Many years ago, I was new to Wicca. I needed a magical name. One night, I asked Goddess to please give me a magical name. I woke up in the middle of the night—my whole body vibrating. I heard “Moonwater.” I knew instantly that was my magical name.
Would you like to find something definite in your life?
I have three insights for you.
1. Let go of a rigid pattern.
My friend, Athena, finds herself thinking about this one mean coworker after work. At a picnic, I saw an upset look come upon her face. “Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m okay now,” she replied. “What was that?”
She took in a deep breath. “Just a thought, that I’m letting flow down the stream.” That’s a powerful method. Athena decided to not let thoughts of her mean coworker interfere with our picnic with friends.
What thought do you need to just flow down the stream?
2. Connect with the element of water.
Water flows and can wash away negative energies. Ritual bathing is a good choice if you’re not feeling good. You may have extra unwanted negative energy clinging to you. When you take a ritual bath, you release yourself from such negativity.
Let water renew you.
3. Pray to the God and Goddess.
When you need the Power of Flow in your life, consider saying a prayer like this:
My virile Lord and lovely Lady, Connect me with the Element of Water. Empower me to let negative thoughts flow away Like on a stream of water. Let me embrace the sun Of Your Wisdom and Grace. So Mote It Be.
Happy Beltane to all! May you be blessed with the season’s energies.
Beltane
To our ancestors, Beltane celebrates the beginning of summer. Bale or “bon” fires are an important part of the Beltane Sabbat. All fires at home or in shops were extinguished and then re-lit from the sacred bonfires that blazed on the tops of the surrounding hills. This was also the time when the herds were blessed. The people marched their cattle around and between the bonfires to bring good luck and fertility and to protect them during the year.
The Sabbat Beltane, coincides with when the God actually impregnates the Goddess. This sacred act ensures the continued fertility for crops and animals throughout the light half of the year (between the Spring and Fall Equinoxes.) A popular symbol for this sacred act, the May Pole represents the impregnation of the goddess. A May Pole is a pole set erect in the ground with ribbons attached on the top. People then each take a ribbon and dance in a weaving pattern around the pole. The pole represents God’s phallus and the colorful ribbons that the dancers wind around the May Pole represent the goddess with her flowers a-blooming. And so the impregnation of the Goddess is fulfilled.
“What turned out better than you thought?” my husband asked me. “When I met you,” I replied. “What? I didn’t make a good first impression?” my husband asked. “No. It wasn’t that. I just didn’t think we’d connect. You seemed unavailable.” “I was unavailable,” he said. I emailed the man who would later be my second husband. I wrote: “And darn it. I like you.” That was a stretch for me. It worked out better than I expected.
I have three insights for you.
1. Acknowledge your expectations. My friend, Stephen, had two romantic partners (in succession) who had to have a breast cancer-detecting biopsy. Each time, he told himself, “I’ll wait for the results. I don’t have the data. She needs me to be strong. I will not fall apart. I’ll wait for the results.”
Stephen purposely paused. He put his negative expectations on hold. Things turned out well. Both women had biopsies showing a benign situation.
Do you expect your magick will fail to work? Do you think things just won’t work with your romantic partner? Pause. Acknowledge your expectations. Ask yourself: “What if all this is NOT true?” What if you will NOT get the worst outcome? If you want to get out of your own way, pause. Acknowledge your expectations. Realize that the future will arrive. Some things WILL turn out better than you expect. Avoid unnecessary suffering in the meantime.
2. Expand your perception. Sometimes we need to focus on our intuition and our divinatory tools to expand our perceptions of things yet to come. A friend, Anna, faces a terrible co-worker each day she goes to work. She pauses. She asks Goddess, “What can I learn here?” In her meditation sessions, she realizes that she is learning something. She’s learning how to deal with a toxic person. She might end up teaching friends (maybe teaching classes) methods to handle a toxic person. Anna has successfully expanded her perception. How will you pause? How can you expand your perception? Do you have a spiritual elder who can advise you?
