Eclectic Witchcraft FAQ

When did you first become interested in The Craft?

I was introduced into The Goddess Path when I was 9.  My dad had just died and my mom had my aunt Helen around all of the time taking care of me while she worked a full time job.  Aunt Helen would talk about The Goddess almost every day and finally I asked her what her beliefs were, I was 12 or so and she told me she was a Witch and what that was.

What were some things she taught you?

She basically said that The Creator was a female energy and a male energy but that she as a woman always felt more connected to the female aspects and I as a Gay young man felt the same way and so that is what I adopted into my beliefs, I would refer to The Goddess and never mention, The God and I have done alright really.   :)

Did she teach you practices or did you discover them later?

No, she taught me Magic, ritual, about the Witches rede, the law of return and herbs and plantlife.   she taught me to have a deep respect for nature, for animals and for all life.   Yet she also taught me to stay open and explore other ideas, she had hundreds of books in her living room, she had a sun deck where she would go outside and read all day and all night probably and she would light candles and incense and just connect with Nature/The Goddess.    

Do you believe then in a Goddess only or?

It's complicated.   I was raised to believe in The Goddess, that she is the Air, The Elements around us, Fire, Water, Earth.   That she is The animals of the fields, she is all human beings, she is literally everything natural and she is also IN each of these things so I suppose it's like a Panentheist belief system where a person believes in a Goddess who is part of nature but also in some way above or set apart from it.     I really have no usage for the word God.

How does The Goddess communicate with you?

Well, I was told my Helen that she spoke through our divination source: The die.   I admit that I have moved beyond that because I do see The Goddess now as nearly completely a part of nature, not really set above it in any way and I see the die as a random tool which decides what days are rituals and what books to read and the lessons inside, I still allow the die to lead me to new ideas and experiences though that practice is also fading out.   I have changed a lot from how I was raised but I think it's a good thing.

Give an overview of your beliefs/practices?

1. I believe In The Goddess who IS The Universe/The Earth.  Everything natural therefore is Sacred, Holy, Divine and deserves religious reverence and respect.

2. The Witches Rede -an it harm none, do what ye will.   I do my best to live a life that does not impose on others, I do not hurt animals or people when I can help it and I do not go into natural habitats and fuck with nature.   :)

3. The Law of Return.   Of course I believe that whatever you send out comes back to you.  Right away.   Times Ten!

4. Random Ritual Days.   If I lived somewhere that it wasn't 115 in the daytime and near a body of water, I would have both indoor and outdoor rituals, for the indoor ones I would do what I do now, magic, meditation, visualization work, etc and for the outdoor ones I would probably go for a walk in the woods, sit by the ocean ,swim in the surf, etc.

5. Magic.   I believe in using natural energies that exist inside of us and around us to bring about change in our lives.  This magic to me is very real.  It can be psychological yes....but then how do the things I want to happen, happen?

Blessings!

Book of Shadows

I do not personally have a Book of Shadows, I have never found one that I felt drawn to, I also do not own an Athame for the same reasons, I need to see one that I want to spend my money on (greed)   haha!     I need to feel drawn to it.   I have never been drawn to any book.  Maybe one that looks like the Book of Shadows from the tv show 'Charmed'   Yeah.  I'd like that.

Anyways, I am here to share what would be in my Book of Shadows if I had one and in some sense, this online Journal could for now represent my BOS?

I would probably make entries for each Random Ritual Day that I hold and put what happened inside the ritual though to be honest I never do the same ritual twice, It's very personal, very hard to explain the process and what happens in ritual, stays in ritual, haha!

Some of the magic I have done is NOT repeatable.   I write down what I want usually in a rhyme.   I light the candle I feel is right, It usually matches in color because it's how I feel though of course I know in reality that candles, paper, knives etc are just tools!

I usually either contemplate and visualize what I want coming true or I spirit dance to send it out and then I burn the paper and blow it out over and over again until the die informs me that the spell is finished, this can be quite an ecstatic process because when I dance, I sweat, I often have slipped into a Trance state to achieve my magical ends.

I did a spell the week after mom died.   I needed money, I said $500 in the spell.   I sent the energies out and then let it go....a week later I was in 7-11, I bought a diet cherry pepsi big gulp (Yay) and then had $5 left and put it in the machine, I hit 4 Deuces and that was $1000!    

