Protect Yourself: Always Cast Circle

February 26, 2016 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Skull

“The God of Death won’t leave,” I said, really concerned. My mentor nodded; she understood. This was years ago around the time of Samhain. The God of Death has many faces. The one I kept seeing was the corpse-face of a deer on a man’s body.

“The God of Death wants to talk to me,” I said. My mentor suggested that we do a meditation so I could find out his reason for a conversation. My mentor and I settled down in her living room, and soon I went to the astral plane to talk to the God of Death.

Once I was done and had received his message, I came back to the mundane world.

But I didn’t come back alone. The God of Death clung onto me and wouldn’t leave!

I ended up doing a ritual in the woods and appeased him with a gift of a pomegranate. Finally, he left me. What a relief!

The Big Lesson

I learned something of vital importance. It’s necessary for us to Cast Circle BEFORE we do a meditation.

I repeat: Cast Circle BEFORE, you do a meditation.

In essence, I was fortunate. I learned a big lesson without having to pay a big price.

If I had Cast Circle, then the God of Death would not have returned with me from the astral plane.

Okay. Lesson learned.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

P.P.S. I’m pleased to invite you to a Free Event that I’m co-hosting “Discover Your Enchanted Prosperity” in Sunnyvale, California — March 9th at 6:30 pm.
For details, go to Meetup.com when you CLICK HERE

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

“I’m So Terrified to Die”

February 12, 2016February 12, 2016 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

RWT

“I’m so terrified to die,” wrote one of the followers of my blog.

The person went on to say, “I don’t want to be like an atheist, but I’m not connecting to my soul.”

My intuition gave me the idea to share this:

“To help you connect with your soul and the Gods, I would suggest you go out into the forest or even a secluded place (pick a safe place) in a park if you can’t get to the forest. Then sit quietly. Notice nature around you. Listen to the sounds of nature. Now as you sit quietly ask the God and Goddess for a sign. Breathe deeply and slowly. Be still and relax.

The sign could be as simple as seeing a bird or some other animal (domestic or wild). You might see some fallen leaves on the ground that inspire a thought or feeling in you. Perhaps, a patch of snow in a particular shape catches your eye.

The sign does not have to come with trumpets and a parade. Most likely, it will be something small, something quiet.

But it will be there. Take your time and just sit. Listen and witness the miracle of the world. It may take a while. I suggest resting there for 20 minutes, 45 minutes or more. You can stay as long as you wish after that.

Do this on a regular basis. Soon you may see the signs of the Gods.”

Perhaps, my comments above reach something deep in you.

We Wiccans often find the God and Goddess in quiet signs found in the natural world.

I also suggest that a number of us may find the God and Goddess in a moment of creativity. Finding a connection with God and Goddess can arrive in many ways because we’re all individuals. My friend Sarah says that she finds a sign when she’s drawing or sketching. It’s like she becomes a conduit of the Divine.

My friend Mark tells me that he discovers insights as he writes. He may be writing for 10 minutes and not like what he’s writing. Then, a flash of insight, and he sees something new arrive as he keeps typing. “Where did that come from?” he asks. But then he knows. The God and Goddess wanted to say something through him.

Wiccans also connect with the God and Goddess through meditation and doing ritual.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

Depression, Suicide, and A Wiccan Path to Healing

February 6, 2016February 7, 2016 / Moonwater / 4 Comments

Tulips

He had been tossed out of a branch of the armed forces. Why? Poor performance of his duties? No! It was his sexual orientation. A couple of years later, he killed himself. Often, every month, I remember my dear friend.

None of this is a theory to me. I’ve attempted suicide myself. The first time—when I was 8 years old.

Wiccans acknowledge that winter is the season of death. Death does not always mean the end of life. In the Tarot, the card “Death” also means change.

I know from my own journey that feeling the urge to kill oneself is a call for change—and a call for love.

During the winter, a significant number of people struggle with seasonal affect disorder.

For many of us who are enduring difficult times now, here is a meditation from my book Goddess Has Your Back to help you.