3. Invite the Goddess to quiet down your fear and limited expectations. Why do we have negative expectations? First, our biology makes us have a “negative bias.” Science shows that people are constantly scanning their environment for threats. That’s how our ancestors lived long enough to have kids. This negative bias fills us with fear. You can ask the Goddess to quiet down your fear and limited expectations.
Here is a prayer you might use:
My Gracious Goddess, Guide me to quiet my fears. Help me move forward in hope. And then, I will take action. I will NOT shut down and stand still. I will walk the hopeful path You have set for me. So Mote It Be.
“My father expects me to travel many hours – on his errands – even though I’m working two jobs. He won’t hear me at all,” my friend, Nadine, said.
“That sounds terrible,” I replied.
Nadine has some tough decisions ahead.
Here are three insights.
1. Realize how much you’re paying for certain situations.
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
I’ve learned that “people pleasers” walk a hard path. Over the years I have tended to be a people pleaser—and I do not like it.
It’s a hard path to walk because no matter what you do—someone is going to be angry with you.
Let’s say you have two friends. They don’t like each other. When you spend time with one, the other is jealous. You cannot win if your only value is “people pleasing.”
Pause. Ask yourself, “What would Goddess advise for me in this situation?” She would not want you to pay “the wrong price.” She wants your growth and well-being. Remember that.
2. Elevate your personal energy, and you help other people.
Did you grow up in a household in which parents or guardians said, “Don’t be selfish”?
Have you heard any guardians say, “Take care of yourself. It’s good”?
At the same time, I realize that if you take care of your personal energy, you can be helpful to others.
I’ve learned that helping others actually lifts my own mood. Dealing with depression symptoms, I’ve learned that this is a crucial insight.
“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ― Steve Maraboli
It takes energy to make a kind gesture. Be kind to yourself and protect your personal energy.
3. Ask the Gods to give you insight.
It’s hard to know what the best thing to do is. Do you say, “No”? Do you stretch “just one more time”?
Ask the God and Goddess to guide you and to give you insight.
They can see the whole picture. They know your destiny. They give you purpose and meaning.
Reach out to the Gods through meditation and prayer.
“I told her that I trust her with something that, in my local community, I have to keep confidential,” Julie began. “I made her promise me—but she told my secret to everybody. And now they shun me!”
“She told them you are Wiccan,” I said, realizing.
Have you had a similar situation in your life? Has someone betrayed you and now you just can’t get the painful thoughts and feelings out? Does it feel like you’re being ripped apart?
To heal after betrayal, we notice a process …
Stages:
Identify the betrayal
The point here is that you need to acknowledge to yourself that you have been wronged. This person made a decision that caused you harm. Before my divorce, I put up with bad actions of my then-husband. Part of gaining the strength to leave him was for me to put my foot down and declare in my own mind: “This is wrong. I will not endure this, anymore.”
Feel the pain
Acknowledge the pain. Feel it. Until you do, you can’t grow and move past it. Additionally, until you feel the pain you might not have the energy to push through and move on. My then-husband would drain our joint account of money to buy his video games and there would be no food in the apartment. He would feed himself with fast food and think nothing of me.
I had to feel the pain and gather my strength to get the hell away from him. (By the way, I’m so glad because after the divorce, I was free to find my soulmate. It’s so much better now.)
Perhaps, you’re like me, and you’d like a break from feeling so much pain. In fact, I had a recent meditation session in which I asked the God and Goddess, “Why do I have to be in such pain?”
Their answer made me pause. They said, “Pain is to grow.”
So, feeling the pain is where growth happens. I know it sucks. But pain is the fuel that creates growth.
Protect yourself from more trouble
This is where you need to cut all contact with the person. You can do the ritual below for this.
Here are the steps of True Separation:
Verbally end the relationship
Stay away from the person.
Ground yourself.
Cast circle.
Do the Separation Ritual (see below).
Do the Cakes and Wine ritual.
Close the circle.
Finally continue to have no contact with the toxic person.
