Witchcraft, practicing magick, Shamballa, horseback riding, reading, writing, photography, Renn Faires, rolelaying in Gor and my wolf group, going to East Hill Farm, trips to Salem, & hiking. I also love: Howling with my wolf Cheyenne, wolves, crows, wildlife, rainbows, sunsets, sunrises, the ocean at night, waterfalls, walking in the woods in autumn, & thunderstorms.
I'd like to meet:
I am interested in meeting other witches, to share knowledge and information, especially other Stregas :)
I am a wolf spirit, and shapeshifter, and would love to hear from others who know how to shapeshift, especially those who can do it physically, and those who are Loup Garou....
I am also interested in meeting people that are in my soul group and like-minded spirits interested in joining our wiccan grove in North Central Massachusetts. I am also looking for a new Priest for our grove, we will train the right person if necessary. :)
Looking for other souls who originated from the TRUE
"Children of the Law of One"
What Is Wicca?
-------------------
Wicca is a new age religion, that has roots from the times of Neolithic paganism, however, most information of true witchcraft has long since been lost.
Wicca is also know as, Wicce, Witchcraft, The Craft, The Old Religion,
or the "Craft of the Wise."
Back in ancient times, the women and men of the village were the seers and the healers and had the knowledge of herbs and medicines. They healed the sick, delivered the babies, gave council, foretold the future, and were valuable parts of the villages and communities. They understood, that mankind is not superior to nature, the earth and
its creatures, but instead that we are ONE of its many parts, both seen and unseen.
They gathered their information and teachings and from all around the things in nature, such as the sun, the earth, the moon, the stars, animals, trees, plants and minerals, as well as the cycles of the seasons. They understood that mankind was not superior to nature, but a part of it, and all that it is. This belief continues today, in the new wiccan religion.
Wicca is a nature based religion, that revolves around the "Wheel of the year" or the changing of the seasons, which acknowledges, and celebrates the cycles of nature, the changing seasons, and the lunar phases. It subscribes to the eight virtues of love, trust, balance, humility, learning, reincarnation, harmony and compassion.
It is a religion of free-thought, for gaining
knowledge and understanding of the earth and nature.
Most wiccans believe in the balanced polarities of the feminine, and the masculine, which are seen as the Goddess and the God, which they believe are a part of the Ultimate Life Force, that exists in the universe which is sometimes also called,
"The One", "The All" or "God." They believe that the spirit of the "One" exists in
all things. It exists in the trees, the flowers, the sea, in all people, and in all of God's
creatures. They believe that this means that we must treat all things of the earth as
aspects of the divine, and to honor and respect life, in all of its many manifestations, both seen and unseen.
Wiccans follow a basic system of ritual, and a celebration of the seasons either in
covens or on a solitary basis.
They celebrate (8) holidays, that are called Sabbats, which follow the wheel of the year,
or the changing of the seasons.
Besides reverence to the God and Goddess, most wiccans also practice herbalism, divination, and magick.
Magick is the conscious use of energy to accomplish a positive goal.
Such goals can be for healing, guidance, protection, or to improve ones life
in some way, shape or form. Most magickal rites are performed on Esbats,
which correspond to the phases of the moon, when worship and reverence is
also performed, though magick can be performed at any time. Rituals and
magick are performed within a "magick circle", which is a purified and
protected space, and considered a "world between the worlds."
Most wiccans, also believe in the concept of reincarnation. They do not believe
in heaven or hell, but have the belief that death just takes us to another plane of
existence. They believe that our souls are reborn again and again, to learn the
spiritual lessons their soul is meant to achieve, to eventually transcend to the
Ultimate Plane of Existence. This makes wiccans ultimately responsible for their own
actions in life, as they believe the mistakes they make, and the wrongs they commit,
will have them return back, again and again, until they get it right, to learn
the spiritual lessons they are meant to learn.
There are very few "rules" in wicca. The Wiccan Rede and the Three-Fold Law are the
major ones. The Wiccan Rede states, "An' it harm none, do as thou will."
This is an ethical guideline that they follow, which means that they may follow our spiritual path in anyway we choose, as long as we harm nothing and no one, including themselves.
The second law, which is the Three-Fold Law states that what energy one sends out,
will return to that person three-fold, whether it be for good or for ill.
Therefore, there is no such thing as an "evil" or "black" witch, as this would contravene the main laws of wicca. People who perform magick to harm others are NOT witches.
The wiccan religion is unlike other religions in many ways.