Self-Love Meditation

Close your eyes.
Breathe in and out deeply . . . Relax.
Keep breathing.
Breathe out the stress of the day.
Breathe in relaxation and peace.

(Pause)

You are still aware of the light that is in the room.
Now the light begins to fade.
As it fades you feel total comfort. You feel safe and secure in the darkness.

(Short Pause)

Now, a new form of light blossoms. It surrounds and wraps you in its loving energy. This light is the light of the Gods.
It is a light of love and compassion. Take it in.
As you take this light and understanding in, you can now see with the Gods’ eyes.
You can now see yourself as they see you, pure, beautiful, whole. You are a masterpiece of their creation. You were made with love, and you are a manifestation of their love. You are love.
This understanding fills you.

(Pause)

With this new understanding you are now ready to return to the physical world.
You know that even though you may leave the light at this time it is never truly gone.
It’s a gentle transition as the light begins to fade around you.
Slowly at first. It gets darker and darker.
As it fades you feel total comfort. You feel safe and secure in the darkness.

(Short Pause)

Then a familiar light returns, the light in the room where you started.
It gradually gets brighter and brighter.
You are back in the room. You have brought the calm and peace and happy feelings back with you.
Now, gently open your eyes.

I hope you find comfort with this meditation.

You can also meditate and ask the God and Goddess for help. Meditate on what the Gods see as a helping answer for you. Remember, the God and Goddess are always on your side.

If you’re in distress, please call the Suicide Hotline at: 1 (800) 273-8255

Yes—I have attempted suicide more than once. But now my life is good. It’s really worth it to endure the pain because life CAN get better.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

Happy Imbolc

February 2, 2016February 2, 2016 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Candle

Happy Imbolc

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

How to Raise Your Low Self-esteem Through Wicca

January 29, 2016January 30, 2016 / Moonwater / 2 Comments

“How can I let go of the feelings of sadness and low self-esteem?” Alexandra asked.

I’ve talked with many people who, like me, suffer from times of low self-esteem.

Here is a meditation to help those of us who need to raise our self-esteem.

Find a nice quiet spot, somewhere you will not be disturbed. Light a candle and burn some incense if you like. Turn off all of your electronics, and get comfortable.

In the below meditation, you will identify a worn, harmful belief. Then you will represent such a Harmful Belief as one “difficult-word.” For example, if your word is “can’t”—soon you will place it in the fire (in your mind’s eye). It will transform. For example, “can’t” can transform into “I CAN learn what I need to learn.” This is a New Belief.

Meditation to Raise Your Self-Esteem

Close your eyes. Be aware of the light that is in the room through your closed eyelids.

Breathe in and out deeply … Relax.
Keep breathing deeply. In … and … Out.
Breathe out the stress of the day.
Breathe in relaxation and peace.

(Pause)

You are still aware of the light that is in the room.
Now the light begins to fade.
As it fades you feel total comfort. You feel safe and secure in the darkness.

(Short Pause)

Now, a new form of light blossoms around you.
You look down and see a cauldron.
Flames are fluttering from within the cauldron, and they rise to about four inches above the lip of the cauldron.

Pick one thought or memory of sadness or “I can’t do it.”
Now identify a word that represents the difficult thought.
See how the “difficult-word” appears to break down.

The difficult-word is now old and worn out.
You know in your heart that you no longer need the word.
It is time to let it go.

(Pause)

See your difficult-word. The flames in the cauldron
are flickering behind your difficult-word.
Now with your mind, push the difficult-word into the flames.
The difficult-word catches fire, and the fire completely consumes the difficult-word.

(Pause)

The difficult-word disappears and soon a green colored smoke rises from the cauldron.
It starts to form your New Belief—which is in the form of a sentence.
This New Belief helps you and supports you.
Breathe in deeply and absorb the green, supportive New Belief.

(Pause)

The New Belief is now part of you, and you have gained its attributes.
Feel it. Know it is so.
You now return to the physical world, and you always know you have that positive attribute no matter what anyone says.

