Tag: Witchcraft

Who Inherits Your Knowledge?

Who Inherits Your Knowledge?

Author: Lady GoldenRaven

Here is a thought: For us older wytchs, have you ever thought about who you will pass down your wytchy items to when your time comes to cross over? By the time we hit our “golden years”, most of us have amassed a rather large collection of books, articles, herbs, oils, etc. So where does it go?

We have thought about how we divide up the money we leave for our children, which one gets the house and this one gets the car. But, has anyone given thought to the wealth of knowledge we have put into our Book of Shadows?

Who gets the special oils you created? What becomes of the beautiful staff and wand we created with our own hands?

Do we leave our sacred Book of Shadows to our covens?

Is there a special child or friend who will use this information wisely and keep its secrets to themselves?

Has anyone thought of donating them to the military or some other organization?

Will they find their rightful owners or will they end up in the trash or floating around space with all the missing socks.

As I approach my Crone years and since I have taught many students in the ways of the Wise, I have often thought about leaving my stuff to one of them. However, several of my students have been online. It would be hard to leave my trusted Book of Shadows to any of them, since I have only had little contact with them. So, that leaves the students I taught in person, who are now either in my coven or have moved on.

However, I am lucky. I recently met a woman who is 25 years old. She and I have become really close friends. She had several pagan friends (who are also my friends) who had taught her a little bit about their path.

She calls me Mama Beth, since I am older and she can talk to me about things one cannot talk to about with her real parents. Since I have no children of my own, she is now my adopted daughter. She is serious about her learning of the craft, so I am now teaching her my ways.

I thought long and hard about whom would be heir to my wytchy fortune. I do not own a home, so all I have to pass along is my wytchy stuff, my Led Zeppelin/Robert Plant collection, and my car.

All that has been decided. And now, I have made my decision as to where my Book of Shadows and the rest of my stuff shall go. My daughter shall be heir to all I have in my Wytchy World. I have such a huge collection of books on the subject that is would fill two walls!

I started thinking about this when a friend of mine nearly died a few months ago in a terrible accident. I put much thought and many hours of thought into this decision. Once I decided, I made my intentions clear.

When I told Debbie of my decision, I thought she would never stop crying. She was happy yet sad. It was something she did not want to think about.

Well, nobody wants to think about such things, but you must. She is the only one allowed to even touch my Book of Shadows, let alone look in it to read from it. She has come over for her lessons on time every time. She is learning the Craft well. Most of all–I TRUST HER.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I surely do not want my Book of Shadows, which I spent many hours working on, ending up in a dumpster somewhere. I wrote every word in that book in calligraphy. If anything, it is a piece of art. For one, I have the fortune of having bought a grand Book of Shadows from a great company called Brahm’s Bookworks (link enclosed at the end), which is like the one you see on the show Charmed. Mine weighs over 30 pounds. Now you see why I do not want it simply dumped in the trash.

Who do I know who would appreciate this? My daughter!

Where will the hundreds of jars of herbs end up? Herbs that I lovingly planted, nurtured, and harvested. I have many bottles of oils which I have made, not to mention the holistic medicines I have made from all the above.

My staff, which I lovingly hand picked, designed by me for me, blessed and consecrated and has become a part of me, I do not want to end up in a burn pile somewhere as trash. If, my daughter chooses to burn it in memory of me so that none can use my “magickal” staff, then so be it.

A few of my friends may end up with a few things–some of the herbs and oils and such. My stones and all I promised to a friend who also makes jewelry. So he can use what he wants for wytchy works and pick what he needs for jewelry.

Of course, some things, I can leave to the world via the net. Some of this I have accomplished already. But face it, out in the world of Cyberspace, one cannot be too sure of who they are dealing with. A lot of my stuff is found and will be found as I continue, on Pathways Seminary.

But, I thought I would offer up this little essay as a reminder to all not to forget about whom you will leave your most precious Wytchy wears to. Since the baby boomers are now into their Crone years or close to it as I am, there are a lot of us pagans who belong to this age group.

So while you are sitting there, making out your wills, reserve space and time to have it in writing, to whom you are passing down your religious and magickal items to. I know, whomever ends up with them shall appreciate both the deep thought you put into giving it to them, as well as appreciating the work you did, and all the knowledge contained within these items.

I am happy that I know where my knowledge is going to be used and appreciated.

Thank you,
LadyGoldenraven


Footnotes:
Link to Book of Shadows: http://www.brahmsbookworks.com/id2.html

My First Personal Contact with the Goddess

My First Personal Contact with the Goddess

Author: Maestitia

I wanted to share with you the story of my first personal contact with the Goddess, and maybe you could share your stories as well.

A few years ago, I was on a quest to find a suitable religion. I was born and raised Roman Catholic, but ten years earlier, I had received a letter from my church advising me that I was no longer welcome there because I had not (according to their records) given them enough money.

I was furious!!

I was not aware that the gift of knowing divinity came with a price tag. I was soured on religion in general, and lived with no religious beliefs for 10 years because of it.

As I got older I decided that I shouldn’t be denied that gift because of one bad experience with a bad church. I also decided that if I was going to have religious beliefs, it was going to be on MY terms, not someone else’s.

I decided that the best course of action would be to write down what I really believed in my heart, and then go looking for what most closely matched my beliefs. I carefully made my list over the course of two weeks.

When the list was finished, I went to my local book store/coffee shop, and began studying every religion that I could find. When I would find one that started to sound dogmatic, or restrictive, or harmful, or just plain ridiculous, it was immediately dismissed, and I’d move on to the next.

This went on for weeks, night after night drinking coffee, and studying. After a few weeks, I stumbled upon a book on Wicca. Everything made sense.

Masculine and feminine are needed for creation in life, and so it is in the case of divinity.

You are free to do as you will, provided you harm nobody in the process.

There is no need to pay.

There is no need to convert others.

I knew I had found it.