Wiccans do not " recruit" new members, as they believe that people must find their
own spiritual path.
They do not worship in a particular building, or place, instead they create
"Sacred space" where ever they want to worship.
There is also no one book, of "ultimate" knowledge.
They do not have priests, who preach what we must, or must not
do, instead they encourage freedom of belief, and that each person follow their own
heart and soul for determine what is right, and what is wrong for themselves.
Wicca became a legalized religion in 1985, and is one of the fastest growing
religions in the world.
~Tala 2006~
Music:
70's rock, Pagan music.
Movies:
The Stand, The Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, Pay It Forward, Willow, Labyrinth, Ghost, Harry Potter series, Meet Joe Black, Lethal Weapons, Lady & The Tramp, It's a Wonderful Life, Savanah Smiles, Desperately Seeking Susan, It Could Happen to You, The Celestine Prophecy, What the Bleep Do We Know, The Secret, The Ten Commandments, The Notebook.
Television:
Charmed, Ghost Whisperer, Supernatural, Joan of Arcadia, Sabrina, Bewitched.
Books:
Witchcraft, Wicca, Historical Romance, Fantasy Romance & Wolf Shapeshifting, fantasy books. Spiritual Awakening Books. Some specific titles include: James Redfield's Celestine Prophecy series, John Norman's Gor series, The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, The Book of James; Suzy Smith, Shapeshifting by John Perkins, and Met by Moonlight, by Edghill, Ways of the Strega by Raven Grimassi.
Heroes:
Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, Jesus, Sybil Leek, Aradia de Toscano, and all those who suffered and died during the Burning Times.
Blessed Be!
Wiccan's Don't!!!!
-Practice Satanism
Satanism is NOT a wiccan belief, nor do wiccan's practice it.Satanists worship the devil, and Wiccans do not even believe in the devil,nor do they believe in hell.Satanism has roots in medieval times and also exists in modern times.In ancient times the church was the one who originally connected Satanism to thosepracticing pagan beliefs, to attempt to sway the common people to the new religion ofChristianity. In modern times, a man named Anton LeVey created the modern versionof Satanism, 'round about 1969, which is mostly a lot of theatrics, and focus's on self fulfillment, and the material, with no consideration of others.
-Practice Black Magic
Wiccan's believe, that magick is neither black or white, nor good or evil.Magick comes from the energy of the Universal Life Force, and is consideredneutral energy. It is up to the person using it, as to whether they use it for good,or ill. Wiccan's do not use it for harm, as they believe that what energy yousent out, comes back to you 3-fold.
-Sacrifice Animals or People
Modern wiccan's respect ALL life, and strive to "harm none" at all costs, includingthemselves. They believe life is sacred, and should be revered and protectedat all costs. In ancient times however, our pagan ancestors did participate in sacrificesas they believed this would help the Gods to look kindly upon their villages, and helptheir crops to flourish.
-Participate in naked sexual orgies
Although some Wicca groups DO practice "sky clad", or in the nude, manyWiccans do not, and that is a choice of each coven, or practicing wiccan.Many practicing wiccan's will wear robes during their rituals.And though some of the Wiccan beliefs do revolve around fertility, it does not includemassive orgies. Some of this belief, may have originated with Gerald Gardner,the founder of modern Wicca, who was into nudist colonies, and sexual activity.
-Only Wear Black
Most Wiccan's are everyday people, who wear normal clothing, just like everyoneelse…. You would not be able to recognize most Wiccan's by their clothing, asthey usually dress quite normally. They only don robes, and sometimes medievalclothing, for ritual and celebrations only.
Wicca is NOT
-A Feminist Movement
Although there is a segment of Wicca, that is pre-dominantly feminine, called'Dianic Wicca' This is does not include the majority of practicing Wiccans.Most Wiccans favor "Balance" of the Male/Female, Ying/Yang energies.
-An Ancient Religion
Though wicca has its roots in Neolithic paganism, Wicca is a "New Age"religion that was first created by Gerald Gardner, and first came to the publicsattention in 1954 when he published his first book called, "Witchcraft Today",followed by his second book, the meaning of witchcraft, which came out in1959. Wicca became a legalized religion in 1985. Since the creation of Gardnerian Wicca, there have been many "off-shoots" of the religion created by others, thatmake up the various traditions of Wicca.
