Raising Witchlings Series: A Witches Legacy

Published on Examiner.com / December 28, 2013
A legacy is something passed down from the past. Usually we think of property, money, inheritances or even positions or titles but a legacy is something so much more. It is the essence of who we were during our lifetime. Usually our legacy is something we think of regarding our children and grandchildren. During this Yuletide season have you thought of what your legacy is? What you would like it to be?

Do we ever stop to think what our legacy is to our children on a daily basis? How kind were we, how compassionate were we, how well did we really listen to our children's needs, how forgiving, how loving. An act of a minutes anger can leave our children with a legacy of mistrust. Many acts of anger, whether towards our children or others in our lives, can insure that the legacy we leave behind is not a positive one.

Yes, a nice inheritance may be nice for our children but our daily actions and how we handle our lives are what is really important. Our children should know that life is meant to be joyful and fun, not overrun with heartache and misery. Others do not steer our course, only we have the ability to choose what direction we take in any given situation. We can choose joy or we can choose misery and disappointment.

The holidays can be such a stressful time for so many, but when we take the time to consider our ancestors and the legacy they gave us - in many ways they have shown us what this winter season was truly meant for. Yule is the point of rebirth and renewal. It is a time to slow down, travel less, contemplate more. What have we done over the past year? What will we do with the next year?

Are we angry a lot or in a regular state of depression? Do we blame others for what they have forced onto our life? Do we argue and fight, allow guilt and overwhelming obligations to family and friends dictate what we do in our daily lives? What does this tell our children? That life just isn't all that great. That to grow up is to feel pain and suffer. That to have anything good in our lives is selfish and not within our control. That others have the power to steer our future in any direction they choose.

This is not a legacy worth sharing. As a Witch, I can only speak to a Witches legacy. What I have learned within my life and spiritual practices. That God is seen in many faces and many forms. That my way is not the only way, nor the only true, correct way. That no one has the ability to steer my future unless I hand them my power - which I will not do. That to care for myself, to make myself my top priority is not selfish but the only way to live my true and authentic life. That life is meant to be joyful and fun. That I have infinite possibilities and it is only my inability to believe in these possibilities that holds me back. That everyone deserves the right to be happy and I have no right to demand that they should do as I say or want. That honesty with compassion, even if difficult to speak, is always the better choice. That many times it is best to stay silent and just listen. That everyone has a right to their own opinion no matter how opposite or irrational it may seem to me. That I need no one to speak for me or dictate to me how I need to see God because the source of our creation flows through me every second of every day whether I feel it or not. That every day I have a new chance to change my fate and bring absolute abundance into my life. That the laws that are enacted, the wars that are fought, the religions that preach sin and hatred of others who are different come from a place so detached from what we call God that they are not worth my attention. That every relationship we form is eternal and even if painful, it is a lesson we needed. It is a lesson to see what we really want and take the leap of faith to have it is always worth it.

These are some of the larger life lessons that I would choose for my legacy. There are smaller ones as well such as, television and the media are really a waste of time and only stand in the way of life's joy. Animals and pets really do make life a better place. We can learn a lot from the innocent joy of our children and our emotions are our way of figuring out whether we are heading in the right direction or not. Meditation is the best and fastest way to connect with the gods and our true selves, magick is very real and not something in fairytales and fancies and no matter what path my children choose in life - I will always stand behind them with love and support whether I am here in this physical body or not.

If I can leave my children with this knowledge, if they can know with absolute certainty that they really can have everything they want in life, I will be handing them the world. I do not want them to see my pain or anger at another as an excuse to feel the same - or worse, an excuse to build a wall around themselves to keep those experiences at a 'safe' distance. Whether it be towards a family member, a spouse, a friend, an ex, the teller at the bank or the stranger walking down the street - all of our experiences are valuable to us. All of these experiences and relationships help us see more and more clearly what we want in life. They give us goals and aspirations. Yes, even the painful ones. We experience the things in life we do not want, which allows us to strive for what we do want. Without these experiences how would we truly know our true selves? The trick is to see what we don't want and as quickly as possible begin thinking and feeling our way in the direction of what we do want, one baby step at a time. To spend our days going over the what if's, how could they have done/said that to me, what could have been different - these do nothing but keep us trapped in the past and we can never be happy in the past. To keep ourselves in a place of anger, depression, vengeance and hatred will only bring more of those things into our lives. To allow what someone else said or did to pave the path of our future, to so completely submit ourselves to someone else's control is so beneath us all. This is not what we would ever want to pass on to our children, but we will if we do not show them a better way.