I have done other spells as well and had them work but I wonder...all spells do not work so is it possible that Magic is more of a psychological process to better our Inner/Deeper selves and Ritual is much like psychodrama?    This is something Satanism says as well but some Satanists do believe in Real Magic.    It's complicated I think.   :)

Blessings!

The Devil is in The Details

Wow.

As I delve deeper into Satanism, I have discovered so much new information, both about their way of thinking and my own inner nature.   Satanists are BORN and not made according to them, either you are born to be Carnal, Selfish, Etc or you are not.

I can be selfish.  I can be greedy.   I love money.  I love these things but the truth is that without balance you can end up completely a dark person with no cares and concerns for anyone but yourself, do Satanists believe in balance?

I firmly believe in taking care of my own needs first and that is where you can say that I am a selfish person but I also believe in taking care of the needs of others too, that is where balance has to come into play.

I am enjoying exploring Satanism and even in 'becoming' a Satanist so that I can truly experience life from a Satanic point of View but I also do not want to allow it to consume me and I need to remember I am a Witch first.    

To those that say that you cannot be a Satanic Witch.   I think you can be an Eclectic with many different teachings, practices and beliefs as part of your path, look at me, I follow the Wiccan rede, the law of return and then I have Pantheism in my bag because I firmly believe The Universe is The Goddess.   

I don't believe in most of the supernatural but I do believe in Magic which to me is using Natural energies that exist inside and around us to bring about change.   :)

I want to buy all of the books in the Satanic series and read them, I want to apply what works but I am not a Satanist so don't panic!

Blessings!

Witch Wars

I remember this term, I call Witches like these, my way or the highway and they exist in all religions, Christians are always thinking they are right while everyone else is wrong if they do not follow the beliefs THEIR way.   I see it in Satanism on a regular basis, after all Satanism is a CARNAL religion, If you are even slightly spiritual-You are Not a Satanist.    

I avoid people like this.    I am a Witch because I understand the definition of Witch to be a man or a woman who worships/Reveres or Honors The Goddess (In whatever form), Practices Magic and Ritual and Seeks to Attune themselves with the Natural cycles.

If I were to tell someone that I was studying Satanism and integrating some of its beliefs and practices into my life as a Witch, I would be chastised right out of Both trains of thought, why?   I am Eclectic, Isn't that what an Eclectic person is supposed to do?

I read devotionals and meditation books on a regular basis, these books mention God and Jesus more often than anything else but I just translate the word God to Goddess so I can handle it's inner truths and not be caught up in the words and when it talks about Jesus, I try to not think-oh that's part of Christianity because this will hinder my growth both as a Witch and a human being.

Satanism has taught me that I can have what I want in life, I can work towards goals and make them happen, I am a strong person, I do not need to sit around and wait for doors to magically open, Yes I admit that sometimes I miss that life, I miss the serenity and peace of a non doing/non striving life but to be honest I love working, I love making money.

I am also a very Greedy person, meaning that money does make my world go round.   Can a Witch love money?    why not?    I do not harm anyone to make the money, in fact I help people, I am more of a counselor than a Psychic so in that sense I feel I am ok in making money and spending it too.

Blessings!

Holy Holy Holy....

Hi!

Ritual and Celebrations!

I was raised with Random Ritual Days.  

These are a test to our Path.   Since they are Random.

See...Let's say you had a picnic planned for today and then The die reveals that it's a random ritual day, what is more important to you?

To a Witch on the path I was raised in, Connecting to our own Inner/Deeper Selves and Connecting on a regular basis to The Goddess should be the MOST Important aspect of our lives but to some people, they would go on the picnic, people have a way of rationalizing their beliefs and practices so that their beliefs conform to them and not so that they conform to their beliefs which is how it should really be.

What about the Traditional Holy days and Wheel of The Year?

I was not raised with it.   I was raised to honor Halloween and Yes we called it Halloween, Not Samhain.    Though I do understand the origins of calling it that.   My sister calls it that.   I applaud her for it.   :)

A lot of the Wheel of The Year is based on the Mythology of Gods and Goddesses found in various cultures, The Goddess had sex with someone and gave birth to a son and then he grew up and she died and she had sex and died and who knows what happened to her next, they act like The Goddess is a real person who can have sex and can feel pain and can experience lust and death.   

This is where I diverge greatly from Wicca in that I see The Goddess as The Universe/Nature but she is NOT alive in the sense that we are, she is The Natural energies that flow through everything in Nature, she is the sun and the moon and the stars and the wind and the trees, the storms and the snakes, the earthquakes and the human beings.

