IDGAF blog post prompt
Weekly IDGAF blog prompt: What drew you into the occult, and how has that viewpoint changed/been reinforced?
To be honest, "the occult" wasn't what initially attracted me about Wicca and witchcraft. I had been feeling disillusioned with the Christian religion that I was raised in (Lutheran), and was more drawn to the spirituality (as in, Goddess spirituality and Earth spirituality). I had been questioning why God was portrayed as male (it seemed silly for something that was apparently omnipresent and all-powerful) and why the feminine was suppressed and women couldn't be ordained or have important roles (despite that fact that some of the best Sunday-school teachers I had were female). The only part of the occult that I was attracted to was spellcrafting and magic, the art of changing consciousness (and/or reality) in accordance with will. Of course I had watched the movie The Craft, and I had a close friend whose sister was apparently practicing witchcraft with a group of friends and I was totally intrigued. So, I read the first book I bought on witchcraft, Fiona Horne's book (and later, books by Teresa Moorey, Laurie Cabot, Starhawk and Vivianne Crowley among others, I got a lot of books out from the library in those days, as well as a few treasured books that I owned) and got busy practicing positive magic and spells for growth and happiness (in particular, a spell to help my mum through the bout of depression she was experiencing).
How has that viewpoint changed or been reinforced?
In some ways my viewpoint has changed, and in other ways not much has changed at all. I am 29 now, so obviously a lot has happened and changed in my life since I was in my early teens. I am still very drawn to Goddess and Earth spirituality, but I honour and work with male deities (such as Pan, Cernunnos and the Green man) and my practice is focused on celebratory rituals more so than spells to "fix" things in my life (apart from healing spells, which I tend to do a lot). Another thing that has changed is that I have gained more of an undertanding of the role of hexing and cursing, and it's something I have been researching and talking to other witches about to form my ideas about. It's not something I have consciously done at this stage (apart from perhaps some psychic attack that was mainly unintentional and happens all the time), but I have gained an understanding of the saying "a witch who cannot hex cannot heal". When I was younger I believed in playing it safe, the Wiccan rede and the threefold law. I took a "just don't do it" approach to baneful magic, much like drugs. I guess with age and wisdom has come an understanding that "negative" and "dark" feelings have their place, and that putting out negative energy is valid (and let's face it, some people deserve it). I am also more interested in divination, fortune telling and necromancy. I used to be scared of ouija boards and would never have touched one, now I'm super intrigued and want one of my very own!
Anyway, I had better go to bed now. I may not blog for a little while because Jonah and I are going for a trip up north tomorrow night. I might fit in a quick post while I am there. Thanks for reading and take care. Much love xx :)
To be honest, "the occult" wasn't what initially attracted me about Wicca and witchcraft. I had been feeling disillusioned with the Christian religion that I was raised in (Lutheran), and was more drawn to the spirituality (as in, Goddess spirituality and Earth spirituality). I had been questioning why God was portrayed as male (it seemed silly for something that was apparently omnipresent and all-powerful) and why the feminine was suppressed and women couldn't be ordained or have important roles (despite that fact that some of the best Sunday-school teachers I had were female). The only part of the occult that I was attracted to was spellcrafting and magic, the art of changing consciousness (and/or reality) in accordance with will. Of course I had watched the movie The Craft, and I had a close friend whose sister was apparently practicing witchcraft with a group of friends and I was totally intrigued. So, I read the first book I bought on witchcraft, Fiona Horne's book (and later, books by Teresa Moorey, Laurie Cabot, Starhawk and Vivianne Crowley among others, I got a lot of books out from the library in those days, as well as a few treasured books that I owned) and got busy practicing positive magic and spells for growth and happiness (in particular, a spell to help my mum through the bout of depression she was experiencing).
How has that viewpoint changed or been reinforced?
In some ways my viewpoint has changed, and in other ways not much has changed at all. I am 29 now, so obviously a lot has happened and changed in my life since I was in my early teens. I am still very drawn to Goddess and Earth spirituality, but I honour and work with male deities (such as Pan, Cernunnos and the Green man) and my practice is focused on celebratory rituals more so than spells to "fix" things in my life (apart from healing spells, which I tend to do a lot). Another thing that has changed is that I have gained more of an undertanding of the role of hexing and cursing, and it's something I have been researching and talking to other witches about to form my ideas about. It's not something I have consciously done at this stage (apart from perhaps some psychic attack that was mainly unintentional and happens all the time), but I have gained an understanding of the saying "a witch who cannot hex cannot heal". When I was younger I believed in playing it safe, the Wiccan rede and the threefold law. I took a "just don't do it" approach to baneful magic, much like drugs. I guess with age and wisdom has come an understanding that "negative" and "dark" feelings have their place, and that putting out negative energy is valid (and let's face it, some people deserve it). I am also more interested in divination, fortune telling and necromancy. I used to be scared of ouija boards and would never have touched one, now I'm super intrigued and want one of my very own!
Anyway, I had better go to bed now. I may not blog for a little while because Jonah and I are going for a trip up north tomorrow night. I might fit in a quick post while I am there. Thanks for reading and take care. Much love xx :)