(Pause)

Coming back is a gentle transition as the light begins to fade around you once more.
Slowly at first, it gets darker and darker.
As it fades you feel total comfort. You feel safe and secure in the darkness.

(Short Pause)

Then a familiar light returns, the light in the room where you started.
It gradually gets brighter and brighter.
You are back in the room. You have brought the feelings of higher self-esteem and happiness back with you.

(Short Pause)

Now, gently open your eyes.

Use the above meditation as often as you need to. With a lot of practice, soon all of the bad thoughts about yourself can transform into the green smoke of renewal and higher self-esteem.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

Making the Pattern of Your Life

January 23, 2016 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

blanket

I’m chatting on Facebook with a distraught young woman “Janis.” She has enjoyed my writing on my blog and now I’m helping her. Janis’ self-esteem has been torn apart by her family members’ vicious remarks about her Wiccan path.

As I help Janis, I glance at my knitting project (a blanket) at my side. It becomes so clear to me that we create our lives by the choices we make – one choice at a time.

After the Facebook chat, the conversation stays with me. I realize that every moment of my life before that Facebook chat prepared me to be in the right place at the right time. I had the right experiences so I could provide compassionate guidance for this young woman.

Imagine that your life is a knitted blanket. Each stitch represents an event or a choice you have made in life. Each time you have had an experience, you made a stitch in the blanket. The stitches including your thoughts, choices and feelings combine to make the unique fabric. So one stitch leads to another stitch and another stitch — until a blanket is made.

Then I had another thought: At the end of my life, I’ll have a large, knitted blanket of experiences, thoughts and feelings. When I pass from this life do I bring the whole blanket?

Yet another thought arose. A spiritual thought. There is something that is eternal: The yarn — the essence of me. This essence continues through each project.

When we die, the pattern that we’ve made is like our body. We leave that behind. Soon enough, we will begin again as one single strand of yarn that will continue to manifest into the many lives during reincarnation.

When we start a new pattern; we may become a shirt or a hat this time. It all depends on what choices we make and what pattern we choose.

I find this comforting — the eternal aspect of each of us. The eternal strand of yarn.

In Wicca, I look upon reincarnation as a gift. Because we get to come back with people we loved before. In each incarnation we get to learn new stuff and make new choices. We get to have new experiences that we missed in a previous life. We get to gain spiritual wisdom in each successive incarnation.

Today I was knitting and had a mishap. I had to take apart a small section of my project. That’s when I “tink” the project — yes, you’re seeing the word “knit” backwards. So in knitting as with other processes in life, it’s not about doing things perfectly.

It’s a process. Your job is to stay aware and keep knitting, keep learning and to keep growing.

Blessed Be,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble. For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

Stepping Out of the Darkness

January 9, 2016 / Moonwater / 2 Comments

MCU

Recently, I was called to give a speech.
Here is the text of that speech:

“She’s eight years old and she’s drowning, held underwater in a swimming pool.

Yesterday, she loved running on a hilltop in Redwood City. The grass feeling cool between her toes. Yesterday, she climbed a tree.

But today, her brother holds her down, underwater. She is drowning. And he is waiting. Waiting for her to stop moving.

What does this do to a little girl?

I can tell you. My brother finally stepped away.

But the tough times didn’t end there. My brother kept up his torture of me until I couldn’t take it anymore.

So at 8 years old, I stepped to the edge of my bunk bed. I wrapped some yarn around my neck again and again. I stepped off my bunk bed – And I hung there for a moment—until the yarn broke.

My story is about stepping OUT of the darkness.

Sure, I’ve experienced dark times, but I’ve also experienced other things.

I once turned to a friend and said, “How many depressed people does it take to change a light bulb? None. They just sit there in the dark.” [audience laughter]

I’m glad to be speaking with you today about stepping OUT of the darkness.

Along that line, I’m going to share with you the 3 Steps of Empowerment.

The First Step is Diagnosis. When I was 11, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder – another term for this is clinical depression. Clinical Depression is not just feeling the blues. It isn’t just sometimes feeling sad. It doesn’t just go away like Seasonal Affect Disorder.

