friendship Glitter Phrases Comments

A Little Humor – The Pagan and The Wizard

The Pagan and The Wizard

A pagan goes to a Wizard to ask him if he can remove a curse he has been living with for the last 40 years.

The Wizard says, “Maybe, but you will have to tell me the exact words that were used to put the curse on you.”

The old man said without hesitation, “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

The Witches’ Daily Affirmation

Witches’ Affirmation

A witch is…

One who has power over her/his own life
One who makes his/her own rules, but can abide by the rules of Nature
One who refuses to submit to self-denial
One who recognizes no authority with greater esteem than her/his own, who is loyal to self
One who is untamed and tamed
One who transforms energy for the good of all
One who can be passionate about her/his ideals and values as they are changing
One who is explosive, whose intensity is like volcanoes, floods, winds, and fire
One who is disorderly and orderly
One who is ecstatic
One who alters reality
One who says, “I am a witch” aloud three times

“I am a witch”
“I am a witch”
“I am a witch”

Wiccan Chat

Elemental Correspondence

Traditional Witches do not have set correspondences as Wiccans do, and often the element that is resident in a directional spot in ritual will change based on where the Witch is holding their ritual. Traditional Witches take this practice from that of their Ancestors. Early Europeans believed that the Gods and spirits inhabited the land itself rather than being part of a separate world. When people in older times traveled they would take the spirits of their Gods and Ancestors with them. When they would do any sort of magickal work or pray to their Gods they would align themselves according the relation of where they were to their Homeland or Homeland of their Gods since this is where they felt that they truly resided. In order to do this, the Witch would look upon the North Star, the traveler’s star, and use that as their point of reference. If the Witch happens to be in the Homeland, then the correspondences are no longer needed. This is still done today, where as in Wicca the directions are often predetermined based on the Wiccan tradition one is practicing with.

The Wicca Book of Days for Aug. 22 – A Divine Sacrifice

The Wicca Book of Days for Aug. 22

A Divine Sacrifice

As the Romans’ “imperial” month, August can be symbolically linked with the chief deities of many pantheons, including the Norse Odin. And just as the Horned God is willingly sacrificed at the start of August, so Odin endured the pain of a self-inflicted wound as he hung, impaled on his spear, from the world tree, Yggdrasil, for nine days and nights (traditionally from August 17 to August 25) until the runes appeared to him, whereupon he seized them and released himself. Odin therefore suffered untold agonies to gain, and then pass on to humans, the mystical insights that the runes represent.

The Rosy Cross

It was on this day in 1623 that placards appeared over Paris, France, publicizing the Brethren of the Rosy Cross, a secret society whose aim was the “General Reformation of the Whole Wide World.” The rose symbolizes love think of a loved one or cast a love spell today.

The Wicca Book of Days for August 21 – Guaranteeing Grain

The Wicca Book of Days for August 21

Guaranteeing Grain

The Consualia, a festival dedicated to the Roman granary God Consus, was celebrated on August 21 in ancient times, in the hope of securing divine protection for the just-threshed harvest. On the Consualia, sacrifices made by the flamen Quirinalis (priest of Quirinus) were offered to Consus at his Maximus, where an underground altar was dedicated to him. Above ground, races were held, while some equines were garlanded and given the day off, for Consus was furthermore equated with Neptune Equester (“Equestrian Neptune”).

A Historical Healer

The Persian physician and philosopher Ibn Sina (980 – 1037), or Avicenna, is said to have been born on this day in Uzbekistan. Avicenna’s The Canon of Medicine was an important reference work for European healers. Read more about this great man’s theories today.

The Wicca Book of Days for August 17 – Sunflower Story

The Wicca Book of Days for August 17

Sunflower Story

As a Leonian day, August 17’s “planetary” ruler is the sun, with which many Gods have been identified, including Helios. A tale told by the ancient Greeks about this golden deity concerns the nymph Clytia (or Clytie), who feel in love with Helios, but whose passion was not returned. Jealous of his affair with Leucothoe, a Babylonian princess, Clytia told her strict father of it, whereupon he buried his daughter alive. As for Clytia, she eventually wasted away gazing at Helios, whereupon she was transformed into a sunflower, which still follows the movement of the sun with its head.

