Still Here, Just Been a Busy Few Weeks

Still Here, Just Been a Busy few Weeks

            I’m still here and kicking, just have had a few busy weeks and still have at less another half week to a full week of busy busy. Even though I have been very busy, I could have been reading my Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, I’m at about the half way point now. And still doing my training at The Magicka Circle School. Only thing that I haven’t been able to do is my tarot card draws. I’m hoping that once school is out for the simmer, I will have more time on me hands.

            I’m still wondering about an Altar, should I wait to start looking to get one or should I go get it and the tools I’ll need for it. I realize at this point I’ll only be able to have a temporary altar but I still need the tools as well as the altar cloth. Yes I know I’ve only been training for about a month now, but I ‘m at about 80% sure this is the right path for me. Everyday I can’t wait to get time to read, I’m always thinking about what I’ve read and what I’m doing in my courses. I have found myself looking around me and seeing the beauty in everything, from birds eating and feeding their young, to a beautiful sunset I watched the other night outside.

I’m still waiting on a reply from my email to The Wiccan Church of Canada – Hamilton Temple. I’m hoping that maybe I can start going to Saturday lessons and the Ritual after wards.

Differences Between Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism

I’m reading/doing this 13 weeks course, “Introduction to Wicca” (yes as well as The Magickal School training) from About.com. And in today lesson, the beginning or week 1, the first section was on the differences of Wicca, Witchcraft or Paganism. First off they explain that Paganism really isn’t just one religion, but many of them under what is called umbrella term used to describe not one but many different spiritual belief systems and Wicca is but one of them. The word Pagan translates roughly onto “hick from the sticks” which was originally used to describe people who lived in rural around the time that Christianity began. As Christianity spread, many of them country folks were often the last holdouts, keeping to their belief system or old religions. Therefore “Pagan” came to mean people who don’t worship the God of Abraham.

The next part of this section was on Basics of Wicca & Paganism, where they talked about “Making Time for Magic”. They suggest making a list of things I HAVE to and things I WANT to do., then set things to a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. Then remember that if my spiritual study, rituals, and magic are of that important to me, then I need to find time and schedule them into my routine. They even suggest a daily study schedule would help.

Next they move on “Basic Principles and Concepts of Wicca”. They write that there is no “bible” for a set of rules to govern everyone and thing that is Wiccan. That every temple, coven and all the solitary Wiccans out there lives by what is right for them. Wiccans believe equally in both the God and the Goddess, there are some Wiccans who may honour a non-specific God and Goddess and then there the ones that honour Gods and Goddess by name, some even honour different deities for different thing. Like one set of Gods and Goddess for Sabbats, and yet another different set for Rituals and/or Magic use. The possibilities are endless, yet none of them are wrong or right.

Please note that I don’t take what I have written as the truth or that I believe it wholeheartedly. This is just what I read from About.com and wish to share it with my readers, so that if their wish to they can share their ideas and thoughts.

Will add more tomorrow, as the hour is getting late and I do have a doctor’s appointment in the morning for my leg. Will also share a very interesting tarot draw I got today from my Dragon Tarot deck.

Until we met again, may the Goddess watch over you this very night.

Tarot Decks – To Reverse or Not to Reverse

For some eleven to fourteen years now I have own and read off and on tarot decks, I had a Waite deck as well as Dragon tarot deck. The Waite allows for reverse readings and I believed until 2 minutes ago that the Dragon deck did as well. But it in fact doesn’t state either way, but nor does it get reverse meanings, so I would take it as reading only upright. Yesterday I got my new Celtic Dragon deck, and a pond reading the beginning of the book, it states that the cards are to read in the only upright position and not the reverse.  

So my question is this? Should we reverse our deck readings or only if the deck comes with the reverse meanings? And if it’s all up to the reader of the deck, is there a right or wrong way to read tarot decks? Is it possible to just go way your instinct on this or on each reading that you do?

For me, I think I’ll go with if the deck has reverse meaning, then I’ll use them but if instructed only to read upright, then that is what I’ll do.  The reason for this, when in the real world, there is good and bad, ups and down to a person’s life or day. With the reverse in play, it allows for a more real to live reading.

