Tag: Witch

Lighten Up – 9 Easy Steps to Becoming A Witch

Want to be a Witch, yet don’t want dangerous items in your home? We’ve assembled this comprehensive kit to meet the beginning Witch’s needs, without compromising safety.

Includes:

1 Rubber Athame.

Painted black handle, silver blade. Very flexible. You can swing this about in Circle with no fears about hurting anyone!

Exclusive! The incredible Collapse-a-Wand!

Hand-wrought of authentic wood-grained expanded foam, with a special adhesive patch for attaching the Power Stone of your choice (see below).

2 Battery-operated Candles (1 black, 1 white).

No more concerns about flowing gowns catching fire.

1 package Glade Stick-ems.

Fresh, floral scent, without the concerns of burning incense. No messy ash to clean up!

1 shaker Mrs. Dash.

Get all the flavor and zip of salt, without the sodium!

1 Quality Fold-a-Cauldron.

Easy-to-assemble, genuine simulated cast iron corrugated material. Complete instructions.

1 Fabric Rainbow Disk.

No sharp corners to be concerned about. The perfect centerpiece for your own Altar. No worries of offending anyone, as could happen with those misunderstood pentagrams.

3 Assorted colors soft vinyl “Power Stones.”

Focus the energy of crystals. Perfect for attaching to your Collapse-a-Wand!(Choking hazard. Not recommended for children under 3 years of age)

1 Booklet

, “How to Be One with the White Light, Because There Is No Dark Side, Luke” subtitled: “The Absolutely, Completely Comprehensive Guide to Everything Possible that a Witch Needs to Know to cast Any Spell at All”

BONUS!

Order now, and we’ll send you our exclusive Fill In The Blanks Book of Light! All the spells you’ll ever need, and YOU fill in the names and dates! Quality softcover binding.

All packaged attractively in a lovely carry-case, which unfolds to become your altar cloth.

Rush out and get yours today!

 

— by René Friberg, aka RaeVynn Sands

MY WICCA (Part 5 of 5)

MY WICCA (Part 5 of 5)
By Durwydd MacTara

9. We know of the existence of the life-force which ensouls all living
things, that is, all that exists. We know that a spark of this Divine
Fire is within each and every thing that exists, and that it does not
die; only the form of it’s existence changes. We know that this spark
of the life-force returns to manifestation again and again in order to
fully realize and actualize it’s potential, evolving finally to the peak
and essence of existence which is pure being. In this process of
reincarnation each form returns in the same type of form, though it’s
ever-increasing actualization may lead to higher levels of existence of
that form. Man returns as man, cat as feline, mineral as mineral, each
class of form evolving as the individual forms of that class evolve.

10. This process of evolution through successive incarnations in
manifest form works through the utilizations of wisdom gained, the
essence of the life-experience. This essence of experience, or Wisdom,
is an attribute of the spark of life itself, one and inseparable.

11. We must care for the body, for it is the vehicle of the spark of
life, the form by which we attain. Thus we must heal the body of it’s
ills and keep it a tuned and perfected tool; so must we heal others
(both physically and psychologically) as far as it is within our power
to do so. However, we cannot interfere with the life of another, even
to heal, except at their request or with their express permission. The
reasoning behind this apparent limitation is that we are endowed with
Free Will, and what the Gods themselves hesitate to infringe upon, is
best left alone by us “mere” mortals.

13. Harmony with, and utilization of, the great natural forces of the
universe is called magick. By magick we speak, not of the super-
natural, but of the superbly natural, but whose laws and applications
are not as yet recognized by the scientific establishment. The Witch
must strive to recognize these forces, learn their laws, attune
her/himself to them, and make use of them. The Witch must also be aware
that power corrupts when used _only_ for the gains of the self, and
therefore must strive to serve humanity: Either through the service in
the Priesthood, or by example and effects of his/her life on others.
The choice must be made in accord with the true nature of the Witch.

MY WICCA (Part 4 of 5)

MY WICCA (Part 4 of 5)
By Durwydd MacTara

b) It is the use of differing god forms, of differing
ethnic sources or periods, which is the basis of many of
the differences between the various Traditions of the
Craft. Each Tradition uses the forms, and thus the names,
which to that Tradition best express and awaken an
understanding of the force represented, according to the
areas of emphasis of the Tradition.

c) Because we know that differing names or
representations are but expressions of the same divine
principles and forces, we require our members to swear
that they will never mock the names by which another
honors the Divine, even though those names be different
from and seemingly less expressive than the names and god
forms used by our Tradition (for to the members of
another Tradition, using it’s names, ours may easily seem
equally less expressive).

8. A Witch refuses to allow her/himself to be corrupted by the great
guilt neuroses which have been foisted on humanity in the name of the
Divine, thus freeing the self of the slavery of the mind. The Witch
expresses responsibility for her/his actions, and accepts the consequen-
ces of them; guilt is rejected as inhibiting to one’s self-actualiza-
tion, and replaced by the efforts of the Witch to obey the teachings of
harmlessness, responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions, and
the goal of actualizing the full powers of the individual.

a) We refuse to believe that a human being is born
innately sinful, and recognize the concepts of sin and
guilt are tremendously inhibiting to the human potential;
the consequences of the Law of Cause and Effect, called
karma by some, are not punishment, but the recurrences of
situations and their effects because the individual has
not gained the Wisdom needed to handle or avoid such
situations.

b) There is no heaven except that which we ourselves make
of our life on Earth, and likewise there is no hell
except the effects of our unwise actions. Many of us believe
in a “waiting place” sometimes called Summerland where we rest,
recuperate and prepare for our next sojurn in the earth. “Death
is not followed by punishment or reward, but by life and the
continuing personal evolution of our human potential.

c) One cannot damn the divine in oneself; one can,
however, cut oneself off from it through the rejection of
wisdom and a refusal to strive for self-realization.
This cutting off does not lead to personal suffering in
“hell”, for there is no Self to suffer if the tie to
one’s own divinity has been severed; what remains is
merely an empty shell, a “personality” or thought-form
devoid of it’s ensouling Spark of the Divine Fire.

MY WICCA (Part1 of 5)

MY WICCA (Part1 of 5)
By Durwydd MacTara

My RELIGION is Wicca, my LIFE-STYLE is Witchcraft! I believe in
a supreme being that is both Immanent and Transcendent, that is
expressing itself within AND without. However, I also believe that
trying to define/describe such an infinite Divine Being in finite terms
to be a waste of time and energy. I CAN describe my perceptions of the
Ultimate in terms of the energies that I work with and find significant
in my daily living. My style and methods of relating to what I can
perceive of these Divine Energies are what I describe as my RELIGION.
How I apply these insights gained via my religious practices, I term my
CRAFT.

The name for my religion is derived from the Saxon root “wicce”
(pronounced “witchy”) and is loosely translated as “Wise”. The word
“Wicca” was first used in modern times in England by Gerald B. Gardner
to describe/define an attempt at restoring “the old wisdom” of pre-
Christian beliefs and practice into a modern context in the 1940’s.
Ergo, I could call my religion “wisdom” and my style of application of
this wisdom “wise-craft” or more simply, “The Craft of the Wise”.

For the sake of convenience and easy understanding, I divide the
expressions of the Divine Energies into two groups; that of the active
positive (symbolically “male”) energies represented to me by the stag
horned Lord of the Forest, and those of a more passive, nurturing, or
“negative” polarity represented to me by the Threefold Goddess.
Approaching my perceptions of the universe and its energies in this way
allows me to break them down into “bite sized chunks”, applicable to my
daily life in a mundane world, and what good is ANY belief system if it
is not of immediate and practical use here and now?

So what are some of the beliefs and practices of this religion
called Wicca, and how do I apply them to my daily life? What does it
all mean? The following explanation is based on a press statement
released by the American Council of Witches released in the early
1970’s, with some editing on my part to reflect my own beliefs and
practices.

=================================

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF THE CRAFT

1. The first principle is that of love, and it is expressed in the
ethic,
“AN IT HARM NONE, DO AS THOU WILL”

a) love is not emotional in it’s essence, but is an
attribute of the individual as expressed in relation
to other beings;
b) harming others can be by thought, word, or deed.
Thought is included here, because for the Witch,
“thoughts are things” and every action, even thoughts,
can become magical actions, whether consciously intended
or not;
c> it is to be understood the “none” includes oneself,
though it is permissable to harm self in helping others,
should one so choose;
d) the harm which is to be regarded as unethical is
gratuitous harm; war, in general, is gratuitous harm,
although it is ethical to defend oneself and one’s
liberty when threatened by real and present danger,
such as personal defense or defense of another WHEN REQUESTED.

The Journey of a Wild Witch

The Journey of a Wild Witch
image
Author: Eilan

It has been eight years since I first discovered Witchcraft in a spiritual context. Prior to this Magick was very much alive in my life as I was lucky enough to have been born into a family that understands the spiritual dimension of life. My family also had the insight and experience to see and live this dimension in their everyday. In truth there is no difference between what is conceived to be ‘spiritual’ and that which is apparent and ‘mundane’. It is all one. This is my truth and my wild way.

I am an initiated Witch and Priest of the WildWood Tradition of Witchcraft. This means a great deal to me, as I am also a ‘co-founder’ of the original Mother Coven, based in Brisbane and initiated at Samhain (April 30th) 2006. Our ‘tradition’ and way of living the Craft is deeply interwoven with what many people call ‘shamanism’; derived from the Siberian Tungus word for their medicine people – saman. Mircea Eliade, the late Romanian historian, described shamanism as a “technique of ecstasy” and my coven has come to define Witchcraft as an “ecstasy-driven, Earth-based, mystery tradition”.

