What my Faith means to me, and my life.
I am a Wiccan, a follower of the religion Wicca. Wicca is an earth-based fertility religion that observes the solar and agricultural year, as well as the lunar phases of the moon, as part of the life cycle of its deities. It draws upon many pre-Christian sources, and while I can’t claim to know everything about its origin, it is a rebirth of the Mystery Traditions of the past. In general, Wicca honors both a God and a Goddess, the masculine and feminine forces that shaped the universe and our world. Some Wiccans choose to follow pantheons from ancient civilizations such as Greece, Rome, Egypt, Celtic, or any of the other pre-Christian faiths. Others mix and match pantheons to find those deities with which they are most comfortable with. Some, such as myself, choose not to give them any other names but the Lord and Lady, though they may call upon certain attributes when needed. While most work with both the God and Goddess, some choose to work with only the Goddess. Wicca is a living religion. There doesn’t need to be a preacher or a priest who is the intermediary between the faithful and their Deities. Each believer has their own connection to Deity, is their own preacher. There are covens, groups of Wiccans who meet for ritual, with a selected leader or leaders usually called the High Priestess and/or Priest that lead the rituals. These are usually members who have the most experience in performing rituals, or Wiccans who have started their own covens from another coven they were initiated into, but all members are included. There are Family Traditions, where each generation teaches the next, much like any religion. There are Solitary Wiccans, those members of our faith that either have no desire to be part of a coven, or simply do not have access to one. Now on to my personal faith -I believe in a Goddess and a God who love us unconditionally, and who do not judge us when we fail or make mistakes. There has never been a perfect person, because a perfect person has nothing left to learn, and therefore, no reason to be here on Earth. –I am NOT a vegetarian or a vegan. While I believe that every animal deserves respect, I also realized that within Nature, in order for one thing to live, another has to die. Even vegetarians and vegans have to kill plants in order to eat. I believe that the best way to show respect is to not waste any part of the animal, from fur to bone, and if raising our own meat is possible someday, to ensure that they have a happy and healthy life. I do not condone cruelty to animals, and I try to find products that are not tested on animals. Not wearing makeup or using many beauty products often really helps in that area. -I believe in reincarnation, although perhaps not as others see it. I believe that each of us has a Soul and a Spirit. Our Soul is the divine spark, that which gave us life and connects us to each and every other creature on this planet. It is what connects us to the Goddess and God. Our Spirit is us, those things that make us who we are. Our memories and experiences, thoughts and feelings, hopes, dreams, humor, in short, our individuality. When we die, our Soul returns to the source until it is ready to be reborn, and our Spirit goes on to the Summerland, or Heaven, or wherever one believes, to be reunited with those who have gone before. -I believe that we have a duty to the Earth and all that live on it, to help those that need it, and to give our children a better place to live. -I believe in self accountability. Others will call it Karma, some would call it the Three –Fold Law of Return, to others, simple self responsibility. Two lines of a famous poem go as follows: Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill; An it harm none, do as ye will. Some would postulate that these words give Wiccans license to do whatever they want, while most Wiccans agree that they really mean that you must be aware of the consequences of your actions, and make sure that you are not infringing on another’s right to their own free will. And while I agree, I also think that they mean that when you do something, you must take responsibility for those consequences that you set in motion, be they good or bad. -I believe that the Gods gave us free will as a scared right, and that everyone has the right to pursue their happiness so long as they do not take away another’s right to do so as well. -I believe that love is a gift given to us for our health and happiness, and that everyone has the right to be with whomever they wish. As long as it is between consenting adults, it is none of my business, unless someone wants to be with me. Then I have the right to accept or decline as I see fit. I am also a Witch. Some see no difference between being Wiccan and being a Witch, others say that they are completely different things. I fall in the middle, like a Vinns Diagram. To me, there is diffinately overlap between the two, but there are things that are different too. -Witchcraft is the working of spells, casting charms, making medicines, etc, with the intent to foster change in ones life. It is everyday magic and blessings that don't always include Deity/s. Wicca is faith, and rituals can include spell casting and such, but for me, it is more the celebration of the seasons and communion with the Divine that connects us all. -Witchcraft is a lot of study, and a lot of work, even though it is joyous work. Taking time to consult tables on moon phases, color corraspondances, herb and stone vibrations, and then planning the spell to work most harmoniously with all the different factors takes time and effort. Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, but the proof is in the pudding as they say. The more effort you put in, the better the results. If you keep a journal or a BOS, that takes time and dedication as well. -Wicca helps me to define my morals when it comes to witchcraft. There are some people who practice witchcraft that are of different faiths, and therefore have different boundaries when it comes to what kind of spells they will cast. I choose to not cast spells that will cause harm, regardless of what one wants to call such spells. It has nothing to do with being branded as evil, but simply with the conviction that Karma will come around. The energy and focus I send out to the universe will return to me, in one form or another, and I prefer positive change, not negitive. This also comes up when talking about romance or love spells. I won't bind a specific person to another. Free will is the right that all of us have, and trying to control another's feelings is harmfull. Spells to help a person come to terms with and love themselves more, to be more comfortable and confident are fine, as long as said person seeks me out and asks for such work to be done. Same with healing spells. I wouldn't force someone down and give them a shot or force feed medicine to them, no matter how convinced I was that they needed it. But helping someone who asked for help is another matter. -You don't have to be Wiccan to be a Witch, and you don't have to practice witchcraft to be Wiccan. As said before, different faiths have casting spells, prayers, rituals, etc, that have many similarities between those different faiths. Witchcraft can call on the Divine, but it doesn't have to. And some Wiccans are not comfortable casting spells during ritual, or at all. Everyone is different, and everyone is valid in those differences. As many Wiccans today will say, I wasn’t born into a family tradition. Although I had always felt that the wild outdoors was more holy and sanctified then any building we sat in for someone to talk at us, I found Wicca when I was a teenager, and a very angry teenager at that. My family had lived through many years of abuse, and I was searching for something that would give meaning to my life. The idea that God had put me through the abuse in order to show me that he loved me and was testing me always seemed to be a cop-out, a way to avoid the real issue. I wanted to know why my mom, my brother, and I were treated that way. And then I found a website that explained the tenets of Wicca. And the one that stuck with me the most was that of free will and choice. The gods weren’t punishing or testing us, there was no Devil that made someone a bad person. Everyone had a choice of who they were going to be. I had been abused because of one man’s choice to be cruel, lazy, and unloving, his choice to repeat the cycle that he had lived through rather than stop it and be a kinder person. So too did my mom make the choice to kick him to the curb when she found out what he had been doing to us. And I realized that I had a choice. I could follow in his footsteps, and continue to be angry and spiteful, lashing out at the world and taking my anger and pain out on everyone around me. Or I could take responsibility for myself and my actions, and learn to live beyond the anger and pain and stop the cycle. Wicca has helped me to choose the later. It has helped me to come to terms with my past, and to become a stronger person because of it. It has helped me to forgive myself of my mistakes, and of others their mistakes, by learning from them. Wicca has helped me to find the love of my life by reminding me of what I never want in a spouse, and showing me just how strong I had become, even if I relied on others. It has shown me that even though I can pray for guidance, ultimately, I have to walk my path. And no matter where I go, or how far I travel, love, grace, and comfort surround me. Blessed Be. |