Now I’m trying something for the next week or so, now that I have a new deck, I’m going to start pulling a card from each daily. See what kind of readings I’ll get. Here is my first group for today.

Today Tarot Cards

Waite is   – Strength (reversed)

Celtic is   – King of Swords

Dragon is – The Star

Total Spiritual Happiness

It is a weird feeling in the mornings to wake up and feel totally happy inside. For years now I have woken up, missing something inside. Yes I am very with my marriage, I’m happy with my children and the way in which my life is going, but something was always missing from that happiness within me. It wasn’t until this afternoon that I realized for the last few mornings I have waking up feel a total completeness to my life. Has anything changed and what is it? Well, I have found a spiritual path that I am finding to be fulfilling. I awake every morning now excite and happy to be alive, I can’t wait until I can sit down at my laptop and continue with my Wicca training, It’s like my soul as found purpose.

I have even seen how my training is changing me. I want to do more to help this planet to stay alive, I want to help everyone, from my family and friends to people that are in need, homeless, down on their luck, with people in other countries. I just want to reach out and help the world. I have always been on side to help animals in need, but now it animals, people and earth itself. I’m even thinking of giving some of my time to the needy, will find somewhere that I can volunteer my time and energy.

As of tomorrow I will be drawing a tarot card from my new deck, The Celtic Dragon Tarot Deck, just got it this afternoon. And I got a new book called The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes. This book is HUGE and can’t wait to get into it.

Today Tarot Card is – The Four of Pentacles

The Acceptant of Others

Becoming a Wiccan is a personal choice for me and I don’t care who or what others think of me for doing this. I will continue my pilgrimage of knowledge and understanding into this magical world for me and no other. But I must say that, when people who are near and dear to me accept my choice it makes me good. Tonight I had a friend over, and we were talking about me becoming Wiccan. Her responds to it was and I quote, “I think it’s cool that you are doing this”. My son likes to joke about it, I get things like “the Harry Potter world is coming to my house or my mother is a witch, so be careful she doesn’t do a spell on you. Although he is joking about I know my son well and even if he doesn’t say it out loud or to me, he likes the idea. As for my husband, well he hasn’t said much about it, but he hasn’t stopped me from buying my books, or the journals that I used for my Books of Shadows or the pens that I need.

The only person I haven’t shared my news with is my 4 years old daughter, and at this point and her age I don’t think I could explain it to her so that she understands. Nicole (my daughter) goes to a Catholic school, this pass Easter she learnt about Jesus and what was done to him. And even this last week, she talked about how the people put Him on a cross and killed Him; she tells me often that she doesn’t like the people who hurt Jesus. How at this age could I explain to her that mommy is no longer following the same beliefs or that I am a witch now. And in her eyes and world a witch is the Hollywood witch, old with a pointed hat, that casting spells and turn little kids into frogs. Will I tell her, yes in a few years when she is ready for it.

Tarot for Today - The Two of Cups

The Altar - How Does Set It Up?

The Altar is a very important tool to Wiccans. But the seems like there is no right or wrong way (like most things in the Wiccan religion) as to how and where you put it. It all depends on what each person wants and or is comfortable with. So it comes down to a few simple questions. Where, Which way and permanent or temporary. So let's talk out each of these questions one at a time.

Where - Well you can have inside or outside, maybe even go with both if you want and or have the room for it. I read that ideally a room of it;s own is best but anywhere works. 

Which Way - There are Wiccans who believe that the altar should face a certian direction. Where others believe that the direction doesn't matter.

Permanent or Temporary - Some Wiccans set up permanent altars in their homes, where others either don't have the room for this or they rather not have it where anyone to see it.

I personally would love to have permanent place for my altar once I get one going, but right now that wouldn't be a option for me. One, my home is getting a little crowded, and two, I have a 4 years old daughter who would want to play with or at my altar with her toys. So until I can have a permanent home for my altar, I will have to go with a temporary one/

Tarot Card for Today       -  X of Swords
Tarot Card for Yesterday - The World (reserved)

Just a Grab Session Tonight

   When should one start buying their altar and tools, their rituals tools, candles and oils and go nuts with crystals? Should one start buying up all the book they need or want? Or does one sit back and relax and get things as they are needs? And when some one is new to Wicca when do they know it's time to buy something? And what should the first things they should get? I'm so excited I just want to run out and start buying everything I need or may need? But then comes the question, what should I go for first, what are the things I need NOW, and how do I know I'm getting the rights things?