Our (and all Witches’) rituals and methods of practice allow us to transcend the illusion of separation and therefore to dissolve the ego and actualize the freedom that lives in the heart of all things. I often call and relate to this ‘All’ as the Great Mystery. The beauty of being a Wild Witch is that nothing is absolute and I have come to realize that all of Life is a holy continuum, which constantly seeks to express itself through diversity. Through expression comes manifestation, which allows us to experience Beauty through Perfection (the world in which we live) and then once more we come to the Wholeness of Unity and the cycle repeats itself.

We are born into a plural world of many and pass into the One only to yearn to divide ourselves once more to grow, deepen and enrich our understandings and experiences of that subtle/overt thing – the Great Mystery.

My coven’s tradition has developed and evolved around this wild-trance-dance-of-wonder. The only consistency between our covens is that we honor and acknowledge our heartland the WildWood, keep holy our covenant with the Sacred Four (the Weaver, the Green Man, the Crescent-Crowned Goddess and the Stag-Horned God) and that we remain open and receptive to personal/group gnosis and to Awen (the divine flow of inspiration) . Other than this there are some structural similarities regarding dedication and priesthood and inner and outer courts.

Essentially however we are wild Witches who fly in the face of authority and seek the wilderness underlying the apparent ‘civilization’ of things. Nothing can be tamed, for the wild is free and the free is divine! As we say in the WildWood – “we have actualized our radness!”

What do Wild Witches do? First and foremost – we live! We breathe, we sleep, we eat, we drink, we sing, we dance, we make love, we scream and we spend time sharing presence and being with our loved ones. ‘Being’ is an important principle to consider. To be is quite simple but so many people find themselves distracted by the “this and that” that they leave ‘being’ behind and pursue illusion instead.

This isn’t the same concept found in various Christian philosophies which espouses a “Satan’s fault!” message when sheep stray from the flock so to speak. Witches understand self-responsibility and are aware of action, reaction and consequence (the Threefold Law) . Why not exist in euphoric awareness of self as Self – the animate Cosmos? You are not only a cell within a larger body of universal wholeness; you are whole and thus a perfect embodiment, expression and reflection of the Great Mystery whose cause, undercurrent and outcome is Life.

When we free ourselves from the illusion of past, present and future and surrender to the Flow of the Continuum (the spirals, the wayward ins and outs, the labyrinthine, serpentine undulations of fate becoming) we make real for ourselves the state of being known commonly as “here and now”. This seems to constitute location and time, however it simply addresses the emphasis of indwelling consciousness regardless of where you are and what frame of time constrains it.

There are moments in my life, which I refer to as ‘Nostalgic Rites’. They are pure, simple, soothing, knowing moments that are like the punctuation points in a flow of sentences. They are the markers and the thresholds that appear along our paths when it is time to pause, reflect and feel. I have them often enough in my life to understand their imminent message of timelessness, peace and overwhelming Love! For what I have learnt above all else thus far is that dwelling within the chaos in the cosmos is the peace which neither subsumes or overrides it, but embraces it and lets it be. Chaos is what happens naturally when the undifferentiated potential becomes “this and that” and peace is the understanding that this is the way of Life. All of this is wild; we dwell in a far-reaching, limitless wilderness.

In a recent priestess training session with two beautiful women from my coven I asked both of them to divulge their feelings and reflections of the journey toward their priestesshood, as they are nearing to the ‘end’ of the beginning – Initiation. One of the women honestly came out and said to us that she feared for us (the other priestess-in-training and I) because we are on the top of the mountain, but because we are risk-takers it is inevitable that we will fall.

I had to stop and wonder in that moment why anyone would not want to fall. In fact I also wondered whether it had occurred to her that surrounding the mountain were vast forests, plains, rivers, deserts, tundra, bushland, seas, oceans and lakes; not to mention all of the beings who inhabit these places.

For me the mountain is not the point. It is part of the whole Great Mystery, but the journey does not lead to a single place; in fact the journey doesn’t really lead anywhere. There is no aim to my wandering, to my blissful dance through the wilderness – I simply embrace every experience because it is worthy of it and I laugh, smile, cry, choke, rage, relax, love, ***, change, grow, and a million other things that I couldn’t possibly articulate or fathom for the purposes of this article.

The other woman, who knows me very well, and is one of my closest friends, then turned to me smiling and said, “You are so glib!” She then went on to explain that it was the “natural, offhand ease and articulate fluency and flow” of how I expressed my truth that made me glib in her opinion.

It wasn’t a criticism on her part, merely an observation. I think it is actually quite accurate. I have such ease and flow in my expression because I don’t have to think too hard about who I am or how I feel because I am and I feel in the “here and the now”. I live and I am, and in my experience Life itself is glib.

To my fellow journeyers of the wild way who know in their hearts that they are heading nowhere, anywhere and everywhere – may you dance the Wander with all you are. My deepest well of love to you all!

The Wanderer

The sages say that samsara is to wander, to pass through,
I say samsara is to know the way and dance it.
To dance is to live, and to live is never “to pass through”;
Dance doll – dance and light up the stage…

Then they came with their wrought-iron weapons
And they pierced my soul, and looked for the mark.
I sang to them to soothe their battered spirits.
They sunk their swords in harder, my heart is in shreds.

The blood ran dry and the old seas heaved
And there in the darkest hour all was forgotten,
And tattered clothes were left in tatters,
And the ashes were left in mounds at the pyres.

Is it a fact that when we are lost we wander?
Is it true that when we are in love we dance?
Or do we dance when we are lost?
And do we wander when in love?

Samsara, O holy wheel of Life,
Keep turning, I want to stay.
I don’t want nirvana in clouds far away
For I feel it already…here.

The Wanderer – the Fool?
I don’t mind, I don’t mind being;
For all the pain and suffering and the attachment to desire
There is a keenness that is not worth losing.

I want to live,
I want to wander if that’s what it takes,
But through all this I will dance
And I will dance because I love.

– Gede Parma, 2007

Who Is A Real Witch Anyway?

Who Is A Real Witch Anyway?

Author: Amergin Aradia

It seems that the debate about who is and who is not a “real Witch” is coming to a head. Is this sect real as opposed to that sect? Are those in covens real Witches as opposed to solitaries’. And on and on it goes. It’s beginning to sound like the fight between factions of the Christian religion or between organized religions as a whole. That’s probably the way they began too.

This silly useless debate is pulling our community apart as well. The truth is, are any of us real Witches. And how do you define a real Witch? By whose standards and rules?

As an illustration of my point I’ll tell you my story. I have always known that I was a Witch, even before I really knew what that was. When I was very young (grade school) I had certain abilities and interests that other kids didn’t. I practiced raising energy, practiced ESP (as it was called then) , I astral projected, and I cast spells. I was drawn to the night, the moon and stars, and I identified with all things “magical.”

I wasn’t trained by anyone because there was no one to train me. I had to figure it out for myself and that was in the 1950’s so you know there were very few references to rely on even if I knew where to look. As I grew up I did what everyone else did then, got a job and tried to live what was considered a “normal” life, as unsatisfying as that was.

I maintained my interests and practices over the years as best I could, if only peripherally. There may have been one or two occult bookstores in the area but you really had to search them out and I only managed to get to one every so often and then only to browse because I didn’t know what I was looking for. You didn’t just walk up to someone and tell him or her you were a Witch and wanted to join a coven. And people didn’t come out of the woodwork to invite you to join one, even if you knew where to look.

So I dabbled, training myself the best way I could using instinct as my guide. At the time I would have loved to have found someone to train me and I would have loved to have found a coven to join so that I wouldn’t feel so alone. But they didn’t exactly advertise. And there was no Internet in those days to bring us all together.

So unless you were lucky, you were on your own. Like it or not.

Now that we have all these books, magazines, and web sites to fill in the gaps I find that my instincts did very well by me. Everything that I taught myself way back then is now being touted as the way to do it by the “experts.” I have since collected an entire library of books hoping to find information that would help me advance my practice but with the exception of a few interesting bits that I’ve added here and there, I have been disappointed.

I have also attended classes, open groves, and ceremonies, and while the people that I met were very nice it just didn’t feel right for me. I’ve also become very disillusioned with the influx of the newest brick and mortar shops. They seem to have become havens of self-help, yoga, meditation, and coffee and music.

And while I practice yoga and meditation myself I don’t want to go to my local Craft shop to pick up a yoga mat, balance ball, or a book by Dr. Phil. I want to pick up the tools for my ceremonies and spell crafting and, unfortunately, the kind of shop I want seems to be few and far between (except on line.) It feels as though the craft as I remember it is being homogenized and made so “acceptable” in the eyes of the general public that it is becoming useless to serious practitioners. But I digress here.

So to sum up this article, does it mean that I am not a real Witch because I had no one to “lead the way” or no coven to adopt me and teach me “their right way”? Quite frankly I think that makes me an even better real Witch because I had to figure it out for myself. And because of that my understanding and beliefs don’t quite fit into any prescribed dogma. So that is why I stay a solitary practitioner and that is why I have stepped back from the community as a whole.

But then I don’t look at being a Witch as a religion, with all of its implied rules and regulations and dogma. I look at being a Witch in the same way that the old village Witches looked at it. I revere the earth and heavens and do my best to respect and tread lightly on her.

I try to live a spiritual life without bowing to or begging the acceptance of any one archetypal being. I look at the Goddess and Gods as a representation on this plane of the source of all energy and power. I cast spells for my own benefit, and mine alone, as I don’t believe I have the right to manipulate anyone else’s life. And I believe that Karma will out eventually.

I believe that being a Witch is as simple as that. It’s in your heart, it’s in your soul, and it’s who YOU know you really are. Not because someone gives you permission to be one simply because you read and adhere to someone else’s views as written down and published. Or because you attend meetings once a week, or once a month, or even once a quarter.