A Sun-loving Flower

Place a sunflower on your altar, both to concentrate your thoughts on the Sun and as a reminder of the destruction inherent in burning passion. When they have ripened, harvest the seeds. Remove the tough cases to find a delicious, nutritious snack.

The Wicca Book of Days for August 16th – Chelsea Curatives

The Wicca Book of Days for August 16th

Chelsea Curatives

The oldest rock garden still to be seen in England was completed on August 16, 1773, in the Chelsea district of London, England. It is one of the many marvels that together form the Chelsea Physic Garden, which was established near the River Thames in 1673 as a teaching garden for trainee apothecaries, who needed to become familiar with the appearance and properties of curative plants. Today, its medicinal roots continue to ben nurtured in such areas as the Garden of World Medicine and the Pharmaceutical Garden. For more information, visit www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk.

Saint Roch

In Christian tradition August 16 is the feast day of Saint Roch, a French-born hermit who not only caught and survived the plague, but cured others of it, too. Invoke his aid today if you, or your friends are unwell, and a swift recovery may follow!

The Sixth REDE – The Great Rite

THE SIXTH REDE – THE GREAT RITE

Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all
acts of love and pleasure are my rituals.

Initiation into the high priesthood in Moondaughter’s tradition always involved
performing the Great Rite in true. The necessity for this sexual act arose
naturally out of Moondaughter’s understanding of the power of love.

The Power of Love

Love, Moondaughter taught, is the power through which the Lord and Lady gave
birth to all things. Love is the source of human life and happiness. The power
of love is greater than that of the natural laws which govern the universe.

Sexual love, for Moondaughter, was the most potent and volatile form of love.
She believed that in sexual love a man and a woman unite not only physically,
but also spiritually and magically. By that magical act the lovers are
transformed, for better, or for worse.

The Misuse of Love

It is not difficult to observe in the physical world that the power to do good
is also the power to do harm; Moondaughter taught that the same was true of the
sacred power of sexual love. While she prized the sexual act as the holiest and
most powerful of rituals, she understood the misuse of that power to be
responsible for many of the dysfunctionalities of human society.
Today, even more than in Moondaughter’s time, we have become aware of the severe
psychological damage which can result from sexual abuse of children and from
rape. Moondaughter believed these were only the most visible ways that human
beings could take harm when the magical and spiritual energies exchanged during
sex were misused for purposes of exploitation and domination.

The Sacred Marriage

Moondaughter considered her coveners to be undertaking a course of both magical
and priestly training, and in that role she made demands of them which many
modern Pagans might find unacceptable. Married coveners were expected to be
strictly monogamous, and single coveners to be chaste. This requirement was not
merely an ethic, but a magical act, part of a spell of self-transformation to
prepare them to receive the third degree initiation.

In Moondaughter’s tradition, the initiation to third degree was identical with
the Sacred Marriage, a vital aspect of the Great Work.

When a couple was ready to receive the third degree, the Great Rite was first
administered in token to the woman by a male elder, and the woman then
immediately administered it — also in token — to her partner. At some later
time, the couple would perform the Rite in true to sexually complete the
initiation begun by the symbolic ritual.

There were rumors that in earlier times the true Rite had followed the pattern
of the token Rite, but this was never the practice in the United States.

Following the third degree initiation, the man and the women were considered to
be magical partners, a priest and priestess whose sexual union was an embodiment
of the Lord and the Lady.

All Acts Are Her Rituals

For Moondaughter, both the sexual ecstasy of the Great Rite and the sexual
abstinence that preceded it were magical acts for the transformation of the self
and the world. More than that, they were acts of worship, rituals of the Lord
and Lady.

Today it is common for the statement that “all acts of love and pleasure are my
rituals” to be regarded as an endorsement of casual sex. Moondaughter would have
seen such an attitude as the equivalent of a devout Catholic offering
consecrated hosts with salsa and dip as a party snack.

Moondaughter taught that every act of love and pleasure was indeed a ritual, and
cautioned her students to approach every such act with the reverence (as well as
the mirth) that such an incredibly sacred ritual deserves.

The Wicca Book of Days for August 14 – Fiery Correspondences

The Wicca Book of Days for August 14

Fiery Correspondences

One of August 14’s zodiacal sign of Leo’s most important correspondences, astrologically and magically speaking is with the element of Fire, which like each of the other three elements, is in turn associated with a particular season of the year, cardinal direction, and color. Given the heat that it generates, it is not surprising that fire’s season should be Summer or that its direction should be South. Similarly, fire’s color is typically specified as being flame red, although yellow, golden, and orange hues are also regarded as being fiery.