As a Witch I know that what I call God and Goddess is just the form that feels right and true for me. This may not be true for my children, and that is alright as long as they are following the path that feels right to them. As a Witch I know that I hold magick within my very essence and I want to share this with my children. As a Witch I know that what I do, say, think and feel return to me threefold and that I want the good to flow naturally to my children while the bad are distant and foreign to them. As a Witch, an ordained minister and High Priestess I've seen many different paths and forms of Paganism and even among ourselves we can disagree on the right way to call the quarters, invoke the God and Goddess, celebrate the Esbats and Sabbats, set up an alter, cleanse and consecrate our sacred space and tools and teach our children our path. But I know that there is no one way or right way of doing any of these things. When we calm our minds and reach for our connection with the God/Goddess we will do what is right for us, in the way that is right for us because there has never been only one way and there never will be. As a Witch I know that the diversity that surrounds us is our greatest strength and asset and never something to demean, hate or fear. As a Witch I know that the relationships and interactions I have on a daily basis, the good ones and even more so the bad ones, will show my children what life is. What life can become and even more importantly, what they can expect from life within these physical bodies during this lifetime.

As Wiccan/Pagan/Witches and as parents we know that what we call reality is such a subjective term. What is reality except what is in this exact moment? But now that moment is gone and it is the next with its reality, but again that is now gone and the next moment of reality is upon us. And why exactly do we need to put every ounce of energy into the right now when we could be allowing the right now to reform an even more joyful future by not allowing the right now, the reality of each and every moment, to hold us back from our birthright as human beings living on this planet in this time and place? Our birthright as the very essence of creation, of the God and Goddess themselves, is to live in joy and love and happiness. If enough of us can share this knowledge and wisdom with our children, the evils of this world, the bad of this world, would no longer have the feeling and emotion to sustain itself within our reality.

This is the legacy I choose to strive for, for myself and for my children. Not one of bickering and arguing, of guilt and selfish obligations, of harsh words and un-forgiveness, of allowing others to dictate my feelings and emotions, of pain and misery, of mourning and living in a past that is no more. Of working hard and fighting my way through life rather than flowing with it, in destroying rather than creating, of no second chances. This is not the life for me, nor the legacy I will leave behind. My legacy is that of a Witch.

Have you taken time to think of the daily legacy you leave with your children? This is the perfect time, the perfect season, the perfect chance. No regrets, no second thoughts of the past and what could have or should have been - just what you will do this day, this moment. All else is irrelevant and not worth our attention for one second longer. Don't just leave a legacy behind once you are no longer in your current physical body, live it each and every day.

Published on Examiner.com / December 28, 2013

See other articles in the 'Raising Witchlings' series at http://www.examiner.com/user/6063731/content

Brightest Blessings )0(
the Witchy Writer

Festival of Ganesha: The Birthday of the Lord Ganesha

Today marks the beginning of the Festival of Ganesha in Hindu culture. The festival, celebrating the birthday of Lord Ganesha, begins September 9 (this year) and lasts for up to 10 days. Ganesha is prayed to for wisdom, inner spiritual strength and success in all undertakings. After 10 days of dancing, feasting and revelry the Ganesha idols are carried to a body of water and submerged; symbolically seeing Ganesha off as he returns to his home taking all the worries and woes of man with him.

If you want to celebrate this time, decorate your alter in red. Swath it in red cloth and flowers. Place a statue or image of Ganesha on your alter. Add other items that hold meaning to you of success, prosperity and wisdom. Leave offerings of coconut and sweet pudding.

For the Kitchen Witches and Witchlings - you may want to try the traditional nan khatai biscuit recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/3 of a cup of plain flour
• 1/3 of a cup of semolina
• Half a cup of gram flour
• Pinch of baking soda
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of coarse cardamom powder
• Half a cup of unsalted butter
• 2/3 of a cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon of sliced pistachios

Cooking

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375F/190C.
2. Mix the plain flour, gram flour, semolina, baking soda and cardamom powder in a large bowl, and set aside.
3. Beat the butter (it helps if it’s warmed to room temperature first) and sugar in a small bowl, until it’s light and fluffy.
4. Add the butter and sugar to the flour mixture, and knead into a dough.
5. Divide the dough into 24 equal parts, and roll into balls, then flatten slightly with your palms.
6. With a knife, mark squares into the surface of each piece of dough by  drawing 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines. Place the almonds and pistachios into each of these squares.
7. Bake the dough on a greased baking tin for 12 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool, then serve.