But because YOU know you are. And whether you are solitary or a member of a group, no matter what that group represents, you are really on your own. You must practice, practice, practice, and hold that knowing in your own heart…alone.

That’s what makes you a “real Witch.”

Goddesses Of Seasons

Goddesses Of Seasons
A Column By Heathwitch, WMS, Order of the White Moon
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Lady of the Beasts
Sing of your magic
Greenwood Nymph
Dance in the green-glens
Virgin Huntress
Revel in the moonlight
Artemis, Artemis, Artemis!Be joyful! Be blissful! Be playful! It is Beltane — that time of year when we celebrate new life, fertility and the earth’s ripe abundance in all its forms. It is the beginnings-time, when the divine union of the Goddess with Her Consort fertilizes ourselves and our lives. We celebrate this festival of fertility and fire by decorating our altars with greens and reds, fresh flowers and bright candles, and we honour Virgin-Mother Goddesses such as Artemis.

The Goddess of wild places and wild things, the Greek Artemis is a Lady of the Moon most commonly perceived as the Virgin Huntress. She roams the forests and mountains with Her band of nymphs and hunting dogs, in a chariot pulled by silver stags. A beloved deity to the Amazons, Artemis knows of the secret places in Nature where one can rest and regain lost strength.

However, these roles are not Her sole purpose: Artemis is also known as the patroness of nurturing, fertility and birth. Though Her priestesses did not consort with men, they and their Lady aided women in childbirth and defended women who were harassed or threatened by men.

Artemis’ colours are silver, white, green and red, and Her symbols are the sickle, bridle, the crescent (waxing) moon and hanks of wool. She has a fondness for dogs, horses and stags, and is beneficial when dealing with animals or the elemental kingdoms. Mother of the Mysteries, Artemis holds sacred the amaranth flower, which blooms purple and crimson. In the tarot, She can be found in The Star and The Moon.

You can invite Artemis into your life by mixing an oil for Her (add 20 drops jasmine oil and 4 drops verbena oil to 20ml of base oil) and including it in a ritual or meditation dedicated to Artemis. Alternatively you could make an incense blend to honour this Goddess – try the following recipe:

1 part ox-eye daisy flowers
1 part hazel wood
1 part beech bark
1 part willow wood
¼ part wormwood
½ part almond blossoms
¼ part cypress needles
¼ part fir needles
Few drops lemon balm (melissa) oil

You can also work with Artemis in ritual; She can be invoked to aid in all animal or elemental matters, any magick or sorcery, travel, healing and medicines, psychic ability, fertility (particularly female fertility), exercise and dance. She is also particularly useful in protecting and defending women against men. To honour Artemis you can use the following rite:

On the night of the Full Moon, set up an altar outside. On the altar have three candles, white, red and black. Behind the candles place a statue of a woman, with a quiver of arrows, and a dog at her feet. If you can’t get that, a statue of a woman, and separate statues of dogs will suffice. Wolves have long been a symbol of the Moon, and dogs are domesticated wolves. Pick some beautiful flowers, especially white ones, and place them at her feet.

Cast your circle in your usual manner. Be seated at your altar and go into meditation. Then repeat the following invocation:

Lovely Goddess of the bow!
Lovely Goddess of the arrows!
Of all hounds and of all hunting!
Thou who wakest in starry heaven,
when the sun is sunk in slumber.
Thou with moon upon thy forehead,
who the chase by night
preferrest unto hunting in the daylight,
with thy nymphs unto the music of the horn –
thyself the huntress, and most powerful:
I pray thee Think,
although but for an instant,
Upon us who pray unto thee!

Then light the candles, and meditate on the Full Moon. You may light some incense such as jasmine, sandalwood or mugwort or wormwood. Place nine white stones or shells at her feet, forming a crescent Moon, with the points towards the statues feet. Now is the time to ask for a request if needed.

Thank Artemis for Her presence and say goodbye. Blow out the candles and take up your circle.

Have a blessed Beltane!

Sources:
Conway, D. J. The Ancient and Shining Ones. Llewellyn: Minnesota (1993).

Franklin, Anna. Magical Incenses and Oils. Capall Bann: Berkshire (2000).

Grimassi, Raven. Italian Witchcraft: The Old Religion of Southern Europe. Llewellyn: Minnesota (2000).

Marashinsky, Amy Sophia. The Goddess Oracle: A Way to Wholeness through the Goddess and Ritual. Element: Boston (1997).
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About The Author: Heathwitch is a Witch, teacher and author. She runs courses and workshops on energy work, healing, Witchcraft and magic. High Priestess of the Circle of the Moon coven, Heathwitch lives in Cheshire, England. web: http://www.heathwitch.com – email: heathwitch@… See the books I’ve set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/heathwitch

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To Be or Not to be Skyclad

To Be or Not to be Skyclad

Author: Lady Abigail

As a High Priestess of a Coven, I am often asked by initiates if the Coven works “skyclad.” When a coven works skyclad, they will or should be upfront about it when you first approach them for membership. Any group that springs this on you after you have joined is unethical and not a group you want to be involved with.

To work skyclad means to work only clad or dressed within the sky and nature; nude, within all the powers that be; to work magick and ritual unencumbered by mortal threads.

It sounds wonderful, don’t you think? Just you and a few very close friends, all standing around in nature. One with the God/dess, not to mention a few thousand mosquitoes and other biting things.

Please don’t misunderstand; I love nature in all of her boundless beauty. But being dressed or undressed to work ritual or magick in circle seems more of a stress than release to most.

I am not saying that one tradition is any better than another because they leave their clothes on or drop the cloak. Don’t assume because I choose not to work skyclad that I have never have. Although I have found over the years that, many times, the idea of working skyclad gets lost and somehow misused by some less than honorable people who will take advantage of any opportunity to abuse.

The human body is a magickal and beautiful part of magick. Nudity without shame is also a statement of freedom from prejudice, inhibition, coercion, and so on. However, some people are not comfortable with the idea of nudity, and that should be equally acceptable.

Working skyclad is traditional for some groups. Many Gardnerian covens still perform their rites skyclad.

The idea has been stated that it was a common practice for the Old World Witches to do ritual and magick skyclad. I disagree. I don’t believe that Native American Shaman or Celtic Witches would have stood in the shivering cold while trying to perform magick as their fingers (not to mention other parts) became frost bitten from the ice and snow. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

The reasons given for working skyclad are many and varied. Most are also sincere in design.

According to some, clothing blocks the energy. This is a personal issue. For myself, the icicles hanging off my butt cheeks block way more energy than that cotton tunic.

I have heard that being nude in ritual deepens the trust between coven members. If I have trust issues with a Coven or its members, standing in front of them with all my wrinkles hanging out isn’t going to increase my trust. Being naked for some is an issue of shame or embarrassment. For whatever reason this may be, once shamed, they will never trust or be less for it.

It is believed that removing the robes will remove all indications of rank, and therefore places all members as equals. Again, a good concept. But the truth is that Joe Bob is still Joe Bob, with and without his clothes.

Being able to remove one’s clothes shows the level of commitment one has to the Craft and/or coven. My level of commitment comes from my heart and soul, not how or whether I am dressed.

Being dressed or skyclad should not affect how you work ritual or magick. There should be nothing sexual about performing rituals in the nude, but in this society, it is hard to keep the crazies out and keep the circle protected from them all.

Do not feel that you must go skyclad because that’s what real Witches do. Real Witches decide for themselves. Feeling uncomfortable during ritual will only detract from your purpose. So if you feel awkward being naked with others or even alone, then cover up.

As a child, I was allowed to watch and, in time, participate in rituals and circle with my Great Grandmother. She and the Sister (her coven) would gather and work great mystical rites of magick. They didn’t read books on what made them Witches, they just knew. They didn’t allow anyone to tell them how to do it, they just did. They didn’t worry about how it was, it just was. And not once did they work or perform any of their sacred magick skyclad. They knew magick is magick until you make it something less.

Some people have something special to wear whenever working ritual and magick. It should be something personal to you alone. It can be a medieval gown, a tunic or jeans and t-shirt. But only wear it for working and bless it to that end. Be comfortable in whatever you choose.

Some arguments for working skyclad can be found in the book Aradia, also called the Gospel of the Witches, by Charles G. Leland. In the Aradia, Witches in worship are specifically instructed to conduct their rites naked as a sign that ‘ye shall be truly free’. Because of this book, many have decided that all rites should be conducted skyclad. I enjoy Leland’s book, parts of which are extremely poetic. However, say it is the basics for a structure of a religion I disagree with.

Also put forth as evidence is artwork and early engraving by artists such Albrecht Durer. In 1497 his engraving portrayed four women undressing for a Witchcraft ritual. If this is the evidence, then no man shall be a Witch. Does no one think it odd that men, during a time when even men were somewhat oppressed, would tell stories or draw the Witches or women naked in their magickal workings?

Witchcraft, ritual and magick unite us on a higher level; One with the oldest Gods and Nature. The freedom and exhilaration of dancing under a Full Moon is one of the ways of drawing close to all those energies and powers. But that freedom should not come at the price of your personal power. You choose if your dance shall be in the sky or skyclad. Magick should always hold a bit of mystery.

If you are considering joining a coven and they perform their rituals skyclad, but you do not feel comfortable with it, find another coven. Do not expect any group to bend their rules for you, just as you should not bend your personal power or comfort to fit any coven or group.

Dance as if no one were watching,
Sing as if no one were listening,
And live every day as if it were your last.

