“I have made no secret of the fact that I am a pagan and worship Isis, which is but another name for Nature; in saying this, I do not deny the One God, the source of all being, for Nature is God made manifest.” –Dion Fortune, “Moon Magic”

and thanks to Weiser Books for posting this on their Facebook account

Recently I wrote about my thoughts on the Divine. The quote I share today I think sums up my thoughts better than my own.

When I experience a thunderstorm I am experiencing the Divine.
When I catch a glimpse of a rainbow, I catch a glimpse the Divine.
When I hear the wind whispering in the trees I am hearing the voice of the Divine.

Do I worship the rain, or the wind, or the sun and moon in of themselves? No. I celebrate them and acknowledge them as manifestations of the Divine. Much like how various stories, myths, theologies, and pantheons give each of us various means to commune with a Divine force that is for the most part beyond human comprehension, Nature gives us a way to experience the Divine every moment of every day as Nature is all around us, even when we feel that the Gods are very far away.

Just a little reminder for myself.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:god, nature, spirituality

I was raised Roman Catholic and while my parents were not religious I was.  From my communion to my confirmation I was “God’s”.   But, the older I got, the more reading I did, and the stronger my own convictions became I found less and less in the Catholic faith that I agreed with.  Like many other formerly Catholic Wiccans I’ve talked to or read over the years Mary stuck around the longest but eventually I realized that while I still believed in the Divine, I could no longer call myself a Christian, never mind a Roman Catholic. Losing my faith was hard, until I realized that my faith was fine, I just didn’t have a religion any longer to call home.

When I read my first real Wiccan book I knew I had a home again.  Dr. Martello’s book showed me that the things I believed made sense, that they had a name, I wasn’t weird, I was just a Witch.  And within a few months I had friends that had similar beliefs, as if by magic.   But, I spent a year on my own, honoring the Sabbats as best I could in my dorm room, or my bedroom in my parent’s house.  When I was invited to an open Candlemas ritual by a friend how could I say no? Years passed and I grew as a Witch with that circle, being initiated to third degree not long before the whole thing imploded. Since then the only times I have been in a group ritual have been at events such as Womongathering.

This year’s Imbolc/Candlemas marks the 20th anniversary of the first time I stepped foot in circle with a group.  I wish I could say that I remember that night in vivid detail.  The fact of the matter is 20 years is a long time, much has happened since that night and I was too nervous to pay attention to making memories.  What I can tell you is that I do remember the sheer joy I had in Wicca at that time.  While I do not feel that joy the same way – the exhuberance of youth is fleeting – Wicca is still the place I call home, even without complex rites or covenmates.  However, that does not mean that I do not on occassion experience whispers of disconnection or discontent and I am not alone.

Recently there has been an exodus of sorts in the online Pagan community away from Wicca. Rev. Hovey, who ran a “Wiccan church” has converted to Christianity, Dianne Sylvan no longer calls herself Wiccan, the hosts of the podcast Deo’s Shadow have announced that they now consider themselves atheist. I understand how one can outgrow a faith, to simply find that your own personal core beliefs have changed and no longer fit.  But also, with a religion such as Wicca which is growing and evolving so much so quickly it is also easy to feel as though the faith itself has moved on without you.  Or, at the very least, to look at what Wicca is today and find it unrecognizable in many ways as compared to the path 20 or more years ago. 

For now, I still choose to see the Divine as being at once unfathomably complex and present in my day to day life.  For now, I still choose to commune with the Divine as God and Goddess … Lord and Lady.  For now, I am still Wiccan.  But, the faith is changing and much like when my own beliefs evolved away from Catholicism, they may one day move me away from Wicca as well.

I won’t say what I think Wicca is or what Wicca should be.  I won’t be that presumptuous.  I will simply share what I wish it could be.  I wish I could walk into my neighborhood Wiccan Church, meet some likeminded people, worship together, and be part of a network of support (to receive and to give) in times of need.  I wish that the Wiccan faith was accurately portrayed on television and in movies even though without the shock value of sterotypes these portrayals may be fairly bland and boring.  I wish it was safer to live life outside of the closet.  But, for any of this to be possible at some point, Wicca will most likely have to convene a council much like they did in 1974 and hammer out what makes up the framework of Wiccan belief.  Individual Witches at some point will have to branch out of their living rooms, rec centers, and public parks (not that there is anything wrong with any of these venues) and create more in the way of permanent sacred places that are open to congragants and newcomers both. 

