Crafting Goddess
I have been working on a fiber sculpture focused on Goddess for an upcoming contest from a nearby metaphysical store. Designing and creating this sculpture has been an act of devotion. My notebooks are filled with rough (very rough) sketches involving various styles of needlework and goddesses.
Impromptu Ritual in My Mothers House
I did not do a ritual for Spring Equinox or the full moon last month. In fact, since I moved in with my family I haven’t been able to perform a solitary ritual, but the weekend of March 30, Mom and Sister went to the ocean leaving me and Grandma to ourselves.
My Witch Hat is in Storage
On top of a stack that includes a microwave, a shelving unit and various boxes sits my gold star studded witch hat complete with black feather trimmed brim. In roughly half a dozen boxes marked “W” for Wicca rest the large majority of my craft books. And the cabinet
Wheel of the Year: Mabon
If the subject ever comes up, I would not suggest taking a drive through a desert at the tail end of summer in a hatchback with faulty air conditioning. Don’t get me wrong, the rust red rocks against the cornflower blue sky is a sight to behold, but the wonders of the eye can only hold the realization of heat off for so long. Fortunately, autumn was approaching
Breathe
I wondered if there would be that death rattle sound you always hear about as the dying person releases their last breath—what would it sound like—would it be awful—as though the fact he was dying was not enough and my mind wandered around in my thoughts just so I wouldn’t have to think about the fact
Wheel of the Year: Respect
“Our funds are running low,” said Sarafina as she subtracted our latest gas expenditure from the budget.
I turned the car out of the gas station and drove back down the street to the diner we passed earlier as we entered town. “I know. We’ll have to find some work soon.”
Modern Twists on the Old Religion
Found Goddesses and Modern Myths Create New Possibilities
The first time I read about Found Goddesses or modern mythology in ritual, I thought, well, that’s cute, but I didn’t think I had a use for the idea. However, as more is written about the concept I find myself drawn to the possibilities.
Still Searching for the “Pagan Community”
“Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~Margaret Mead
If you have been reading my Wheel of the Year series here on Mystic Witch, then you have followed Jillian on her seemingly random trek across America. Along the way, she meets various pagans, most of whom have been open and helpful, even going as far as taking her into their homes.
Wheel of the Year: Love
The end of April found us in a campground in the mountains where, for just a few dollars, we could spend time in the great outdoors. No showers and only porta-potty style toilets in shacks that served as restrooms made me miss the convenience of a full service truck stop. We had a small, secluded site surrounded not only by the rich browns and greens of bushes, but white flowers and a family of squirrels that chattered down at us from their perches in the tall trees: a picture perfect spot that we both loved.
The Wheel of the Year: Growth
I wish I could tell you there was some sort of mystical element to my life that lead me to Wicca and Goddess. I used to fantasize my mother was someone special who gave me up for my protection and one day would show up to tell me she always loved me. I guess all kids like me think these things.
Wheel of the Year:
Trust
Wheel of the Year: Part Two
Part Two of the Wheel Of the Year: Family
by Agate our Solitary Witch Staff Writer
The Wheel of the Year: Death
Everyone is in search of something like love, success, peace or happiness. Jillian is in search of all these things as well as herself. She wants to know if she is more than just the kid nobody ever wanted. She is leaving on a journey that will take longer than expected, but often the destination is not as revealing as the path you take. As each sabbat approaches a new story will be released; nine stories in all (eight sabbats plus one) documenting Jillian’s path to a new life.
Reaching for the Flames
Butterfly danced with fire after the sun went down. I’ve seen it before, probably the same group at a past festival, but this year we were closer. Watching these two women was like watching fire goddesses in the flesh. It was amazing and the first time in a while that I felt inspired.
The Political Witch
”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech; or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
~First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America
Harvest Approaches
Have you touched the Earth lately;
She is heavy with life.
Have you stroked Her rounded belly,
Learning the Yamas
There are many places to gain wisdom on our spiritual paths beyond the usual Wicca books on the market. I started doing Yoga a few months ago and besides physical fitness I am gaining some fresh knowledge from my new practice.
My Sanctuary
I’m in search of a sanctuary.
No, this is no “Logan’s Run” fantasy[i]. I have, for several years dreamed of opening a spiritual sanctuary. There are a few of these temples that are dedicated to the Goddess. There is the Goddess Temple in Glastonbury, UK, the Temple of Sekhmet in Nevada, and the Goddess Temple of Orange County located in Irvine California[ii].
Meandering Thoughts on a Spring Day
Every time I sit down to write this article, I think about what has been happening in my life, things that have caught my interest, how I am working out some problem, then I write about it.
A Prayer for Another Day
By: Agate
We talk about honoring our elders and when we do, we think of those wisdom keepers and teachers ready to dispense advice learned during their long lives. They have earned our respect.
It’s a nice picture.
We all know that old age does not always grant us a proud end to our lives, let alone allow us to remember our wisdom or ourselves. Someone I love is headed down that long road to oblivion and there is nothing I can do, except offer up a prayer.
Goddess
Grant me this day
My memories
My thoughts and my dreams
Let me remember today and yesterday
And my loved ones as well
Let me not forget
Goddess
Grant me this day
My mobility
Let me stand with balance
Let my legs be sturdy, my hands …
Don’t be so Wiccanish
While sitting in the break room at work, Elyse was trying to prove how flaky her mother was. “She is sort of Wiccanish.”
