Monday, July 26, 2010

What it all meant

WItches when I was young...(not too long ago)

Granted, i am a bit younger than most of you guys so my experience wasn't too bad in terms of seeing a witch as something awful, or strange.When I was growing up a witch was a wise woman.
Its kinda funny actually now that I think of it. My whole family does to some degree believe in most witchcraft related ideas. For one thing most of the people do believe in some form of divination mainly tarot and scrying with a bowl of water and reading coffee cups.
I remember being a young kid and hearing stories about old ladies who lived within the community that were basically the wise women of the area. They knew a lot of different herbal remedies and did different kinds of divination for the people. They would always talk about how you could go to her with any problem or question you had, and she could help you find the answer. But its interesting, after they would tell us about them they always said at the end,
"oh you know, she was just some sick old woman with no family who just lived on the land and moved a lot."

Now, on the other side of the coin, if my family talked about actual "witches". It was very stereotypical. She was a crazy widow who killed her husband and drowned her kids. Oh and she was a servant of Satan. She also didn't have a warm heart it was almost always ice cold.
So with those two ideas, I saw magic and witch as two completely different things. Magic was okay in some places but a "witch" was always evil and bad.
I think the reason remains the same,people fear the unknown. They knew about magic but didn't see it as evil. Witch on the other hand was pure evil. I think that's why now I'm sort of hesitant about telling my family Im a witch. I mean they accept my practices because its something they are familiar with but dont make the connection with it to a witch/Wicca/paganism because they see that as evil.


As for my personal discovery of what a real witch was, that started about 7 years ago. I think it was sometime around when the harry potter movies had come out and everyone and their mother was obsessed. I was really drawn to it and started reading now childish books about becoming a wizard. I read about 2 books on the subject only one really touched anything close to Wicca. Anyways, after reading that second book and getting a minuscule taste of Wicca I felt that there definitely something more to this "wizardry" and witchcraft stuff than I was lead to believe. Mind you, this realization came after about 3 years after going off on the "wizards quest" as the book called it. So after doing some personal growing and reading I finally came across a book about witchcraft. Now this book was a bit more accurate but still lacking the spiritual aspect of Wicca. I want to mention that in the midst of all this my picture of what a witch was had changed dramatically. I began to see the witch I read about as the wise woman of my past. So a few more years past and I found Scott Cunningham book, Wicca a guide for the solitary practitioner. This book pretty much sealed the package. All the pieces acquired over the years finally made sense. It also filled the spirituality part of Wicca that was missing from the other books.

So here I am today. A witch. Bound to the path of the wise ones and loving every bit of it.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Dont ever forget it!

Obviously most of you know that I am a wiccan. Let me just say that before I get into what I actually want to say.
Alright, so most people who are ignorant believe that witches/wiccans believe in the devil. This as, any witch will tell you is false. I was recently listening to a podcast and they were discussing witchcraft. They were discussing the different beliefs and what not. After listening to it, I made a connection that I believe most wiccans would agree with. Christians worship the devil.
Now, let me explain myself before I get attacked. Firstly, wiccans and other pagans alike do not believe in or acknowledge a "devil" or ultimate evil. Now, let me define deity according to the dictionary.Any supernatural being worshiped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force. So now, Christ or Jesus would be considered deity. Also so would the devil.This is true because Christian religion acknowledge both a ultimate good and ultimate evil. With that in mind. Anyone with a logical brain would connect the idea that Jesus or Christ is deity and so is the devil. Therefore, Christians and all those of like mind worship the devil in this respect. The devil perfectly fits into the definition of deity. So before you go attacking a wiccan or pagan as being a devil worshiper, remember this little tid bit.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

A new chapter

I finally finished school. Well at least for this semester. I plan on taking the international class a few more times and I still need to do my internship. Things are slowly rolling into place. Dreams of Culinary Greatness are getting closer by the minute. This summer I plan on getting some food business going my finally starting up my personal chef service. I'll be doing almost anything food related for anyone who is interested. This will probably be set in motion as soon as my business cards come in and I get my pricing and menu ideas worked out. Hopefully this will bring in some much needed $$ as well as work experience. It basically comes down to the fact that I can talk the talk, I just need to walk the walk. Well actually, I can walk the walk I just need to start running. I've had a slight spiritual disconnect, but again all things will be set in motion in the summer when I have more free time.