Clinical Depression is like having tinnitus. That’s the condition where you have constant ringing in your ears. Except this situation is a horrible feeling of pain, sadness, and hopelessness. It can get so bad that death seems like the only way out. A friend of mine killed himself. He had clinical depression.

So Diagnosis is the First Step.

The Second Step is: The person must say, “I want help.”

I’m using the word “say” – but the situation is really about taking action. The depressed person needs to take action.

You and I cannot help a depressed person if they don’t want help. If they won’t take their meds, and if they won’t show up for therapy – there’s not much we can do.

I know that I have family members who want to find a “Happy button” on me. Well—I don’t have a Happy button on me.

Can I borrow yours? [I address an extrovert in the audience. The audience laughs.]

As I mentioned: the Second Step is when the person says, “I want help.” The depressed person has to choose it.

I wanted help. So I worked with psychiatrists and therapists. And I take appropriate medication.

The Third Step is: Maintenance.

Sometimes, I think of maintenance of my well-being as a daily fight. I have certain “weapons” to use to hold my ground against clinical depression.

First, I have a therapy animal, a cat I named Magick. I called him Magick because he makes food disappear! [audience laughter]

I love him and petting him helps me to feel better. He helps me switch to happier thoughts. I feel he takes away some of the pain.

Second, I stay active. I go out with friends when possible. I enjoy laughing with friends. I also stay active by taking daily walks with my sweetheart.

Third, I have things that I do for myself when I’m alone. Knitting and writing are great ways to help me cope.

I have shared with you 3 Steps of Empowerment that mean a lot to me.
1) Diagnosis
2) The person must say “I want help.”
3) Maintenance

And finally about that eight-year-old girl who felt no one cared … She is still inside me, but now I am a full grown woman.
I am here.
I care.
I will protect her.”

People have told me that the above is a powerful speech.

As a Wiccan, I still feel, at times, that I must protect myself.

Do you feel the same?

How can you protect yourself from those who do not care or do not understand our Pagan path?

I’ve learned that I need to face reality. To this day, my parents still do not respect my Wiccan path. They never ask me questions nor hear me out.

Part of taking care of myself is to gather with like-minded people who love me.

May you find your tribe.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts this Yule season?

See my designs at Redbubble.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

How You Can Manifest Prosperity in 2016

December 31, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

Happy calendar New Year to all my readers!

Many of us want to start off the calendar New Year right. We tend to make New Years resolutions. Many of us want to manifest more prosperity in our lives. Let’s avoid the first mistake in prosperity magick: tending to focus on one’s outer environment verses the inner self.

Yes, you can ask for prosperity to flow to you. But the better way I have found is to empower yourself to create more income. In this way you’re not just asking for a handout.

Instead, you place energy into yourself to create inner change. That’s where the real magick happens, and this creates the most benefit for you.

Why do I say this? To change yourself is to change your world.

We perceive the world around us. We can see a world of roadblocks or we can see opportunity. It’s our choice.

Below I’ll share a ritual called New Years Prosperity/Opportunity Ritual, in which you’ll be able to exercise your choice.

About Bathing Before Doing a Ritual

Always bathe before doing a ritual. Some ask, “Can I take a shower?” If you do not have a bathtub and only have a shower, you can still soak the herbs (I specify them below) in a large bucket of warm water.

If you take a shower, you can clear the debris of the day off first. Then, you have a choice: a) you can pour the herbs-water of the bucket upon yourself or b) you can use a cloth and wash your body with the herbs-water.

Let’s Talk About Herbs For Your Ritual Bathing

Shampoo* and soap* preferably herb-infused form the best choice. Wiccans use lavender to help sooth and calm themselves to get their head in the right space.

(* Prior to your ritual bathing, Cast Circle and then cleanse and consecrate your shampoo and soap. Only use these specific items of shampoo and soap for ritual bathing.)