With the strong feeling so many Wiccans have about eclecticsm, autonomy, and personal freedom I am not sure if any of this would be attainable. But is still what I wish Wicca could become.

Here’s to the next 20 years of Wicca!

Here’s to the next 20 years of my personal spiritual journey!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:Candlemas, Imbolc, religion, spirituality, wicca

“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso

As a praticing wiccan for over 30 years, I have found that being creative and making handmade gifts for others and items for my home is a wonderful way to connect with the Goddess within as well as honor the Divine. The act of creating can itself be a form of sacred expression and celebration of spirit.   A handmade gift doesn’t have to be complicated to be special, it can be a fresh dozen of baked cookies, a warming scarf, a new pot holder.  What makes the gift special is the personal touch of adding intent and positive energy.

Crocheting is a craft I have come back to time and time again, and the one I do the most. I find it to be meditative and calming, as well as being portable so I can take it with me any where. But with any craft or creative expression I do, my approach is to focus my thoughts, heart, and spirit in order to add a sacred, purposeful intent to the act of creating whether it is crocheting, quilling, making a Yule tree ornament, or whipping up a dish in the kitchen. Being creative has helped me through dark days and added a wonderful dimension to celebrating and enjoying every day. I especially enjoy sharing arts and crafts with my daughter, building memories together and helping her find ways to express her creative ideas and share with others. Adding a touch of magic, spirit, and sacredness to creative projects can add so much more to the joy of being creative, whether a simple blessing or repeating a positive affirmation while making something or planning a ritual to bless the item.

It doesn’t matter what religion, tradition, or path one follows, adding the dimension of positive intent and “magic” (or spiritual connection) to the process of being creative is healing, transforming, and uplifting for the person creating the item and for the person receiving the item as well.

In this season of giving and sharing, I encourage everyone to made a few handmade items or give crafting kits as a gift, or spend time with members of your family or friends creating or cooking or projects to give away to help others.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:creativity, gifts, spirituality

Womon Gathering is ONLY 26 days away!  I have started making a list of what to pack, what I need to pick up from the store and will start getting things together this weekend.  I am going to visit Mama Kelly at the end of the month for a final review of our packing and finalize our plans. Teacherman (hubby) thinks I should rent a car since mine is over 10 years old now. I think I probably will, that way I don’t have to take mine and risk breaking down on such a long trip and I don’t have to take his leaving him to use my much smaller car (being over 6 foot it’s a tight fit for him).

I find myself daydreaming about the event throughout the day and smiling a lot.  I went once before over a decade ago so I have some memories of it. Also I know a woman at work who goes every year, so she has told me some details about what to expect and sends me emails when there is news on the event’s message board.

The event takes place at a private camp grounds way up in the mountains far away from civilization.  From the moment you enter through the “gateway” you are on sacred ground.   It is like being in a safe, blessed sacred circle for the entire four days. Every effort is made to set aside the mundane every day world of stress and rushing about, (i.e. cell phones are kept off).  Many of the women attending have gone almost every year, and of course there are others coming for the first time also.  

The “gateway” is a tent structure that you pass through after you have unloaded your belongings, parked your car, and settled in.  The “gateway” is the symbolic place between the worlds, a sacred space to release what you wish to leave behind, to ground and center yourself before entering the community of the festival. Each year the “gateway” is different and embellished with the element theme for the year.  For example, one Air year a woman stood in front with two huge bird wings (real) and fanned each woman as they entered.

This year the theme is Water. We have been asked to bring a vial of “local” water from home to carry through the “gateway” and to be used in some of the rituals also.

There is a large sacred bonfire lit at a ceremony the first night and it is kept lit throughout the entire event.  It is a quiet space for meditation.   I have fond memories of sitting by the bonfire, enjoying the peacefulness and just breathing in the fresh air at various times throughout the four days. I am looking forward to doing so again.

Many of the women decorate their area of the cabin with magical and spiritual items and some even set up small altars. I am looking forward to planning with Mama Kelly an altar four our area of the cabin. I’m not sure what I’m bringing yet, but probably a large shell (since the theme is water), and perhaps some crystals. No candles are allowed in the cabins, of course. I’ll also be bringing my drum and tarot cards for two of the classes.

I can already feel my heart and spirit beginning to soar as I daydream of the four days on sacred ground, immersed in learning, drumming, chanting, circling, and best of all sharing it with my best friend and heart-sister, Mama Kelly.

Wishing every one a joyous weekend and bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:spirituality, womongathering

Reclaiming My Power
by Lady Rose

My body has been bruised, misused, and neglected.
My body has been shared, caressed, and served me well.
My body ages with time, scarred and often aches.

