Eclectic

There are 6 posts tagged Eclectic (this is page 1 of 1).

At The End of the Day I Sometimes Wonder Who Decided…

The idea that there are different kinds of Witches, Wiccans, Pagans, is not new. But, I don’t think there should be an all inclusive, exclude nothing approach to being a Witch, or really, anything. If nothing is excluded then what makes one person or group, different from any other person or group. In order to be something, you have to actually be something.

I exclude Ouija boards from my idea of a Witch. I’ve seen some people who try calling them “witch boards”. They are not Witch boards. In my opinion they are an occult thing and a lot of occult things don’t seem very Witch-like (or safe) to me. I don’t believe in hell, satan, devils, etc. I do believe there are bad people, evil deeds. These are all real things people have created. Like the idea of hell and so on. How do you scare people into obeying your rules, make them afraid not to. Give them terrifying consequences.

What is a Modern Witch?

You can go through a shopping list and throw endless things into your cart, deciding what a modern Witch is. It would be easier to decide what to exclude. Sort of easier, not as easy in these days of mass inclusion. Well Witches, dare to step on someone’s toes and make a decision about what a Witch is and what a Witch is not.

The Wiccan Rede is a good place to start. Harm none, in essence. People add in contingencies and excuses and justify everything in order to suit themselves. But, the Wiccan Rede is not about making yourself comfortable. It sets a standard. It’s an almost impossible standard but it gives you a direction to head for. Don’t be too quick to slide off the path. Think about your actions and don’t harm others.

I want to be honest, an honest person. With more than 50 years of experience I can say that honesty does make life easier. Not always, but overall. Plus, honesty isn’t all black and white. You can be honest without hurting someone’s feelings, or making promises you don’t want to keep. In the second case, don’t back down and make a promise or a commitment you don’t want to keep. Be firm and politely decline, even if they whine.

I exclude things I don’t believe in. That sounds simple but it’s taken me many years to decide not to believe in some things. It’s like a child believing in Santa Claus because they want to so much. I believe in the Christmas spirit. Santa Claus is a face for the Christmas spirit. People like having a face to look at. Something recognizable and human looking. But, it took me awhile to decide to believe in that Christmas spirit versus the marketing and religious versions of Christmas. I don’t see the point in being a Grinch during the holidays and pulling others down. Let people be happy when they can.

Deciding who you are, making decisions about what you will and will not believe are lifelong tasks for a modern Witch. As new ideas come along a Witch can’t sit back in the dark and ignore them. Guide yourself through modern life, making decisions based on harm none, but without being a doormat.

At the end of the day, I sometimes wonder who decided…

Who decided the pentacle was “the” symbol of Witches? I can read about why it is, but I wonder who decided to start it and keep it. As a modern Witch, is that something you want to keep, or is there something new you might be the very person to start up?

Science, Religion, and Witches

Today I found a site called The Secular Witch. I had been reading about agnostic Witches and a link came up from the site. Most people seem to think you can’t be agnostic, or an atheist, and still be a Witch (as a religion). I don’t agree. The religion is not about a god or goddess. It was about nature, life, the planet, and so on. It is sad if people now believe in a god/ goddess and have lost this idea.

The Secular Witch is a place for non-religious witches to find resources and support when it comes to atheist, agnostic, skeptical or science-loving spirituality and witchery.

Maybe people still have the old idea that science and religion don’t mix. I think they are versions of the same thing. Early science was seen as magic, experimental and religion was a part of it. Why divide them now?

Then I found Naturalistic Paganism

In summary they seek to explain the universe without resort to supernatural causes. Adopting scientific explanations and skeptical of any claims that are not supported by mainstream science.

In the end, this is a lot of labels and classifying of ideas and people. It is nice to just be an eclectic and let things sort themselves out a bit rather than trying to identify, classify, and control it all.

But, it was interesting to read about both sites and I will have them in my links.

Halloween on Flickr

I ended up looking at Halloween stuff on Flickr this morning. I found some Halloween groups and joined a couple. Lots of photos with ideas of what to wear and how to decorate yourself for the big night. Be spooktacular!

Halloween Season
Spooky Halloween Dollhouse Miniatures
Halloween in Japan 2010
Halloween Worldwide
Halloween Wonderful 2010
Halloween in Canada
Vintage Halloween Postcards
Vintage Halloween Collectors
DIY Halloween
EHAG – Eclectic Halloween Artist Group
The Artful Pumpkin

Where the Wild Things Are: Magick versus Magic

Magic versus magick. Where do you stand on the word?

Magick isn’t in the dictionary, so far. But I think it’s a good addition to the language. It shows a difference in magic as done by a magician versus magick as done by a Witch, Wiccan or Pagan type person. We aren’t doing card tricks to amuse kids at a birthday party. Our magick is not entertainment. As much as I appreciate and enjoy magic, I don’t want to see magick called magic.

Confused? Then let’s add to your confusion. What is a Witch compared to a Wiccan or a Traditional Witch?

In my opinion (notice the qualifier) a Wiccan is someone who follows the ideals set out by Gardener and friends in the last century. Traditional Witches are those who come from a family of Witches, thus they inherited the traditions. Meanwhile Witches are those who base their witchery on herbalists, wise women and men from ages ago and whatever else they can discover from the long ago past.

Does that help or do you want even more confusion to add to your confusion? Let’s just add the words eclectic and solitary to the mix. Can you be a solitary eclectic? Of course. Solitary just means you choose to be alone, not a member of a coven or some such group. Can you be solitary and a coven member? No, that kind of defeats the whole solitary thing. Anyone can be eclectic. There are so many ideals, traditions and so much history that it’s really hard to find someone who agrees with another person about everything. So, most of us could call ourselves eclectic. Does that mean you should? No, it’s too confusing. Find something to describe your style of Wicca or Witchery and stick with it. You don’t have to be a carbon copy of everyone else but you can make everything simpler to understand. Besides, in the end we are all part of the group of Pagans.

Confused?

Go find some answers. Don’t be shy.

Originally posted to ‘BackWash: Where the Wild Things Are’ newsletter, September, 11, 2003.