For a Ritual Bath, Prepare a Sachet

To prepare a sachet, begin with a 4×4 inch square piece of cheesecloth and some string to close it. Use these Bath Herbs: Basil, Ginger and Pomegranate. Place the bath herbs into the middle of the cloth. Then pull up the four corners of your cloth and tie them together using the string. If you don’t have cloth, you can also use a clean sock or stocking that hasn’t been used before.

Next draw the water for the ritual bath and place the sachet in the water. If you desire, light some candles and burn some incense.

Soak in the bath while meditating on the blessings you want to manifest in the calendar New Year. (Avoid getting stuck in thinking that you don’t know how you will accomplish your desires in the everyday world.) Imagine the spiritual strength building up in you to manifest the blessings while envisioning any negative energy being soaked up by the herbs. Know you have the power to accomplish your dreams. Again, never mind the how. The Gods will provide “the how.”

Do your part and invite the Gods to guide you in how you can make a bigger and/or better contribution and thus expand your income.

The New Years Prosperity/Opportunity Ritual

What you will need:

Three Candles (one each: yellow, green, purple)
Candle dressing oil (Virgin Olive oil that has been blessed and consecrated will do fine.)
Working tools
Altar
Cakes and Wine

Cast circle in the usual manner.

Light the yellow candle as you say:

My eyes were once shut,
I now make them open.
Eyes that did not see,
I now have vision.
I call upon you,
the four elements of Wicca

Make the sign of the pentagram on your body [by touching your forehead followed in order: the left breast, right shoulder, left shoulder, right breast and back to forehead].

Light the Green candle and say:

Earth for fertility of my own mind
Air for new beginnings in rapid time
Fire to move the direction I must go
And
Water to birth new opportunities for me to grow

Finally light the Purple candle and say:

I call upon the Earth and Sky
I call upon the Sun and Moon
May the power to change my fate be my boon

Make the sign of the pentagram again and say:

By year’s end may this take place,
for the good of all, I now claim my space.
I charge myself, my life, by the Gods’ grace;
Fill me with light so my desires take place.

Do the Cakes and Wine Ceremony

Close Circle

* * *

May you and the Gods manifest the best for you in this calendar New Year.

Blessed Be,

Moonwater SilverClaw

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts?

See my designs at Redbubble.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

Happy 2016

December 31, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

ShampainEdit

I just wanted to thank you for being a reader of The Hidden Children of the Goddess and hoping you and your kin a happy calendar New Year.

Blessings,
Moonwater

P.S. To sign up for our E-Newsletter click here.

Looking for gifts this Yule season?

See my designs at Redbubble.

For more of Moonwater SilverClaw, consider some of her books:

Goddess Has Your Back: How Wicca Can Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem and Make Your Life Magickal

The Hidden Children of the Goddess Embrace Wicca, Become Strong, Be at Peace with Yourself and the World Around You

Beyond the Law of Attraction to Real Magic: How You Can Remove Blocks to Prosperity, Happiness and Inner Peace

Goddess Walks Beside You: How You Can Listen, Learn and Enjoy the Wiccan Path

Witch, Pagan, Wiccan, Christian Witches — What’s the Difference?

December 25, 2015December 26, 2015 / Moonwater / Leave a comment

What flavor are you?

“Christian Witches?!” my friend, Megan, stamped her foot. “No way! Somebody doesn’t have a clue about what a witch is!” She went on, “A witch can’t be Christian!”

There’s a lot of controversy and debate over the terms Wiccan, Witch, Christian Witch, and Pagan. Some people even suggest that Wiccans are not Pagans. Some Wiccans say they do not practice magick. What?!

Certain Wiccans even claim that they do not worship the Old Gods.

Name calling and criticism arise.

So who is right and who is wrong?

It’s more complicated than that.

Wicca is a term coined by Gerald B. Gardner. He used this term for a male witch. He employed Wicce for a female witch. But soon the term “Wica” was used to describe the new line of witchcraft that descended from him.

So Witchcraft and Wica were one and the same at that time. The spelling changed to Wicca some time later.

