Wednesday, January 14, 2009

you say you wanna be a Witch?

lynette of a crazed mind (tuesday's featured blogger of the day over at SITS) left me this question twice... what advice would i give to a young person who wants to explore this path?

first of all, i would make a distinction between wicca and witchcraft, as i practice it and understand it. wicca is a formal religion that exists within the umbrella of neopaganism - i consider myself a Witch, not a wiccan. wicca has rules and sacred scripture and lineage and is very much a reflection of the late 19th century british civil servant and his friends and enemies who thought it up. the early history of wicca almost reads like a harry potter installment and if you like masterpiece theatre of the absurd, you may find it amusing.

a Witch, as i define it, is someone who is wise in the ways of "wicce-craft," the knowledge or the craft, of the wise... and the wisdom is in well one understands oneself, one's kindred, and one's world. a Witch makes no distinction between that which is created and that which creates - god is not merely the potter who shaped the clay, the clockmaker who set it all ticking. that which creates is understood to be intimately part of all that is created, and that which is created is understood to inherently manifest some living aspect of the Divine. unlike the more mainstream religions now prevalent across the world, Witches make no distinction between the natural realm and that of the Spirit. as above, so below, as within, so without means that micro- and macrocosm perfectly reflect the reality of each other.

and so where you start is not in a book, or at a class. where you start is both outside and inside yourself. begin to pay attention to small things, like what phase of the moon we're in, or what your natural sleep cycle would be, if you allowed it to simply happen. spend as much time as you can paying attention to the seasons, to the animals and plants in the area where you live. learn the wildflowers, and birds, and perhaps their meanings according to native american or other indigenous traditions. pay attention to your dreams, to synchronicities and to coincidences. begin to spend time in meditation or simply sitting still.

like all mystical paths, the path of the Witch is solitary. you can begin by doing what others have done, but ultimately, you must do what feels true to you. there are many resources which you may consult, and i encourage you to read as widely as possible. there's even a book called "the well-read witch" - pagans as a group are known to be uncommonly well-read in admittedly quite esoteric subjects.

and so, for lynette... i hope that helps :).

9 comments:

TuTu's Bliss said...

Wicca and Witchcraft..thanks for pointing out the difference and the very well written post. I have to admit my knowledge on witches was limited to "Charmed". I know. I know. But why read interesting books when I can drool over eye candy like "The Source"? Hugs and thanks for stopping in today. Now I am off to breastmilk my windows :)

The Skinny B said...

These are the things that attracted me to witchcraft. To me it is the path of the true self as you said. With the base in good strong principles such as the rule of three and respect for nature etc. Beautifully put thanks.

lynette355 said...

Thank you for the post.
I called CG so she can come and read it too.
Too be honest I am not sure if she classifies herself as a witch or wicca. To be honest she is solitary in nature and her beliefs have come from within her always. But she had been asked by others to describe what she believes. I know some has come from what she has read but she is so quiet I am not all sure.
When she heard I read you blog faithfully, she wanted to know from someone who has "studied" for some time what they would tell a "beginner". Things that they thought before but changed as they got wiser. You know what I mean.

Anyway, Thanks again for all you do. You support me in more ways than you could ever imagine.

Martha@A Sense of Humor is Essential said...

Thank you for sharing this insight and knowledge. On some level, I think becoming a Witch chooses you. I don't know any other way to experience our universe except as you described. When I experience true connection, "coincidences", synchronicity, I feel at one with the universe. I loved your version of "wishing" for your Sam Chop and the gentle, kinder spell casting if you will. I too practice this "organic" wish fulfillment where I focus and nuture on a goal or "wish" and put the energy out there for the universe to abide.

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

You inspire me to chuckle.

You inspire me to smile.

I love that 4th paragraph.

I feel honored to know you and call you a friend.

Laura Rose said...

I was trying to decide what to comment b/c you seem to have said it all and really well, of course, when Merlin, the cat, who was sitting behind the keyboard watching the "mouse" move on the screen put his paw down and typed the following "lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll"...perhaps a secret code!!!

Unknown said...

im telling you those animals want their own blog!!!! its not just raven!!! its the cats tooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laura Rose said...

I'm trying to convince Raven to let the cats make guest appearances on her column!! :)

Kim said...

i love how you take my jumbled thoughts and put them on paper