I haven’t bought a new video game in several years. I used to love picking up a new game, struggling with the packaging and then… loading up the game for the first time. Magic on screen.

My nephew was visiting this week. He prefers using a mouse when he plays games on his laptop. When the mouse wore out on Thursday I took him to the computer store Friday. I decided I would treat the cash poor university student to a new mouse.

Walking up to pay for the mouse, he stopped to look at the software – games just out. I kept walking and then, on impulse, I turned back and asked him if the store still carried PC games. So off we trekked. They were just a few aisles over. That’s where I found Civilization V, the gold edition. All shiny new and just waiting for me to buy it.

Civilization V is Like Finding an Old Friend

I have played Civ (the short form) since version III. I still have the older games (II and IV). Of them all, I had the most game play out of Civ III. It was simple to get into the game, easy to understand and it didn’t have any trouble loading and not crashing. Civ IV was good but the game play was awkward, to me. I tried it a few times, went back to try it a few times over the years. But, the game has mainly taken up space on my shelves.

Civilization V is much better. It has flow, it has far more detailed graphics and there are more details to building your city, growing it and evolving technologies than the old Civilization III game. Yet, it has that simple game play. I was able to load the game, spend a few minutes in the tutorial to find what was where and then start a real game. It has been easy to catch up. There is a game guide on the screen if I need to get extra details about finding followers for the religion I invent or how to get my cities trading good and so on.

I’m really glad Civilization V has brought back many of the best things of Civ III while being a nice upgrade to the look and strategy of the game overall. I’m glad I went mouse shopping with my nephew that day. He got the hardware he needed and I found an old friend in a new, updated package.

Being a Domme isn't about being superior or worshiped. I think it's about him knowing his place and we both like him there.

I think it's one of the things women tend to forget too. I don't know if any/ every woman could be a Domme but I tend to think it is there in each of us. But, it's a balance of finding what really does please us versus tipping the scale and doing what he wants to make him happy. I like to be myself, so being worshiped isn't going to work for me. Not that I would get a swelled head but I just would lose that feeling of being me.

Quietly an Earth Witch

I choose to call myself an Earth Witch because it reflects what is most important to me in my feeling about life and living: the planet we live on and the traditions we keep.

The Earth is, of course the planet. It's the air we breathe, literally. We are far more dependent on the Earth than it on us. So, of all things, the Earth should be respected and cared for.

Witch, is the oldest and most commonly known name for the women who were midwives, wise women, herbalists and so on through history. So, Earth Witch suits me. Traditions for me include all the families, the history and the people who have built up our cultures, arts, and sciences.

The name was my choice and it is fairly personal. I don't tell people about being an Earth Witch in every simple introduction. Religion (I don't really think of it as a religion or a faith or spirituality) is a personal choice and something you may not share with just anyone.

Keeping being a Witch to yourself is not about past history with Witch burnings and all of that. People will use that as a way to puff themselves up or connect themselves to a tragic part of history. I don't feel that way about it. Being a Witch is personal for me. I don't need to prove myself, prove how much of a Witch I am to anyone but me. So, I'm quietly an Earth Witch and I'm a solitary, quiet Earth Witch.

Guide Books for Solitary Witches

Everyone needs a place to begin. If you have questions about what a Witch is or what a Witch does/ believes/ etc do some research and find out.

A Solitary Earth Witch

Discovering your own Path and Exploring in Your own Way Being a Solitary Witch (or Pagan or Wiccan or which ever name you give yourself) is not a lonely thing. It does not mean you are not really a Pagan or Witch or Wiccan. It often means you could not find another group or path which suited you.

For instance, I don't believe in any god or goddess. I could be an Atheist but I do believe there is something out there. Everything had to begin at some point of origin. However, I don't think there is any god looking over us, looking out for us or guiding us. We are on our own and responsible for our own actions - a god is not going to step in and save us from the mess we create on our planet.

Almost every last group of Pagans I have discovered have beliefs in some form of god or goddess. I don't believe in any god or goddess who asks for or requires worship. This is why I stopped believing in gods. If you were a god, all powerful, how arrogant you would be to require worship and followers. Isn't needing worship and praise and thanks a big sign that you really aren't all powerful at all?

This is how I see it. I'm not asking anyone else to think the same way. Being a Solitary Witch works for me because my beliefs, thoughts and ideas are my own and I don't need to defend or explain to anyone because I'm the only one on my path.

In essense, being a Solitary Witch (or Pagan or Wiccan) is discovering your own path and deciding what makes sense and matters to you and then you follow your path without waiting for anyone else to give you their permission. However, you still need to do no harm to others. Following your own path is not about thumbing your nose at other religions. It is about doing right for yourself - for your self.

Do No Harm to Others

Magic Comes from Within Yourself I have deep beliefs in doing no harm to others.

For me this means I don't like the spells and spellcraft most people write about as Witchcraft. At some level they are all doing harm as they take away the free choice of others and assume we (personally) are right in all our choices and should now enforce them on others or cause change for others. I just don't think we have that right.

Everyone has their own destiny and their own path to get there. The only person you have a right to change is yourself.

Magic comes from within yourself. A spell is only a tool to help you focus on what you are changing within yourself. So, work from within first. Change yourself and you will change the world around you without having to touch a thing or cast any spells on anyone or any thing.

Exploring Religion and Paganism

I began exploring other religions and beliefs when I was in my early 20's. It started when I read about Catholic women not being allowed to attend church after giving birth. The women had to be "churched" as they were seen as unclean and unfit after having a baby. This was deeply not right to me.

I began to see how much of the accepted religions were based on gender and especially how often women were kept out or put down in some way. Being a woman myself I did not see how I could participate in any religion which did not fully value me.

So I explored. I love exploring!

I found out a lot of background for all the standard religions. I would not say I did in depth research. Once I found out enough I would begin looking elsewhere for a religion which did not let me down. I did not find anything I could accept until I began exploring Paganism, modern Pagans.

Of course, part of the reason it is fairly easy to find Paganism acceptable is the freedom to choose from among so many beliefs and never find yourself pigeon holed by rules and expectations. Don't think this means there are no rules or standards or snobbery. Of course there are. People are people. We bring out snobbery and our expectations to everything.

What Do You Think About Pagan Beliefs? - I've had some very aggressive attacks based on my beliefs. However, most people enjoy a good discussion. Whether or not you have ever researched a religion, what do you think about the Pagan religions or beliefs?

This is an old poll I created when I used to write for a network called BackWash. Still a good question to think about.

If you had to give up or lose one of your senses, including common sense and the possibility of a sixth sense or the other standard: hearing, smell, taste, sight or touch, which would you pick?

I think the idea of losing our senses haunts us all our lives. We see someone who can't see or hear and we think about how it must be to live without that.

Then we get older and another fear is losing our mind, our ability to think and do things for ourselves.

Animals don't have a sense of self, scientists say. It's a test they try on animals - putting them in front of a mirror to see if they can understand they are looking at a reflection of themselves. I've seen cats go crazy, hissing and pouncing, trying to threaten (or feeling threatened) by what they see as a strange cat who hisses right back at them. Pretty scary if you don't understand the concept of a reflection. But, they can do the same with the image of a cat on a box too.

I don't know if not having the knowledge of reflections and photography or graphic arts should leave us to assume these animals don't have that sense of self.

How could you prove an animal does have a sense of self? How do you know you have a sense of your own self? Do you even understand the idea of what having a sense of self is? Maybe that is the sense (not on my original list) which you might give up. How different would you be without it?