Lady Abigail
High Priestess Ravensgrove Coven
Orlando, Fl
Copyright © 01012006

The Witch’s Staff

The Witch’s Staff

The distinction between wands and staffs often has to do with size: a staff is thicker and substitutes as a walking stick. In theory, a staff should be long and solid enough to lean on. Historically associated with ancient Egyptian and Semitic magick, staffs are associated with the Biblical Moses and his Egyptian opponents.

The modern staff is most associated with Obeah, the African-derived traditions native to the British West Indies. The Obeah Stick, also called an Obi Stick, is a carved wooden staff, usually featuring a serpent motif. The simpler ones are carved so that a snake-like groove encircles the staff. The more elaborate Staff of Moses usually features a snake carved from bottom to top. Staffs maybe hollowed out and filled with herbs.

Structure, Grapefruit and Fluff: Why Are We So Bothered?

Structure, Grapefruit and Fluff: Why Are We So Bothered?
image
Author: Abitha-Evie

It’s 9 a.m. at the Offices of ‘Astral Intervention’ located in a nice sunny spot of the Summerlands. Thankfully for the Goddess and the God, today is a rather quiet day. Not like last Tuesday when there was so much paperwork the Goddess decided to manifest herself into several females from the Greek pantheon, only to result in Athena and Artemis having a full-scale-thunder-and-lightening-my-way-or-the-highway bout of will over the spelling of ”Magic’, and Aphrodite not doing a damn thing for spending the day fixing her hair.

No, today is quite quiet. It’s the God’s turn on Ritual Observation, whilst the Goddess handles prayer. The first item appears in the God’s ‘in’ tray, and he glances at it quickly.

“Welsh Gardenarian coven doing ritual for a member to attract love to her.”

The Goddess looks up from her desk where she is filing the first prayers of the morning under their subject and selective deity, and looks over the top of her half-moon spectacles.

“So not a direct love spell?” she asks, as a small pile of papers suddenly appears in her ‘in’ tray. “No names used?”

“Nope. These love spell toe the line sometimes.”

“No sneakily trying to specify a person in there?”

“Borderline.”

“Alright, let it slide. Maybe a ten months in the pot for being cheeky?”

With her conformation the God takes a large green stamp marked ‘GRANTED’ and punches the paper with it. He files it in the ‘successful spells’ cabinet under 10 months-this being the time it takes to have full effect.

The Goddess busies herself sorting through prayers as the God rolls his eyes at the next piece of paper he’s picked up. He drops it without hesitation into the waste paper beside him, which hurriedly spontaneously combusts.

I’m not into rigid structure. This is why I’m for the most part Solitary and eclectic, and I steer away from following anyone’s instructions to the letter. Structure and obsession in doing what every else was doing is exactly what I wanted to flee from all my life in Mainstream religions!

So here follows a mix of satire and my own views on a few aspects of Witchcraft. I hope it makes you laugh, and makes you think.

“I’ve got a bogie in the wire!” The Goddess says loudly, and the God maneuvers himself on his wheeled chair over to her desk.

“Mmmh?”

“Well, the prayer means well, but the dude’s praying with his hands together like those damn Christians.”

They both shake their heads.

“Sounds fluffy to me.” He says, flicking his wrist, and a clipboard appearing with a small crack in his hand. He idly flicks through the sheets of paper attached to it. “What’s his name? Is he on our fluff list?”

“Marcus Jameson, Europe-UK-England-Midlands-Birmingham, 45 Sable Street. Repeat offender if I’m not mistaken.”

“Yup.” The God confirms, checking a tick again his name.

Many Pagans I’ve met seem to be petrified that what they’re doing bares any similarity with mainstream religion, most evidently Christianity. A Pagan stranger at a shop recently chastised me because they overheard me talking about my mealtimes and that I include a prayer beforehand. It seems this was too much like the concept of Christian ‘grace’ for them to think it ‘Pagan’. But surely thanking the divine for their great bounty is more Pagan that it is Christian?

Just think of the Cake/Wine rites so many of us use in ritual. When I calmly mentioned this they actually snorted. There’s nothing wrong with holding your hands in any fashion when you pray, calling it a prayer, singing songs together, and getting together and having a good time.

“I’ve got a protecting ritual coming in from Wiccans not wearing black.” the God pipes up suddenly.

“What? I’m sure everyone who’s read any kind of literature knows they need to wear black.” The Goddess says exasperatedly. “Their clothes should be 90% black, the female eyeliner at least 5mm thick around the eyes, and we encourage the larger pentacles, right?”

“Sure do. Bloody Wiccans.” The paper is quickly incinerated.

This is a common niggle of many of use. While black may be a good color for its energy-absorbing properties, black is not stitched to ‘Witch’. There is NOTHING you have to wear to be a ‘true’ Witch/Pagan. But on the other end of the scale, people who chose to wear ‘stereotypical Witch’ fashion are going to get it in the neck for being sheep. Appearances do make an impression, but it seldom the right one.

“Hmmm.” the Goddess murmurs as she flicks through several piece of pink paper.
“What is it?”

“I’ve got a daily devotional, a nice enough eclectic, who I’ve been quite good to for the past year, but I’ve just realized she always pronounces athame differently. A-tha-me, A-th-ame….”

“Send her a spot of bad luck, she’ll get the picture.” The God says offhandedly, immersed in his papers.

Does it really matter how we pronounce certain things, if we know what each other are talking about? And what’s with this obsession with finding new and strange ways of spelling ‘magic’? I personally don’t suppose the divine cares how we spell it.

The God’s eyes widen as he scans with amazing speed through a pile of papers several feet high.

“Oh my Goddess!”

“Yes?” She raises an eyebrow.

“These are from a set of Covens who don’t rhyme their verses!”

The Goddess gasps.

“Well, you know what to do, dear.”

“Sure do.” With that the God forces the large pile to burst into flame.

“Not on the desk!” the Goddess shouts.

“Sorry.”

Now, this one I understand could be met with some criticism, but I don’t believe a spell is any less effective because it doesn’t rhyme, or it doesn’t include bad Old English (the, thou, ye, -est/-eth). I don’t believe my magical work is any less worthy because I don’t give it a rigid structure. I’m sure the divine conscious likes a break from all that sweet poetry.

I suppose all I’m trying to do here is to make a point: The craft is your own. If you’re told something, or read something that doesn’t fly with you, don’t do it! Do it the way you believe is right for you. If you’re spelling magic with a ‘Z’ in it, pronouncing athame like ‘grapefruit’, or wearing an Elmo t-shirt to ritual, don’t sweat it!

It is the intent that matters.

COMMON INQUIRIES

COMMON INQUIRIES

I’ve heard the terms ‘White Witch’ and ‘Black Witch’. Can you explain?

In this connotation, white is referring to Positive, Black is referring to
Negative. A White Witch then is someone who tries to do Positive or Good things.
Black Witch could be a term used to describe someone who deliberately does
Negative or Bad things.  A True Witch believes in the Law of Retribution and
would never deliberately harm anyone or anything or participate in Negative or
Destructive acts.
Is it possible for me to practice Witchcraft and remain a Christian?

No. The Christian Doctrine states, unequivocally, that Christians shall have no
other Gods before the Christian God. Christian Doctrine says to believe in any
other deities or to practice any other religion is not only evil but should be
punished by death, specifically naming Witchcraft. The Christian Doctrine also
denies Reincarnation and prescribes punishment for those who practice Magick.

Devil worship?

Witches do not worship the Devil. Witchcraft predates Christianity and does not
incorporate a belief in the Christian Devil.

The Wise Ones did deify the Masculine Principle and quite often He was depicted
as The Great Horned God; Pan, Cernunnos, the Great Stag, The Green Man. To the
Traditional Witch, the Masculine Deity (the Goddess’ Consort) is very important,
revered and loved. He is the perfect Father, the Lord Protector. The Horned God
of the Witches is loving, kind and good.

Don’t men have difficulty with a supreme female deity?

There are some groups which give equal status to the female and male deities.
Neo-Pagans are, by definition, people who attempt to live with the Old Country
Ways in a new, modern day manner.  And while, in this modern era, equal status
for the deities may be popular, as it relates to Witchcraft it is historically
incorrect. Therefore, a group which does not recognize the Goddess as primary
deity is not practicing The Ancient Art. Indeed, they, generally, know very
little about Witchcraft, despite their claims.   Traditional Dualistic Witches
do most emphatically believe that women and men are equal, but have no trouble
relating to the Goddess. The Male Witch finds great comfort and solace in his
Great Mother.

Do I have to join a Coven?

No. It is not necessary nor is it desirable for a great many people. Some people
enjoy the support and companionship a Coven provides, others enjoy solitary
worship. The Coven, which is an extremely close knit worship group, may not be
possible for some because of location, family climate, availability, etc.

Why is Witchcraft secretive?

The horror of the ‘Burning Time’ is still very real to the Witch. The past
persecutions were severe. Even so, in today’s more enlightened society the need
for complete secrecy has lessened and many are able to share their beliefs
openly. Very few, however, are willing to expose their very personal and private
religious expressions to others who may not understand.

What do I have to do to become a Witch?

The answer to this question is very simple. To become a Witch one must follow
the religion of Witchcraft. To do this one must believe in the Goddess as
primary deity and follow the three basic tenets. How simple! How uncomplicated!
How Pagan! Everything else concerning witchcraft is simply minor details.
Details that vary from Aspect to Aspect, Coven to Coven and individual to
individual. The details are relatively personal. They should not become more
important than the basic tenets. If you do not understand, believe and practice
Witchcraft, you are not a Witch. No one can make you a Witch. Reading about it
can not make you a Witch. An Initiation can not make you a Witch. Saying you are
a Witch, one thousand and fifty two times, can not make you a Witch.