~Tala 2006~
Wiccan Beliefs
Wiccan Beliefs
1. The Wiccan Rede- "An ye harm none, do what ye will"
This is one of the most important beliefs of the wiccan religion.It is an ethical guideline, that wiccans follow, which means that we mayfollow whatever spiritual path we choose, and do whateverit is that we want, as long as it harms no one, and nothing, includingourselves. This also includes, taking responsibility for what we chooseto do.
2. The Three-fold Law
This is another important wiccan belief, which states, that whatever a person does,or whatever energy a person sends out, whether it be for good or ill, will return backto that person, 3-fold, or three times stronger. This also relates to a law of the universecalled the Law of Cause and Effect, the action and reaction principle in the law ofphysics, and similar to the Eastern law of "Karma." Wiccans believe that both positive and negative energies originate back to the originator of those energies. Because of this we believethat means that if one does good things, and sends out positive energy to people, it will be returned, and if one does "bad" or hurtful things, this will also be returned.This law is where the saying "What comes around, goes around" comes from.
3. The Wheel of the Year
Wiccans and Witches celebrate what they call the "Wheel of the Year"Which includes (8) Sabbats, that mark the changing of the seasons, andthe stories of the God and the Goddess, which symbolize the cycles oflife, death, and rebirth. This initially only included the (4) Greater Sabbatswhich were: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasadh, or Lammas.Many modern pagans also include the Lesser Sabbats which are the solar events,which are: Yule (Winter Solstice), Ostara, ( Spring Equinox)Litha (Midsummer Solstice) and Mabon (Autumanal Equinox)Wiccans often gather together for ritual, reverence, to honor the God and Goddess, and celebration, which includes, singing, dancing, chanting, and feasting.
4. The Elements
Wiccans believe that these are forces exist both outside of ourselves, and within us.Within, we see ourselves reflected in the Elements of Air, Fire, Earth and Water.Air represents wisdom, and intellect, Earth represents the body, the earth, and strength, Fire stands for passion, and enthusiasm, and the energies of Water symbolize love, compassion and emotion, while the Spirit is the element that binds these all together.Outside of ourselves, there exist elemental kingdoms that are active agents, of consciousSpirits. The spirits of earth, are known as Gnomes, the spirits of Air, are Sylphs,the spirits of fire are Salamanders, and those of Water, are known as Undines.It is thought that everything in nature was created and maintained by one or more ofthese elemental beings. This is why the elements are summoned during ritual and magick.
5. The Goddess & The God-
Wiccans believe in the balanced polarities of the feminine and the masculinewhich are seen as the Goddess and the God. They are ultimately all a part of theOne Ultimate Creative Life Force, which many call God/Goddess/Spirit.According to the wiccan tradition, the Goddess is seen as the origin of all creationof the earth, nature and life itself. The Goddess is also seen in three aspects whichare the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone, which correspond with the waxing andwaning phases of the moon, and also the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.The God aspect is seen as the masculine side of nature. He represents the wild forceof nature the hunt, that is strong and expressive, without being patriarchal andand destructive. He represents sexuality and fertility, that allows the Goddess tocreate life, and he is also the keeper of the gates of life and death.Different traditions have different deity structures consisting of many Gods andGoddess's that represent specific aspects of the ultimate plane of existence.Each one is unique, and used to attune one to the mysteries that the deity represents, and to provide a 'bridge' to the higher planes of existence.
6. Reincarnation
One of the most important beliefs that wiccans share, is the belief in reincarnation.They do not believe in the Christian version of "heaven" or "hell". Instead, they believe that death just takes them to another plane of existence when our body dies. Wiccans call this plane of existence "Summerland", which is a 'waiting place' between lives, whichis comparable to the Christian belief of heaven. They believe that a person's soul chooses to continuously be reborn, again and again, until they have learned all their spiritual lessons, which their soul is meant to learn, to ultimately elevate their souls to ascension to The Ultimate Life Force. Because of this belief, this makes wiccans ultimately responsible for their own actions in life, as they believe the mistakes they make, and the wrongs they commit, will have them return back again and again, until they can 'get it right,' and learn the spiritual lessons they are meant to learn.
7. The (7) Planes of Existence
1. The Physical Plane- Which is the material plane where we exist now, where everything is solid matter.
2. The Elemental Plane (also known as the "etheric plane)- This is the plane of existence where the fairies andelementals reside which is the closest to our material plane of existence,helping to build it, yet not a part of it.
3. The Astral Plane- Dreams, visions, and astral travel occur at this level.
4. The Emotional Plane- This is sometimes referred to as the "upper astral"containing the highest and purest of the astral level.