My heart has been broken and my words twisted.
My feelings have been stomped and thoughts betrayed.
My heart has trusted, loved and been loved in return.

My time has been wasted, stolen and slips away.
My energy has been drained, misdirected and misguided.
My time has been enjoyed and my energy shared, creative and healing.

I can share my body, heart and mind, and even my time.
But my power is my own, if I give it away then all is lost.
By reclaiming my power, my soul is whole.

My soul empowered life unfolds as it should.
Meaning and balance can be found within the chaos.
My body, heart and mind are renewed, and can be joyfully shared.

So mote it be.

***************

Note: this poem was in my head when I woke up one morning just before our trip to Womon Gathering 2007, my heart, mind, and spirit were focused on the event and beginning the Pilgrimage Back To Myself.

(poem cross posted on Diet Pulpit and Stir the Cauldron)

Written by Lady RoseTags:poem, spirituality

It was not until I was in my 40s that I decided I was definitely going to get a few tattoos.   So far I have two (and at least 3 maybe 4 others I will get in the future).  Each design chosen and placement has a special meaning to me.  I made the decision because for me it was about making a statement, a permanent declaration that I Am A Witch, claiming my power, using my body as a magical totem, a daily reminder that I have decidated my path to spirituality, connecting with nature, and saying to the world I don’t care what any one thinks it’s ok to be ME, it’s ok to be a witch, and accepting myself regardless of what others think.

I do not recommend tattoos for everyone – but it something that felt right for me.  Things don’t last, people move or go away — getting a tattoo for me was a permanent (in this life time anyway) way of having magic with me each and every day.

My first two tattos were for my 50th birthday.  The triqueta – symbol of the triple Goddess (most commonly seen on the book of shadows from the Charmed tv series) is on my left ankle (tattoo is a Celtic design version).  I chose the left ankle to represent the path I have walked from the past (the beginning) as being guided by the Goddess throughout my life.

The other tattoo is a small dragon just above the left breast toward the center (heart area).  I adore dragons, but there is a deeper meaning for me also.  The heart area for me represents love, life, connecting self with the web of life.  The best way to express what the dragon means for me is by a few quotes about dragons:

A Chinese proverb:
“If you ignore the dragon, it will eat you. If you try to confront the dragon it will overpower you. If you ride the dragon, you will take advantage of its might and power.”
Other dragon quotes:
“Change is a dragon – ride it and transform.”
“Everything great and colorful is because of the dragon.”
“The greatness of a dragon is not judged by its strength, but by its perseverance.”
“Those who can see a dragon are those who believe they can.”
“The ascent of a dragon into heaven is a majesty beyond compare.”
“When word of a dragon came, all sought out its existence.”
“A dragon achieves its destiny by creating it.”
“The brilliance of a dragon is second only to the stars in heaven.”
“A true dragon transforms action into right, and right into duty.”
“A dragon that does not give its heart wings will never fly.”
“Without rightful practice, a dragon cannot exist.”
“A dragon that soars knows that there is no such thing as a pathless path.”

(NOTE – Quotes are from Dragon Spirit, by Ron Rubin and Stuart Gold, founders of The Republic of Tea. The book’s subtitle is “How to Self-Market Your Dream.” The quotes are used to introduce each chapter.)

Another quote I like (but don’t remember where it came from) is this one:
“The Chinese ancients believed that if you breathe life and energy into your spiritual dragon, or your greater self, you create change that breathes life and energy into all, allowing you to ride the dragon’s expansive spirit to a zenith of endless possibilities.”

Claim and ride your dragon (power), discover the witch (magic) in you and live your dreams now.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

(inspired by Reclaiming the Witch In You project)

Written by Lady RoseTags:dragons, empowerment, inspiration, spirituality, tattoos, turning 50, witch in you

This is my latest “inspiration” from the muse (as I like to think of it, my Beltane gift from Goddess). At this point it is still just a lot of thoughts colliding in my brain all at one trying to get my attention — and since I also have two other BIG projects going right now my brain is getting a bit crowded. (The other two projects are the HUGE Harry Potter birthday party for Angelgirl’s 11th birthday, party date May 27, 2007 and my work my other blog, Diet Pulpit (and on top of all that I have just been asked to co-author a book with someone who already has a book published – so I’m excited to hear more about the offer and perhaps get to work on it).