I then decided to spend my time at the bookstore studying Wicca. I read every book they had. Some books were obviously written by idiots. (I’m sure you’ve seen those books allegedly teaching spells on how you can fly, become invisible, or make someone fall in love with you). These were immediately disregarded.

I didn’t know any Wiccans at the time, so I knew I’d have to study, and learn, and practice by myself. And so I did.

Night after night were spent in my local woods meditating, and practicing. One night, in the midst of meditation, I asked the Goddess to come to me. I asked her to let me see her and to feel her arms holding me.

Suddenly, in my mind, I could see her. She appeared as a woman of around 20 yrs old, with long dark hair. She came to me and held me. No words were spoken, but she did smile at me, and at that moment I felt an immediate rush of motherly love. Then something very unexpected happened.

The Goddess held up one index finger as if to say, “Wait a moment”.

I was a bit puzzled, but I wasn’t going to ask questions. The Goddess then brought me my Grandmother who had died in 1987. I saw her as plainly as I did in life. She didn’t speak, but I could hear her words speaking to my heart.

She thanked me for caring for her, and for driving her to the hospital when she was sick, and coming to see her. I was able to tell her that I knew how much she hated being in that hospital, and how she was worried about being a burden when she was sick.

She never actually told me that when she was alive, but somehow, I knew it now. I could feel her thoughts and emotions and her words. We hugged, and then she waved and walked away.

The Goddess returned.

I was confused as to why she had brought me my Grandmother. I didn’t ask for that, I wasn’t expecting that, and I didn’t understand any of it.

The Goddess again held me, then backed up a step, looked into my eyes, and said one single word, “Trust”.

Then smiled at me again and walked away.

I came out of my meditation scared, confused, nervous, and completely shaken up. I was crying my eyes out in the middle of a forest at 1:30 A.M. I cried for over an hour.

In the days that followed, I looked back on the events of that evening, and tried to make some sense of it. I believe that the Goddess had brought me my dead Grandmother for two reasons.

First, as a convincer of the things that are possible, and second, because my Grandmother had things she wanted to say to me.

The emotional impact of the evening made a huge mark on me, and when I think about it today, I still get a little misty, and my eyes get moist.

When the time came to choose my witch name, I wanted something to remember that night, that feeling. I went online and found a Latin translator. I put in the word “Sadness” and it gave me the Latin Translation “Maestitia”. I knew I had found it.

There was no second-guessing.

My witch name will always remind me of that night. Sitting on the ground, crying my eyes out, and feeling the love of a Goddess who will never throw her child into a lake of fire, will never demand my money, and will let me be a human being.

I had found peace, and still have it with me.

I still go to the woods. I still have conversations with my Grandmother, and with the Goddess. I still cry sometimes.

I have found a religion that works for me. I feel loved.

The priest from my old church comes around once a year to bless houses (For a fee of course).

On the day he comes, I make sure to have out all of my Wiccan regalia. I have my candles burning, my incense burning, and I politely tell him, “No, thank you, I don’t pay for my religion”.

My faith is strong, and I know what the Goddess wants me to be. A healer, a counselor, a comforter, a helper.

My Broom is Bigger than Your Broom

My Broom is Bigger than Your Broom

Author: Lady Abigail

Walking across the freshly harvested field of hay, I watched the sun as it sank, little by little, between the great oaks on the hillside. The trees seemed to be burning in the autumn colors of orange, gold and red. The air quickly became crisp and cool.

Smoke from my Great Grandmother’s chimney lay heavy in the air, like it was dancing in the vanishing twilight. The sweet aroma of the evening placed images within my mind. For me, it was as if the essence from times past were encircling me in a mist of stories not yet told.

I could hear the crunch of each of my footsteps as I walked across the field home. Suddenly, the sounds changed around me. I heard more footsteps, a wagon bouncing across the bridge, and cars turning down the dirt road, chased by the dusty shadows behind them.

I ran as quickly as my short legs would carry me to reach the house so I could hug those that were my family. My heart was pounding like a drum from some distant land. This night was special; this was the night of the ancestors, the night of the calling, calling the dead.

I had been watching all day, for I understood the magick that this night would bring. The energy found within the veils and the mystical visions that would be called to those that stood within the circle to be cast.

They were called the sisters, my aunts. Each one filled my life with stories and knowledge of the old ways. Each was a Witch and Crone in her own right. Each one was different and each was a force of nature, independent and strong. Not one was accountable to the other until they stood beneath the moon as a covenant of power.

My aunts, my family, were not as other families. We didn’t look the same, we didn’t speak the same, and we didn’t even think the same. But that was okay. Now I see what a wonderful and magickal gift that was; diverse energies, histories, and traditions that came together as one all-encompassing power.

My Great Grandmother was Cajun. Her Native American beauty gave her dark skin and silken raven hair marked with silver from time and wisdom. Myself, born of mixed blood, had been given extremely light-colored skin and white blond hair, what those in the old south called a “toe head.”

Even as a child, I learned the judgmental hearts of others. I saw how some treated my Great Grandmother, how some looked at us as odd when they saw us together. Sometimes people could be extremely rude and say hurtful things.

Many would turn their backs as we walked by. Some didn’t understand and didn’t realize that this dark-skinned woman was my Grandmother. But within all the dim-wittedness of those around us, what I remember most was my Great Grandmother’s pride and forgiving heart.

As twilight turned into night, the great feast was placed on the long table in my Grandmother’s house. The sisters respectfully placed the setting on the table for the ancestors. I was now old enough to help and got to light the candles all around the room.

There were countless candles. Most were the bees’ wax candles my Great Grandmother and the sisters had made during the spring and again just at the break of fall. I walked quietly from table to table, lighting each candle with a blessing. The honey-scent fragrance, mixed with the smells from the food and the holiday, gave way to an energy that made my skin tingle with excitement.

Once the feast was ended, it was time to ready for the calling. My Great Grandmother asked me to go to the back porch and bring her in her broom. I stood for a moment outside on that tiny wood porch held in place by the stones under each corner.