Solar Seeds

The sun’s rule will soon be ending, so if you feel that your self-confidence could do with boosting, or you wish to cultivate any other solar or fiery qualities, now’s the time to light a golden candle and gaze into the energizing flame as you visualize the desired characteristic taking root and growing within you.

Our Inclusiveness Is Our Strength

Our Inclusiveness Is Our Strength

Author: Carissa Stormbringer

If I had to pick one thing that I love most about Pagan culture, it would be the fact that we allow diversity of opinion and practice. I get amused at how much it shocks people when they see a pentacle around my neck. I don’t fit the stereotype of a Witch that most people have in their mind. What people don’t seem to realize is that there isn’t just one type of Pagan. We’re a mixture of people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. I’m a middle-aged, professional woman, and one of my best friends in the Pagan community is a college-aged Goth. I’ve circled with feminists, gays and lesbians, Marines, Shamans, Jewish Mystics, Esoteric Christians, Police Officers…all kinds of people. I’ve seen Druidic rituals, Shamanistic rituals, Wiccan rituals. I’ve heard Hebrew, Cherokee, Enochian, and Greek spoken in rituals, and I speak Latin in my own. The rituals of different Pagan paths are all different, but each is a beauty to behold. I walk away from every Sabbat with a new piece of knowledge under my belt. There is always something to learn from each new path I encounter. We’re all on different roads, but our destination is exactly the same. We are all holding hands as we walk through this life. Every one of us is an important part of the whole, and each of us has something good to contribute.

We are thinkers as well as mystics. We question, we ponder, and we allow our fellows to do the same. Some of my very best friends are people who I don’t agree with on a lot of issues. Why? Because I realize that a difference of opinion should never interfere with loving another human being. If I have to treat someone bad in order to make myself feel good about the path I’m on, then I’m no more than a sadist using religion to try and get away with causing others pain. Most Pagans I have met agree with this whole heartedly, and more importantly, they practice it! At any given festival, you’ll see so many different people around the fire, and in circle so many different rituals. It’s truly a wonderful feeling to see all these different people be together in love and unity. We’re all unique, but we walk through this world with our hands joined.

I know that tolerance isn’t always easy, and we Pagans are no more or less human than any other faith community. We make an effort, however, to make everyone feel welcome. We do not publicly exclude any positive path, nor do we say that there is only one way to worship the Divine. True spirituality isn’t about controlling others. It’s about having a sincere, heartfelt connection with Divinity. As a whole, we realize that people need to build this connection in their own way. What works for me isn’t going to work for another Pagan. I will not stand by and tell anyone that they must worship in exactly the way that I do, or they are evil. The very thought it ludicrous to me, as it is to most other Pagans as well. We believe that all people should be free to express their spirituality in whatever way appeals to them. This elevates the human spirit, and allows for future change if we are faced with new facts about the Universe. We can sit and talk with one another, circle together, and appreciate what each path has to offer. This is a far cry from the exclusiveness of fundamentalist Christianity.

I’ve studied many mystical things from many different paths. All of them are beautiful. I love Runes for their power, eclectic water spells for their beauty, ceremonial rites for their attention to detail, and Shamanic journeys for the amazing insight they give. Each path I learn about has something wonderful to teach me. It pains me deeply that anyone would deny another human being the right to explore the spiritual realm and make up their own minds about things. In my opinion, those who do this are committing a gross crime against their fellow man. I don’t want to live in a world where there are no choices, no freedom of thought, no room for growth and change. This isn’t what the Lady meant for us. She meant for each of us to come to Her and the Lord in our own special way. The form your worship takes doesn’t matter. As long as you are sincere and do no harm to innocent people, you will be accepted with open arms into the Pagan community. We will let you be who you are. We will not try to own you. You can think, question, and be treated with respect and dignity in our fold. You can see Deity in whatever form you please. I think our inclusiveness is truly the shining jewel we possess as a community. By the Lady’s grace, I hope we never lose it.

