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?

What do you Think About Sea Magick?

I found this link a few years ago and left it to explore for later. I’m glad the site is still up. It’s always sad to find things gone.

The Book of Tides, is a resource site for sea magick. Site started in 1995 by Minnie, “resident Sea Witch and mermaid-in-disguise”.

I have taken information and some quotes from the site and added my thoughts along the way. As Minnie herself says, I like to have things written down. So much easier to look at the information again than to hope I remember it. We do forget things and ideas meld and merge into something different. Not always a bad thing, but it is good to have the original to refer to.

I have read more about fire, and fire magick, than water magick. I do love the ocean though.

There is something about standing on the edge of a huge body of water (more often Lake Ontario, or the other Great Lakes, for me) and knowing there is depth there and layers of water covering over a world with creatures and life of its own, not seen by those who live on the land. Being on the lake, or the ocean, is an experience everyone should have at least once. Like flying. Being in the air or in/ on the water is something you can do. I highly do not recommend experiencing fire in the same way.

I have been to both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, here in Canada. For some reason the Pacific appeals to me more than the Atlantic. It might just the the different feelings about the provinces here in Canada. British Columbia, on the Pacific is thought of as wild, free and artsy. The Atlantic is about fishing and struggle. So far I have only been to the Atlantic side once and about half a dozen visits to the Pacific side.

In actuality, there is but one World Ocean. Without it, life as we know it would not exist on this planet. All life on this planet began in the sea, and each person carries within ourselves our own sea of blood as salt water runs through our veins. This internal sea establishes a connection between all beings through our origins in the sea. We are all affected by it, just as we affect it in turn.

Source: The Book of Tides

Do you need to live near the ocean, the sea, or large body of water?

Minnie says you don’t need to live near the sea and can use almost any form of water with salt added . At some point, without access to the sea or the ocean, wouldn’t this just become water magick?

I love the idea of sea magick but it does seem a bit sad to think any water and some table salt would do. You can create some form of salted water but I feel it would be the difference between something created by nature versus something man/human made.

Like using a plastic bottle instead of glass. The glass is just different, it feels different and looks different and reacts differently to the elements. I really feel a glass bottle, or the real sea/ocean is so much more than a plastic bottle, or water from the tap or hose.

Instead of making do with tap water make a point to visit the ocean or a sea and bring along a large container, collect your own sea water and use it sparingly until you can make another trip out to get real sea water. Don’t sell yourself short. I do agree with working with what you have, as she writes next, but tap water isn’t sea water. Table salt isn’t natural salt from the sea either. If you are serious about this don’t settle for less.

I would like to live on the ocean. Unless I moved I think I would have to consider myself a lake witch at this point. Maybe a combination of sea magick and forest magick? Lake Ontario is great for beach coming and we do have some seafaring lore.

Sea magick is associated with seafaring, beach combing, moon lore, the tides, and weather.

Minnie says it can be a dark or grey area of magick. This is something I believe for most magick. Anything claiming to be all light (or all dark) doesn’t sound believable. Almost nothing is that simple and uncomplicated.

She says it is for solitary witches, those who like the isolation, which suits me very well. But, like any tradition of Pagan or Witch, people can choose how they want to practice when it comes to being alone or finding a group. I do prefer not dealing with a group, but that doesn’t mean it is the best, or better, way. It’s just personal.

Also, I wonder why the sun is not included. Why only moon lore? Possibly to do with navigation by stars at night. But, you certainly feel the sun on the ocean, even on a lake.

Types of sea magick: Beach, Moon, and Weather magick.

Symbolism of the Sea – Quoted from What is a Sea Witch?

Gems: pearls, moonstones, aquamarines, clear quartz, shells, beryls, emeralds, coral
Metal: silver
Colours: white, blue, black, emerald green
Symbols: moon, spiral, wave, crescent, cloud, lightning bolt
Tools: mirror, cauldron, cup, broom, comb and mirror, mop and bucket
Herbs and foods: fish and shellfish, seaweeds such as kelp and nori, sea salt, bouillabaisse, watermelon, grapes, coconut, cantaloupe, champagne, honeydew melon, rosemary, parsley, chamomile, watercress, spearmint, basil, white rum

Minnie also writes about sea glass, which are glass or pottery pieces tumbled into stones by the ocean (lake, etc.). You can find these while beach combing. I have heard of a beach, it may have been in California, which is a rainbow of colours in sea glass.