However, Reclaiming the Witch In You project is also something I want to explore, if for no other reason then I know it will be a personal growing and learning experience.

In a nutshell I have been for several years now questioning what it means to be a witch for me personally, looking deep inside for what I believe in and how I want to live my life in the best possible way – essentially finding the witch in me.

When I woke up the other day with the idea blaring in my head to start writing the “Reclaiming the Witch In You”  I realized it was time to get more serious and intentional in about my quest to find the witch in me and live my life as an outward expression of the true witchy me (in other words “walk the talk).

The basic concept is there is a “witch” in everyone – we are all spiritual, magical beings in a physical body. (Can you hear Hagrid saying, “Harry, you’re a wizard.”)  But it would also include the basics for exploring and learning about being a witch, and also address the “reclaiming” the witch inside — so often many come to wicca excited and filled with job (“fuzzy bunny witchlings”), then a decade or two comes along and the “shine” has worn off and so has their joy and ethusiasm.  And it will also explore finding the joy, content, and balance within as a way of life and renewing one’s faith (no matter what spiritual path or religion you chose to follow).

We all have within us the tools to do magic – love, thoughts, spiritual energy. We are all offspring of Nature (regardless of what religion we follow).

There is much more to it – but as I said right now it is a jumble and I need to take some time and sort it all out (as soon as I can find that time). My plan is to make periodic posts about this project. I have tagged it “witch in you”, so any one wishing to keep track of all the posts can do so easily. I am not sure how far this project will go, how long it will last, but for now I wanted to get it down in writing and official on the blog so that the muse would know I am listening and I am going to work on it – I just need a bit of time to finish up for the Harry Potter party and other huge projects, so I can actually have some brain space and time to work on it.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:inspiration, spirituality, witch, witch in you

How can your daughter be so good when she doesn’t attend church?

That is a real question we were asked once about our lovely daughter, Angelgirl (who was about 8 when the question was asked, she is going to be 11 next month). The question was asked by my nephew- in-law, who at the time was studying to be a priest (he has since changed his mind and gotten married to a lovely woman). He was sincerely perplexed by the wonderful, giving, loving, and spiritual qualities that our daughter has – BUT she does not attend church.

Rather then take offense at the question, we answered honestly and were able to have a nice discussion on the matter of religion versus spirituality and I gave him a little insight into my own opinions on the matter of “organized” religion. In my opinion, no religion (including wicca) “makes” a person bad or good, or keeps a person with harmful intentions from carrying them out. There has been so much damage and killing done in the name of the church – that I sometimes wonder that any good comes from the church at all. What is positive about the church are those people who have loving spirits who become members of a church and continue to share their love and giving natures with others.

Our daughter before the age of 2 was blessed by a 108-year-old Buddhist monk, a Santeria priest, by me her wiccan priestess mom, and in a formal blessing ceremony (where she toddled down the aisle holding hands with both sets of godparents) she was blessed by a Native American Shaman, a Unitarian minister, and an Episcopalian priest. Do I think all these blessings were necessary or contributed to her soul being good? Not at all. What they do represent is that we believe all positive thinking, beliefs, and energy are a good thing. That we want her to be open minded, think for herself, and follow her own path in life. That consider respect for the spiritual aspects of life to be very important and a central part of our way of living.

If her path takes her to a particular religion to practice that is ok. If not, that is ok too. Because regardless of religion – she is loving, giving, honest, wise, and “good.” And even though I am a broom carrying, cauldron stirring wiccan priestess and I have taken my daughter to an open pagan event where there were lots of arts and crafts activities for kids at a state park – I would never tell her she had to be wiccan. I will answer her questions; I will lend her age appropriate books if she wants to read them. But she has also been exposed to other religions and I would allow her to go other churches and events if she wanted to. (Would parents of another faith be so open to exposing their children to the alternatives of wicca? Probably not, but that is a topic for another discussion.

It’s doesn’t matter what religion a person follows or doesn’t follow. What really matters is what is within one’s heart and having the ability to be aware of one’s part in the web of life.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:church, spirituality, wicca

As I’ve mentioned previously I deal with a myriad of chronic health issues.  One of the side effects of this is chronic fatigue.  And this is made worse when I overdo or am under stress.

I have had to increase my hours at work for many reasons.  But the result is still that I am dragging my ass.  I slept late, and slept relatively well, for the first time all week and frankly I feel the worse for wear.  I could go right back to sleep!  The thing that worries me is that I am shooting for OT this week at work (luckily I haven’t obligated myself to it) and the idea of working tomorrow and then over 40 hours in the following 5 days …. well just thinking about it is tiring.  But it is for a good cause as I am earmarking this money for Xmas/Yule shopping.

