#synspeaks

taylor:

My short blogs on my personal thoughts and practice used to draw some pretty great conversation so I’m going to start that again, too. I found this awesome list of 52 prompts from @baduhennasraven under the tag #writeyourwitchcraft so I think I’m going to begin there... and try to keep these brief but poignant. I’m making daily alliterations for things so leeeets call these blog posts “Thoughtful Thursdays” shall we?

So... what draws me to witchcraft? Initially it was a “forbidden” and, being an Aquarius and in general a rebel, that instantly made it intriguing. I remember being very young and playing “witch” in my back yard digging a hole and filling it with water and random foliage from around the yard. I remember finding out my Aunt was “a witch” (she read palms, tarot, and crystal balls... never did determine if she was in fact a self identified witch) and being disallowed around her because of my mother’s fear and belief it was “demonic” (which in my childhood home was synonymous with “evil”).

I remember in high school a girl I dated briefly was Wiccan and her practice seemed interesting, if not a little disjointed and misunderstood. I later had a boyfriend of the same alignment and learned a little about charms and protection... which was neat to see the “good” side of witchcraft. Wicca did not quite seem to fit for me though so I mostly observed with curiosity and enjoyed hearing my partners and friends who were Wiccan talk about it. I was still forming and finding my own path.

Towards the end of high school and into early adulthood I vehemently rejected religion and spirituality. I thought I wanted nothing to do with it, that God (and the gods) did not exist, and that anyone willing to give their blind faith to something unseen was, at best, ignorant and at worst up to something nasty... this was based on some very bad experiences and I know now that my judgments should have been on the people themselves and not their claimed belief systems. So... how did I go from “all religion/spirituality is fake/bad/gross/etc.” to the Hellenic polytheistic witch I am today? A long journey and some soul searching.... that’s the short version. More importantly, and what this prompt is asking, what draws me to my path?

Empowerment- I can take my own life into my hands and direct it where I wish

Community- I have found a more diverse and accepting group of people in paganism/witchcraft in general and I enjoy being able to exist in a space with like-minded and not-so-like-minded individuals who still respect and deeply care for one another

Responsibility- I really appreciate the take in witchcraft that the individual is solely responsible for their actions and must accept the consequences and benefits of these choices... for me this was a huge leap from the “give it all to god” thought process I grew up with and struggled so much inside of... I hated seeing people not try for themselves (giving up their own power), and I hated even more seeing people refuse responsibility for their actions. I see that less in the witchcraft community... it still exists, but it seems to be more frequently called out and less common in general.

Theatrics and FUN- in the way that I believe and practice I truly think all the witchcraft items- the jars, the rocks, the charged waters and magical herbs, and so forth- are simply a physical way to tap into energies and vibrations that already exist around us. I could do a powerful protection spell, or an equally powerful curse, with my intent and focus alone. However, I LOVE the pretty ingredients, the thought out spells, the alignment of planets and time to further focus on the intent. It’s fun. I enjoy being witchy for witchy’s sake and being entirely unapologetic about it.

Acceptance of self and growth- one of the biggest for me is the acceptance of my place on my path and knowing I am imperfect but growing. It has been so helpful for me to accept the “bad” with the “good” and also to stop defining myself in such polarized ways. I have learned to embrace and love my shadow self just as much as the polished self I try to present to the world. I have gained more confidence and personal power by understanding my own inner workings, my flaws, and combining them with my strengths and ambitions.