You will need your usual ritual items to cast circle and your altar. As I mentioned you will also have a length of yarn or piece of red string. The yarn/string must be long enough to encircle your own waist and to encircle the object (that represents the toxic person).
The Separation Ritual
Take the object. First, your will asperge it. Asperge means to sprinkle the holy water with your fingers onto the object.
With the holy water, asperge and say:
I cleanse and consecrate you by water and earth.
Next you will cense the object. Cense means to waft incense smoke over the object.
With the incense smoke, cense and say:
I bless and charge you with air and fire.
Then take the string/yarn and cense and asperge it as well and say:
I cleanse and consecrate you by water and earth.
I bless and charge you with air and fire.
Take the red string/yarn in your hands saying:
Tiny bundle of String/yarn
You are now the same as the bonds between me and Name of person.
Tie one end of the string/yarn to the object and then encircle your waist with the other end of the string/yarn, while you say:
You are the bonds that connect us now.
From me to Name of person and from Name of person to me.
Our connection is by thee.
Sit and concentrate on the bond between you both and see it as the string/yarn that now connects you and the object. Once you have a firm connection with that thought, take the boline and cut the string/yarn, seeing in your mind’s eye the astral bonds being cut along with the string/yarn.
Once you complete the cut, say:
I am now free of the ties of Name of person as he/she is of me.
May my happiness expand, and may Name of person’s happiness expand.
Blessed be.
Finish up with the Cakes and Wine part of the ritual and then close the Circle.
Call upon the God and Goddess to assist with your healing
Meditate and pray to the Gods for strength. Here is a prayer you can use.
Heal my heart and mind, Free me of violence that binds Keep me safe and sane from [his/her] madness, Let me stay centered and stay strong as my own badass. So mote it be!
Circle the Wagons with Friends
Keep your true friends close to you. Confide in them and let them build you back up.
Move into Inner Peace
Now that you are centered and have had your friends strengthen you, you can now move into peace. You now know that you have separated yourself from the betrayer, and you have surrounded yourself with the love of your true friends and the God and Goddess.
Keep in mind there is a difference between acceptance and approval. You do not approve of the betrayer’s actions. Eventually, you might get to the point of acceptance. What would you be accepting? You would accept that the person was caught up in their own crap, and you weren’t even a fly on their windshield. We notice that people can be seriously self-centered and cruel.
But acceptance is not approval. Acceptance is realizing that you went through an event, and today you are not ruled by it.
May this material support you and bring you peace.
Have you recently felt the pain of oppression in your life? We, witches, often see how other people’s intolerance results in unfairness and worse toward Pagans.
When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, this you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression no matter how holy the motives. – Robert A. Heinlein
With today’s political and religious climate, oppression seems to be the norm. Racism, sexism, and religious prejudice apparently surround us.
Have you noticed any intolerance in our own community of witches?
Racism
One year, at a certain Pagan festival, I heard someone express racist comments in the hallway of the host hotel. This made me feel truly uncomfortable. I even felt anger rising up.
I can’t even imagine being someone of color hearing such garbage! My own husband is a person of color, and we have had discussions about this topic.
What is going on here? We, witches, already know oppression. Why would any of us feel okay about expressing oppression within our own ranks?
As witches, we understand being oppressed. We remember the Burning Times. With the atrocities, the Church drove the Craft underground.
With our community still bleeding from such oppression, why would any of us be okay with oppressing another person? If I could talk to the person who expressed these racist comments I would say, “We are all children of the God and Goddess. They love us all, that’s right, all! Remember, we are all part of the Gods, and, the Gods are part of us. There is no color in the God’s and Goddess’s eyes. We are one!”
Sexism
The overwhelming misogyny of the Burning Times is plain to see.
However, misogyny continues today. It’s reported that women only earn $0.79 to every dollar that men earn. Why is this tolerated?