   So many questions that I have right now and some seem like their aren't meant to be answered right away or at all. Should I be happy enough with my few new books, a borrowed book, my 2 tarot decks and a new on the way? Or should i be looking already for the next thing(s) to get? And what should they be? Today I was reading the Wicca A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, and I was to the part that explained the reason, and how and why they were use. Like the broom, the censer, and wand to mention a few of them. It explained how Wiccans make, buy or find these tools, should I just worry about finding and making the ones that I can for now? Do should I buy them? Which are better? Makes me wonder to if finding a coven is a good idea for me? It allow me a place to find some one that I can talk to, a place where maybe i can get answers to my millions of questions. Next post should be Coven vs. Solitary Wiccan

Tarot Card for today is = Queen of Wands (reserved)

A Wiccan Name - Chosen, Picked, Found or Given???

   I knew from my Wiccan friend that she had a Wiccan name, I remember the day she told me that her mentor (I believe that is who it was) had found her Wiccan name, she was so happy and excite and couldn't wait until he reveal it to her. By this point I was already thinking of becoming a Wiccan, and didn't like the idea of some one else picking my Wiccan name. For one thing I have a name that I have used for years, I use it online, and for any games that I play that I need a name for. The name has special meaning to me and when thinking about it, I though that I would want it as my Wiccan name as well. Well yesterday I researched "Picking a Wicca Name"and find some interesting information.

   First off, a Wiccan name is really a secret soul name and holds a lot of magical, Often only used for rituals and shared only with loved one and people I have total trust in, like people of my circle. Second, one does not pick there Wiccan name it must be discovered. It is given to one when they decide to come to birth, given to us from the Divine. It is hidden under years and years since then, waiting for it discovery. So just siting down and picking a name is not the way. I have to spend time finding it, rituals and spellings, pay attention to everything around me, read my thoughts out daily, meditation is a very powerful tool in helping to find you Wiccan name. The Divine has sending my hints to my true name for a long time, I just haven't paid attention to the hints. And finding my true Wiccan name may not come to me over night. I may spend years searching for it.


Tarot Card today is = The Magician (reversed)

Wiccan vs. Christianity - Adding on

In an earlier post I ask if I could keep my Catholic faith and God and still become Wiccan. Well I think I just found my answer to it, and I'm very happy about it. Let me quote the web site that I found my answer on.

"Do You Need To Convert?

If you follow another religion, you may wonder if you need to "convert" to Wicca when you are a beginner.
The answer is, no.
Since Wicca doesn't have a formal dogma nor any higher authority than your own heart, there's nothing to convert.
If you want to be Wiccan, simply begin practicing.
There are many Wiccans who are also Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and have various other religious affiliations."

from the site of Wicca Spirituality = http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/ and the section I'm quote can be found here = http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/wicca-beginner.html

I can't even begin to explain how much this pleases me, I want to be Wiccan but keep my catholic faith. For my becoming a Catholic was a spiritual search for me, one that took many years and one that I have found rewarding since. But like many people in every religion, they and I have found my religion wanting. And I think that is one reason I have found myself at the doorstep to Wicca. Is it wrong to seek another religion? Is it wrong that I seek knowledge & understanding in Wicca? And why Wicca does one ask me.

It is wrong to seek another religion? Not to me. If you were handed beef on a plate every night for dinner with nothing else, no potatoes and veggies for years and years. Would it be wrong for you to look for something else to eat for after awhile. No, everyone would think you are crazy for only having the beef for so long. And after awhile of other things to eat you would want beef again someday.

