Witchvox Article

Author: Amergin Aradia
Posted: March 1st. 2009
Times Viewed: 3,184

It seems that the debate about who is and who is not a �real Witch� is coming to a head. Is this sect real as opposed to that sect? Are those in covens real Witches as opposed to solitaries�. And on and on it goes. It�s beginning to sound like the fight between factions of the Christian religion or between organized religions as a whole. That�s probably the way they began too.

This silly useless debate is pulling our community apart as well. The truth is, are any of us real Witches. And how do you define a real Witch? By whose standards and rules?

As an illustration of my point I�ll tell you my story. I have always known that I was a Witch, even before I really knew what that was. When I was very young (grade school) I had certain abilities and interests that other kids didn�t. I practiced raising energy, practiced ESP (as it was called then) , I astral projected, and I cast spells. I was drawn to the night, the moon and stars, and I identified with all things �magical.�

I wasn�t trained by anyone because there was no one to train me. I had to figure it out for myself and that was in the 1950�s so you know there were very few references to rely on even if I knew where to look. As I grew up I did what everyone else did then, got a job and tried to live what was considered a �normal� life, as unsatisfying as that was.

I maintained my interests and practices over the years as best I could, if only peripherally. There may have been one or two occult bookstores in the area but you really had to search them out and I only managed to get to one every so often and then only to browse because I didn�t know what I was looking for. You didn�t just walk up to someone and tell him or her you were a Witch and wanted to join a coven. And people didn�t come out of the woodwork to invite you to join one, even if you knew where to look.

So I dabbled, training myself the best way I could using instinct as my guide. At the time I would have loved to have found someone to train me and I would have loved to have found a coven to join so that I wouldn�t feel so alone. But they didn�t exactly advertise. And there was no Internet in those days to bring us all together.

So unless you were lucky, you were on your own. Like it or not.

Now that we have all these books, magazines, and web sites to fill in the gaps I find that my instincts did very well by me. Everything that I taught myself way back then is now being touted as the way to do it by the �experts.� I have since collected an entire library of books hoping to find information that would help me advance my practice but with the exception of a few interesting bits that I�ve added here and there, I have been disappointed.

I have also attended classes, open groves, and ceremonies, and while the people that I met were very nice it just didn�t feel right for me. I�ve also become very disillusioned with the influx of the newest brick and mortar shops. They seem to have become havens of self-help, yoga, meditation, and coffee and music.

And while I practice yoga and meditation myself I don�t want to go to my local Craft shop to pick up a yoga mat, balance ball, or a book by Dr. Phil. I want to pick up the tools for my ceremonies and spell crafting and, unfortunately, the kind of shop I want seems to be few and far between (except on line.) It feels as though the craft as I remember it is being homogenized and made so �acceptable� in the eyes of the general public that it is becoming useless to serious practitioners. But I digress here.

So to sum up this article, does it mean that I am not a real Witch because I had no one to �lead the way� or no coven to adopt me and teach me �their right way�? Quite frankly I think that makes me an even better real Witch because I had to figure it out for myself. And because of that my understanding and beliefs don�t quite fit into any prescribed dogma. So that is why I stay a solitary practitioner and that is why I have stepped back from the community as a whole.

But then I don�t look at being a Witch as a religion, with all of its implied rules and regulations and dogma. I look at being a Witch in the same way that the old village Witches looked at it. I revere the earth and heavens and do my best to respect and tread lightly on her.

I try to live a spiritual life without bowing to or begging the acceptance of any one archetypal being. I look at the Goddess and Gods as a representation on this plane of the source of all energy and power. I cast spells for my own benefit, and mine alone, as I don�t believe I have the right to manipulate anyone else�s life. And I believe that Karma will out eventually.

I believe that being a Witch is as simple as that. It�s in your heart, it�s in your soul, and it�s who YOU know you really are. Not because someone gives you permission to be one simply because you read and adhere to someone else�s views as written down and published. Or because you attend meetings once a week, or once a month, or even once a quarter.

But because YOU know you are. And whether you are solitary or a member of a group, no matter what that group represents, you are really on your own. You must practice, practice, practice, and hold that knowing in your own heart...alone.

That�s what makes you a �real Witch.�

ABOUT...

Amergin Aradia

Location: Bothell, Washington

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