In the search for your individual path beware of those who would take advantage
of you.   Do not fall prey to the unscrupulous charlatans who would swindle you
in a monetary sense (mail-order courses, charges for teaching or initiations,
vows of poverty, etc.), exploit you sexually or manipulate you for their own
personal ego-trips.

‘Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true
happiness.’ — Bertrand Russell

BECOMING A WITCH

BECOMING A WITCH

Many people just discovering the Craft have asked me how does one become a Witch

. The answer to that is one does not become a Witch…..they are a Witch, and it
is just reaching down and finding it within them. It is not a matter of
“becoming” a Witch, but finding the Witch within and, while the answer is quite
simple, yet; to some, it can be quite complex. It is really not difficult once
you find that inner Witch within. But that is where it must come from and not
from any book that you read. Reading books, joining covens and/or someone who
initiates one into Witchcraft does not make one a Witch. It is you and you
alone. Once you discover and decided that you are a Witch, you are deciding to
embrace a life-enhancing and joyful spiritual path. You are declaring that you
are willing to experience the wonders of the magickal web and encounter the
Goddess. You are daring to be different in a way that facilitates your growth
and empowers you. Most importantly, you are stepping into the spiral dance of
life, celebrated by Witches all over the world.

Becoming a Witch means learning how to work ritual and magick, methods of
raising, containing and releasing power, how to work with the energies of the
moon and earth and the principles of sympathetic magick upon which most
Witchcraft magick is based.

Witches are very unique individuals and some, no……. many, might call us
strange. We look at life differently; we live life differently; and we
experience life differently. We find beauty and laughter in the simplest things.
We believe that magick is in life itself.

Some people who become interested in Witchcraft have expectations that Witches
are gifted with amazing powers as the result of a particular ceremony or spell.
The truth is more mundane than the fantasy. Witchcraft is about growing within
your own spirituality, making contact with the web of magick, learning how to
weave, and observing the way the world works. Witchcraft is about working with
natural energies, observing how they work, and determining how you can gently
divert them and not about moving things around at will.

The decision to become a Witch is not one you should take lightly. It is not a
persona you can put on or take off at will. Witchcraft becomes your whole life
and can drastically change your perception of the world in which you live.
Becoming a Witch will affect everything and everyone around you. That it will
affect them positively does not alter the fact that you will relate to them
differently and you should be prepared for this.

To become a Witch is to become changed within yourself and a changer of things
outside you. This is your inner magick. Encountering the Goddess, working with
magick and connecting with nature will take a lot of time and energy until it
becomes second nature to you. You may find that you get angry with those people
who do not understand Witchcraft or paint it as “evil” but you will have to
resist putting them right until you have grasped some of the key concepts for
yourself. This can be achieved only through experience and this means practicing
patience which means embracing the Crone energies of wisdom and patience, and
this can take quite some time.

Once your decision is made, you have already stepped onto the path of
Witchcraft. The next step depends on the type of person you are. If you are a
fiery, adventurous sort of person, you will probably wish to throw yourself into
studying everything at once. You will want to read everything you get your hands
on, hoping that the more you read, the more experience you will have and the
wiser you will be. Unfortunately, experience and wisdom work together and that
comes with life experiences which comes with age. That is why so much emphasis
is put on the Crone for her having wisdom. She has experienced life; she has
stumbled and fell and picked herself up over the years until she hardly falls
anymore. She has learned when it is time to speak and when it is time to be
silent. She is the Raven and the Owl all rolled into one. The Raven is very
vocal whereas the owl practices silence and is silent in everything that it
does. If you are more cautious or laid back, you may wish to learn gradually and
thoroughly. One of the lessons that the Craft has to teach is to be resourceful.

So, I think the best place to start is within your heart and soul. I am not
talking about being a pagan but a Witch. Being a pagan and being a Witch are two
separate things. Pagans tend to work more with the Sabbats and attend
celebrations and many now call themselves Wiccans. There are many pagans who do
not have anything to do with magick. You may have heard that old saying that all
Witches are pagans but not all pagans were Witches. That is because before the
God of Abraham came and then later Christianity, most people were pagans and
their beliefs were centered around agriculture, because most were farmers.
However, you then had your mid-wives and healing women, who were pagans, who
attended to the towns people when they were sick or when a woman became with
child. These wise women were also consulted when women wished not to have a
child. They consulted these women from birthing to healing the sick through
herbs which were grown and tended to by these women. The wise women grew and
harvested their herbs by the Moon and lived also by the Moon. These wise women
were also consulted for divination purposes and potions. Years later these wise
women were called Witches and later on, they were tortured and burned. See Crone
Turns Witch for a more in-depth reading.

My first suggestion would be to get in touch with the Moon and knowing when She
is full and dark, and when She is waning or waxing. Notice how you feel when the
moon moves through the phases. Do not feel that the only time to do magick and
work with Her energies is when the moon is waxing to full. You can work with Her
energies any time of the month. I seem to come more alive when the Moon moves
into Her waning phase and up to Dark Moon, whom many call New Moon. But that
might be because I was born on a Balsamic Moon (Dark Moon). I prefer to call the
Moon what it is….dark, and give it back to the Crone, where it belongs, and
give the New Moon back to the Maiden, where it belongs, when it is the first
thin sliver in the sky. I also burn a white candle when the Moon starts to wax
in honor of the Maiden; I burn a red candle when the Moon is full in honor of
the Mother; and I burn a black candle on the Dark of the Moon in honor of the
Goddess. You will be surprised how this helps you to be connected with the Moon
and with the Goddess all at the same time.

My second suggestion is to read and read as many books as you can. We are so
fortunate in this day and age to have the abundance of books on the Craft. Even
if you are not Wiccan, there is a lot of material to be found in books on Wicca.
I think the most informative book and a must to have in every Witch’s library is
Scott Cunningham’s “Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.” His book is
very easy to follow, and he explains the art of ritual design, the Witch’s tools
and many other important things. If it is magick you want, then besides Hecate’s
Cauldron, you will find Scott Cunningham’s Book of Incense, Oils and Brews is
yet another must to have sitting on your Witch’s cupboard. But keep the spiders
away, as they love this book! There is also another wonderful book by Shekhinah
Mountainwater entitled “Ariadne’s Thread.” It is a workbook of Goddess magick
and many Witches today are discovering this wonderful book.

I would also suggest to jump right into ritual work and doing spells as well. As
mentioned above, Scott Cunningham’s books are excellent for the beginning Witch.
Remember, practice makes perfect. There are many new in the Craft who are afraid
to do magick, fearing that they might do something wrong. Witches of yesteryear
lived quite, simple lives and their magick was simple as well. Many did not even
do rituals when they performed a spell. They were Witches and not magicians. If
you follow the cycles of the moon and do magick according to those cycles, you
have accomplished half the battle. A little homework, and you will be fine.

If possible, growing herbs not only for cooking but for medicinal purposes as
well is very rewarding for a Witch. Did you know that during the Burning Times,
any woman having the herb Basil in her cupboard was considered a Witch? I love
Basil and have it growing in my herb box, as well as Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary,and Dill. Learn to know the magickal properties of herbs, and as you sprinkle these herbs in the cauldron on your stove, cast that magick into the food that you and your family eat. When I drink hazelnut coffee, I charge my coffee for my psyche, as hazelnut is good for psychic abilities. Cinnamon is also great for psychic abilities. . I always drink cinnamon tea before I do tarot readings. As you sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon into your apple pies, charge your pies as well to help you in your psychic ability. If you cannot grow the herbs, there is always fresh herbs in your local grocery store. However, one small potted plant of a particular herb will give you much satisfaction. There is so much a Witch can do while cooking on the stove in her cauldrons!

As far as computers are concerned, I consider my computer a form of cauldron
where I conjure and stir things up. There are many Witches who have a special
magickal name for their computers, as do I.

There are more and more Witches wishing to connect more with the Moon and Her energies and walking Her path. Walking the path of the Goddess is a very simple one and it is very spiritual and brings you inner peace because it is through the Goddess that you will find this. So, get out in the fresh air and see all Her beauty and nature all around you and that includes the leaveless trees in
winter to the bursting foliage in the spring for the Goddess is not only the
Moon but nature itself and She is Mother Earth, and She is the seasons. More
information on the Goddess path can be found on The Path of the Goddess.

You can also start each day with a prayer to the Goddess to give you strength
and wisdom throughout the day and at the end of each day say a pray thanking Her for giving you the strength and wisdom. You can also light a sacred candle in Her honor each night when you get home from work. You can burn a scented candle as well. I burn a scented candle depending on what the Moon is doing. When the moon is waning, each night I light a candle scented with cloves to banish negativity and when the moon is waxing, I burn a scented candle to bring abundance into my life.

I would also like to add that you really do not need “magickal tools” in order
to be a Witch. Tools are nice to have and work with; however, they are not
necessary. Everything you need is inside of you. Tools belong in the category of
ceremonial magicians and Wiccans. Gerald Gardner was a Free Mason and belonged to the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn pulled things from The Key of Solomon.

Witches of yesteryear were simple folk who used what they had in and around
the house. And during the Burning Times, it could cost them their lives to have
“magickal tools.” Witchcraft is of the heart, mind and soul and not from
magickal tools.

The sky is the limit, because we Witches reach for the sky~so fly!

Author unknown
(WitchCraft)

Wishing You A Very Happy & Relaxing Saturday, Dear Ones!

Wiccan Images, Pics, Comments, Graphics 

Witches Rede of Chivalry
By Ed Fitch

Magical Rites from the Crystal Well, Ed Fitch and Janine Renee, 1987, Llewellyn Publications.

Insofar as the Craft of the Wise is the most ancient and most honorable creed of humankind, it behooves all who are Witches to act in ways that give respect to the Old Gods, to their sisters and brothers of the Craft, and to themselves.