5. The Mental Plane- This is where the watchers, arch angels, and ascendedMasters exist.
6. The Spiritual Plane-This is where the Gods and Goddess's exist.
7. The Ultimate Plane- This is where the Ultimate Life Force exists.
These planes of existence go from the lowest level, which is where we are on the physicalplane, to the highest plane of existence, which is the Ultimate plane, where the UltimateLife Force exists. These are essentially the lowest and highest frequencies in which energyexists. Wiccans believe that everything is a part of the Ultimate Life Force, from all the lower planes to the highest….and that everything on this plane and in the universe is all a part of the Ultimate Spirit, or Creative Life Force.
8. The Use of Magick
Many Wiccans practice magick. They believe that magick is the ability to bring about changes in ones world with the use of personal will or strong desire, much like the use of prayer. Magick can be brought about by understanding the laws of nature, as well as understanding how a person can enlist the aid of a spirit or deity. Magick is accomplished by the understanding of, and use of metaphysical principles used to manifest ones needs, with a change in consciousness, intent and focus, visualization, the use of correspondences, and magickal tools. They believe that magick should never be used for harm.
9. Ethics
Wiccans believe in a "live and let live" philosophy, and tend to be very tolerant of other religions and lifestyles. They strive to be non-judgmental, believing everyone is doing what they are meant to do, and are right where they are suppose to be, at this point in time.They believe in non-violence, and peace, and believe that everyone has to findand follow their own spiritual path. They have no need to "recruit" and believe that those who are meant to find the path, will. Wiccans also have an innate sense of right and wrong, and striveto do the "right" thing, because they know that, it is what is best for their own spiritual growth.
10. Personal Development & Responsibility
Most wiccans believe in taking personal responsibility for their lives. This means not onlytaking responsibility for ones issues, choices, mistakes, and faults, but this also means not blaming others for the things that are not right in your life.Wiccans make a conscious choice, to acknowledge and deal with their issues, and striveto change their unhealthy behavior and actions, and to become a more evolved person.They also take a very active role, in personal, and spiritual development to expand theirknowledge and their skills, to become the very best person they can be. They feel thatthere is always something more to learn, and pass on to others.
11. Respect for Nature
Wicca is an earth based religion, and wiccans have great respect and reverence for nature,and most are involved in environmentalism, and conservation. This is because we believe,that the earth is alive, and has a spirit, as does everything on the earth. We believe that everything is a part of the Ultimate Life Force, and that nothing is greater or lesser thananother, and that everything is of equal importance and an important part of the workingwhole, and they honor the earth, and all the life forces upon her.
12. "As above, So below"
Another common teaching is that everything that exists here on the earth, is first created in ahigher, non-physical dimension, as our physical dimension is just a 'reflection' of a higher dimension. Everything that exists here in our physical world, began as a thought form ofenergy, that eventually manifested itself here, in the lower, denser plane. This teaching isone of the basic roots of magick.
13. Ritual
Most wiccans practice ritual of some sort. This is a way to worship, and is a means tohelp us communicate with the deities and spirits, and to gain access to other dimensions andother states of consciousness. Rituals are often performed at the sabbats, to assist inlconnecting us with the seasonal turning of the year, and also on esbats, for reverence of thedivine, or as a prelude to working magick. Wiccans do not have a specific building orchurch as other religions, and are able to create sacred space, that exists "between the worlds" wherever they wish.
14. Herbalism
Witches & Wiccans practice herbalism which is the utilization of the properties of plants for healing and self improvement. There is a belief that in addition to it's physical properties, every plant has a divine spark or "mana" that has certain qualities, and characteristics, and it is this power of the plant's particular energy that is employed in magick and spell casting for specific purposes. These herbs can be used in many ways: In sachets and talismans, incenses and candles, lotions & ointments, and in food and drink. They can be used in their natural plant form, dried, or made into essential oils.
15. Divination
Is method to assist in discerning what the future may hold. Many wiccans, becausethey believe in taking personal responsibility for their own lives, and spiritual development, often use divination, as a tool, to help guide their path. Divination allows us to either preparefor what lies ahead, or to take action to alter a probable situation. They believe in free will,and that it is possible to change any pre-determined event or pattern. There are many methodsof divination, and some include: Tarot cards, crystal balls, black mirrors, runes, fire scrying,psychometry, and reading tea leaves.
~Tala 2006~