Is it wrong that I seek knowledge & understanding in Wicca? No! When I started looking for God years ago, before my son was born. I looked at all different religions, United, Catholic, Jewish etc. There was many of them for sure, but Wicca was not one that I looked at. I never ever have it a thought. Then a few years passed and my son came along and of course every parent wants God in their children lives. So I continued my search, and like before I kept coming back to the same religion over and over again. So when my son was 4 years old, standing next to me, and my husband, sister and nephew sitting watching on, my son Robert and I were baptist into the Roman Catholic Church. Not a day has passed from then to now I have regretted it. But in the last few years I have found myself wanting in my religion, and with the internet and a friend who is Wiccan I found another religion, one that calls to me. One that I feel I need to answer to, so what if I find that Wicca is not for me. I will have had a pilgrimage of knowledge and understanding, I will be a better person for it. But as I sit here today I don't believe that I'm making a mistake or that Wicca is not for me. If anything with finding that I can keep my Catholic faith and still become Wiccan  it feels like the right choice for me. I can't explain it except to say that I'm starting to feel whole here.

For the Love of Books & Reading Them

   Well I got into my 'Creating a Book of Shadows" did all the reading for it and have done all the assignments. So I now have my three Books of Shadows started and ready to go. I have ordered the recommended reading books and they will be delieved today sometime. And when I went to look for my tarot card book, so I could read up on the card I draw today, I found a book called "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitoner" I had borrowed this book from my Wiccan friend years ago and I guess that I forgot that I had it, I bet she even forgot. Well sweetie, I found and got your book here, and will return it once I'm done reading it. At less for now this is one less book I have to buy.

  But I still have to find my tarot book, I seen the book for my Dragon Tarot Deck but I find that deck hard to read and understand. So I often don't use that deck, I like to use my Waite deck. So I have decide that frfom now on, I'm going to draw a card daily, will carry it around with me (when at home) so that I can look and study it often darning the day, then at night before I go to bed I will sit down write in my Book of Shadows - Crystals & Tarot Card Readings & Thoughts and write down that the card means and what I got the the card all and as well as my thoughts about.

Tarot Card today is = Page of Swords

Patiences Is A Virtue Or Is It??? Part 2

  Well I still don't know is patiences is a virture but my little outburst this in my blog seem to have helped. My friend who is Wiccan read my posting this morning and contacted the teacher and phoned me. First off, thanks sweetie for the help. Yippee I am now in the class and started on my way to training. As for my early post this morning, although I am not sorry for it, I should have been a little bit more patient about. But as it turns out the teacher never even got my email with the request for enrollment, seem there was a email address issue that a few of the teachers were unwear of, so all in all things have worked out. So now I'm off to class to start working.

Patiences Is A Virtue Or Is It???

    Well I'm still sitting here waiting to get enroll in "Create a Book of Shadows" class at The Magical Circle School. I joined on Sunday, requested the class on Monday, emailed the founder/owner of the school on Tuesday and was told to give the teachers up to 5 days to response as some of the teachers have limited access to the computers. Well I sorry about in my experience, which for online groups and things. That line doesn't work, because the people that have decided to join your group, school web site etc etc, people don't want to have to wait days for any response. In all the groups that I have been apart of over the years, which to say is a lot like what 12 to 15 different group over a 10 years span, when you sign up to be a teacher, leader of a sub group with a larger group one of the first things asked by the founder/s is can you give the hours need like 4 to 8 hours a day to your area and people? If you say/have limited time and or access to a computer then that position you're seeking is not the one for you.

  Am I upset by this, in one word YES. I'm sitting waiting, trying to be very patient about this all. I have my journal ready and very wanting to start making my Book of Shadow, I am waiting to start my training to be Wiccan but am being forced to wait due lack of access. And I have to wonder will all my classes of this one teacher be like this a waiting game. As I have for darning my waiting time, this teacher does a lot of different classes. Maybe this school isn't right for me, maybe I'll need to look for another school.