Therefore, be it noted that:

1. Chivalry is a high code of honor which is of most ancient Pagan origin, and must be lived by all who follow the old ways.

2. It must be kenned that thoughts and intent put forth on this Middle Earth will wax strong in other worlds beyond and return … bringing into creation, on this world, that which had been sent forth. Thus one should exercise discipline, for “as ye plant, so shall ye harvest.”

3. It is only by preparing our minds to be as Gods that we can ultimately attain godhead.

4. “This above all … to thine own self be true…”

5. A Witch’s word must have the validity of a signed and witnessed oath. Thus, give thy word sparingly, but adhere to it like iron.

6. Refrain from speaking ill of others, for not all truths of the matter may be known.

7. Pass not unverified words about another, for hearsay is, in large part, a thing of falsehoods.

8. Be thou honest with others, and have them know that honesty is likewise expected of them.

9. The fury of the moment plays folly with the truth; to keep one’s head is a virtue.

10. Contemplate always the consequences of thine acts upon others. Strive not to do harm.

11. Diverse covens may well have diverse views of love between members and with others. When a coven, clan, or grove is visited or joined, one should discern quietly their practices, and abide thereby.

12. Dignity, a gracious manner, and a good humor are much to be admired.

13. As a Witch, thou has power, and thy powers wax strongly as wisdom increases. Therefore, exercise discretion in the use thereof.

14. Courage and honor endure forever. Their echoes remain when the mountains have crumbled to dust.

15. Pledge friendship and fealty to those who so warrant. Strengthen others of the Brethren and they shall strengthen thee.

16. Thou shalt not reveal the secrets of another Witch or Coven. Others have labored long and hard for them, and cherish them as treasures.

17. Though there may be differences among those of the Old Ways, those who are once-born must see nothing, and must hear nothing.

18. Those who follow the mysteries should be above reproach in the eyes of the world.

19. The laws of the land should be obeyed whenever possible and within reason, for in the main they have been chosen with wisdom.

20. Have pride in thyself and seek perfection in body and in mind. For the Lady has said, “How canst thou honor another unless thou give honor to thyself first?”

21. Those who seek the Mysteries should consider themselves the select of the Gods, for it is they would lead the race of humankind to the highest of thrones and beyond the very stars.

Good Thursday Morning to all my dear friends!

Hello Images, Pics, Comments, Graphics
If you didn’t notice yesterday, I went a little crazy with the pics I used. The reason being, I wanted to get a response out of you. Yes, you! It just seems like it has been too quiet around here recently. I found myself this morning check the blog’s stats, believe it or not. The blog is getting the hits, thousands of visitors but no response, no “I like it” click or nothing. I thought using the graphics might heat things up a little bit. Then I got to wondering if they might run people off. It is one of those situations were you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. What’s a witch to do?

Then I got to thinking perhaps I don’t tell you enough about myself? Perhaps I don’t tell you all the weird and crazy things that happen to me being a witch. My husband even made the comment the other day, that we definitely have some strange stuff that goes on around here. I just looked at him and said, “I wonder why?” You have a Druid and a Witch living under the same roof what do you expect?  My aura is bright enough that it attracts ever-living “dead” thing within a hundred mile radius. Most of them resemble shadow people. There are a few that I admit are actually scary. That is why like clock work every Full Moon, I do my house blessing. It keeps the biggest part of them out but I have family members and one dear close friend that are permitted to visit. Well, I really don’t permit them. They just cross over when they get good and ready. I normally can’t smell anything (that is a long story on why I can’t smell, I will tell you that some other time). But I can smell my relatives. My mother has a very sweet smell to her. It is very comforting when I feel her presence. My father has a very carnation smell with pine mixed in. I have learned their smells and they don’t bother me. The special friend I was telling you about, he does bother me. He has no smell, he just appears as a mist. You can tell it is in the form of a man but it is still a mist (if that makes any sense). When I was separated from my husband, I dated this man. I know I told you about it. I don’t know if it was love or lust but I know I never felt that way about any man. Even today thinking about him, that feeling comes back. To make a long story short, he found out that my husband and I got back together. That same day, he got killed in a motorcycle wreck. And he is my special friend that now visits me from the afterlife. I wondered for the longest time who that mist was. One night, I was all alone and it appeared. It formed enough, I knew who it was. He could never stand my husband and my husband could never stand him. When he visits the first place he heads for is my husband’s den. Which drives me absolutely crazy! Hell, am I going to have to put up with this the rest of my life.

My dear, sweet (using these terms loosely) husband will yell and curses at the spirits. I just grit my teeth. I keep telling him not to do that but it doesn’t do any good. It only provokes the spirits and that is what he wants. I finally told him what goes on when he goes to bed. I told him about my special friend and my father trying to get in his room. Yes, my father, he and hubby didn’t get along either. And hubby calls him by name and curses him. I told him about me running and getting the first thing I could find and driving them out of his room. About me backing them up into the library and holding them there till I can get my shit together to banish them for the time being. They will never be banished permanently because of me. I have my heart open to them and I love them. I would enjoy their visits if they would behave theirselves. If my husband would behave himself too. He got up one morning and saw all the diced onion on the floor. He asked me what when on last night and I told him. I told him that one of the spirit (which will remain nameless) decided they wanted to visit him. One he has cursed. He wanted to know if I had gotten rid of it and I told him yes. Since then he has calmed down on cursing the spirits. Thank the Goddess! But I do know one thing, spirits hold grudges or else they don’t forget. I know I still catch one every now and then trying to sneak into his room. And here I got making a frantic dive for the kitchen.

Oh, it’s such a wonderful life, lol! Now you know why I occasionally fall asleep at the computer! After a night like that, wouldn’t you too?

The Witch’s Pyramid

The Witch’s Pyramid

Author: J Rainwoods

A while back, when I was first learning about Witchcraft, I read about the four pillars of the Witch’s Pyramid. I was working solitary and getting all of my info out of books, and it seemed to be an important thing to know; so I used a little trick to memorize them. When I showered, as I poured shampoo onto my hand, I would draw a pentacle. As I did this, I would list the four pillars of the pyramid as I hit each corner of the pentacle I drew. It worked really well, and to this day I can list off the four pillars on demand when necessary. After a while of doing this, I became interested in using my shower power to learn other things. Life went on, and the Pyramid got filed away into a dusty corner of my brain.

I don’t know what happened to resurrect it, but here lately I have found myself hitting each of the four pillars with shampoo without even meaning to. Realizing this has brought the Witch’s Pyramid to the forefront of my thoughts. I find myself asking – how do I take this further? There is, of course, a fifth corner in a pentacle. I haven’t accounted for this one yet, because when working with the four pillars of the Witch’s Pyramid, you’ve got to have those four pillars worked out before you can even start to turn your attention to what follows. That’s OK, though, because a Witch can spend their lifetime – in fact, they are absolutely expected to – mastering the challenge of the four pillars. Here they are:

To Know…
Knowledge. Wisdom. Study. Experience. Book smarts vs. street smarts. A Witch is expected to study the ways of the Craft and to use that knowledge to enhance their practice. Of course. Sure. Got it. That is a given – the easy two-second explanation of this pillar. What about the rest of it? None of us spend our lives in Circle 24 / 7. What about the time we spend in the mundane world, which for most of us is almost all the time? Do we act, speak, think, make decisions, make friends, make love…with wisdom? Nothing, but nothing that comes from the Gods is ever given carelessly. What have They taught you in your practice? How can you take that beyond the Circle; and live your life to reflect the wisdom you have been blessed with?

To Dare…
To take a dare generally means you commit to doing something that up to this point you have not done – usually because you’re afraid of something. More than once as I have walked my path over the years, I have been afraid. Now, we humans are blessed with fear – it keeps us from jumping off cliffs or standing in front of a buffalo stampede; but sometimes the best view is from the cliff’s edge. Sometimes, the most amazing dance of power comes to us from the dust under the herd’s feet as they run with the wind and you’d never know it unless you stood right there. Often, facing down a fear and conquering it is what we need to make our lives better in some way. No chance we’ll ever be on a journey worth taking without a scary roadblock or two. We all have a treasured memory of a time when we faced down the fear of something – or someone. We get stronger this way. We get wiser this way. What are you afraid of? How would your life change if you conquered that fear? Got the guts to do it?

To Will…
Ah, will…you manly thing, you. For me, you are always over the next hill. You are always on the other side of tomorrow. Like too many of my sisters in this world, I was raised to be anything but willful. From the time I was barely able to realize the difference between good girls and bad girls, I knew that willful was not what I wanted to be. Willful girls always had their name on the chalkboard. They always got detention. They were always talked about behind the cupped hands of the popular girls as they walked across the classroom. Even in our Craft, so many of us write will off as that hot, sunny God-attribute the boys get to have. It’s not for “us girls”, so why worry about it? We’ve got our intuition, we’ve got our moon, and we’re good! Right? Someone agree with me before I get embarrassed for speaking out of turn…

Ever hear of girl power? Ever marvel at the things our daughters and little sisters do (“get away with”) that we never would have done ourselves at their age (probably because our moms would have grounded us to the end of the world for doing whatever it is) ? Ever watch a female use her goddess – given gifts: charisma, looks, brains, or maybe just a loud voice and a “Who gives a damn if I make a scene in public?” attitude to get her way; and then watch with longing as she walks away, victorious?