While I was reflecting on this, I realized something startling. In modern witchcraft, it appears that men are being marginalized. Many of us realize that “witch” is a term for both men and women. However, many people have the mistaken notion that a male witch is a “warlock” (wrong!). The word “warlock” is only used for people who break their oaths. And many male witches consider it a derogatory term, which it is. So, please don’t call someone a warlock.
Think about it. It’s October, and you go into your favorite costume shop and look for a witch costume. Have you ever seen a male witch costume? I know I haven’t.
Keep in mind that a male witch is just as important as female witches. Remember that the Goddess gets all Her power from the God. The God lays all His power at the feet of the Goddess because He knows She is just and fair.
Religious Prejudice
In the Burning Times, not only did our community face misogyny, anyone who thought differently than the Church was in jeopardy. This meant you could be charged for heresy if anyone heard your opinion and reported it.
Mostly women were affected, but men were also accused and killed (hanged/burned). Whole towns were wiped off the map during the Burning Times. Some have reported that leaders during the Burning Times used the accusations of heresy as a pretext to fulfill their political aims.
Even now, many of us stay in the broom closet. Why? Hatred toward witches persists to this day.
Many of us stay hidden because we don’t want to be targeted by others’ hatred.
There are forms of oppression and domination which become invisible—the new normal. – Michel Foucault
This isn’t just the witch thing either. It’s also a race thing, and a sexism thing. It’s oppression in its many forms.
As Witches, what do we do when oppression is expressed in our own community?
As witches, we need to reach out with understanding in our hearts.
Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. – Albert Einstein
Compassion is more important than intellect in calling forth the love that the work of peace needs, and intuition can often be a far more powerful searchlight than cold reason. – Betty Williams
So how do we reach understanding and compassion? With the God and Goddess, that’s how.
Through meditation and ritual, the Gods can help us look within and discover the truth.
That truth is that we are all connected, both to the Gods and to each other. We are all equal in the light of the Gods. We may look different, have different abilities, and have different personalities; but we all are one.
Even though, in many ways, we cannot control our world leaders and the destructive cultural pressures around us, we can hold our own culture to a higher standard.
Lead with love and compassion towards others.
So, when you look into the eyes of a stranger, see yourself, see the God, and see the Goddess.
“Moonwater was telling me about her weight loss program, and it sounded like something I could do that didn’t cost me more than the normal groceries I buy, anyway. I started with an egg omelet in the morning with mushrooms and spinach. … In two weeks, I lost 7 lbs. I had a couple of days of eating what I wanted but not overeating. Then right back to Goddess Style. I feel great and eat what the Goddess gives us.” – Denise Kopplinger
As a Wiccan I found this an inspiring read. Written in a way that makes it accessible to everyone irrespective of their current knowledge. – Shona Cathro
I don’t generally write reviews on books I’ve read…but this time i feel lead to. This book spoke volumes to me, as if the author knew exactly where I’m coming from and what I’m struggling with. It’s not often a book can make me cry, but this one did by making me see the many blocks I’ve put up in my life. I knew they were there, but I’ve gotten skilled at pretending they’re not. Thank you for helping me see I’m not some freak because of circumstances throughout my life that have caused the blocks, and that i need to stop hiding from or burying them and face them one step at a time. – Crystal Sparks
This book is a must have for all of those starting out on the spiritual path of Wicca and for all of those who are just looking for some light and love in their life. MoonWater SilverClaw uses her knowledge of Wicca and her personal experiences to not only teach the Law of Attraction in a clear manner but to help you use the Law of Attraction to better your life.
Through simple guided meditations and tips on living a happy healthy life this book takes you on a journey that will teach you how to love yourself, better your self image, and rid yourself of the negative energies that prevent you from reaching your goals.
This book covers many wonderful topics that will teach you basic magical practices as well as the theory and idea of “like attracts like” From setting up an alter to casting a circle and how to perform and find the magick that you are seeing in your life this book has so much to offer.
