Jan 09, 2025
Missed my December update because, well, December, and with all the holiday stuff over and now having some breathing room, I've decided to come back to this project and post an update!
Yule was lovely, I spent some time with the coven and with my family over the past few weeks, and had a (mostly) good time. While I was driving the back roads I hit a slick patch and slid
off the road on my way to my coven's land. Luckily I wasn't going very fast and I didn't stop, so I didn't get stuck. My car is a little worse for wear, but still driving and it was a good
thing it was making a noise, because we found out that Jiffy Lube didn't tighten my drain bolt when they changed my oil. Major crisis averted via a minor issue, thanks Hekate! I lost about
a half quart of oil over the weekend after I changed my oil, much longer and I would be looking at a car loan! Thank goodness! My cousin patched me up right as rain, and now I'm back to
being on the roadways.
As far as my practice goes, I'm working through Cindi Brannen's Keeping Her Keys, and
I've gotten to the part where I'm practicing an evocation of Hekate. An evocation and an invocation are often used interchangably by baby witches such as myself (in fact, I have used them
interchangably), however they are not the same thing! An evocation is the welcoming of a presence or energy into your space, and an invocation is welcoming a presence or energy into your
body. The first invocation I stumbled across while I was reading about witchcract is the Charge of the Goddess from Wicca, where the invoker welcomes the Goddess into their body and addresses
the people present. This is notably different (though similar) than an evocation, where you are simply sharing a space, rather than a body. Invoking a deity is rather intense I'm told, and
best left til later in one's development, when one is ready for that experience.
I personally was even kind of intimidated by performing an evocation of Lady Hekate, and decided to put it off for a month or two. I am happy to say that I am, now, practicing the evocation one
part at a time, and it's been managable to a tune that I am getting more comfortable with the concept of welcoming Lady Hekate into my space. As to why I was intimidated, I would say that, while
there were a lot of signs pointing to yes, I felt as though a evocation for its own sake was somewhat inappropriate and a flippant use of Her power. After doing some self reflection and rest, I
determined that I will be choosing a cause to champion with the power I'm lent that will be good, so that I can say confidently that my "intention is pure and my will is strong." I have a couple
ideas of causes floating around in my head, and I'll decide on one based on what I think is the best use of the energy come the New Moon when I will be performing the full evocation. I have time
to work out my full intention and make sure all the parties involved are consenting in my spellwork.
I also spilled my incense over the period I was away, and found a source of European Vervain, which was nice, that I will be able to use in my future blends. I like to make my own resin incense,
and the experience of learning new recipes and experimenting with them has been very rewarding. I'm running low on my blends, so it will be time to try out some new recipes and make some blends
that hopefully my spirit team likes! Persephone has already said that she likes one of my simpler blends, just frankincense, myrrh, and cinnamon, so maybe I'll make some more of that as well
as some new blends to try out. I also promised my sister and a friend that I would make them some incense, so I will be doubling at least one of the batches to share.
Anyway, I hope you all had a happy Yuletide and are off to new adventures in the new year!
Bright Blessings,
Rowen
Nov 12, 2024
So, I know that it's been a while since I updated last. Long story short, I moved, and it's been a whirlwind since then. There
are a few things that I want to say though. No, this blog isn't dead. I intend to keep updating it on a semi-regular basis, hopefully
at least once a month, for the forseeable future. Second, you might notice that I did not use the Wicca tag on this post. There is a
reason for this, one which I hopefully will go into detail once I've done a little more research and feel a bit more firm in my decision,
but essentially the reason is that I no longer identify my witchcraft practice in this way. Wicca was useful, but I feel as though
my practice has outgrown this particular label. I will describe my feelings and research in a future post, but that is all I will say
about this for now.
As to how I define my practice now, I would consider it a mix of Hellenism and eclectic solitary witchcraft. I still meet up with a
coven locally, but I'm exploring my practice in a way that I prefer to do alone. Maybe I'll move on from my current coven, maybe I'll
stay, but right now, all I can say is that I'm explorihg my practice and that I do not want to put it in a box just yet.
As far as my practice goes, what does it look like today that differs it to my early practice of just a few months ago? Well, first and
foremost, I asked my Goddess for Her name. This is where the Hellenism bit comes in. Turns out, I've been working with Hekate for much
of this time, and just didn't know it. At first, I was a little startled and fearful, but honestly, putting a name to the energy has been
so helpful in my practice that almost all of that fear and apprehension is gone. She has expressed that She has some work to do with me,
and I want to honor Her and follow Her light.