It’s a big Universe out there. If we are going to someday accept beings that will likely be very different than us, we must first learn to accept our fellow man. Tolerance starts here, with us, in our community. I’m very proud of the acceptance and inclusiveness I see in the Pagan community. This is one reason why our faith is growing in leaps and bounds. People are hungry for what we have to offer. They’re tired of being told what to think and how to worship. They’re tired of the dogma, the disrespect of women, and the narrow-mindedness of most mainstream religions. People want choices, not chains! They want a relationship with Deity and common sense morality, not repressive rules and psychological tyranny. Intolerance has hurt our world in so many ways. It has cost countless innocent lives in religious wars and persecutions, and time after time it has been used as a political tool by corrupt leaders and greedy clergy. It’s time to put this monster to rest, my friends. It’s done too much damage to be allowed to live any longer. May we all share this world together in peace, and may the Lady’s blessing be upon us all, regardless of our spiritual path.

How Others Can Effect Our Faith

How Others Can Effect Our Faith

Author: Storm Shadow-Wolf

Insta-Witches. Wanna-Be Witches. We’ve all encountered them now and again. That angry teen rebelling against their parents, the well-meaning yet narrow-minded “one book Wiccan”, the “I read about it online somewhere” Witch, the hippie-Heathen. I know for some of us in the broader Pagan and Witch community, these people sometimes illicit a knee-jerk reaction that is usually negative. I mean, after all, we’re serious about our religion, how dare they make a mockery of what we hold sacred through their ignorance! Humph!

Well, after a lot of reading I’ve found that some folks in our broad community believe that we shouldn’t take this stance against those who only play at what we deeply involve ourselves in. My words here are meant to both challenge and support this notion. We have every right to feel a little insulted when anyone, who’s never spent more than five minutes actually learning about what our religion is all about, tosses on a pentacle, engages in negative or attention seeking behavior, and all the while calls themselves a Witch.

At the same time, we don’t have the right to lash out at these misguided souls. Negativity begets negativity. We need to stay positive when dealing with these “Wanna-Be Witches”. Our best defense against those who would belittle our faith through their erroneous actions is patient and compassionate education. I think if everyone knew exactly what we are all about, there would be less and less people misrepresenting our religion with sensationalist nonsense. Just like the tenants of Christianity and Judaism are widely known, people aren’t able to start parading around nude in public and claim it to be some stricture of being Jewish! People know better. I think through active, positive public education, with time people wont be able to easily dramatize our religion. I believe that will ultimately lead to less and less “Insta-Witches”. But I digress.

One thing that has always been wonderful about our community is that it has the tendency to be open to just about anyone. The only downside is… well, that our community tends to be open to just about anyone… the good and the not so good. I’m sure that all of us, at one time or another, has encountered in our personal travels seeking spiritual enlightenment the “One-Book Witches”. They exist in our community the same way that ever major religion has lip service followers (not to say that one necessarily equals the other) .

How many of us have gotten caught up with the self proclaimed Witch that has read only one book from that Not-So Reputable publishing company? I know it happened to me. This happened when I was still a teenager and just beginning to get a good idea of the Craft. For several weeks I studied with a man, let’s call him “Sage”, off of worksheets he compiled from a book that I, later, wouldn’t have used even for scratch paper. Me and two other girls I knew from my neighborhood spent about five weeks or so completely wrapped up in the notion that this was the beginning of a wonderful journey. We were all sadly disappointed when, after these short weeks, we completed our “final exam”, went through a brief ceremony, and were dubbed “Priestesses”.

I was baffled. I couldn’t even raise a circle at that point! When I pressed the matter with Sage, he said that all one ever really needed to know was contained within that book. You didn’t need to bother yourself with looking at any other resources, there was only one way to be a Witch and all other ways were inherently wrong or confused. I mean, wow. Thank Goddess I knew better and quickly moved on to better teachers and better resources!

Now, to play devil’s advocate, as it were, I keep hoping that Sage will one day further his education. He was a very kind man and had a lovely energy about him. He would be a wonderful asset to our community, especially with his ability to explain things in a manner that younger minds can understand. He never once tried to take advantage of us, either, for money or sex. He never tried to coerce us into a cult setting, putting himself up as High Priest with us as his followers. I believe his heart is sincere but his methods are misguided. If he would just open up his mind to the fact that no one, singular resource can really give you the depth of knowledge you need to truly understand our religion, whatever Tradition you may belong to, then he could be capable of amazing growth.