MoonWater SilverClaw is truly an inspirational writer for a newer generation of Wiccans and those seeking to use the natural energies of the earth to make changes in their life. Her writing style speaks from the heart because she has been where the reader is, she has used these techniques and steps to better her own life and now she is helping the reader use the Law of Attraction to better theirs – Amazon Customer
This is an absolute gem for the witch with issues. Rituals for things like self-esteem are something i have never seen before. Moonwater’s writing is engrossing and draws the reader in. I am a witch with PTSD M.S. and other issues and this book made me feel hopeful and capable. – t’air
Ms. SilverClaw has written a book that is really great for the beginner wanting to learn about Wiccan or wants to start practicing the art of Wicca. I found this book wonderful, easy to read, and extremely helpful and informative. It covers everything from what Wicca is, the history of Wicca and how Wicca became misassociated with evil, along with how Wicca can help/save people’s lives. Ms. SilverClaw also discusses practicing Wicca either in a Coven or Solo, and all the things you need in order to have in order to perform your ceremony, and she explains what each item means. She explains how to create spells and gives examples to use, and explains the pitfalls of creating certain types of spells. Ms. SilverClaw has truly created a book that is a cast all net the seems to cover everything that I needed to know to begin practicing Wicca. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is searching for their first book on the topic and wants to start practicing the art of Wicca or is just curious about the topic. This is truly a Must Have book. – Tamra L. Shipman
“I hear you,” I replied. “Something in particular?”
“We’re squeezed from all sides. All the Christmas music, the shopping, the happy couples, the family time. Hey, it was Yule!—before the Christians hijacked our season,” Matilda continued.
Ever feel, as a pagan, that you’re on a small island in the middle of “Christmas-focused people”?
The holidays often create depression and anxiety in Pagans. Seeing all the decorations and good cheer may be nice. Still, we Pagans know that one of our sacred Sabbats was perverted into a consumer holiday.
One holiday season, I was sitting in a knitting group at a yarn shop, when an older woman exclaimed, “What’s all this ‘happy holidays’ crap? It’s Christmas, damn it! It’s always going to be Christmas.”
I felt my hackles rise because I knew full well that in the group were a Jew, me and an Asian with parents from China. Through our diversity, we were already demonstrating that “happy holidays” was a respectful greeting at this time of year.
Why? Because in the USA, we have people of various cultures and traditions.
Long time readers of this blog know that I deal with depression symptoms. It’s true that outside things like all of this tinsel and tyranny of some people pushing their religion on others can exacerbate my depression symptoms.
Getting Past Feeling Depressed
I have learned to focus on the beauty around me and what it means to me. By this I mean, I focus on this present moment. If I see a Yule tree and I enjoy its beauty, then my depression symptoms “quiet down.” Who cares what others call the tree.
Pagans Feeling Anxiety during the Holidays
I have a number of Pagan friends who have to hide their faith from their Christian family and friends. Talk about anxiety! What if the pagan lets something slip like: “Oh, yeah. I had so much fun a Pantheacon”?
Here are some of things I do to lower my anxiety levels.
I have a particular family member who works with some people who are not open to hearing about the pagan path. So I make sure to guard my own energy before an event with that particular group. I prepare to listen and talk about things that this group is comfortable talking about.
Most importantly, I make sure to devote time with like-minded pagans so I feel safe and nurtured—and renewed in energy.
About dealing with the consumerism of the season:
I didn’t participate in Black Friday. I did not run around and attempt to get big bargains. That activity has nothing to do with the true meaning of the holiday Yule, which is about honoring the birth of the God, and the return of the sun.
Pagans and Wiccans know what Yule really means.
I practice being gentle with myself about gift-giving. Sure, you can give close ones gifts. Just go easy about it.
The way to deal with depression and anxiety is to nurture yourself.
Focus on being in the present moment. Find the beauty you cherish and create your own meaning.
Would you benefit from studying with an online Wicca or Pagan school? To explore this topic, I interviewed Heather Greene, Luna Marr, and Aline O’Brien.
(Some responses may have been edited for length.)
Let’s start.
* When should someone consider going to an online school?