I managed to do a little “shopping” online last night and wound up with quite a few cool things for my girls without having to spend a whole heck of a lot.  Today the plan is to go over what I already have hidden away in the attic and the trunk of the car and see what blanks are left to fill in between gifts for the girls and gifts for assorted “nieces” “nephews” and friends.

The rest of the plan today is to get the girls to work on their closet and drawers so that clean clothes can be put away without it resulting in stuff being shoved willy-nilly, to go through the toy boxes and pull out the things no longer played with (and decide whether it is worth keeping them for posterity, trying to sell them on Ebay, or to toss/donate them), and to pull out the bags of stuff I already have packed up and itemized for a Salvation Army pickup this thursday.

Me thinks it will be a buzy day.

________________

Yesterday I had to work and it wound up feeling like a much longer day than it was.  I worked 7 hours without a lunch or break and can’t say I came home in the friendliest of moods.  But if you worked where I worked you’d understand.

While I was there my daughter went out with her “boyfriend” and spent the day hanging out with his family.  They adore her as evidenced by us already receiving a call inviting her back today despite her not getting home till after 8pm last night.  Its sweet, its cute, and frankly its a little unnerving.  But so far everything is totally innocent (as it should be since they are each only “just about 12″) so I can’t really argue with her.

The girls are outside now getting some fresh air until lunch time, after which it is time to CLEAN.  I told her that if we can get the house ship shape in time maybe “N” can come HERE next weekend. 

______________

On a side note …

One of my daughter’s best friends (since like 1st grade) has started recently telling other people “secrets” about my daughter.  Little stuff mainly — like telling everyone she had a boyfriend — but apparantly she also told her about our family being Pagan.

Now I am not training my daughter yet in any particular tradition, and for the most part we simply have conversations about how different people see God in different ways … she’s flipped through a couple of Teen books on Wicca … she knows some of what I believe – the sanctity of Nature, celebrating the cycles of the seasons, the concept of the Divine as God and Goddess. 

I was always hesitant to teach her anything that would label her for fear of other people’s reactions to that label.  I’ve also told her that what I believe is MY business and not for her friends knowledge, and that if she needed a label that, for now, she should use the term Unitarian as they accept all positive belief systems.  I explained also that terms like Witch and Pagan make people nervous or even afraid because they don’t know what they really mean (or they believe they are simply wrong).

So apparantly my daughter’s friend, told her parents “what we are” or what my daughter “is”, and they promptly told her it was all made up nonsense.  Not her story … OUR BELIEFS.  So my daughter’s friend promptly told my daughter this.

Nothing was said directly to me so there’s little I can do about it.  The parent’s aren’t discouraging the friendship, to my knowledge, or anything.  But just thinking about it and I fume a little bit.

I’m angry at being part of such a judgemental society.

I’m angry that there hasn’t been enough positive exposure for Wicca and Paganism to be considered as a valid belief system.  Our own president has proclaimed it “nonvalid“.  (Just look at the battle to get the VA to accept the pentacle as a religious symbol)

But mainly, I’m angry at myself for not sticking to my guns and just raising my daughters as Wiccan.

Years ago we had a “baby blessing” for my eldest daughter.  She was 11 months old.  We had a party at a hall and brought in a Unitarian minister to perform the rite (which I wrote with the help of various Pagan texts).  Lady Rose and her hubby were godparents.  I thought it was lovely!  Members of my family who didn’t diss us entirely by NOT COMING had already dismissed it as “weird witchy shit” and were blind to any beauty in it.  When we had a second child, I didn’t bother.

That moment — of having something meaningful and beautiful to me written off as silly and stupid and wrong — killed something inside me.  If I think back, that’s the moment when I ran screaming back into the broom closet, turned off the light, and hid all the way in the back behind old boxes.

When I was in college a fundamentalist Christian group put up posters for a lecture “New Age vs/ New Life” where they intended to denouce the entire “new age movement”.  I had been dealing for a couple of months with religious tracks slipped under my dorm room door (placed on my chair in classes too), and various bits of nastiness written on the wipe off board on my door and so as the lecture was held in my dormitory I went, along with a couple of friends, hoping to help balance what we expected to be propaganda instead of truth about our beliefs.  For the record they didn’t get together to talk about holding fast to strong Christian morals in the face of temptation, they simply blasted the entire New Age/Neopagan movement as being the work of Satan.