The Goddess is my Queen.   She is The All and Is in The All.

Random Ritual days for me are a way for me to connect on a deeper level with Nature.   

Full Moons and New Moons are wonderful but see, to me, EVERY day is Sacred, EVERY Moon, EVERY Star, I do not see the point of making one day over another day more holy than the other, so for me I will stick with my random rituals.

Blessings!

Books & Links to remember!

Hi!

Here is a list of Books I highly suggest you read:

Solitary Eclectic Witchcraft and Thoughtful Pagan Living by Liz Pilley.   These books are written from a Non Wiccan perspective and while I know I have been going on about Wicca a lot lately, I have the non Wiccan side to myself to contend with as well or do I?

ANY Book by Scott Cunningham.

A Witch's book of Answers by Cerelia and Eileen Holland.
This book is written as a Q&A where a question is asked and both women who are two different kinds of Witches give an answer based on their beliefs, most often the answers conflict which shows you that there is no one solid idea of a true answer, I am not even sure there are true answers in Witchcraft.

When someone you love is Wiccan by Carl Mccolman.   
This book is written also in Q&A format and says it's for friends and families of Wiccans but the truth is that anyone can read it and get a lot of wisdom and information from it.

Wicca Demystified by Bryan Lankford.   This book delves deeply into Wicca, It has sections on what to eat to what to wear to Magic and ritual to the laws, deities, beliefs, myths and facts and so much more and really think it's one of the best books I've had the pleasure to read.

ANY Books by Anton LaVey, Peter Gilmore, Blanche Barton or any member of The Church of Satan.   why?   To gain a new perspective and discover that while it's true that we do not kill babies or sacrifice animals that Satanists do not do this either and we are giving them a bad name by making generalized statements like this in order to defend our practices against Christianity.

Links:

Witchcrafted.org
By far my FAVORITE website, when you enter the page you will see a Book shelf with books on it that are each titled based on their sections, Witchcraft, herbs, spells, divination etc.  I love the format, I love the information inside.

Wiccaspirituality.com   This is another favorite website for me, The information there is invaluable.

Witchvox.com   Every Witch should be here, every Pagan of any shape or form should create their own profile and set off to explore the thousands of pages.

I am sure there are more but for now, these are the ones I feel we should not allow ourselves to pass by or forget!

Blessings!

The Goddess and.... The.... God?

Hi!

So....

This post might be pretty hard for me, we will see.

I was raised with a belief that there is a Universal Creator.  This Creator is male and female-well really, Neither.   This Creator had attributes that were of all living creatures.  The Creator is in all things Natural and is all things Natural.   This Creator is NOTHING like that of other religions, though I now know of Christianity, I was not raised with it in my life and I never really knew much about them or their beliefs until I was 17.

The Goddess and The God are not judgemental assholes who decide that nearly every choice we can make in our lives is a 'sin'   In Wicca, there really is no such thing as sin, there are good choices which have rewards that are both mundane such as having good people around us and magical consequences such as whatever we send out will come back on us and there are bad choices-having users and abusers in our lives and of course the returns against us can be devastating.    There is No sin.   There is no eternal damnation for making mistakes.  If you fuck up, The law of return gets you almost right away and it's usually from my experience to be times TEN!   Not Three which is popular among most of my fellow Witches!

The word God to me is a dirty word because I am so used to being around Christians and their concept of God so that now when someone says to me, do you believe in God?    I knee jerk react and say NO.    Truth is...I believe in The Creator.     Whatever that is, whatever sex, color, sexuality it is, I believe it is.   

I will often call This Creator, The Goddess though because like candle colors and other tools I spoke about in the last post, this is what feels right to me and that alone gives it power and meaning, The Goddess to me is Nature, The Universe and deserves religious honor and respect but in REALITY if Pressed I would reveal to believe in Both male and female energies so no I am NOT a Monotheist.

I am some kind of Pantheistic animist.   A Duotheist?     I do not know, I do not care.   I am what I am.     :)

Blessings!

Holy Shit Batman!

Hi
  
My sister called me!

We had a nice long talk.