Luna: When it’s necessary. Some students work out very well with books and doing their own research, but there are others . . . who feel they need to hide their beliefs and study in secret, or just live in areas where a one-on-one pagan education isn’t available. Not all online educations are equal. . . . Some online schools just charge you money, hand you a bunch of information with little to no guidance. And others give you a mentor experience [in] your own home via the Internet.
Aline O’Brien: In the case of Cherry Hill Seminary (CHS), because there is no other school offering full training parallel with what is taught at mainstream seminaries. I strongly feel that Pagans should collaborate on the creation of our own culture. That means not attending liberal Protestant seminaries because you think they’re the only game in town when it comes to seminary-type training (chaplaincy, pastoral counseling, interfaith, history, etc.)
Heather: Online schools can help people who, for one reason or another, don’t have the ability to physically attend classes. In addition schools like Cherry Hill Seminary offer access to subjects and teachers that might not be available locally.
Moonwater: I agree. Online education may be necessary for someone who does not have a local pagan community for support.
* Would you use an online choice for your primary way of learning Wicca verses face-to-face learning?
Aline: Not necessarily. It really depends a lot on what’s available in a particular individual’s area.
Heather: I would not choose distance learning as my primary way of learning any subject unless no other option was available. And there are situations where that is the case. I do prefer the immediacy of presence and the concentrated, shared energy of the “classroom” experience. This cannot be replicated online. However I also believe that there are educational opportunities in all forms of learning processes. Distance learning gives us access to teachers and professional who might otherwise not be available to us at any point in our lives. I see that alone as an invaluable resource.
Luna: I wouldn’t say that I would choose it over face-to-face learning, simply that it’s an alternative and another valuable option. . . . In my school Pagans Learning Online we believe that an online education should mimic the face-to-face experience as closely as possible, through technology such as Skype, Google, and the ability to upload voice, video, and written materials. We are able to replicate the face-to-face experience fairly well. Is it the same as having that mentor there who can give you a hug when you’re down? Absolutely not. However, an online education can still offer the same benefits.
Moonwater: I prefer the face-to-face approach when possible. This way you can experience how your student moves and uses energy. However, it’s important to me that students have access to information. That’s the reason that I write this blog (with the help of my editors) and I wrote my book The Hidden Children of the Goddess.
* Are online schools helpful or harmful to our community?
Luna: This question is like a double edged sword. I want to say that online schools can be incredibly helpful to the Pagan and Wiccan community . . . . [But] some schools offer a lot of false certifications and dangerous ideas that if a person was so willing they could take advantage of. I even heard of one online school that tells you that you’re not allowed to worship the Gods and Goddesses unless you are a Level 1 priestess and [have] passed their tests. A student looking into an online school needs to know when something just doesn’t sound right or seem right. They need to do their research. . . . Healing of the aura and the chakras is something that should be left up to trained professionals. . . . For people who are forced to practice in the shadows, having the opportunity to practice online is something that [can] change who they are in a positive way. Online schools have the ability to help guide and grow future leaders of the Pagan and Wiccan community so that the next batch of people who look for a place to learn may not have the same struggles.
Aline: Some are helpful, others not so much; depends upon the school. I can say, however, that Pagans attend CHS for two primary reasons: one is for personal enrichment and the other to better serve their own communities. They don’t come so they can get a degree and get a job by being hired by some Pagan ‘church.’ They don’t come so they can get a raise at their current job. In the bigger picture, some seek chaplaincy degrees because in the mainstream world having one is required in order for one to do that work (the military being the most stringent in terms of chaplaincy requirements).
Heather: Just like anything, distance learning can be both helpful and harmful. It is helpful for the reasons specified above. Distance learning can offer people an opportunity to attend classes that they might not be able to otherwise. At the same time, distance learning is not yet accredited in the same way as conventional institutions. Assessing a school’s credibility and legitimacy is left to student and [it’s] often very difficult. The digital world has created a universe in which legitimacy is easier to falsify. Students must be very cautious.
* Online schools are on the rise, so how can you tell if one is right for your student?
