I’m going to be open and honest with you here. I’m not a traditionalist. I didn’t even know what the Wheel of the Year was until recently. When we bought the Metaphysical Times LLC, I had to get familiar with it very quickly because the newspaper articles were heavily themed based on the 8 major Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year, and we wanted to keep that in place, but it was not a part of my spiritual or witchcraft journey prior to February of 2022. I can’t say it is even now, 2 years later. I know of them, but I don’t celebrate them with specific rituals. I practice daily and on a much more “as needed” basis.
I also don’t follow any real traditional gods or goddesses. My source is the Universe.
I wasn’t raised with any kind of “magical” background. I grew up not allowed to celebrate Halloween until I was 13 because it was considered “the devil’s holiday”. We did celebrate the standard “Christian” Holidays like Easter and Christmas, and some of the “just for fun ones” like Valentine’s Day we got candy and cards and could gently pinch each other on St. Patrick’s Day if we weren’t wearing green, but I knew nothing about the Wheel of the Year. Hell, I didn’t really know any of the reasons we celebrated any of the Christian holidays that we did unless they taught it in Sunday School. I learned the history of St. Valentine, St. Patrick, and Thanksgiving in grade school. Not at home.
I had developed a lot of my own personal beliefs and traditions by the time I reached adulthood. Sometimes they overlapped with the religion I was raised on but most of the time they didn’t. I have always had a real problem with hypocrisy, judgement, and could just never wrap my head around the concept of eternal punishment and damnation for anything, calling it love.
There were exposures to and experiences with witchcraft (in a general sense) throughout my life, of course, but I was told they were evil and to avoid them or else I would burn in Hell for eternity. Still, I watched a demon be cast out of a person 2 feet away from me by a pastor, so I know demons are real and we can manipulate them into doing our bidding if we know how. This doesn’t mean that we should or shouldn’t.
I watched people be healed miraculously and was healed of several ailments and illnesses myself through intense prayer (meditation) and alternative medicines (herbalism), so I know that is possible. I’ve heard prophecies dished out in sermons on Sunday mornings and then watched in awe as they came to be right in front of me through the following week.
I’ve been “filled with the holy spirit” and have spoken in a language I don’t speak in general because the foreign words to me meant something to someone who needed to hear the message and I was a conduit of that connection. I’ve been in a state of worship so deep and felt so peaceful and at home that I never wanted to leave that space and wanted more than anything for everyone that I loved to share that experience with me.
Those experiences were totally ok, but only for the people who did them the way they were told they were supposed to. I never fully accepted that and went on my own, personal journey, to find what made sense to me. There has not yet, in 48 years, been any one way that has completely vibed with me.
When I encountered the concepts that I was told were witchcraft and should be avoided for probably the hundred thousandth time in my life, in my mid-thirties. I was surrounded by people who weren’t openly practicing, but they had knowledge, insight, experience, intuition, and information that I didn’t have, and it felt very familiar, but very different. I had questions. Lots of questions.
They shared their knowledge and experiences with me, gladly. They didn’t judge me, they didn’t condemn me, or even laugh when I asked seemingly simple questions. I really and truly felt, for the first time in my life, that they cared and wanted only the best for me. Not just what they could get from me or get me to do.
They taught me things like listening to my own intuition so I could feel and listen to different things while reading tarot cards, scrying, and working with crystals and other objects. They asked me to do readings and things for them when they believed I was ready and then spent time, sometimes hours, with me discussing the reading from my perspective and sharing theirs.
They spoke with me about things like the fluid nature of the universe and ripple effects, authenticity, enlightenment, isms, abilities, and so much more. They invited me to watch and eventually participate in their rituals and practices, but they also encouraged me to try different things, learn constantly, and apply what I learn, to find what is and vibes best with me. Some were wiccan, some were pagan, some were shamans, some were healers, some were psychologists, psychiatrists, physicists, and just fans of all things metaphysical. All of them were continually learning and willing to hear my perspectives and theories about things just as much as giving me theirs.
They believed and taught me that we are at our best and our magic is its most powerful when it is genuine, felt and believed deeply, and created individually because the actual power comes from and through us as individuals tapped into a massive universal source. Numbers and things can amplify the results, but they are not a requirement. I have carried that forward in my own personal practices and have achieved massive results, but still learning new things every day.
The point is, if you work with me and expect a singular path, you will be disappointed. I believe all paths cross over in different places, and none of them are inherently wrong, and it is all trial and error in the early stages.
I’d love to hear about your own spiritual journey and how it has shaped your beliefs and practices. Have you encountered moments of personal exploration or insights that have led you to forge your own path? Feel free to share your experiences, questions, or reflections below!
Leave a Reply