I've noticed that a lot of people are apprehensive with working with Hekate, mostly due to all the bad press she gets. After all, many
katadesmos invoke her to perform baneful magic. Well, like all the deities in the Hellenistic
pantheon, Hekate is a complicated being. She is a Titan, one of the Old Gods, but she is the only one who survived the transition to the
Olympic era, by helping the Olympians in their battle against the Titans. She is honored by Zeus above all other gods, as he gives her the
domains of the earth, sea, and sky. She is the Goddess of darkness, dogs, crossroads, and witchcraft. She is often depicted as triple-bodied
or triple-headed; bearing keys, torches, daggers, chalices, and snakes.
Perhaps one of the best ways to get to know her is to read her epithets. She is known as a guardian of children, a guide in the darkness, and
the mother of all. She has been very gentle with me, and I feel safe with Her. I feel very honored that She is the one who answered my call
for a guide, and I don't know that I could have chosen a better fit. She helps me with my divination and shadow work, and those are the two
things I need help with most right now.
If Hekate is calling to you, there's something She wants to help you with. Let go of your fear of the stories you've been told, and listen to
Her tell you Her own story. But always, do not be afraid to do a verification. Your deities want you to be safe, they should never get annoyed
with you for verifying their identities. If they do, they are likely not who they say they are.
Stay safe, bright blessings!
Rowen
Jul 07, 2024
I started this blog as a bit of an open letter to my mother, to introduce her to my religion and help her understand the changes
I've been making in my life, and why I'm making them. Today, I told her I'm Wiccan. It went well. Thank you Mom, I don't know why
I doubted you.
I'm fairly new to this religion, but I know it's the path for me. I told her that all of the positive changes I've been making in
my life (sobriety, community, friends) are a direct result of my experiences with Wicca. She took it rather well, told me she wasn't
disappointed or saddened by my choices, and I really appreciate that. I will keep up with this blog to help other Wiccans or Pagans
in the making, if they have potential issues with acceptance within their family or friend groups. I was so sure she'd take it poorly,
but she was greatful when I told her the truth. Now, it's time to talk to my Dad soon. I don't know how I plan to handle that one,
but my mother was the one I was worried about.
I'm glad to have shared this moment with her, and I'm happy I don't have to hide from her anymore. This is, I think, the beginning of
something beautiful.
Bright Blessings,
Rowen
Jun 22, 2024
Hello! Welcome to part two of this series on Wicca! If you have not read Part 1, I suggest you start there. In
part one, I talked about basic beliefs, traditions, ritual dress, and holidays. Yesterday at the time of writing this was the summer solstace, so I
thought I would talk a little bit more about the Sabbats and Esbats, specifically relating to my own practice.
The summer solstace is also known as Midsummer or Litha, and typically takes place somewhere between the 20th and 21st of June. It represents the longest
day, and the height of strength of the Oak King <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_King_and_Oak_King>_; the spring and summer incarnation of
^The Horned God. It is a day of power, and can be used in Craft to further empower spells of growth, strength,
and sexuality.
I will note here that no white witch seeks to dominate another's will through magic, like one might try by attempting to cast a love
spell on a specific person. This is manipulative and generally considered a harm and against the Wiccan Rede, the
moral basis upon which Wicca is built. There is only one law in Wicca that is recognized by all covens, being "An it harm none, do what thou wilt." This is a
warning, based on the natural law called in witchcraft the Threefold Law, which states that any energy released into the universe is returned threefold, be it
good or ill. Scott Cunningham states that there are only neophyte black magicians, as any serious commitment to the
Left-hand Path will eventually destroy the would-be magician. Ye be warned.
So what does the Midsummer celebration look like in my practice? Well, I spent it alone, as I was unable to make it to Pagan Spirit Gathering this year
due to prior commitments and how my paid time off shook out. To prepare my alter, I swept the floor where I would be sitting, put my fruit offering in
my offering bowl (we never make offerings based in suffering to the Goddess and God, such as meat) and took a shower, making sure to thoroughly clean myself. I
then dried myself off, and stood skyclad in front of my alter, first lighting the coal for my incense (I craft my own granular incense), placing a small amount of
the incense on the coal in my salt dish on my altar, and lit the candles I burn for the Lady and Lord. I then cast a circle by invoking the elements, and began my
communion with the Lady and Lord. I thanked them for the good things they have given me recently, and requested their guidance. I then drew four tarot cards as
instructed, talked with them about the reading, and meditated for a few minutes. I then said my thanks, took down the circle, and extinguished the candles. At a
later time, I would bring my offering out to a body of water or a hole in the earth, and relinquish it to the Goddess and God, perhaps saying a short prayer while
doing so. I then watered my plants and went to bed.