She has very good information about beach combing and seashells. But, if you really want to know more about sea magick read the page which has information about the alter and tools she she uses. If you have read this and want to know more, I’d start there.

Walpurgisnacht – Witches’ Night in Germany

My family are Irish, Scottish and German. As far as I know, there are a lot of them, a long history of people I’ve never met. I especially like to hear about German and Austrian traditions and history because it seems just a bit more exotic and farther away than the Irish and Scottish part of my family history. So, I like the idea of a special Witches’ Night from German traditions.

Walpurgis Night is the English translation of Walpurgisnacht, one of the Dutch and German names for the night of 30 April, so called because it is the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in Francia. In Germanic folklore Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht (Dutch: heksennacht; literally “Witches’ Night”), is believed to be the night of a witches’ meeting on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz Mountains, a range of wooded hills in central Germany between the rivers Weser and Elbe. The first known written occurrence of the English translation “Walpurgis Night” is from the 19th century.

via – Facebook – The Male Witch

Stop Calling them Uniforms

mountiecostume When a uniform becomes customized for various cultures it stops being a uniform. A uniform is… uniform. When it isn’t uniform, all the same, then it becomes similar, not uniform. If the Mounties, police, fire fighters, etc. want to adapt their uniform doesn’t it become a costume? I think allowing various cultures (I am purposely not being specific because the specific culture is not the issue) to have different uniforms makes the uniform mean less.

The original point of a uniform was identification, everyone looking the same, being recognizable and having respect. You see the Mounties and know who they are by the uniform. If you see someone wearing a Mountie costume, you think they are on the way to a party and you don’t consider them someone you need to pay much attention to. Badges don’t mean much from a distance, behind a door or to anyone who couldn’t tell a real badge from a fake one.

People in authority like Mounties, military and government employees need to be recognizable in order to have that authority and be trusted. Since we were children we have seen Mounties in their dress uniforms and we expect a Mountie to be in that uniform.

But, more than the public, what about the Mounties themselves? Why change the uniform which has severed generations of Mounties of all cultures up until now? I’m assuming all Mounties have two arms, two legs, one head so they should all be able to wear the standard uniform. What is the real need for change in this very old tradition worn with pride by generations of people.

I don’t know. But, I do think they should stop calling them uniforms, because they aren’t uniforms any more. That tradition has been lost. mountie

A Living Wake

I read about Derek K. Miller’s living wake in his blog. Derek died May 3rd. Jade Walker posted a link to his blog and that’s how I began reading and eventually came to the post about his living wake. It’s a good idea. I’ve always thought a funeral was kind of sad because the person everyone was there to think of, give tribute to, is not able to attend.

I found another post about a living wake on Care Pages, a wife held a living wake for her husband who had terminal cancer. Of course, a living wake would only work for someone with cancer or some other disease which gave them a limited time to live. I wouldn’t want to know when I am going to die, if it were sudden, but having the time to plan and say good bye would be comforting if you knew your time was short.

A living wake is not a life celebration, where people attend after the death to remember the deceased. However, part of the living wake would be to remember the life you have lived, the people you met along the way and your accomplishments, happy moments, etc. Knowing this was the last time for so many things I’d want to take time to plan the living wake and make sure I wouldn’t regret anything I wish I had done at the time, later.

I didn’t find information about planning a living wake so I am thinking of ideas myself and putting them here for anyone who finds this useful.