I looked at the glow coming through the windows and falling on the sparkling ground, now wet with dew. The sensation of my family gleamed in the warmth that shown from within that small house. I had no doubt that the spirits would be moved to join us that night. My spirit had found flight with the energy of love that surrounded me.

The sisters now walk within the veils with my Great Grandmother, and at this time of year, the time of the calling, I will welcome them all and ask that they join my table for the feast. Now I am the Crone; I seek within my Great Grandmother’s teaching to be a wise woman.

I endeavor to teach all those that walk our path in the old ways, with acceptance, truth, and light. My family has aged, changed, and grown. My circle is filled with those that I love, both brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, in a blending of various traditions. I am truly blessed.

Not long ago, while attending different gatherings, I sadly watched and heard many that walk our path begin to rank themselves among each other. For lack of a better term, I would have to say it was a syndrome of “my broom is bigger than your broom, ” or my tradition is better than your tradition.

It frightens me that we have somehow decided we are better than another because of what name they choose to call themselves or what magickal path they walk.

Do we really need to judge each other?

Many of us proudly call ourselves Witches and Pagans. Some use the traditions of the path they have selected within their title. Some will call themselves by nothing at all, but simply know they have found themselves within their own hearts.

Along this diverse path, I have spoken to many within our communities, and they speak of finding their way home and reclaiming life within our varied and blending traditions, escaping the critical judgments of past beliefs.

The sisters, my aunts, were also very different. They came from all over the Ozarks. Some of them were old, some younger, some dark, some light, some with grey hair and some with red. They were scholars, teachers, mothers, and wise women. Each was as different as the night is to the day, yet each was respectful of the other beyond question.

They did not talk about what the other family members were doing or not doing. They did not discuss in what manner one worked within magick over the other. They respected each other with honor and shared their understandings together.

In truth, we are each individuals; our practices and beliefs are equally individual. We are all following our own spiritual and magickal path. Let us be a gathering of like-minded souls, yet, at the same time, strive to be open- minded and accepting of each other’s personal differences. We are all equal as we walk together, no matter which path we take in the walking.

It is not necessary to pull others down to strengthen ourselves. Strength is found as our circle grows in understanding of each other. As we enter this time of welcoming the ancients and the wise ones, let us stand as a cohesive brotherhood and sisterhood, brought together by the belief, that within understanding, all things are possible.

It is time that we all, each one of us, reflect on how far we have came, and how hard a path we all traveled. Remembering the sacrifices of those that walked this path before us, let us think before we judge or criticize another. Then shall we truly stand together in this magickal circle as it expands within the universe.

Together let us be as one family to celebrate our beliefs within life and magick.
 

Copyright: Copyright © 10102007
Lady Abigail
High Priestess, Ravensgrove Coven
Greenfield, IN

How Much is That Witch in the Window?

How Much is That Witch in the Window?

Author: Sage Runepaw

We’ve maybe even written an essay to someone telling them that witches are real, that they live, breathe, and look like normal people and don’t have sallow, waxy skin with pointy black hats on, that they don’t fly on broomsticks or sacrifice babies or spew dark Words of Evil to the Devil or even that they cackle, “I’ll get you… and your little dog too!” We’ve even probably surprised someone by telling them we even (gasp!) had children of our own who play among all the other children.

We may have become enlightened through our personal beliefs and practices, and we may have taken offense at one point or another at the stereotypical ‘witchy’ image- but at what cost?

The cost of a part of our childhood?

Just think about it a moment, if you will. We all celebrated Halloween at some point or another (unless of course, we were forbidden by our parents for some reason that likely at the time seemed horrible and cruel to us). We all dressed up- put on some flimsy store-bought costume or something we thought was the best we could make at the time, or painted our faces or done -something- to get dressed up and raid the local streets in search of a free sugar overdose.

And it was great, wasn’t it? In fact you maybe even bounced off the walls until 3 in the next morning.

But hey, we were kids then, right? Now we’re Witches! – and we have to take Halloween seriously and point our fingers at the stereotypical witchy images we see every October, don’t we? Samhain is a death-energy time, not a time where children should be dressing up in some image that was used to persecute probably innocent people centuries ago, right?

I admit, this sounds a bit harsh, and perhaps it is- but isn’t there someone out there who’s every bit as sick of people pointing and taking offense to the stereotypes? Sure, they might go away if we wail and stomp our feet loud enough, but seriously- just take a look around any city or even on the Internet, and you’ll see that stereotypes don’t go away.

If anything, they just get ignored and outdated, but they’re there. If we take offense to them and work to combat them, power to you- but- and maybe this is just me- I’m tired of the fighting.

Get your robes back in proper order; don’t let the stereotyping phase you. As I hinted about above, we too once played dress up and might have dressed up as a witch years ago. Sure- what’s wrong with that? As it may have fooled the spirits once upon somewhen, didn’t you feel free, feel -alive- then?

Where then, along the path of your life, did that suddenly get traded out for taking offense to the stereotypical witchy image?

As a child, I never did dress up as a witch, I admit- I personally favored black cats for years on end, and a few times, something else which is now forgotten- but my grandmother, who raised me (and is Catholic, though it doesn’t matter for the purposes of this essay) always had this one Halloween decoration we would put up year after year.

Apparently, I’d dubbed it “Witchypoo” when I was a toddler, and the name stuck. It was this black bead-eyed, stuffed witch with black and orange felt for robes and none of the green-skinned stereotyping. And she sat on this little round wooden dowel broom. I wish I could show you it; it was very cute. Amazingly cute. But you get the point- I took childlike, innocent glee at this witchy figure that took to dangling underneath the kitchen light every October.

And just last October, my grandmother bought a stuffed mantle decoration of three green-faced witches smiling crookedly and brightly out at the world, with purple and black robes and stuffed witchy hats and a pumpkin at their feet. All of October thus far, I’ve worked retail and sold many such stereotypical things: hundreds of pounds of candies, spooky costumes- and witchy ones, too.