Some of us don’t have a problem with will. Some of us were those girls on the chalkboard, in detention, and damn proud of it! Some of us have the will of an autumn leaf as it goes wherever Father Wind tells it to go. Most of us tend to have a mix of both, leaning way more towards autumn leaf than Lady Get-My-Way. To be a Witch – true to your inheritance, true to your pledge, TRUE TO YOUR WOMANHOOD, guess what you’ve got to have – and I’m not just talking about the Witch within the Circle. What you try to work within will never amount to anything if you do not demonstrate the will to manifest without. Back to the next generation for a minute: think about a young girl / woman that you know and love. What do you want to teach them about will? What is your attitude towards willfulness in women? They’re watching – what kind of example do you set for them? These pillars are starting to get to me…I’ll never shampoo the same way again. But wait! There’s more!

To be Silent…
For a minute there, I thought about leaving this one blank and waiting to see if anyone got the joke…nah. Silence holds all the power in the universe. That’s why it is impossible to master. Traditionally, the fourth pillar – To Be Silent – has referred specifically to the things you do and the people you know within your craft. Basically, if you’re not with your coven don’t talk about coven stuff. I would offer this thought to chew on…silently. A minute ago, I said that silence holds all the power in the universe.

Here’s another one: to know yourself is to know your power. Getting to know yourself – to see yourself with honest love and objectivity instead of relating to yourself the way the world has always related to you – can be accomplished only when you take the time to shut out the world. Sit down (in silence) and listen. Ground and center. Meditate. Do it for real. Mean it. Say (to yourself and the Gods – without actually using your voice) I am open to good. I am receptive to wisdom. What is it I need to know? Do this often and regularly. A minute ago, after the part about the power in the universe, I said silence is impossible to master. Sitting in silence is really hard, even for folks that have been doing it a long time. If you’re new at the practice, it’s usually a frustrating waste of time. Commit to doing this every day and you will come to know yourself. You will come to know your power and know the Gods are working in your life.

I have committed to working the Four Pillars of the Witch’s Pyramid into my life. I want to use them to grow and to learn and to challenge myself to do great things. I will explore different ways to honor the pillars through the week, and I’ll keep in touch and let you know how it goes. This promises to be fun, frightening, and utterly stupid at times and hopefully will get others thinking about how they can live what they believe – whatever that is! Blessed be!

OTHER WAYS OF MARKING OESTARA

OTHER WAYS OF MARKING OESTARA

 

* Celebrate the arrival of spring with flowers. Bring them into your own home and, in keeping with the theme of balance, give them to others. You do not have to spend a lot of money – one or two blooms given for no other reason than ‘spring is here’ can often bring a smile to even the most gloomy face.

* Do a bit of ‘personal housekeeping’. We live in an age where guilt is more often encouraged then pride, where we are encouraged to dwell upon our ‘negative’ points and habits. This is not the way of the Witch. As Witches we must learn to be as honest about our plus points as society would like us to be about our minuses.

Advertising, probably the most pervasive kind of propaganda, encourages us to think
of ourselves as ‘less than perfect’ unless we look and dress like the people in the
adverts and possess all the things that the advertisers would like us to spend money
on. It is worth bearing in mind that if we truly needed these products then there would
be no need to put them into commercials!

However, to return to the ‘personal housekeeping’, write a list of 20 of your plus points,
things you are good at, and 20 minus points, things you would like to improve. Try
not to be influenced by stereotypes – many female Witches include ‘outspoken’ on
their list of negatives, while males will describe the same quality as positive! If you
absolutely must include your physical attributes on the minus list, then make sure
that these are things which you can sensibly expect to change, but don’t fall into the
advertisers’ trap. From the perspective of the Witch it is far more important that you
should come to terms with the person that you are, rather than worry about the way
people see you.

One of the first tasks of the Witch is to understand and accept themselves, with all
their good and bad points, because it is only when you understand yourself that you
will be in a position to understand others, and therein lies a good portion of Witches’
Magic.

Start to learn about some of the plants and herbs which have been traditionally used
as remedies. A basic knowledge of herbs is part of the heritage of the Witch.

Definitions of Wicca, Pagan & Witchcraft

Definitions of Wicca, Pagan & Witchcraft

 
 
Wicca: A modern Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magick; ritual observance of astronomical and agricultural phenomena; and the use of magickal circles for ritual purposes.

Wicce: Synonymous with Wicca. In some circles, Wicce is used for women and Wicca is used for men.

Witch: A practitioner of folk magick, particularly that kind relating to herbs, stones, colors, wells, rivers, etc. It is used by some Wiccans to describe themselves. This term has nothing to do with Satanism.

Witchcraft: The craft of the witch – magick, especially magick utilizing personal power in conjunction with the energies within stones, herbs, colors, and other natural objects. This belief system also has nothing to do with Satanism.

Pagan/Neo-Pagan/Paganism: General term for followers of Wicca and other magickal, shamanistic, and polytheistic Earth-based religions. Also used to refer to pre-Christian religious and Spiritual belief systems.

The Happy Side of Magick

The Happy Side of Magick

Author: Poppy

I have never really used many spells or chants, and when I have it is often at a time when I feel I can do nothing else… one of those ‘may as well try it’ approaches. I understand the mechanics of spell casting, how it works and how the desired effect is achieved, the problem I find with it though is that I was brought up with fairy tales and stories about Witches who cast elaborate spells with confounding results, and I find because of this upbringing that spell casting is intrinsically linked, in my mind, to fanatical stories and make believe lands.

I say this only to give you, as a reader, some sense of understanding how much effort had already been applied before I decided to cast a love spell. It was not a compulsion spell, merely creating a cosmic attraction field. I do understand that there are differing views on the appropriate use of love spells, of any kind, ranging from never-to-be-used to ‘use all the time, everyday!’ However I am not writing to discuss the pros and cons of casting a love spell, nor even, to some extent, the morals that must be thought through before one is cast, I am simply writing to explain and inform how mine worked, and how I would recommend it to anyone in the same situation, or any situation.

As previously stated, I was in pretty dire straits when I preformed this spell, (I know some would not consider that an appropriate term for being out of love, which some deem as a trivial matter. I believe it is a very apt description.) and as such, was not expecting any results. At the time, I had become rather disenchanted with Wicca. I cannot pinpoint exactly why as no major life events had occurred to make me believe that the Goddess was absent. It was more just a lack of connection, which is probably part of the reason I believed the spell would fail.

It was one of those long term/ three months spells, which meant that I wasn’t too fussed when nothing appeared after a few weeks. So I promptly forgot about the spell due to an influx in collage coursework and activities, and was asked on a date. To me this had never happened, and so I was, understandably I believe, rather surprised. He asked me over text, which I later found out his friend had actually composed, and we met up six days later.

I have to admit I had no idea who he was. Even after finding him on Facebook, I had difficulty in pinning him as the guy who was in my quiz team, Never the less, we started talking, and despite his apparent obsession with football and The Killers (who are a fine band, just not my style) , I agreed to a second date, and a third, and so on.

Now it was around the fifth date that I remembered about the spell I had cast, mainly by finding it whilst looking through my Wicca box. I didn’t connect the spell with my newfound boyfriend as I was having what I believe to be a bit of a slow day. I had become captivated with Wicca once again mere weeks after casting the aforementioned love spell. I proceeded to look through the ‘requirements’ for the person I wished to meet and found, to my surprise, that my recently obtained boyfriend met every criteria… and not in a vague ‘well I suppose’ sense, more in a height/weight/age/exact personality sense! I was literally speechless. I think I should mention now that the spell cast was for a soul-mate (I know, I just jump right in to it!) not just general love. I can say now, with our year anniversary just gone, that it has definitely worked.

I know some of you may be sitting there scoffing at my perhaps pitiful year long relationship, but to me, it is a success… especially considering that for the last three months he has been away at Canterbury, which is a good five hour train journey from where I live, making the relationship harder.

I didn’t really put off telling my boyfriend about my religion, more it just never actively came up. He informed me from the start that he was ‘devout’ atheist, and indeed some of our more interesting conversations have been on the concepts of souls and deities. However, I believe him knowing my religion made our relationship better. But I would not recommend the way in which he found out.

I am afraid I am going to diverge slightly, and I apologize if any view it as an unwanted interruption. I feel that what occurred was a breach of trust, and really just a show of a lack of morality in some people. My boyfriend found out about my religion through one of his friends, who happened to be a sergeant at the cadets I attended and a devout Christian. “At cadets”, for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the dress code, we were allowed to wear necklaces as long as they were hidden and for religious purposes.

I wore a plain silver pentagram at the time, and the chain occasionally showed, causing questions at least once a week. Usually I could just say it is a religious necklace (as trying to explain it to people who aren’t listening and are just desperate to be told you summon the devil is tedious) . However this time he walked a little way, turned as though an afterthought and asked “Yeah, what religion?” I answered, “I’m Wiccan” and we carried on our separate ways.

I thought nothing of this until I got a call from my boyfriend asking if I was a Witch. I was a bit bemused by how he had come to that conclusion, as, like spell casting, the word brings to mind Grimm’s fairy tale type characters and so I do not use the word. I answered that no, I wasn’t a Witch but I was Wiccan… and how did he come to hear of this information? It transpired that at the first possible chance this Christian friend, who I still believe had gained this information in an environment that did not warrant outside gossiping, had run to him at the first chance and said “Do you know your girlfriend is Wiccan?” We both believe it was to try and drive a wedge between us for reasons only known to him. Anyhow, this rant is almost over, and I shall end it and resume back to my original purpose by saying that I believe it was extremely ill-mannered and uncouth to divulge this information. I have always been raised to not speak of other religions or beliefs unless with express permission or belief that the knowledge would be useful in some way and that the person to whom is being referred does not mind.

I suppose what I am trying to get across with this article, is that magick does work. If you believe in something and you are prepared to go that little extra, it will change your life in wondrous awe-inspiring ways. I think it cannot be expressed better than through love of something else. I suppose it is also partially about dis-enchantment of Wicca (which I overcame by a sudden realization that I was still actively talking to the Goddess when I got really stressed) .