A couple of years after I attended a Renaissance Festival (Ren Faire) where a group of fundamentalist Christians attended with a lifesized cross in tow to “protest the presence of Pagans and of live steel” (edged weapons). They carried that cross in 3 circuits around the festival and then picked a spot to set up and “save people”.  It was a new faire and since they paid admission the organizers had no idea how to tell them that yes they could come in but the cross had to stay at home.

In both cases I was polite but I made my opinions known.  If someone wanted to confront me and my beliefs I didn’t back down.  Somewhere along the way I lost that person.

Maybe it was not having a coven anymore to recharge my batteries and spirit with.  Maybe it was feeling so much like a “Witch alone” as my husband wasn’t (and while much more open still isn’t) a practitioner.  Maybe it was fear of abandonment, which as an adopted person I seem to have in spades, and worry that my family could turn their back on me and on my child.

So here I sit fuming in a broom closet with coat hangers on my head.  And because I turned out the light I can’t find the door to get out. 

Anybody have a candle?

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:family, memories, religion, spirituality

This past weekend Mama Kelly and I had an awesome visit, and as usual we discussed where we are along the our individual path. We both felt we had reached a point in our lives where it felt “right” to begin again, to re-explore and re-learn and refresh our spiritual interests.

I had a sort of revelation the other night before our visit that I shared with Mama Kelly — that even though we felt like we had fallen off our spiritual paths, and that we disconnected from our inner witchy selves and felt lost (after the past decade of our lives being stressed and in crisis) — that actually another way to look at it is we had been at a rest stop (which is still part of the journey) – we got married, we had children, we dealt with financial and family issues, we lived – that is all part and parcel of the spiritual experience too. Now that our lives were calmer and we are working on getting our lives and our selves healthier and in balance, that we have actually grown, gotten stronger, gained insights, and wisdom. We need to do some inner house cleaning and make repairs to our inner temples, but we have and always will be on a spiritual journey and the Witch within is always there (though some times she falls asleep) even when we are totally unaware of it or consumed by what is going on in the real world around us. It was very healing and empowering to look at it from this perspective.

As I begin the first steps back on to the highway and leave the rest stop for a little bit – I find the need to do a lot of inner searching and getting to know who I am now and where do I want to go. For me I don’t feel as if I resonante with the current form of popular “wicca and paganism.” Do I still want to be a witch? I’m know I don’t want a religion in my life, but rather a spiritual path. I find that I feel drawn to Buddhism, Native American teachings, Unitarians, Science and even sometimes atheist. Do I need a label? What do I really believe in – as probably truth (for me), as possible, as nonsense?

The answer to whether or not I want to be a Witch is definitely a Yes – I still want to be connected to the history that is associated with being a Witch. However, what that means to me and how I want to express it in my life is though similar to when I first began the journey over 30 years ago, has grown and evolved and doesn’t fit any particular model of wicca that I am aware of.

Do I need a label or to belong to a particular branch of wicca? Probably not. It is nice to visit and enjoy large group rituals to recharge the inner batteries and enjoy the company of others who are like minded, and there is always great opportunity to learn from others and expand one’s thinking. But I’m not sure I want or need to fit into any one else’s mold.

I know I believe as my truth – We have one life and no matter what happens before or after we are born – living to be your best in the here and now is what is important, I believe that the spirit continues to exist after death (in what form I don’t know); that there is a Life Force which connects all living things and that in Nature there is peace, power, and wisdom; that focused thought, emotion, will and action can cause change and affect the world within and around us; I believe we are each responsible for our actions and that those actions have reprocussions. I think its very possible that there is an afterlife and if so what a spirit experiences in that after life is most likely determined on how they lived their lives (though I don’t think it’s possible and is total nonsense that any one can KNOW for sure what happens). I believe it is very possible that our souls reincarnate (but again I think its nonsense to think any one knows for sure).

For me Witch means living my truth, living my life to the best I can be, (and forgiving myself when I am not), being open to new ideas and experiences, learning, growing, respecting Nature and others, keeping the connection to the Life Force (symbolozied as the Goddess and God) open and flowing,

Will I one day seek out a group or start a new one myself or with Mama Kelly? – that is a question to ponder at a much later time. For now, I am content to explore on my own and reawaken the inner Witch and reclaim the power and magic within, and follow the Goddess where ever she may lead, and share my journey here so that it may of use to someone else one day.

Blessed Be, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:about Lady Rose, spirituality, wiccan beliefs, witch in you