Should I be offended by my grandmother’s decoration? No, not really- I could choose to if I wanted. She knew by that point what my practice was, that it wasn’t Satanic (though she expressed her worries and I allayed them as best I knew how at the time) and was something I was serious about.

Should I be offended by working retail and selling these things for a large chain store? I could.

Would the same things offend someone else who’s witchy? Maybe; everyone’s different. But if I chose to be offended and started fighting against the stereotypes, who knows who I could impact?

What if there was a child just down the street telling her mother that she wanted to be a witch for Halloween? Or that she wanted to be a smart witch like Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter movies? – Or something along those lines.

Now, let’s take it a bit further. Supposing I stuck that stereotypical image on my living room windowsill for everyone to look at whenever they walk by my suburban home this month, or on Halloween eve next to a glowing carved pumpkin? Supposing some youth dressed up in a Witch outfit this Halloween saw it, and after some time had passed, found out about ‘real’ witches and that Halloween became a catalyst for him or her- a catalyst that spurred the youth on to become a real witch and transform their lives through their spirituality?

I’m tired of the fighting over stereotypes in a bid to be recognized as legitimate- aren’t you? We already -know- we are legitimate. We know that, and we know also that with time comes acceptance. We work our butts off year round at our jobs and taking care of our children, and fight for our rights.

Why can’t we just recover that moment of our childhood where we took glee at these figures again, if even for a little while? Sure, they might be meant to offend us- but we have the choice to -let- it affect us. Those stereotypes are images of the past. Yes, let’s change it- but let us not lose a part of ourselves by becoming too jaded to smile.

Even the best warriors need to smile and laugh on occasion, after all.

I, for one, see those witch decorations on tree trunks and bushes that portray the witch as having run into a tree face first as an amusing reminder not to get too “hung up” on things in life.

So let us make our celebrations for Samhain and honor the ancestors- but times are a’ changing. Even though there may still be witch-hunts and witch wars somewhere, we cannot fight all the time.

Let us laugh for once, regain a bit of the child within, and see this coming Samhain with newer eyes. Let us release feeling as if we must fight for our rights all the time- just for a bit- and relax. While we can educate our children (if we have them) about those stereotypical images, we can still take time to let our inner child take a breather. Our ancestors, after being oppressed for so long, would want to take a breather from being persecuted.

We have the choice this time- but it is we who are doing the fighting. Perhaps it’s rightfully so- but no warrior can fight all the time.

Even though it’s the dark half of the year, let the light inside you grow brighter. Give yourself a much-deserved respite from the fighting- and smile. Maybe those decorations will help some young one down the road become a priest or priestess of the Craft. After all, you never really know how the universe works. Let us restore our own inner children by taking a brief break. The gods know we work hard enough all the time as it is.

Someday, we’ll achieve what we desire. But we must be careful of those who could be affected- and we must be careful not to let the price of that achievement be our own inner children. We must not become jaded.

Balance in all things, after all.

Youth or Truth – Will History Repeat Itself in Wiccan Witchcraft?

Youth or Truth – Will History Repeat Itself in Wiccan Witchcraft?

Author: Roninwolf

Several observations I have made about the religion of Wicca-witchcraft-paganism-neo-paganism or what-you-will have caused me deep distress and I fear for the viability of a path I wish to continue walking upon. Questions have come to me in reading works of the elders that I cannot put aside and I believe must be answered now or in the furtherance of the future.

The first is that Wiccan witchcraft has no mechanism for theocracy. In the tenets of a faith-that-is-many faiths in a faith among all faiths, there is crime and no punishment.

In the few common words of our faith “an it harm none, do what thou wilt, ” there is “harm” which is the acknowledgement of one of the two truths of the human condition — analogous to the building of a prison (along with the building of a cemetery) — yet there is nothing written which says what societal punishment harm shall yield.

Phrases such as “separation of church and state” and “the laws of God are higher than the laws of man” come into my recollection and I wonder why we have no punishments save banishment. Surely theft is a crime we acknowledge as a people, why then is it not mentioned by name? It does fit under the category of harm, and as such is a violation of out tenet “an it harm none”, but nowhere is it written so plainly as “thou shalt not steal” as it is written in the cannons of Christian, Jewish, Islamic and many other religions.

Is it sufficient to say, “harm none” and let it be the whole of the law? Aren’t we simply passing the buck, so to speak, to the state? And if that is so, what state: A state that demands remunerations and fines or a state that demands the hand of the perpetrator?

This and other questions occurred to me when I heard a certain Republican congressman talking about the fact that new and small businesses do not need to concern themselves with retirement benefits. I am concerned that the youth of our faith (or youth of our “organized faith” for those who believe their faith to be pre-historic) may blind us to reality.

Near the subject of crime and punishment, there is also the subject of heresy. To any monotheist’s query, we would flatly reply that we have no heresy, that all paths are equal, valid (for lack of a better term) and right.

Yet, when Christianity was less than a century old, it had no heresy either. Then Titus sacked the second temple of Jerusalem, the cult of Mary (J.C.’s mother) lost power in the city and the cult of Paul grew and flourished. Judeo-Islamism too, had no heresy before the schism between Isaac and Ishmael. I do not know the specifics, but Islam had no heresy before there was a falling out between the descendants of Muhammad. Monothiest-versus-polythiest aside, I believe the same “heretical” schism may befall witchcraft.

Already we have seen something like heresy when Alex Sanders began his own coven using the rituals of Gerald Gardner. Is it the inevitable fate of faith to split and if so, how long will it be before the followers of, for example, Gardner, call the followers of Silver Ravenwolf or Christopher Penzak heretics?

Yes, we believe that all Gods are one God and all Goddesses are one Goddess, but is the strength of our faith in the universality of our pan-fraternal/sororal kinship strong enough to supercede a dissention of faith? I wonder.