As the faith was spread, people used Wicca instead of the word Witchcraft to describe themselves. Apparently, they wanted to get away from the bad connotations that went along with the word Witch. Still, when you’re a practitioner, Wicca and Witchcraft are the same.

Wicca continues to be a spiritual/religious path that has incorporated the belief in the Old Gods and Magick. Witches (this refers to both male and female practitioners) are the high priests/priestesses of the Old Religion.

Wiccans use magick to create their magick-working spaces and to honor their Gods and Goddesses for positive change in their lives.

The older Traditions of Wicca still do this.

“What are The Witch Wars?” my friend, Megan, asked. It’s reported that things fell apart in the 1970-1990’s when a number of new people learned some of Wicca but then left before they were taught all of the secrets of the Craft (Wicca/Witchcraft). The term “Witch Wars” refers to the yelling and thrown insults between a number of groups. Were these actual wars, including violence? I have not seen reports of that. Still, the insults, gossip, and baiting did cause real trouble.

How did things go so wrong? The new people (without full knowledge of Wicca) thought they had all the knowledge. They started their own covens and began to teach many things that weren’t quite right or just downright wrong.

* * *

What Is the Difference between “Witch” and “Heathen”?

Witchcraft is a term that is very specific to the region of European/English/Scottish/Ireland area. It is a geographic area where that term was and is used. And it applies only to the people that called themselves witches in that geographic location.

Heathens are not witches, for example. They do not call themselves witches. The Heathen path is generally northern Germany/Scandinavia/Sweden. These are the people of the “heath”, where heather grows in the colder European region—north of the European/English/Scottish/Ireland area.

The above is about the derivation of some terms. Anyone who practices the Wiccan faith is a witch. The religion is witchcraft. We’re not only referring to people from one geographic region of the world. Wicca is spreading, and all people can practice this beautiful path.

* * *

Is it true that there are Wiccans who do not practice magick?

Some people call themselves Wiccans and claim they do no magick.

Okay, wait, hold on here. How can they claim this?

Let’s go back to what Wiccans do. They Cast Circle—which, in itself, is performing magick. So if you cast circle, you do magick. You’re a witch.

(There are people who use magick in their religions and who do not call themselves witches, like the Voodoo/Vodoun/Hoodoo/Santeria religions.)

Let’s also take care about the spelling of “magick.” Magick is pretty much the wielding of natural forces to improve one’s life. (On the other hand, “stage magic” has the label, “magic” – with no “k.” Stage magic is the art of performing illusions—like the work of David Copperfield. No magick is taking place!)

“Wait a minute, what about ‘ceremonial magicians’?” Megan asks. Ceremonial magicians do not worship the Gods and Goddesses. So by definition they are not Wiccans.

* * *

So what is a Pagan?

Pagans form a larger group of individuals that do not practice the Abrahamic religions. The Abrahamic religions identify the patriarch Abraham, from the Old Testament of the Bible, the Torah, and the Koran, as the origin of their religion. So the Abrahamic religions are: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Paganism was a Christian term to indicate people who came from the country. Pagani is a Latin term for “country dweller” as opposed to city dweller. These country dwellers tended to keep their older religions alive (even after the arrival of Christianity or Islam). At the time, certain people referred to farmers, serfs and peasants as Pagans.

Pagans include Wiccans, Asatru, Heathen, Druids, Buddhists and more.

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What about Judeo-Pagans and Christian Witches?

Sigh … Yes, there are the people who call themselves Judeo-Pagans or Christian Witches.

Stop! Above we just went through the actual definition of Pagan—in two words let’s all say it: “NOT Christian.” Thank you.

The Judeo/Christian God (as reported in their sacred texts) denounces Witches, Pagans, and Wiccans.

* * *

I realize that people can and do call themselves anything they want.

What we notice is that some people stop using definitions and language as others do.

What if people create their own new terms?

For example, I have a friend who coined the term “Catapult-Moment.” So he can define “Catapult-Moment” as he chooses.

Still, when we’re in conversation with others, let’s look back and see the definitions of what we’re talking about.