I am not trying to actively express feelings either for or against love spells, as I believe that, as with all magick, it depends entirely on the intentions of the caster. But I know that even in dark and desperate moments, magick and belief and everything joyous in Paganism can just seep in, lift you up and make everything just a little bit better.

Thank you for reading this article. I hoped you got some enjoyment, or really anything, from it, and to feel free to email me if you wish.

Dark Night of the Soul

Dark Night of the Soul

Author: caity

Often, sinking as low as I can sink comforts me. Hitting the bottom. If I can feel the floor, then at least I know that’s as low as I’ll ever go, and I do not have to fear falling down or sinking any deeper than this. It’s a sobering, numbing, and leveling feeling. I have found myself curled up in fetal position upon the black depths of the ocean floor more than a few times. I am safe there, because I know that I can go no lower. I can sleep there, because I am not filled with hopes or expectations to distract me or fill my mind with the fear of not attaining them. My nerves can rest, because once living in the state of my fear and dread confirmed, I have nothing to fear any longer.

Some have said that I needed medication or therapy for depression at these times. I used to try both until I realized that, despite what society believes, my soul needed these experiences. Now, I gladly choose depression, if that is the direction my heart is taking at a given time. When it wants to come back to me, I open the door, and say, “Welcome back, old friend. Come in, and sit with me. Teach me something new.” For one who walks in the dark gains excellent night vision, and can navigate through darkness much more easily than one who only goes out in daylight. So I’ll let the sad or dark times tether me down to the floor for at least a little while. If I can make it to the floor without drowning, then I shall never drown.

The dark night of the soul must come upon all of us, especially those of us who are deeply aware of our own spiritual quests. For how can we live in true, natural balance if we have not had our own personal struggles, sufferings, and sorrows? If we are never faced with total aloneness or even neglect, how and when will we ever learn to introspect and look solely to our own selves (or Higher Self) for comfort, love, wisdom, and guidance?

I am grateful for the era of the dark night in my life, for it was in this time that I discovered Wicca. Without the dark night of the soul, I would have never wanted to look deeper. Without the dark night, I may never have felt the need to seek for answers. Without my aloneness, I would have had others to look to, and would have never had to face myself, to look to my own heart, and learn to introspect and find my true spirit. My true face would not have shown its light to guide me through. And I’d still be living on the surface, trying desperately to block out fear of the unknown depths of the ocean, never finding my true face at the floor of my spirit, nor discovering my own capabilities and potential.

The dark night of the soul taught me how to hold and soothe my own self. And perhaps most significantly, the dark experiences of my past made me who I am today. Truly, I would not be half the person I have become if it was not for my wounds and sorrows. This realization has taught me to believe that every experience, even what we perceive as the darkest or most negative, is actually yet another learning experience, an experiment of our existence, and something through which we can gain knowledge and wisdom. There is truly no such thing as objective negativity; all is subjective.

In the Christian theology, and indeed within our mainstream society, we must never transgress over into darkness, for darkness is always “evil.” But to me, and to most practitioners of Earth-based spirituality, darkness is just as necessary as light, and is a healthy, natural, and educational component of the human experience. As well, balance and moderation are the keys to enlightenment. The dark is there to balance the light, not necessarily to be at war with it, thus the dark itself can still bring about enlightenment. And besides, in every great tale of mythology or lore, the great hero’s journey always includes descending into the underworld. It is my belief that we all must descend into our own underworld in order to get the most out of our journey here. I truly believe that darkness and pain is not an evil monster or devil to be feared, but instead a force that has an alternate method of helping us, of blessing us, and of teaching us some of life’s most important lessons.

And strangely, I have even found now, after my journey through deeper waters, that even though I have come out and into bright light again, and all is fairly well in my life, I somehow still seek aloneness. I somehow still wish to retreat to myself, to remember my sorrows, and to find my bed in darkness. I want to curl up in the fetal position on the lowest, most numbing floor of my pain, deep down where I am entirely by myself, just to feel and remember the sensations of sadness. Sadness is a universally shared aspect of existence and humanity, thus I will embrace it as a testament to my aliveness. And when I see it this way, it actually feels good to me when I hit rock bottom. It’s comforting to level myself with the lowest of sorrows and wallow in them for a while. It is part of the natural range of human emotions, part of the human experience. It even gives me a strangely sickening feeling, which somehow paradoxically alleviates my fears by confirming them.

I once read that to be a Witch is to be alone. Indeed, my loneliest times were when I was most attracted to the idea of being a Witch, and the most involved in seeking my own spirituality through Wicca. I find Wicca and Paganism so refreshing for their non-resistance to the range in human emotions, including the ones that may not feel as “good, ” with the understanding that aliveness and life itself is to be embraced and felt with the senses, and for their stressing of natural objective balance over subjective human judgment. A Witch understands that experiences are not objectively “good” or “bad, ” but depend upon one’s perspective. Both sides of all dualities (light and dark, yin and yang, male and female) are equal and necessary, not to be fought against one another nor made into a “versus.” I could not agree with this philosophy more.

In conclusion, I believe that dualities can, do, and must coexist… and that we can learn to not only deal with, but also be comfortable with and even benefit from both sides of every coin, both ends of any spectrum. So while although the light is usually seen as what’s “good, ” this does not make darkness “bad” by default; darkness is simply a necessary part of one’s spiritual journey, a balancer to the light. Like everything, it can be used for positive growth and for drawing inner-strength and spiritual enlightenment in an entirely new, different, and challenging way.

This is what the dark night of the soul has taught me… because I did not fight it, I let it in, and I let it teach me. What has the dark night of your soul taught you?

Who Is A Real Witch Anyway?

Who Is A Real Witch Anyway?

Author: Amergin Aradia

It seems that the debate about who is and who is not a “real Witch” is coming to a head. Is this sect real as opposed to that sect? Are those in covens real Witches as opposed to solitaries’. And on and on it goes. It’s beginning to sound like the fight between factions of the Christian religion or between organized religions as a whole. That’s probably the way they began too.

This silly useless debate is pulling our community apart as well. The truth is, are any of us real Witches. And how do you define a real Witch? By whose standards and rules?

As an illustration of my point I’ll tell you my story. I have always known that I was a Witch, even before I really knew what that was. When I was very young (grade school) I had certain abilities and interests that other kids didn’t. I practiced raising energy, practiced ESP (as it was called then) , I astral projected, and I cast spells. I was drawn to the night, the moon and stars, and I identified with all things “magical.”

I wasn’t trained by anyone because there was no one to train me. I had to figure it out for myself and that was in the 1950’s so you know there were very few references to rely on even if I knew where to look. As I grew up I did what everyone else did then, got a job and tried to live what was considered a “normal” life, as unsatisfying as that was.

I maintained my interests and practices over the years as best I could, if only peripherally. There may have been one or two occult bookstores in the area but you really had to search them out and I only managed to get to one every so often and then only to browse because I didn’t know what I was looking for. You didn’t just walk up to someone and tell him or her you were a Witch and wanted to join a coven. And people didn’t come out of the woodwork to invite you to join one, even if you knew where to look.

So I dabbled, training myself the best way I could using instinct as my guide. At the time I would have loved to have found someone to train me and I would have loved to have found a coven to join so that I wouldn’t feel so alone. But they didn’t exactly advertise. And there was no Internet in those days to bring us all together.

So unless you were lucky, you were on your own. Like it or not.

Now that we have all these books, magazines, and web sites to fill in the gaps I find that my instincts did very well by me. Everything that I taught myself way back then is now being touted as the way to do it by the “experts.” I have since collected an entire library of books hoping to find information that would help me advance my practice but with the exception of a few interesting bits that I’ve added here and there, I have been disappointed.

I have also attended classes, open groves, and ceremonies, and while the people that I met were very nice it just didn’t feel right for me. I’ve also become very disillusioned with the influx of the newest brick and mortar shops. They seem to have become havens of self-help, yoga, meditation, and coffee and music.

And while I practice yoga and meditation myself I don’t want to go to my local Craft shop to pick up a yoga mat, balance ball, or a book by Dr. Phil. I want to pick up the tools for my ceremonies and spell crafting and, unfortunately, the kind of shop I want seems to be few and far between (except on line.) It feels as though the craft as I remember it is being homogenized and made so “acceptable” in the eyes of the general public that it is becoming useless to serious practitioners. But I digress here.

So to sum up this article, does it mean that I am not a real Witch because I had no one to “lead the way” or no coven to adopt me and teach me “their right way”? Quite frankly I think that makes me an even better real Witch because I had to figure it out for myself. And because of that my understanding and beliefs don’t quite fit into any prescribed dogma. So that is why I stay a solitary practitioner and that is why I have stepped back from the community as a whole.

But then I don’t look at being a Witch as a religion, with all of its implied rules and regulations and dogma. I look at being a Witch in the same way that the old village Witches looked at it. I revere the earth and heavens and do my best to respect and tread lightly on her.

I try to live a spiritual life without bowing to or begging the acceptance of any one archetypal being. I look at the Goddess and Gods as a representation on this plane of the source of all energy and power. I cast spells for my own benefit, and mine alone, as I don’t believe I have the right to manipulate anyone else’s life. And I believe that Karma will out eventually.

I believe that being a Witch is as simple as that. It’s in your heart, it’s in your soul, and it’s who YOU know you really are. Not because someone gives you permission to be one simply because you read and adhere to someone else’s views as written down and published. Or because you attend meetings once a week, or once a month, or even once a quarter.

But because YOU know you are. And whether you are solitary or a member of a group, no matter what that group represents, you are really on your own. You must practice, practice, practice, and hold that knowing in your own heart…alone.

That’s what makes you a “real Witch.”