Wiccan vs. Christianity

   I was reading about what God/Goddess do Wiccans  believe in and how most but not all Wiccan worship the same God/Goddesses. And I started to think to myself. In doing this, will I lose my believe in my God? I am at this moment in time a Roman Catholic, I was baptist, both my children have or are attending a catholic school, I have two crosses hanging in my home, I have a couple bibles, I believe in and love Our Lord Jesus. Can I keep my Christianity and become a Wiccan or must i choose one over the other. From all the I have read so far (and that is not a lot) about Wiccans, they are poeple who understnad nature and the divine, they celebrate all things living and all circles of life and has respect for all persons and they believes wheather they are Wiccans, Jews, Christians or Muslims. And with that being the case, I now as a Roman Catholic do all these things in my own way. Sure I don't have Rituals to mark the changing of seasons but I enjoy each season as they come, as a person I have always respected all  religions and the people who believe in them, and i've always believed that my Catholic God is the same as the Muslin or Jewish God, only by another name.

  The question is.... Do I have to give up my Catholic God and ways to be Wiccan or can I have both? If I must choose between them, how do I do that and which way will I go?

The Making of My Books of Shadows

I have a friend who is Wiccan, I remember when she told me that she was about to have her Wiccan ceremony. She was so happy and ecited. I got in touch with her again, and she pointed me to another Wicca school (she teaches there too) it's called The Magical Circle School. I joined there yesterday, and in looking around I found that I will need to make that Wiccans call a "Book of Shadows", one site that I was on last night gave some ideas as to what to use in making my own Book of Shadows. I have opt'ed to use a journal style book, and as the author of the one site said some use one book or like she has gone with was to use three different journals. So this morning I was at Wal-mart and got myself 4 journals, one I'll use for Spells, one for thoughts & dreams, one for Rituals and the last I may use just for general thoughts or for tarot Study. So now I wait for the journals to call to me, as I've alway had this thing where the subject that i'm working on needs to call to me. Like with these journals, I have one for each different area, but the journals are all the same, black with lines, ribbons to bookmark my place. Well I need to wait to see which one will be for spells, rituals, dreams & tarots.

First Lesson & First Meditation

I join a Wicca study site (called Magicka School) yesterday and I got to the first lesson this afternoon. The first lessons work with tarot cards, so I had to go find my two tarot decks and I need to go a get a journal book as Magicka recommends keeping a journal to record both my experiences & impressions of what I am learning. I already have a project to do as well Magicka wants me to start meditation exercises. Shell be interesting to see how that works out, they recommend do the meditations at the same time every day or at less around the same time everyday. I think the best time for me will be in the evening after Nicole has gone to bed, I may not always to able to do it the the same time but at less it'll be close. I've decided to do my meditations in my bedroom as I can lock the door from everyone but my husband and he is in at work most nights any ways and would understand if I tellhim why I needed some time alone. So I have the place, the music, the subject that I will meditate on, just need to find my candles and then I'll be set for tonight.

So my first lesson is on "The Fool & The Magician" I need to research them and the roles that they had in different societies and different times around the globe. What do they do and what do they seek? And how their societies views them.


Magicka School - http://www.magickaschool.com/

Beginning the Search

This morning I started my search for Paganism, Wicca and Witchcraft training sites. WOW there is a lot out there just on the web alone. I found three sites that that memberships to them with a wide range in prices, then there are the free ones  How is a person to know which is the better one or the one right for them. And when a person is just starting out and without some one to show or offer ideas. And where does one find a mentor? How would I go about finding some one that I can talk to, ask questions of, to have them show me into the world that I'm seeking to enter? Is this a temple in the city that I live? Or can I find others who are or in training themselves? Sure I found the forums out there this morning, and yes I joined one but sometimes for me, I find it easier to ask the questions I have then to write them out into a text or email. I already have a million questions to ask, but for now they seem to be more in the way of looking for guidance as I begin my search.

May the Moon watch over everyone this night.

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

They say that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Then I guess this is what will be my first step into the worlds of Wiccans & Paganism. I have been thinking of becoming a "witch" for a few years now. But it was after the birth of my daughter Nicole that I voice it out loud to people. I don't think that many of the people that I told think that I'm serious but becoming a witch. And I guess up until now I really haven't been to serious, but I am now. I think the hard part for me will be the waiting, as anyone that knows me knows I hate waiting for things. But I know that there is no way that I can learn or understand all that i need to know over night or in the course of a few months. My biggest and hardest test will be the waiting and if I can conquer that, then I think I have a chance.