Did You Say Witch?

Yes. I am what most people would consider a modern day Witch. However, I am not what you think. I am not a pale white gothic type person who wears only black clothes (though there is nothing wrong with them only that I am not). I do not declare myself a Vampire or Werewolf. I am not Wiccan. I am me. I believe what I want to believe when I want to believe it. If you were to see me walking down the street you would not know the difference between me and the 'good Christian woman' that was passing me. (More on 'Good Christians' on the side bar). I dress like everyone else. I have three kids a few dogs and a cat. I live in a normal house in a normal neighbor hood. I am not a devil worshipper. In fact, I do not even believe in the devil.

My beliefs are as follows:
(Anyone who has read this before will now notice a difference.)
I believe that there is some type of divine being. Whether it be an ultimate god or simply a spirit who helps us with certain aspects of our life I am not sure. I remember when I first started studying paganism. I was setting on my back porch staring at the moon trying to figure out if being pagan was what I really wanted. It was very cold out, the middle of winter. I sat there until I thought I might get frost bite, then suddenly I was warm, like someone had wrapped an electric blanket around me, and I felt a slight tingling on my lips, as though I were being kissed. I didn't know it at the time but this experience is call 'The Kiss of the Goddess,' and it is her way of showing you acceptance.

Willpower is one type of magic that I use. It is within all of us you don't have to know any special tricks or affiliate with any special deity to access it. My daughter recently told me that she hates subtraction and that she can't do it. I told her that if she said she couldn't do it then her subconscious would not allow her to do it. I told her instead to tell herself she could do it. Guess what she can do subtraction. Who would have thought?

Willpower also helps with other things. Are you in a bad mood? Smile, or watch a comedy. Sad? Think of something happy. Magick is in all of us and those who say that it does not exist just don't know how to use it.

Herbs are used for many things in my house. Not to cast spells but for simple things like getting rid of a headache, keeping bad vibes away, cooking, fragrance. There are many uses for herbs and I suggest that anyone even 'Good Christians' put them to use.

Some of the changes in the page are due impart to an experience I recently had. For a long time I had given up on paganism just like I had Christianity, but somehow I managed to pick myself up and realize why I felt the way I did. As odd as it may seem for me to have been a pagan for 8 years and not know my element it is true. However, the other day I finally found it and it was the most extraordinary feeling in the world. It helped me to put myself back where I was four years ago when my nose was constantly stuck in some new book about magic, herbs, or sabbats.

Holidays by Pagan's are called Sabbats. I simply call them holidays. I do celebrate the Christian holidays because that is how I was raised, but I also celebrate the pagan holiday's which are more like celebrations of the time of year than celebrations of someone’s birth or death. I incorporate Yule, which is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, into our Christmas celebration. I have enough presents that my kids can open some on each day. Our tree is decorated with Pagan decor, cinnamon sticks, bells, pine cones covered with glitter, as well as things that my kids made. Yule was a huge holiday long before Christmas even came along. The Christians simply used Christmas to replace Yule. Jesus was born in the spring. Christmas traditions such as the tree and wreaths are taken from Yule, as well as gift giving, and recipes. When Christianity came about and people like Saint Patrick were trying to convert Pagan's they decided that having familiarity would make conversion easier. Please understand that I am not screaming the Christians stole Yule. I understand what they did. They did it to make things easier.

Halloween is a pagan holiday known as Samhain, or All Hallows Eve. I don't know what you know about Halloween but it is the night that the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is the thinnest and ghosts can walk the earth once again. Costumes are worn so that ghosts and demons can not tell the difference between humans and one of their own. Last Halloween there was a man on the local news who was upset that Halloween was still celebrated in the United States. He was upset that stores sold costumes of Witches and Vampires and thought that it was wrong to make 'Good Christian Children' dress up as heathens. To that man I say go blow yourself! (Sorry any sensitive ears). Halloween is the one Holiday that Pagan's can celebrate on their own terms without too much notice. If someone does not like a holiday they should not celebrate it, but they should respect the wishes of people of other faiths.

My husband is Christian. Well okay, he was. Now he is more of an atheist. He like most Christians has never read the bible but he has watched all sorts of things on the history channel that have put him off Christianity quickly.

My children will never be forced into a religion. They will be raised like I was. I was allowed to go to church if I wanted to, but my parents never did. They are not Pagans. They are more like my husband. My daughters have both gone to church with my husband mother a few times and Erica of course went to school for three years so she was introduced to Christianity there. (Funny I thought they weren't supposed to teach Christianity in public schools.) By celebrating both the Christian and Pagan holidays I hope to give them a look at both religions. Of course if they grow up and decided to become Jewish converts so be it. I want them to be open to all religions and make the choice themselves, but I desperately hope that they do not forget what they believe in their hearts to satisfy anyone.

I know it may seem at times when I speak of other religions that I have no respect for them, but it is completely the opposite. I have nothing but respect for any religion. It is hard not to when you have studied them so indepth. There is a girl in a chat room I go to know and then that makes me want to cry with joy. She is a Christian. A true Good Christian. She chats in Pagan chat rooms though. She does not try to convert the Pagan's there, she just talks. She is truly what Christians are supposed to be. She loves everyone reguardless of their religion. She forgives and forgets. She understands that not everyone can or wants to be Christian.

A note about the term Pagan:

A Wiccan is a Pagan, but all Pagans are not Wiccan.
Pagan is an umbrella term for anyone who is not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. So, Yes Wiccan's are Pagan, but all Pagan's are not Wiccan. Most Pagan's like the Wiccan's claim an earth based religion.