Again, I ask these questions because I have asked them of myself and I cannot find answers that do not assuage my fears. It is my hope that these questions are answered before circumstances demand that we answer them hastily.

All faiths, in some manner or another, must answer to one another: That is, what do “we” think of “them”? That question has taken many forms and has been the subject of many debates; such as “are all paths valid”. In the same way that English recognition of the United States in 1783 gave credence to the existence of a new country, one faith’s acknowledgement of another gives tacit approval of that faith.

An example of that is that Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus all consider the others to be “people of the book”; this suggests collusion if not camaraderie between them (despite infighting also between them). What do we say of the follower’s of Heaven’s Gate or the Moonies? We call them cults (in the derisive sense). But what does that say about our tenet “all paths are valid”?

I have been wondering on this subject and believe that no one law can encompass the outlook of our faith on other faiths. Certain paths of Christianity and Islam call us evil agents of the devil. Still others say because their path is right, our must be wrong. Albeit, a certain “sticks and stones” maxim comes to my mind, words other people use to describe us become valid as we all inhabit the same planet.

I thought for a time that the law “all paths are valid that do not contradict the law that all paths are valid, ” but this seems unusable to me. Must we then interview (as it were) each faith and draw our battle-lines in ink? Would we not then be the same as all other faiths?

Even though our faith does not require that others believe as we do in order for it to be valid to us, our inalienable rights as citizens of the world should require us stand up and declare that we are valid and here are our reasons.

The question that faces me is: Whether our faith of non-denominationalism and non-judgementalism allows us to even declare, as a faith, what is right and wrong?

The final question I posit is this: Can we not answer these questions because we are right (and potentially original in the history of religion) or because we are young and cannot look beyond the next ten generations? Civilization and state collapse: are we transplantable or are we flash-in-the-pan?

We know we are a different faith, but are we different because we are unlike any other faith in our acceptance of other paths or are we simply children who cannot accept the positions held by millennia-old religions?

Note: Inasmuch as I write this to flesh out my own thoughts, I write this to invite others to correct me if I have erred.

The Secret of the Witch

The Secret of the Witch

Author: Lady Lira

Keeping something a secret is sometimes one of the hardest things a person might have to do, especially if it’s a really big, juicy, important secret.

Like being a witch.

It’s tough to hide part of who you are, but the fact is large sums of pagans out there have to do it every day. Perhaps your co-worker is a Druid, or your classmate is a Wiccan. Maybe your Aunt Marge is a Hedge Witch, or that stranger walking down the street is a Shaman. You may never know it, even when they’re staring you right in the face…all because they keep it a secret.

I, like most pagans, have to live with the secret that I am studying the Magickal Arts. My mom is aware that I’ve dabbled in a bit of Wicca, and goddess bless her open-minded soul, but it’s not a topic that I’m too eager to bring up at dinner-time, since she’s not too fond of religious discussions. But except for her, I keep my secret hidden from the rest of the world, afraid that I’ll be beaten down for my ‘offbeat’ interests.

I was raised Christian, since the majority of the family followed that faith though it wasn’t long before I (and my mother) began to fade away from the church (I was probably about eleven at the time) . Eventually we became agnostic, though it took a while before the guilt of not believing in the Bible eased up. I found myself feeling lost and confused with no solid beliefs, and often wondered about those heavy universal questions: “How?” and “Why?”

I was so frustrated with the world, and I couldn’t seem to sort out what was truth and what was just a bunch of woven lies.

Growing up, even in a Christian family, I had always adored magic (k) and fantasy. I was always the kid who wanted to believe in something a little longer than she should, like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy. I was the avid Harry Potter Fan, even though my grandma looked down begrudgingly on its witchly contents. In my heart, I knew it was all real to some degree. It HAD to be real…the magic (k) , the wonder, the dreams of a young child. Because if it wasn’t…then I would have lost a part of my soul.

It wasn’t until a year and a half ago that I came across the workings of real Witchcraft. A good online friend admitted to me the experiences she went through as a young teen Wiccan- the fun and wonder it brought her, but also the terrible mockery and discrimination she faced.

That night I decided to Google ‘Wicca’ and ‘Witchcraft’ and I found pages and pages of beliefs and a wealth of information. Wicca and all its forms (from Fae and Draconic to Gardnerian and Alexandrian and all the versions in between) , Druidry, Shamanism, Dianic, Minoan, Eclectic… the list went on forever! I couldn’t believe it! All these different religions, and they all practice magick? Real, actual magick? Plus they tied in with my growing love of ancient mythology!

I was enthralled, intrigued, and deliriously delighted beyond my wildest and craziest dreams. I had stumbled upon the secret, the part of myself that I would mask from my friends and classmates. I’d discovered the occult arts, “The knowledge of the hidden, ” as it translates. I was back on the path to spiritual enlightenment, and very excited (Well, it was more like I was wandering through the woods, edging clumsily toward the path) . I looked into Wicca more closely, and found was one of the closest religions I had found yet that complimented my personality. I’ve been on and off then on again in my study, learning what I can, when I can, always tempted by the oh-so-fascinating and mysterious subject.

My Wondrous Path So Far: I keep a tiny composition notebook wrapped in rustic brown paper that serves as an inconspicuous Book of Shadows, and any form of an altar is yet to be set up. I’m still trying to discover what Gods and Goddesses I will follow, but that is all part of my journey in finding my path and myself. As far as any books involving Wicca or Witchcraft… they are allowed to rest freely on my rickety wooden shelf, except when company stops by for an over-night visit. Sometimes I feel more comfortable hiding them away under the bed or a crummy sofa cushion just to avoid any awkward questions.

It’s not something I want to hide, the fact that I started studying witchcraft, but I feel its necessary in my time and place, at least for now. I’m dominated by a school world ruled by the concept of Bully vs. Victim, a hub where even the slightly weird, unique, or unordinary are picked on and laughed at.