This weekend I will be attending the solstace celebration in my city, and will be meeting up with a couple from my coven there. I'm greatly looking forward to
seeing them again, they were handfasted this last Beltane, and were a joy to spend time with. I'm looking forward
to picking their brains on the book I'm reading
(Drawing Down the Moon by Margot
Adler).
This is a great opportunity to say that while I am not sponsored by half-price books, I deeply appreciate them and their selection. While buying used books doesn't
support the authors as much, it does help reduce paper waste, and they have a great metaphysical section. Given that most of the authors I read are dead, I hope they
don't mind me reducing my impact on the environment by giving life to used books.
Bright Blessings, readers!
Rowan
Jun 03, 2024
Part of the purpose of this site is to introduce the concept of Wicca to those who are unfamiliar with the topic.
This is not out of a desire to convert anyone to my path, but rather to spread understanding about what Wiccans believe,
what Wiccans do, and why we follow this path.
First of all, no, Wicca is not devil worship.
Wicca is a nationally recognized religion in the United States (where I'm from) and here, thanks to the
Lady Liberty League, is in the Military Chaplin's handbook of alternative
religions. In addition, the pentacle (five-pointed star, inside a circle) is one of the approved religious symbols to be
placed on military service member's gravestone in the US. Incarcerated individuals have access to Wiccan texts, and Wicca
is a recognized religion in the US Prison system. Because of this recognition by the US government, it is illegal to
discriminate against someone identifying as Wiccan for the purpose of hiring or housing decisions in the US.
This distinction, acquired by Selena Fox and the Lady Liberty League after years of legal battles, is grounded in the idea
that we are free to practice the religion of our choice. I do not believe one should need to be recognized necessarily for this
protection, but it took quite a bit of effort to acquire this protection from the US legal system by some very
brave Pagans who believed they did not deserve to be treated any differently than, say, those who practice Judiasm, Hinduism,
Islam, or Christianity.
Now that's all fine and dandy, but what do Wiccans believe? Honestly, this is a bit of a sticky question, and ask three different
Wiccans and you're likely to get about four answers. In general, though, Wiccans tend to believe that a Divine Source, often but
not always identified as a Goddess, is present in Nature and is the parent of our world. Some Wiccans also believe in female/male
duality, and recognize a God as well, often seen as the consort of the Goddess. Some traditions, however, focus solely on the
feminine aspect of Divinity. Some Wiccans address God/dess by names found throughout history: Diana, Hecate, Aradia; Apollo,
Hermes, Cernnunos; or by secret names known only by those initiated into that tradition.
Speaking of Traditions, there are many. Ranging from the Feminist Dianic traditions, to Celtic, Scots, Norse, Faerie, Gardenarian,
Alexandrian, and others. Each has their own way of doing things, their own beliefs and rituals, and their own covens. Most covens
are not connected in any way, but some are related to each other by tradition or a process known as "hiving" where a second or
third degree witch may break away from her coven to start a new one, according to some traditions. Covens may even differ within
the same tradition, depending on comfort level and creativity of whomever is involved.
What does ritual dress look like? Depending on your tradition and your coven, it may be anything from street clothes, to robes,
to Renaissance era clothing, to nothing! Some covens practice their rites nude, weather permitting, also known as "skyclad".
Indeed, there is a tale of Gerald Gardner's coven working magic against the Nazis skyclad. Unfortunately, it was not warm
enough and they did not take the proper precautions (covering one's self with fat or grease) and at least one of the witches caught
pneumonia and died. Just goes to show that it's always best to be prepared for the weather! I personally have not experienced working
skyclad with others, and can't speak to how common it is, but some traditions (Gardenarian, Alexandrian notably) origionally encouraged
skyclad ritual; although the decision to do ritual this way was always left to the coven.
Many witches celebrate the "Wheel of the Year", or the solar quarters and cross quarters; the Solstaces, Equanoxes, and midpoints in
between. Each of these eight holidays are called Sabbats, and are celebrated differently as the turning of the seasons. There are
often offerings to the land spirits, and in the case of Samhain (Pronounced roughly SAH-WHEN) or All-Hallows Eve, offerings are left
for ancestors as the veil thins and they may cross over to visit their loved ones. Offerings can be of food or drink, or little
trinkets.
In addition, many witches also celebrate the Esbats, or the cycles of the Moon. In most traditions, the Goddess is associated with
the Moon, and the God with the Sun, with the Esbats celebrating the lunar cycle, and the Sabbats celebrating the solar cycle. In total,
there are twelve or thirteen full moons in a year, and eight Sabbats, leading to twenty or twenty-one total holidays in the Pagan year.
Phew, that's a long post! And I've only scratched the surface of what it means to be Wiccan. I will be following up with Part II at a
later date.
Bright Blessings,
Rowan