Luna: It’s about doing the research, knowing yourself and your own personal learning style, and using your common sense. . . . Paganism and Wicca are terms for thousands of proud and dedicated religious pathways and traditions, rooted 60,000 years in the past. That isn’t easy stuff to learn over night. I think that as a society we get far too wrapped up in the “I want it now” of things and we overlook the hard work and dedication it takes to do something right. So before you jump into the first online school of Paganism that you see, do some research and ask some questions and remember that if it doesn’t look right or sound right then keep looking.
Heather: It is important to research the institution, teachers and the administrative staff; to examine the promises made and the cost; to talk to former students and to ask as many questions as possible.
Aline: I would say in the same way one would explore schools for any other kind of learning–read everything possible, ask others who attended that school, etc. I’m not sure I quite ‘get’ telling what’s right for one’s student. To me, the student her/himself would be the person making such decisions. S/he could seek advice and recommendations from a teacher. Alternatively, a particular teacher may wish to direct a particular student to a specific online educational resource/school for, say, a course on ministering to the dying.
* When should you not consider a school as a supplement for your student?
Heather: If local resources and lifestyle permit, it is good to consider the local options first. I would also steer a student away from a school that does not “check out” as legitimate.
Aline: Again, I can’t really speak knowledgeably to this because my experience is with a graduate school. It’s not about learning Wicca per se.
Luna: The only answer I would have for this is when the reason for seeking out the education isn’t pure of intent. . . . However if what you’re looking for is a chance to grow both as a person and in your magical abilities and you embrace the dedication it takes, then online schools are a great choice. I have seen many students whose self-esteem has bloomed. [And, one’s] inner light and love of yourself and those around you [become] powerful tools to change the world.
Since, Luna and Aline are active with online schools, I asked this question:
What can web schools like yours offer students with mentors?
Luna: I suggest a student stay with their mentor . . . unless they aren’t getting a full education from their mentor. I have had very good mentors. My first mentor was a Wiccan High Priestess. I myself have chosen the path of druidry, but it was very nice and refreshing to be able to learn so much about the Wiccan beliefs and practices. [I enjoyed] spending time with someone who knew what I was going through at a young age and was able to help guide me. It was a valuable experience. However, she was only able to offer me part of the picture that I was looking for. She could only teach me about Wicca. Because of this, I found myself studying books for years, doing research and seeking out others who had other beliefs.
Aline: The online school with which I’m affiliated, Cherry Hill Seminary (www.cherryhillseminary.org), provides primarily graduate-level education. We offer two masters’ degrees–M.A. in Pagan Studies and M.Div. So CHS is different from other online Pagan schools in that our students are already whatever kind of educated Pagan they are. In other words, mentors aren’t in the picture. Those who are seeking degrees, which is not all of our students, must attend two live, in-person multi-day retreats during the course of their studies. (http://www.cherryhillseminary.org/) CHS has a Dean of Students, who is not exactly a mentor but does help students determine their personal course of study. I think (not entirely sure) students have faculty advisors when they choose a degree path. (There’s tons of detailed info on this topic in CHS’ Catalogue.)
Some Pagans view Online Wiccan education as a controversial topic. The views expressed above belong to those who expressed them.
I, Moonwater, prefer the one-to-one mentor/student process (and that is my training). However, it strikes me that it is helpful to carefully study material if a local Pagan community is not available.
As with other important decisions, devote great care to your educational path.
Biographies of Our Interviewees
Luna Marr, has been studying paganism both independently and with various mentors for the last 21 years. She is very proactive in her local pagan community, serving as both clergy and secretary in her local pagan church. She says, “I have always believed that paganism deserves the same respect as other religions, but with that respect comes responsibilities to be knowledgeable in your beliefs and in the history of your beliefs. I feel that with the growing interest in paganism there need to be more hands-on ways for people to learn and grow without the pressure of being forced down one pathway or another.” Email: Luna@paganslearningonline.org Her online school is Pagans Learning On Line.
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