Every holiday, family birthday and occasion can be packed into the living wake. Have a birthday cake, decorate the Christmas tree, hand out Valentine chocolates, wear New Year hats, cook a turkey and so on. Set out photos of family trips and milestones.
Invite as many people as you can find. Host the wake outside if you can or find a place easy for people to get to and drop in. Don’t make it a long event, but something where people can drop in, sign a guest book and visit awhile. Chances are the person the wake is for won’t be a fall of fire and will need to keep it short or take a few breaks to regather energy.
Make sure you have something people can take away with them, a signed photo, a poem, something to remember the occasion and the friend/ relative. Also, have them all sign a guest book so anyone who does not get to visit can still leave a note, maybe even a last gift if they happen to bring something.
Serve food which can be nibbled on. A mix of hot and cold like salads would give people something to do with their hands when they don’t quite know what to say or do.
Set up a display with photos over the years: baby to child, to teenager to adult… have a laugh at old fashions and hair styles and a favourite raggedy old sweater which everyone will remember the family/ friend wearing far too often and far too long.
If people will understand the humour, have a roast where the friend/ family member gives some parting shots to everyone who attends (or anyone they have something they want to say).
Use digital photos and video to record the event and play the video, show the photos so people can see them as the wake goes along. Let people share them by emailing the best/ favourite photos to each other before they go home. They could be put on an account on Flickr or Facebook to be distributed quickly.
Let people stand up and speak if they have something they would like to say, maybe something they have planned or thought of while wandering around the room. Some last words of their own. The plan is for everyone to say goodbye while they can still be heard after all.
If there are belongings which will be distributed in a will later why not give them now, when the stories can be told about the belonging rather than people trying to remember how it all went later. You could even type out notes to go along with each thing and include the story behind it, the reason it’s being given to that person in particular and any other details about how it works and how it was used.
Think about favourite music, books, films, any favourite things which you could have at the living wake in person or represented on a bulletin board or some other type of display.
Write a short biography with personal notes and commentary added in. This would be a good way for everyone to remember happy times, old jokes and old stories.

What other ideas can you think of?

Quietly an Earth Witch

I don’t blog about being Pagan very often. It’s a personal decision and something I mostly keep to myself. But, now and then I think of something to say to more than just myself.

When the Internet was newer there were some really good sites for Pagans. Also, many personal sites which were a mix of good and flamboyant. I don’t see many good sites still around. It’s a shame. Some of those which were my favourites have been gone a long time. It’s not an easy road to take, to put yourself out there as a Pagan and an authority on what being Pagan is. When I wrote a column about Wicca I would get a few upset emails but more often it would be questions from young women who wanted to know how to cope with family who disagreed with their choices.

I still think about those young women, now and then. I sent them replies, did my best to explain that for me being Wiccan (as I called myself at that time, it’s a bit more generic and easily understood) was all within myself and I did not need to tell anyone anything. I did hear back from a few of them, nothing long term though. I wonder how they did, if they understood what I was trying to say and if they stuck with being Pagan or changed/ evolved in another direction.

Anyway, for any young women who come across this and have the same issue. What I would most like people in general to understand about being Pagan is that it is personal and does not need to be displayed. You don’t need to buy the “Kiss me I’m Pagan” t-shirt, or the “I’m a Witch, I can put a hex on you” poster or all the fancy tools, jewellry and books available in Pagan and New Age stores. You don’t need to create elaborate rituals and altars. You don’t need to work on casting spells. I’m especially against spells as those are always about changing something in someone else. You can only change yourself.

Being an Earth Witch, as I call myself now, is inside of me. I’m quiet about it because I don’t need recognition for it. I don’t need to join a club to have someone else tell me I’m who I am. I don’t need to stick it to Christians. I don’t think I’m better than they are. I don’t want to upset them or try to make them understand what being an Earth Witch is about.

Being an Earth Witch, quietly, means I only change myself and all the magic comes from me as I work on being a better person and do my part to make the world better. If I am being the best person I can be then the world is that much better too. I don’t need to change the world or anyone else. I don’t need to broadcast who I am or stir up others. I let them do their best too and when I can I encourage them too. I don’t cast spells. I have love and respect for everyone, letting them have the benefit of my optimism.

Of course, there are people who let me down. There are people who have gone too far down the wrong road. I can’t even try to change them or feel I should. I can keep myself going, on the right road and in that way be a good example. I’m not perfect and don’t want to be. I just keep working on it. We are all works in progress after all.

So for young women who want to buck the system, insist their family accept them as Pagan and so on, stop! If you really do want to be Pagan, do it quietly. Be the best example of what being Pagan can be. Once your family see you doing well and being happy they will be happy and eventually they may see that being Pagan is part of that for you. If they see no reason to fear you being Pagan it will be just a little quirk, rather than a stand of aggression and rebellion.

A practical idea… if you want an altar and don’t want it to seem out of the ordinary, get a goldfish. A small goldfish bowl with water, rocks in the bottom, a red feather beside it gives you all the elements represented. You can think up something that will work better for you. But, as an example it shows that you can have an altar without anyone knowing it is anything more than a goldfish.

Best of wishes to all the quiet Pagans and Merry Season to everyone.