It can be like that even in the adult world, which leads to the main reason why so many prefer to study in secret rather than express themselves out in the open: It’s the fear of not being accepted, or being “disowned” by your extra faithful Christian family. It’s the the worry that maybe your friends will give you a funny look or your boyfriend will call you crazy. No one wants to feel ashamed or un-liked, so in many cases, it is easer to simply keep silent.

I congratulate those who are brave enough to proclaim their faith, and I remind those of you who have open-minded and accepting friends, family, or coven members that you are very fortunate. I end here by saying that though it may be a secret now, it is also one of the greatest gifts. Perhaps one day soon I will able to feel more comfortable and open about discussing my ambitious pursuit of magickal knowledge.

As I continue to learn and explore the Craft, I continue to grow as a person…

And I continue to hold the secret of the witch.

Altar Setup

Altar Setup

I’m a big supporter of Keep It Simple. Altar setups that are overflowing with magical goodies seem to collect a ton of dust, and dust is a magnet for negativity. If you’re a busy person , with friends staying over, siblings or children running through your room, and the cat jumping on and off your altar surface at will, collecting a bunch of stuff to set on your altar may not be such a good idea. If you are in college, especially in a dorm room, there’s no telling what might happen to your magical items. We tend to form an attachment to our magical tools, and a missing wand or cauldron can send anyone into a tizzy. If a magical tool of yours could decide to “walk off,” don’t despair. If it’s gone, it’s suppose to be gone. Sometimes magical things leave us for a good reason. Perhaps something better is coming your way.

In the last few years, the idea of having a personal altar has gained popularity outside of the Craft environment. However, often what people are calling “altars” are actually shrines dedicated to a deity or a particular energy the person would like to bring into the home. The altar, for a Crafter, is a working magical surface, where a shrine is more of representation of your spirituality and a place for daily, weekly or monthly offerings. In some Craft traditions the shrine is called the high altar, and the separate, working surface is called the low altar. Where prayers and petitions are given at the high altar, the messy work (such as grinding herbs, working with wax or spell work that required you to make and then put together a particular object) is done on the low altar.

A basic altar setup requires only the four elements. The beginning Craft altar adds a statue of deity; two illuminator candles (one for the God and one for the Goddess); a flat centerpiece for focus (usually a geometric symbol: pentacle, hexagram, lunar crescent, the zodiac ring, and so on); the wand; and if your family environment supports it, the athame.

If you have more space and plenty of privacy, you may wish to use the traditional altar setup use by most Wiccan practitioners when they first learn about the tools of the Craft of the Wise.

The Elements

The Elements
Philippus Aureolus Paracelus, a Swiss physician, chemist, and philosopher (1490 – 1541) is credited with the Doctrine of the Four Elements, from which early nineteenth-century occult practitioners drew the belief that an element (earth, air, fire and water) is not only physical but also contain a spiritual essence. Granted, ancient cultures around the world long before Paracelsus’ time believed in this same principle: however, the condemnation of the Christian church did its best to eradicate this belief for over a thousand years. Pliny (Rome, first century A.D.) Pythogoras (Greek, 582 – 500 B.C.), Aristotle (382 – 322 B.C.) and Manilius (there is debate whether he lived to the first or ninth century A.D.) were all saying basically the same thing. To have Paracelsus renew the idea and pass it around didn’t make him especially popular, therefore in the occult world he gets give gold stars.
Paracelsus defied physicians of his time by insisting that diseases were caused by agents that were external to the body and that they could be cured by using chemistry. Many of his remedies were based on the belief that “like cures like.” He could be called the father of homeopathy, which has become popular in alternative medical circles (which include practitioners of Witchcraft). Homeopathy stems from the idea that one should treat the underlying problem, rather than just try to cure the symptom by using natural ingredients, such as herbs. He was pooh-poohed by his peers because he included magick in his scholarly writings. Witches also believe that we need to treat the problem rather than concerning solely on the symptoms, but what does this have to do with the primary elements?

 

Almost everything in the Craft, from the tools we use to the herbs we employ to the sigils we design, zodiac associations and planetary alignments we follow; fire into the ancient and medieval elemental category of the primary elements. Manilius put it this way:
 
“And first the heaven, earth and liquid plain, the moon’s bright globe and stars titanian (bright white). A spirit fed within, spread through the whole and with the huge heap mixed infused a soul; hence man and beast and bird derive their strain and monsters floating in the marbled main; these seeds have fiery, vigor, and a birth, of heavenly race, but clogg’d with heavy earth.”
 
So, about 2,000 years ago, the Roman Manilius was trying to tell people that everything–animals, humans, stars, seas and earth–consisted of living energy. I realize that philosophy might not interest you, but then I’m sure there are those among you who will be delighted to discover that even though these old geezers are long gone, their ideas of magick, science and philosophy continue on, right into the lap of modern Witchcraft.
 
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word element has a mysterious origin and is first found in Greek texts meaning “complex whole” or “a single unit made up of many parts.” From the ancient up to medieval times there were only four elements (earth, air, fire and water) and if you were occult-oriented the fifth was Spirit. Cornelius Agrippa called spirit the “quintessence.”
 
Today, although scientists list more than 100 chemical elements (with some being manmade), magickal people continue to rely on the five basic building blocks of medieval occultism—earth, air, fire, water and Spirit—using some of the additional elements of the modern age to support the original five, depending on the spell or ritual. For example, silver (an element/metal) is used in various spells, and is a symbol of the divine Goddess, feminine mysteries, and is associated with moon magick, dreaming and psychism. Gold, another element, stands for the God, male mysteries, success prosperity, general well-being and all magicks associated with the sun.

Grasping Witchcraft

Grasping Witchcraft

Author: Charmed By The Moon

I know the title is a bit misleading as Witchcraft isn’t something we can physically hold. In fact, it’s more of something we can embrace and become. I’m referring more to the idea of getting a hold on it, seeing it, understanding it and living it.