I certainly don’t think he should be written off or looked down upon, as if to say he isn’t Witchy enough. He just needs the right person to help him realize his full potential. When we take the time to try and work with the “One Bookers” we can eliminate our feelings of hostility towards them and aid them in their personal development. No one really loses in situations like that. It may be extremely frustrating, as I have found with some of them, but very rewarding in the end.

Many years after Sage, I had the opportunity to explain to a very misguided co-worker that there were many different facets of the Craft. He was absolutely convinced that this one book he had read by a very prominent author was the one and only way because of the training this author had received. Luckily, I owned the book and brought it to work the next day. I flipped open to a certain page and read a passage I had underlined that clearly stated that this was NOT the one and only way to the Craft.

I told him that even the author, with their pedigree training, admitted that their Tradition of the Craft was not the only one and even listed resources in the back that would allow further research into different Traditions. He didn’t understand at first until I explained that the Craft was a lot like Christianity in a sense – same basic core beliefs but lots of Traditions that do certain things differently. Even though he was reluctant to accept this at first (“How could anyone possibly learn to be a Witch with so many different paths!?”) , now he understands that there is a broad variety of Traditions that make up our religious community and you can learn from as many as you need to until you find the one that speaks to your heart. I no longer feel the resentment I initially had towards him for espousing such narrow views and he understands the Craft on a much deeper level.

Let’s briefly examine how some other Insta-Witches can be harmful to our community. I brushed over the angsty teen at the beginning of this narrative. Let’s really take a good look at how this individual can, indeed, harm our religion and our community. Before we begin, I am not saying that every teen swathed in black is going to automatically be an Insta-Witch!

I was one of those teens draped in black! I didn’t start professing I was a Witch until well after I had studied voraciously and gone through my Initiation. So I’m not directing this at those teens in our community who have actually taken the religion we love seriously. This is most definitely NOT directed at you, who are the next generation and a joy to have in the community.

This is directed at the teens that have no understanding of what it is to be a Witch and yet claim to be Witches to get attention. Let’s be honest, this isn’t even directed only at teens, as I’ve seen adults like this too! More than once, I’ve seen an adult all decked out in pentacles trying to look as scary as possible and it was nowhere close to Halloween.

I used to work in the local mall and one encounter has always stood out in my mind. I was on break, getting something to eat from the food court. A group of three teen girls approached me while I was sitting. They were the epitome of Hot Topic fashion and draped in pentacles.

As they crossed the food court to where I was sitting, I watched them hiss at more conservative people and blow a kiss at an elderly woman with the admonition “Satan loves you, Granny!“. I think I just about died.

One of the girls looked at my modest pentacle and said “Rock on, hail Satan.”.

I looked at her with obvious disgust and retorted “I see you have no idea what the pentacle ACTUALLY represents… to be Satanic means that I’d have to be Christian… and I’m not. Real Witches are NOT Satanists, you should remember that.”

She looked taken aback and it was probably due to my caustic tone of voice. I was upset that she would just up and assume that because I wore a pentacle, I was a Satanist. I was also upset that she didn’t know that pentacles have nothing to do with Satanists.

She put her hands on her hips and smartly asked “Well then, if you aren’t a Satanist, what ARE you?”

I shook my head and laughed a little, replying “Look hon, Witches don’t worship Satan… they never have. Why don’t you walk down to the bookstore here and go into the world religion section or the New Age section and do some reading. You three look smart enough, so go educate yourselves.”

I recommended a few good books, grabbed my smoothie, and then headed back to my store since my break was up. I noticed as I was leaving the food court that people who were within earshot were looking at ME with disapproval, like I did something wrong.

I was fuming inside because these three girls were acting out, behaving outrageously, and displaying the symbol that represents my faith! People would actually associate these girls with the Craft! I was mad at myself as well for not having better control over my reaction – after all, these girls were maybe 14 or 15 and I was 23. I should’ve been a little nicer about how I addressed them.

I know that they were acting out and my negative response is just fuel for the fire. I know that I should’ve been more patient with the girls and given them a better, more levelheaded response. What was wrong with me?

Part of it was probably that I had a feeling that this was not an isolated incident. They were the types who went about “hailing Satan” and furthering people’s confusion about the nature of the pentacle and exactly which faith it actually represented. They were part of the reason well meaning old ladies stopped me on the bus to preach to me about the devil and Jesus because they don’t understand I don’t worship the devil.

