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
Jun 01, 2024
Hello, World! My name is Rowan, and I'm new on my journey with the Craft.
I started studying and participating with the Pagan community about six and a half months
ago, around Yule. I was raised in many different churches, the ones I remember the most were
the Unitarian Universalist Church and the Orthodox Christian Church. At the start of my journey
with religion, I was pretty open to these concepts. However, I began noticing things in the church
that I disagreed with, and eventually drifted away from the church, much to the dismay of my mother.
Being raised in the Orthodox church primarily, some of the things I found problematic were the
insistance that Our Way Is The Only Right Way, and the general air of misogyny in the church.
I just have a hard time believing that Orthodoxy is the only True and Right Way to worship, and
that our relationship with God should include excluding women from positions within the clergy.
Now, I know there are Christian churches who include women in the clergy, but they just didn't have
some of the things that I liked about the Orthodox church, primarily the sensory experience of the
liturgy and the connection I felt with God.
After I left the church I drifted listlessly, largely giving up on my relationship with God and
turning to chemicals to fill the void within me. This lasted for over a decade, and I attempted
to get sober several times during this time, largely unsuccessfully. I managed to string together
about two years at one point, but I was not participating in any recovery programs, all my friends
continued using, and I was miserable for most of this time. I got a degree during this period, and
moved to the second largest metro area in my state for a job, where I met someone who would re-spark
my journey toward the divine.
This person, K, introduced me to magic. I'm not talking about stage tricks, but honest-to-goodness
magical powers to alter reality. My curiosity was piqued. I devoured six books in the period of
a few days, and decided that K's path wasn't right for me. However, I was still curious about what
other kinds of magic there were in the world. It was at this time that I turned to The Craft, also
known as Wicca. The more I read, the more I started to feel that I had come home. The viewpoints,
the beliefs, the Rede, all spoke to me. It was at this time that I was sure I had finally found a
path that suited me. It also happened to explain very well some of the experiences I had had
following some of my experiences with some very powerful psychedelics. Here was someone talking
in plain English about the mystical experiences I had been having, and explaining the nature of
these experiences in a way that was approachable and unsecretive.
I'm talking, of course, of Scott Cunningham's
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.
I proceeded to read several other books, from Lisa Chamberlin to Gerald Gardener to Margot Adler.
The more I read, the more I felt connected to the Divine again. Except, this time, my experience
was of warmth in my chest. Visceral, present, and undeniably Divine. I searched out a coven in the
area, and signed up to volunteer to set up for their Yule celebration. The people I met there were
some of the most kind and welcoming people I have met in my life, and they shared the views I have
had my whole life, but was just now rediscovering. It was truely a homecoming.
At the same time, there were some things in my life I knew I had to change. I had to drop the
chemicals and alcohol. I had some experience with AA from nearly a decade ago, and decided that
now that I had the "Higher Power" they were always talking about, I could finally go back to the
rooms and start my sobriety journey in earnest. As I write this, I am now five and a half months
clean and sober, and am so grateful for the gifts that God/dess have given me. I have been
challenged here and there, but largely I'm working both the program and my Craft, and these
together have allowed me to become myself again, rather than the shell of a human being that the
chemicals and alcohol made me.
These gains that I've made in the last six months could not have been possible without the presence
of a God/dess of my understandig, that matched the path I was to be following, and the community
around me. In short, I would not be clean and sober without Wicca. Mom, if you're reading this,
I'm sorry, but this is my path, and I will not leave it for anyone or anything.
Bright Blessings,
Rowan