I’ve been on this road for so long but haven’t made the true connection to the facts and ideas that are Witchcraft. There is so much to learn and so much to do and so much to envelop, it can often feel like a horse running down the road and I’m trying to get a rope on it to bring it back in again. It gets away from me sometimes. It becomes too big for me to truly grasp and hold close to me.

Some would say, “Well faith isn’t something you can capture; it is a free moving spirit of the Universe knowing no bounds, limits, or time”.

I agree to a point.

How do Christians and Jewish and Muslim people get a hold of their religion? I believe in some cases it is indoctrinated into them at birth and they have spent years studying and applying what they learn through weekly ritual, holidays etc. They have parents and family and friends in the same realms and it becomes a part of their life.

They have many years of preparation and teaching to reach the important milestones of their particular faith. There are huge parties and gatherings of celebration, families bonding and loving, and a strong sense of community.

That’s fine and wonderful if you are of a major Belief System but what about us? Or should I say me?

What about the Witchcraft of today and how it is still perceived by our peers?

There is no building to belong to, no sense of community really. No one wants to hear how you just made a second initiation and chose a new name. No one wants to know what crystals you bought for ritual. No one cares about the books and discoveries you are making.

Point is unless you have friends and family in the know, you don’t have any real support or ways to learn and certainly no one to celebrate with that might matter to you.

I do have a partner in my life and for that I am grateful and he too is on the same road as I but he knows about as much as I do. We can share moments and lessons but we still need more, still need direction so I set it as my personal goal to gain enlightenment on a different level at least for myself.

That leaves us on fact-finding missions. It leaves us open to strangers in our Belief System to guide us. (Some of which I have to say based on personal experience are total flakes!) Or, we meet people whom ‘don’t owe us anything’ and they choose not to teach what they have learned or even help to get us started. Fine. They have the right.

Next we have books by 1, 000 authors at least! Some writers and practitioners are on the same page, others are more complex, more don’t make any sense, some are so busy saying “this is the only way” and how do they really know? Books are great but there is no real way to ask a book a question! No way to talk to the author directly so it leaves many an unanswered query. So then we move to the online world and there is no real way to know if the person on the other end is real or not, what their motivations are, what they represent and where do they get their information. I suppose you can find a local coven and hope they accept you if your willing to do the work. Again these are strangers and you are in a vulnerable state as it is and for some insecure people they can fall into a terrible way.

It can be such a lonely world and very disheartening. There had to be a better way and I think I may have found it! I had to put some trust in someone I didn’t know and I am pleasantly surprised to say the least.

I paid for my classes. I exchanged money for knowledge.

Granted it isn’t a lot but there is a personal responsibility to each person and we carry it out. I know there are many people who are telling me that I shouldn’t have to pay. I can find information everywhere and yes, I have indeed found info. I’ve found so much I can’t organize it all and I don’t know how to manage one particular sect of Witchcraft.

I’m overwhelmed. I need direction, accountability, projects, motivation, detail, organization and even coaching.

That’s it!

I needed a Witch Coach! I needed someone to break it down and give me a starting point.

So, after a 2-year search and investigation I did come across one woman. She teaches many classes in person as well as correspondence and her style completely resonates with me, and I like her! I like the way she thinks. I like how she isn’t all about props and deliverance as much as common sense and developing natural ability. I got a cool little lesson book with projects, ritual ideas, reading material, supplies to buy, etc. and a nice note saying to me “Welcome” and a few other things.

I loved it. Granted I’ve not had a conversation with her yet and I will soon but I still felt like someone was at least a nice person and to the point. Anyone can say welcome to the group but I picked up a sincere feeling.

Upon receiving my materials I set out to start by doing the first lesson and I am still doing them day-by-day.

I feel good and I feel like I might actually one day grasp the element of being a Witch. I know I am one. I always knew but didn’t know how to get it off the ground.

It isn’t a race to ensue one’s faith; it is a journey of mind, body and spirit and it is meant to be as such. I want to taste it in my breath, feel it in my soul, and wake everyday knowing I am special and I know what many others do not know but seek.

No one can become anything over night. it takes study and determination and a natural love of what your doing. It takes wanting it more than you’ve wanted anything and not giving up because it becomes hard. In reality if we don’t learn how to do things right, we can cause more harm than good.

In all the information I’ve gathered in four years I couldn’t differentiate what was bogus and what was truth and then who deemed it to be truthful? I discovered I have to find my own truth in what makes sense to me and what calls to me.

I found it, finally.

~KB

To Coven or not to Coven- On the Internet?

To Coven or not to Coven- On the Internet?

Author: Stacy Marie
Last year whilst putting all of my cat tails and broom sticks in a row (so to speak) for my brand new shiny coven; my husband made the comment that he felt traditional covens were a thing of the past.

“A thing of the past? We’re just getting started.” I responded.

We went on to discuss how, he feels, that more and more people are choosing to work solitary and opting out of having to deal with the politics that often come with joining a coven.
“Well, gee just take the North wind gale out of my sail then, why don’t ya.”

Here I have invested money and countless hours of my time into Seminary school, polishing up my family tradition and formatting everything into a structured learning program for a full blown teaching coven and whamo my other half doesn’t think it will get off the ground. Now, I am not the type of person to just give up on my visions and dreams, but I have lived with my hubby for 10 years and I didn’t start calling him “Oracle” for not. So, I meditated and consulted my guides, the runes and researched.

I contemplated the reasons why I, myself have not joined a coven. By the time I had any incline to do group work I had already been a practicing Witch for many years. I had studied Asatru and Feri when my life took on a distinctively Wiccan path. I was well set in my ways. I did search for groups and covens, but I found that experience, or rather the lack of experience among group leaders was a rather common hurdle that I just could not get my proverbial broom over.