They were part of the reason my girl friend had her tires slashed for a pentagram bumper sticker, the side of her car etched with “Satan whore” in huge letters. They were part of the reason that people think Witches are evil, nefarious, and just up to no good.

I know that that kind of behavior doesn’t necessarily reflect only upon those who are misbehaving, it reflects upon the group or community they belong to. To the uninformed, these girls and other harmful Insta-Witches belong to the same religion and community that I do – an obvious error they have no way of knowing.

As we have seen whenever there are radical factions stemming from a main church or religion, usually the parent church will publicly state that they do not condone or associate with the fanatic offshoot. The main church seeks to separate themselves from these people since they have behaved in a manner that is embarrassing to the church and contrary to their doctrines.

Similarly, we want to separate ourselves from those who pretend to be us, or can be confused for being one of us, and behave in ways that are contrary to our doctrines and beliefs. People are social creatures and as such, we draw lines from individuals to their families, their churches, even their ethnic or racial identity.

One radical Christian will make people question the church they belonged to, one violent individual will make people question their race or their neighborhood, one bad apple spoils the bunch. There are still parts of this very country we live in, the USA, where our Brothers and Sister must live in the broom closet because of negative stereotyping. I have read numerous accounts of Witches being beaten just because they are open about being a Witch.

I’ve been “lucky” enough, if you can call it that, to get away with simple verbal harassment. The longer people have the negative views of who we are and what we are about, the longer we must hide. How can we rise above the generations of prejudice and social stereotyping if we constantly have these sensationalists claiming to be us and then acting in ways that cast negative light on our community as a whole?

How do we fix this problem of the Insta-Witch who muddies our struggling good name?

The simple answer is education. The application of this answer is a long and delicate one. With people claiming to be Witches when they actually aren’t, it complicates the problem a little more.

When people are confused for Witches (who are not) due to social misconceptions, the hole deepens even more. We have to carefully and positively lift our voices and let people know how to spot those who are not Witches. We have to teach people that we do not worship any evil, that we are a very family oriented religion, and that our religion is one of celebration, not pain or suffering or torture or perversion. We wont lose any of the magic or power of our faith by sharing it people.

We need to distinguish between those who come to us with genuine interest and those who enter our community with ill or frivolous intent. When we educate the Insta-Witch, we either open the doors of possibility for a person who may become spiritually engaged or we disillusion them from bastardizing our religion further.

Once we have educated those who sully the understanding of the Craft (and continually educate the new ones that inevitably crop up) , that education sends out ripples. Their friends, family, and others around them will have a familiar voice that will quell the misconceptions. When we lend a face and a voice to our religion that is personal – that effects change.

When strangers approach you with their beliefs, you may listen politely or not at all. When a friend asks to talk with you about their beliefs, you are a little more inclined to pay attention and take their words to heart.

Once people see that we are not some faceless, impersonal institution of scary fairy tales gone horribly wrong but families and individuals and an entire community of celebrants and caregivers and heritage seekers… well, we will likely not have to worry about hiding in the broom closet any longer. While there may always be ignorance and prejudice, there will be less and less and less. Maybe our children or their children will be able to hold public ritual without protests or harassment. But it has to start with us.

It is a knee jerk reaction to have a little animosity towards the Insta-Witch. One possibility for this is because we feel they are disrespectful of our religion and our community. It may also be simply because their bad behavior or poor representation of our community doesn’t just look poorly on them, it looks poorly on all of US. I personally, don’t see anything wrong with this initial feeling of being disrespected. We are absolutely entitled to our feelings. It’s what we do with them that make the difference.

I have found these Insta-Witches are especially bothersome to those of us who strive to open dialogue with other religions or communities to try and heal the generations of degradation and misunderstanding. We are being set back by those who harm our over-all image.

Who are we trying to look good for? Our families. Our children. Our future. We all want a future where none of us have to hide. We want a future where our children will not be taunted, our tires will not be slashed, our well-being will not be in danger, and our rites will not be protested or harassed. We want what every other religion wants – freedom to practice openly and without persecution.

By actively trying to change the Insta-Witch into a respectful person, we can change our relationship with outside communities bit by bit.