Thou Art God/dess
“Thou Art Goddess” is written on a collage in my dining room. I’ve read it often, but other than the casual acceptance of the fact, I’ve given it little thought, until recently as I sat writing, journaling, trying to solve my problems while hating myself at the same time. I abuse and punish myself constantly.
Even Bunnies Bite, Or The Attack of Pagan Pettiness
The wheel is turning. Imbolc approaches. Last year, my friend and I painted pots with Goddess Symbols and planted seeds. Amazingly, I have, for the most part, kept those plants alive. Some were annuals, but the result of their seeds still live.
Unexpected Prosperity
Everyone is in search of something. All you have to do is take a peek at the New Age section in a bookstore to see that. Volume upon volume of spell books: book for love, beauty, money, even one with 1000 all-purpose spells. Most have little to do with spirituality beyond invoking a deity to get what you want
I Enjoy Being a Witch
A Little Fun For Yule
What Goes Around: The Law of Three and Ethical Standards
Late one night after seeing the face of a kidnapper and killer on TV, I for the first time, I wished to lay a curse upon someone. For months we had seen the face of his victim on screen, the impassioned pleas of desperate parents, there were even posters of the girl hanging at my work since we lived in the same state. We all had hoped for a child returned only to learn she was dead the entire time.
Hallow’s Eve Witches
The night is coming when ghouls tread,
When ghosts fly by, and demon’s laugh,
And come to life is human dread.
Looking Change Straight in the Eye
Ours is a game of cat and mouse, and I am not the predator. It haunts me, lurking at the edges of my world as I dodge and weave and try to stay just out of Change’s inevitable reach.
Just and Independent Witch—Suggestions for the Solitary Witch
Solitary Practitioner. Such a lonely phrase for what probably constitutes the largest group of practicing witches. Maybe we should insist on being called Independent Practitioners, that is a more accurate description, because I don’t always practice alone. The only time I was really solitary was in the beginning,
Laying the Blame
They survived the hurricane, the floodwaters, and were rescued from rooftops, attics and highways, brought to the New Orleans convention center and forgotten. Even Fema, the government agency responsible for helping in emergencies didn’t know they were there. Without food and water, the bodies began to pile up.
Into the Future, Transcending the Past
“Even if you don’t know one other Pagan, you are still a member of the Pagan community. It may sound sentimental to say so, but a community isn’t only the people on one particular street or one particular neighborhood.
Divine Sight
Divine Sight I had a firm belief in Goddess long before I ever saw her. My beliefs were based upon what I felt and believe me, it was quite a thing to trust in my feelings, not something my born again Christian Republican father ever encouraged.
As the Wheel Turns
When I write I sit by the window. There are several trees and I watch these trees as the seasons change. Bare in the winter, a mere skeleton yet elegant and intricate. In the spring, several burst into white blooms that shower petals turning every breeze into a Japanese metaphor.
Not Always Alone
We sit around the table, Kindra, Visha, and I. We are painting white flowerpots with acrylic paints. There are Goddesses, spirals and jokes about my inability to keep anything green from turning brown and crispy.
All Acts of Love
We witches are not prudes. In fact it is almost a badge of honor we wear declaring that we, unlike the religions of our pasts, are sexually open, unrepressed and unencumbered by self hate generated by our desires.
Dance Until You Shatter Yourself[i]
I don’t know that I am unusual in the fact that I rarely enjoy formalized rituals. Casting circles, calling guardians or watchtowers and long carefully directed action with equally long liturgy is quite theatrical, but never once did I find acting onstage feel spiritual.
The Littlest Teacher
In the past eleven years, as I learned to follow Goddess and the Wiccan path, I have had many teachers. Some have been substantial influences, others less, but everyone has had something to teach me.
An It Harm None
“Eight words the witches rede fulfill,
An harm ye none, do what ye will.”
`Doreen Valiente
Lessons from the Cow Altar
It was supposed to be a joke. Just a gag born of my stubbornness, a desire to be right and the following conversation between me and my best friend; a lover of all things cow print.
Dancing with the Dark Goddess
“Goddess, I am lost…”
For a longtime I would have been classified clearly as a “fluffy bunny” Wiccan. I have no problem with that. I was who I was at the time. I certainly never felt a connection of any kind with the dark Goddess.
A Sacred Place to Call My Own
Most of us have a place we call sacred, some area set aside especially for religious expression and communion. Often, it is an altar tucked away on a shelf or table, perhaps a garden filled with plants and dangling charms.
The Prayerful Witch
“One oft-overlooked remedy for our modern dilemma is the ancient tradition of a daily personal practice.” ~Dianne Sylvan, The Circle Within
Ashes and Smoke and Toxins, Oh My!
Imagine you attend a Beltane ritual. Ribbons are wrapped around the pole in a rather haphazard dance that takes a long time before they are finally gathered and tied off. The ritual is ended, the circle is open and you sit down to eat.
Making Myths: The Power of Words
Words have power. As Witches, Wiccans and Pagans we know this. We use this. As a group we tend to be educated and well read, words are our greatest tool. We must remember, for all of our respect, we must not become ruled by the words themselves.
A Longing for Connection
Community. We’d all like at least a little bit of it. People to converse with, celebrate with or simply to be around. Maybe you agree on everything, maybe not, but you are comfortable with them. They are your tribe, your village, and your people.