The people in my life were all solitary: my Dad, my step Mother, her aunt, my husband, our children, etc. I decided perhaps starting a family coven would be the way to go, and that went well for a while, then my Dad and Step Mom moved away. So, I set out to obtain the magickal piece of paper our society so dearly clings to. I wanted to be sure that I had credentials that said to the world, “Psst, hey this Lady took the time to do some actual work for the title Priestess.”

Rather than buy one instantaneously online or what not. As I and my family interacted more within the Pagan and Wiccan community I often was faced with the same question by both my husband and my son; Why did it seem like so many of the people we were meeting were, well, a little heavy on the acorns… in other words nutty?

Ahhh, yes they said it, I repeated it and you know you have thought about it on occasion too. So lets think about the situation that is unfolding here: covens and groups with inexperienced leadership, more people opting for solitary work, people who are a little loopy. Could it possibly be that magick in its many forms is a tad bit dangerous?

No, you don’t say.

The state of the coven culminates for me here; inexperience leads down two paths, one is non interest, i.e. those who have the experience to recognize inexperience when they see it choose to be solitary and path number two taken by those who do not know any better can lead to the possibility of real psychological damage in a blind leading the blind type of scenario. The reality is that Wicca is the fastest growing religion in America today, its numbers double every few months (so certain statistics say) . There simply are not enough quality teaching covens available to all those who would seek them.

It is a daunting task for a beginner to try to discern the quality from the crap both in covens and books. If you are lucky enough to have a quality coven in your area, you still have to mesh well with the other members and the types of energy they raise. What about those who live in the country? What if you have kids? Now you need a family friendly coven. Let me tell you, if you thought finding a coven was difficult, try finding one that accommodates young aspiring witchletts. That is a task that redefines difficult.

Oh, by the gods it is a dilemma, indeed. I think my husband may be on to something, perhaps. What is a girl that has been given a vision to do?

Are online teaching covens a viable option? I researched and meditated. I concluded that online covens are not better than being able to physically coven with others, but they are out there and they do provide a sense of fellowship and community, as do social networks such as Paganspace and Wiccan Together.

A quality online teaching coven or virtual coven, which is not easier to find than a physical coven when trying to hold true to the definition of quality but does, when found, offer a valuable service to those new to the craft that a simple social network does not. It can offer experience to those who would otherwise not have it available. It can offer structure to a path that may fall by the wayside because of frustration created by the mass amount of misinformation, repeated information, plain poorly researched material found in so many books and websites or by the lack of trustworthy peer support for ones work. Which brings me to the experienced witch and what such a coven has to offer them. Trustworthy peer support of ones works.

I can hear it now, screams and spats of how “I don’t need anyone else’s approval or validation for the work I do.” Indeed nor do I. There is nothing more exhilarating however to the spirit then to have the ability to share and compare notes on journey work and just perhaps find similarities that quite possibly lead to epiphanies for both parties involved. This sort of experience is one that is few and far between in solitary work and can lead one to stagnation along the way if not had to some degree, in my opinion.

I decided to heed the words of my Oracle, not by abandoning my vision, but expanding it.
Along with my physical coven, I created an online coven. In order to accomplish this successfully I had to research these types of covens. I have scoured the Internet tirelessly, taking notes the whole way. At the end of my research I was left with a few quality resources available to anyone with a computer.

It is my intent to share this research, so that others may benefit from it. What follows are my findings and in no way do I claim that I had the ability nor opportunity to view every such coven in existence, I did view quite a lot.

As a practitioner of the craft for over 19 years I used my personal experience to make a list of what I feel are the best of the covens I viewed. They do not appear in any specific order and I encourage anyone interested in such a coven to do additional research on their own.

Jaguar Moon Cyber Coven- http://www.jaguarmoon.org/
Run by Lisa Mc Sherry (Lady Maat) . Formed in 2000 from Shadow Moon Cyber coven and with Southern Cross Coven. Exists as an entirely virtual coven to teach Wicca in a non-threatening manner. Annual classes that start in July and end in June. Fee $60 annual (may vary year to year) . I could not view what an accepted applicant could, as one must apply for membership to gain access to entire site. However, the outline of the Lesson plan is available to the public and very comprehensive. Jaguar Moon Cyber Coven does have a traditional degree system.

Coven of the Far Flung Net- http://www.cuew.org/cffn/
This site is owned and run by Church of Universal Eclectic Wicca, LLC.
Provides free Wiccan education through a series of online lessons. Universal Eclectic Wiccan Tradition. Public collection of information about various Pagan and Wiccan topics. One must apply for membership. This is a very organized site.

Temple Zenith- http://www.templezenith.com
Physically located in Largo/Seminole, FL. A Wiccan/Pagan coven both physical and online where that the Goddess and God are equal in their reflection of cosmic BEING. Core teaching based on the union of the three selves and magick being the art of understanding the interplay between the manifestations of divine forces in Nature. Decent public information on Wicca, magick and Paganism. Traditional Degree format. Structured learning program set up on a social networking platform. Free.

The Holy Temple of Witchcraft – http://www.holytempleofwitchcraft.com
Founded on August 8, 2005 in Wooster, OH. Online coven for witchcraft. Very clear in their expectations of a student. Degree Structure. Small $10 fee. This site does not contain public information on witchcraft.

Sacred Circles Coven- http://sacredcirclescoven.com/
Founded on October 15, 2001. Physical coven located in Puerto Rico. This is a Grove of the Old Religion, not Wicca. A wealth of Pagan related public info including mythology, Book reviews, herbs, dream info, cat magick, moon magick and also a growing social network. Free.

The Athame’s Edge http://athamesedge.com/index.php?pg=1
Very organized and clear in their purpose and goals. A Progressive Wiccan Coven. Must apply for membership to gain access to entire site. No public info on Wicca or Paganism other than a brief “What is Wicca?” primer.

The Temple of the Moon’s Rising http://www.freewebs.com/emrysthewitch/index.htm
Owned and run by Emrys, a young Wiccan Priest with an obvious old soul. Public info on Eclectic Wicca is available on this site.