We don’t need to impress anyone or be “more Witchy than thou”. We do need to understand that there are people who call themselves Witches who are not Witches and they can be harmful to us. We need to accept that we can distinguish these people without being judgmental or hostile. Just because we have a terminology for these people doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re making fun of them or poking at any inabilities they may have. We simply have a vernacular for identifying them the same way we identify a Gardnerian or a Diannic.

To those in defense of the Insta-Witches, I believe that we have the right to feel angered or upset by those who perpetrate our religion in negative ways. We have a right to feel bothered by someone who is doing something most of us would consider unethical at the very least. However, we don’t have the right to humiliate or proselytize these folks. We also don’t need to take our feelings out on these people.

They need guidance and patience, yelling at them or presenting them with a negative response wont solve anything. Sometimes, the best remedy is just to ignore them. The attention seekers, especially. When you deprive the attention seekers of the attention they crave, they tend to take their antics elsewhere or try to find other outlets.

Of course, we will always encounter people who are just made of different moral fiber than we are. They will be disrespectful no matter what anyone or we says or does. No matter how much patience or compassion we show these people, they simply don’t care and will carry on their destructive ways. It’s better to cut your losses in those cases and simply let others know about the potential problem person. Aside from that, it is up to us to try and correct the fallacies that have been assigned to our faith.

For every Insta-Witch that may come along, there is at least one of us who has dedicated our hearts to our religion that can serve as a positive role model, teacher, and voice. Let us hope that with time, we will see less and less Insta-Witches and our religion will eventually be able to come completely out of the broom closet.

Lighten Up – The Speshul World of Wytches and Majyc

The Speshul World of Wytches and Majyc

by Marilyn (ABSENTMINDED)

Hello everyone. I used to be a Christian/Jew/Muslim but realized six months ago how terribly wrong it all was and decided to come home to Paganism because I am a natural witch and have decided to admit it now in spite of the terrible persecutions I know I will face.

In the last six months I have read everything on the top shelf of the New Age and Pagan section of my high school library, even though I really didn’t have to because just realizing what I am has given me total enlightenment and all the knowledge I will ever need to have a perfect life and get everything I want and punish anybody who isn’t as enlightened as me and tries to persecute me with logic and facts and thinking they are better than me.

In order to help the less enlightened, and to show how ooky-spooky I have become, I will now post the most important things you need to know to become as kewl as I am. You can thank me later.

Todays witches are so much smarter than the ones who perished in the terrible Burning Times because they would simply cast a glamour that would send the evil soldiers to arrest the Christians next door instead of them. If they got arrested anyway they would just cast spells of confusion on the judges and walk away unburnt.
If you are confused by all the different names you hear on the pagan scene, you should know that some Wiccans just prefer to call themselves Recons or Asatruar or Neo-pagan or whatever because Wiccans can do anything they want as long as they Harm None, and using different names helps keep their identities secret from the evil Christians who will persecute them if they get the chance. We are so rare and speshul and secret that using lots of different names makes us seem like too many to chase down and burn.
We don’t have to be afraid of Satan and Hell because they are concepts that just plain don’t apply to us. If people or parents get on your case about this remind them they are giving you negative energy, which is Harming you and they shouldn’t do that or the Three-fold Law will get them, whether they believe in it or not. It’s, like, karma or something, and they can’t get away from it.
You don’t need to have a magical name, but it is a good idea to get yourself one for protection. That way nobody will know who you really are to persecute you unless you have to tell them to prove you really are powerful and dangerous. You should have more than one in case somebody curses you to make you look like a fool online you can just switch and come in on your own side and show you have powerful friends. Any really good website will have a program to help you choose the names you use for magic.
If anybody does make you feel bad by acting like they know more than you and proving it, there are all kinds of curses you can use to punish them. It’s okay to do this, cause if they hurt your feelings they have Harmed you, which I already told you isn’t allowed, and you can do what you want to to get back at them.

These are just a few of the things I know. I don’t have time to write the rest out because my parents are persecuting me to do my homework. Just remember – as soon as you wake-up to being a pagan, everything you need to know will already be inside you and inside a few good books with ‘teen’ on the cover!

MM and MP and MM again. (I’m not quite sure what that means, but it’s something witches say and I know the meaning will appear to me magically when I’m ready.)

Your friend (if you know what’s good for you),

High Lady Platinum Eagle Smilodon

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