She doesn't remember why she is mad at me or why she let it go on for so long but she did say that one of the reasons she was not comfortable being around me 7 years ago is because I was becoming extremist in my beliefs, for example, the belief I was raised with--Waiting for the doors to open and not being allowed to make any changes in my life--It was to the point where I would not even get a job if I needed one because the door had not opened and while this was how I was raised and there is still a part of me that believes this is how I should be, I no longer practice this for practical reasons, besides I love to work, I love money and I love paying bills and getting things that both Don and I need.

:)

If Don was gone and I lived alone in the country, I could see myself following the teachings I was raised with, I could be Vegan, do whatever felt right to me, live one on one with the Earth but who knows if that is the path I would ultimately choose, I love the cities too, I am actually VERY drawn to San Francisco for some reason, always have been.

I cannot wait to see her and spend time with her again and see the kids, Cory, Jamie and Amber.   :)      I have a feeling that I will be closer to Amber but I could be wrong, we shall see!

Sooooo happy!

Blessings!

Candle Colors, Black Rituals

Hi

I have been thinking a lot today on the props and tools of a Witch.   I have always used Green candles for example to draw money and while I do know that I do NOT need to use certain types, colors, shapes of candles to make my magic work, I have always felt that the colors mean something and so for me, they do.   

I think a lot of The Craft is about what holds special meanings for you and not so much about what is true.   What I mean by that is that if you want to do a love spell and all you have in the house is a blue candle, you can use the blue candle but what a lot of us are programmed to do is go out and get a red or pink candle and really there is nothing wrong with that!

I am going to do a money spell tonight, I need to use a green candle.   So I can see it from both sides.   The same with props, they aren't needed.   One can simply light a candle and raise energy in some way, through spirit dance perhaps and make the magic flow from your body out into the world around you, you don't need incense, oils, holy waters or any other special tools unless you believe that you need them because belief is a very powerful force.

Take Black Candles.   I have always understood that they are to be used in Black magic.   To put a curse or hex on someone, to raise bad energies to send out to the world.   I know that Satanists use black candles for similar spells and to perform what are called Greater Magic or what I call 'Black Ritual'.

I see Black Ritual as a great chance to let all of this negativity out of your system and release it, so that you are not being held back by it but you have to be careful as to not send that negative energy out into the real world.    I can see why casting a circle would be useful in this type of ritual because you want that gunk out of your system but you don't want it going out and hitting the person you are hating on, right?    or else, you have harmed someone and the law of return will come in and bite you in the arse!

SIGH.    

I never thought I would ever see a good reason to cast a circle.  wow.

What is happening to me?    :O)~      I am open minded I guess.   

Blessings!

Happy Birthday to my sister

Hi

Today is my sister's birthday.   I am sending a letter to her to tell her how I have been missing her and how I have felt and why I feel that we are forever connected as brother and sister and as Witches and maybe she will read it and call.    who knows.   It's my last attempt to even try.   

The Vegan discussion has reared it's ugly head again in The Pagan communities.   Should we be Vegan or at least Vegetarian if we call ourselves protectors of the wild, protectors of the Earth?

In my opinion, Yes.    I was Vegan until mom went into the hospice and then try being Vegan in a small town like Kingman Arizona?   I had to survive and so I did what I had to do to make it to the next level of my life, nothing wrong with that but then I met Don who will not even try Vegan foods-well, that's not true, I did manage to get him to try the Veganaise and the Daiya cheese and he loved that and also the tofutti sour cream which is the BOMB!

To me it all boils down to the rede again.   does the rede say an it harm NONE or an it harm No-One.   Then again you have people today saying the rede is counsel or advice (which is what rede means) and that it's not a steadfast and hard rule which is a contradiction to how I was raised of course.

Wicca is becoming ANYTHING you want it to be.  It's watered down BIG Time!    Like Iv'e said before, I am a hard core all or nothing kind of person, I feel that if it harms, it's wrong.  

My aunt Helen believed that we should live our best lives while doing AS LITTLE HARM AS POSSIBLE.   Yes, I have to exist, I have to live so this means that I have to kill, I kill organisms every second of my life and if I see a cockroach in my kitchen, It's dead!

But 

I will not go out into the forest and kill snakes even though I am scared to death of them, I will respect their own space and not do them harm, I will not do purposeful harm, I do not smoke for this reason, I also am not into drugs, I don't do curses or hexes, I don't steal and I try not to lie.   

This is why I do not belong and fit into the Pagan community as a whole and I have no interest in ever fitting in, I am who I am and I like who I am.   The End.

Blessings!