Monday, May 3, 2010

The Broom Closet

There's always that time when as new witches as well as old ones have to make the decision to "come out of the broom closet" Most wiccans that I know for the most part have come out and seem to have positive reactions. I personally haven't come out completely. Only a handful of friends and family know. My sister was the first person I told. Shes a bit skeptical and sometimes calls me weird, but it doesn't really bother me much. As for friends, other than the people on Youtube, my close friend who recently moved was told. She accepts it. She didn't really ask any questions and sort of left it as it was. There are two people who found out at my work. My boss sort of figured it out when he first saw my pentacle and kept calling me a devil worshiper. I knew he was probably messing around, but it still bothered me a bit. So one day I was busy doing some work and he had come by my desk and was looking for something. My co-worker was standing next to me and my boss did what I expected and called me a devil worshiper again. I don't know what came over me but for some reason I felt compelled to tell him otherwise. So I said it. I told him I was a witch and he sort of looked at me and said, "Oh so your a Wiccan?" and walked away. That whole spat must have shocked my co-worker, who happened to be a christian. He hasn't said anything about it and I'm not exactly eager to bring it up again. I figure, if they have any questions, they are more than welcome to ask, but other than that I don't really bring it up.
I guess the reason I decided to bring this up is because I just had my mom walk in on me while I was trying to meditate. I had a simple altar set up. Some candles lit along with a pentacle on a piece of paper and drumming music playing in the background. I guess I had a phone call and I thought my sister was calling me so I ignored it. I guess the reason I frazzled me was because well obviously I haven't told my parents. I mean they both know I don't believe the christian god, but they don't know I'm a Wiccan. I know I want to tell at least my mom about it, but I just haven't found the right time to do so.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Half Blank

Today is Beltane. It's a really nice day here. I've been home all day. I'm kind of drawing a blank as to what I want to write. That's why this entry may seem scattered until I find something to go off on. I'm planning on getting a chest for my room. I have already decided what I'll use it for. I'm going to store my herbs,candles and other assorted jars and boxes. I'm also gonna be using it as my altar table. I'm currently using a fold up table that's good, but it's too high for me to have when I sit on the floor. Tomorrow we are having a small gathering at my grandparents house after a trip to the cemetery to honor my grandpa. It will be 40 days since his passing at which time it is tradition in Armenian culture to gather close family and friends and remember the deceased person. Anyways, since today is Beltane is figure I will do a small ritual and light some candles and do some meditating. Alright this drawing a blank thing is not getting better so I leave this here.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Deaths only friend is life.

So I tired to make a video to put up, but after many failed attempts my battery died. I might as well get something done today so I'll write.
Death is a part of life. Its something that doesn't need to be feared. It does however, need to be understood. Remember, people fear what they do not understand. I may not have the answers to everything in life, but death is something I understand. I've had my fair share of deaths. The most recent one in march about 3 weeks ago. I cant remember if I mentioned before, but spring time is about the balance of life and death. The dead of winter rises again in the spring full of life. I'm glad to have found Wicca. It really helped me understand a lot about life. The way everything is presented really connects. Life is a cycle and just as the wheel turns so does everything in the universe. I have a necklace that has a 8 pointed star that has arrows at each point all enclosed in a circle. It is my constant reminder of the cycle of life.
For most people being surrounded by family and friends helps with coping with death. I usually prefer to be alone because I don't want people to take pity on me in my moment of sadness. For me, death is a time for quiet contemplation. Just as we practice in Samhain. I honor those who have passed, I remember the good times, and I try to learn from their experience to better myself. I'm going to leave this now. Think about death. Don't take it as a bad thing but rather a new beginning.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Elemental Me.

I'm on spring break this week. Doesnt mean too much seeing as how I still have to go to work. Luckily, I get come home early tomorrow. I dont have much planned but I may do a video. I havent done one since February. It rained last night and into this afternoon. I love rain. It's natures way of cleansing the world. I always so refreshed after a good storm.Water in general takes me to another world. I take a dive into water and I'm transported into another world. When I'm in water, the weightlessness makes me feel like I'm a part of it. When there are strong winds, I feel alive. It's like whatever I want to happen, all I have to do is whisper it to the wind and let it carry my wish into the universe. Fire warms my soul. It shows me hope. The raw energy in perfect balance with everything around it draws me to it. Earth is the eternal mother. It holds everything down. Provides a way to ground yourself. It teems with life. It absorbs residual energy and disperses it to be used later. It holds and it protects. Spirit is divine energy. It is sacred to all. Its both personal and unbiased. It is the mother, maiden, crone. It is the father, son, and sage. It carries the will of the all and the nothing.
Alright I'm going to go back to enjoying the silence and watch my candles flicker.