Witchcraft and all that...

A shiny new blog for me to play with. I have more than one, which is rather embarrassing, since really I don't have masses to say. But I decided I needed a new blog for other stuff. Some of it might get crossposted, some of it won't. I do feel like I have to occasionally censor myself, and frankly it irritates me to do so.

My aim is that this blog becomes more focused on the witchcraft and oogeyboogey side of things, and I want to see where that takes me.  I am not really looking for advice from anyone that bothers reading, although obviously comments and imput is always nice. Recommendations for interesting books, websites and the like are most welcome.

I am still having my spiritual wonderings/confusion, now the pagan side of it isn't an issue, but it's more where it is leading to.  Where do I go next, since I feel like I have sat where I am for the past few years and not significantly gone anywhere. Where does the solitary path lead you when you get past wicca 101, when you don't especially do the wicca thing in the first place?

Questions I need to ask myself, and more importantly answer...

• Where do I want to go?
• How do I want to get there?
• What am I missing?
• What's next?
• What's important to me?

I am sure I will think of more.

An interview I once did for a forum I was on.

This is an interview I did for an old forum. It shall remain nameless as I don't go there anymore, and I don't really have that many fond feelings for it.  It was first posted up in March 2006, so probably similar to my views in someways, and notsomuch in others.  I have commented on my answers in colour where things have changed.

( It's a long one )

Love (originally posted at Hysterical Jugglings)

What is love? A chemical reaction that causes us to attract suitable mates to reproduce? Or a spiritual, and emotional state that makes us human beings? Is our love for our children just a genetic tie to make us look after them? Or are our children part of our very being, and to love them is what makes us real?

There are so many types of love, the word doesn't really encompass them all. One thing that always makes me wonder is the assumption of the ONE TRUE LOVE.

We are brought up on the ONE TRUE LOVE from the moment we are told stories. Nearly all the fairy tales tell us that we must look for, wait for the ONE TRUE LOVE, and if we don't we are somehow deficient.

But what does this believe in the ONE TRUE LOVE mean? It kinda makes sense to me if you look at it from a "christian" point of view. Of course you would only have ONE TRUE LOVE, because you have only ONE TRUE GOD. The OTL sets up a very neat and tidy paradigm, so we all can fit nicely into our prescribed boxes. We are taught to believe that we can only love one person and that must be our OTL.

But are we limited into loving just one person? Or do we actually just not look down that road less traveled, because, well, because we aren't allowed to? "Nice, well-behaved people" don't have those thoughts or do those things. Yet we all love more than one person in all other areas.

Once we have more than one child, our love isn't shared between the two. It just grows. We love family and friends, in different measure and perhaps with a different love, but it's still love. We don't ever run out of love. So why must we only ever love our OTL?

The OTL dynamic also means that any love before or afterwards is somehow made less, less important and meaningful. If a relationship ends, and another one starts, comparisons are made with the OTL, and usually it ends up with a denial that the previously relationship was the OTL, or that this current relationship will never "quite" come up to scratch.

Love isn't a commodity, it should be given and taken freely and with joy. Maybe one day, we will be able to see what really should be our ONE TRUE LOVE is ourselves, and that sharing love doesn't mean that someone else is going to get less of it.

Some things I think are weird (originally posted at Hysterical Jugglings)

A Christian Witch
A Jewish* Witch
and any other variation of an established patriarchal religion that demonised witchcraft and magick use, and believes only in the One True GodTM Witch.

I just don't understand it, and I have never had anyone explain it in a way that makes me understand. I have had plenty of people tell me that people can believe anything and any way they like. Which is undeniable. That doesn't mean I think they are right in what they believe.

This apparently makes me Teh Evilz and Big Bad disenchantedenchantress . I just wish someone would explain how it is possible to put the two together and make a viable, workable spirituality? Yes, take influence from it, take inspiration from it, but actually calling yourself a Christian Witch?

Why it doesn't work for me:
-Whether you consider witchcraft to be a spiritual path, or a structure of occult skills, both of those views are not compatible with the doctrine of Christian belief. As a Christian, Jesus Christ is the one and only One True God. No Goddess, no Mother Earth, no Female Divine. There can be no divination, no spellwork, no idols, nothing that is actually Witchcraft. So what is it you are actually doing if you are a Christian Witch? (Same goes for all the other religions that have an anti-occult doctrine.)
-It ignores the history of Christianity. The history of violence, anti-homosexuality, anti-women, all those "goodies" that fill the Bible.
-It smacks of an inferiority complex. Being a Witch isn't good enough, it has to be pre-fixed with a label that gives it a respectable meaning. Why can't you embrace and reclaim the word WITCH? If you walk like a duck, and quack like a duck, why do you pre-fix the word duck with chicken?
-It is insulting to Christianity. Not that I really care, but it is. Christianity and all its fellows have established doctrine and laws that you are meant to subscribe to.

If someone can give me some clarity on this, I would be really grateful. I don't think I would ever really change my mind about just being a Witch, but I would love an intelligent and non-emotive answer to my questions. Other than just being mean and horrid! :P

*Being Jewish is not only a religious path, it is a heritage. You are born a Jew. So technically, if you choose the path of Witchcraft, then you are still Jewish and a Witch. A good example of this is Starhawk. She is proud of her Jewish heritage, but still calls herself a Witch...

Not a Jewitch...