Looking for the mythology regarding Ganesha and his festival? Here's a great article:
Short essay on ganesh chaturthi festival in India by Atul Josh

For the multi-religious/spiritual family - take some time when reading the creation/birth story of Ganesha. I began this discussion in my previous article, 'Raising Witchlings: How to Introduce your Children to the Craft'. See any similarities with Christian mythology? Being created from dust (Adam)...sacrificed and resurrected to be worshiped as a god (Jesus), or the other birth story where his brother caused his death (ummm...Cain and Abel possibly) and resurrection by his father the god Vishnu (back to Jesus). There are innumerable similarities to find. I personally prefer the much older Christian mythology that states that BOTH man and woman were created in the image of God - at the same time. Thus showing that 'God' is in fact the embodiment of both the masculine and feminine. But that's another article all together...(coming soon to blogs and message boards near you!)

I don't point this out in order to 'stick it' to Christianity. I've always been fascinated by the evolution of religions. This is just one of the many mythologies that reflects this evolution in religious stories and beliefs. We have a great opportunity for teaching our children that regardless of the path, we all have similarities. What matters most is that we find the path that speaks to our souls, that we learn that coexistence is possible (and in fact, preferable by ANY God/Goddess/Saint/Angel or any other creative power or religious/spiritual being you can name - that includes human beings and all of creation), and in the end we are all trying to answer the same questions, we are all trying to seek our own unique form of nirvana. Use this holiday as a teaching tool for yourself, your family members and your children.

May Ganesha remove all obstacles to your spiritual growth and prosperity in the year to come!

Brightest Blessings!
the Witchy Writer ☽✪☾

Raising Witchlings Series: Mabon Kitchen Witchery for Children

Posted on Examiner.com / Sept. 5 2013

With the Mabon season upon us, what better time to initiate little Witchlings into the art of Kitchen Witchery.  Fruits and vegetables are being harvested; many a Kitchen Witch is busy canning and preserving. Teaching Witchlings about the season of thanksgiving and gratitude comes easily and naturally within the garden and kitchen. The heart and hearth of our homes.

For the Kitchen Witch lucky enough to have the space for a garden, you've probably already been busy harvesting your own bounty. For those who aren't so lucky there may be friends or family that do, or a trip to a local farm or farmers market will stock your kitchens with the local harvest. Be sure to bring the Witchlings along; showing them exactly where all of our food comes from. Explaining the time and effort that each gardener and farmer takes to produce all of the items we enjoy each day. From the sweetest of apples to the juiciest of plums and berries, the wheat that is ground to make our breads and all of the vegetables we use each day.

This can be a magickal time for you and your little ones, your grandchildren, your nieces or nephews. It's a time of thanksgiving and recognizing the things that we are all most grateful for. So, to begin...

I believe there is a craft project brewing. Go to the craft or hobby store and stock up on fabric paint and blank aprons. Design your own with paint, iron on designs, gems or embroidery. Sponge paint colorful fall leaf designs or pumpkins, make hand-print turkeys with colorful feathers. The possibilities are endless. This can be the start of your Kitchen Witchlings initiation into the world of Witchy Cooking so make it as memorable as you can.

Every good Kitchen Witch needs their wand. If you are good with wood carving or burning, design a special wooden spoon for your Kitchen Witchling to use. If you aren't handy with a wood burner, you can always purchase one in advance. Woodewytch Woodburning, based in Australia, has a beautiful array of Wiccan kitchen spoons in addition to amazing hand-crafted items for decoration and alters. If time is short, you can also fashion a large wooden spoon with a decorative handle of stones, crystals or beads glued around the end. So once the aprons and wands are ready to go, the Cooking Witchery can commence.

Planning the magick. Have a specific recipe in mind and make sure you'll have enough time to be relaxed and take your time. This is so much more than just a kitchen.  For the Kitchen Witch the stove is an alter and the room a ritual space. Every creation made for friends and loved ones a magickal act. So prepare your space as you would for any other ritual.

And the ritual begins. As you prepare your ingredients, explain what each herb and spice is for. Its mundane and magickal use. What each fruit, vegetable and grain represent. Stir and mix your creation in a clockwise or deosil direction, concentrating on your intention for this recipe. Maybe you have special chants you wish to share. If your Witchlings have a Book of Shadows or journal, have them record the recipe and magickal instructions. If they are still too young, maybe you will choose to start it for them and they can take over the writings once they are older. If this time becomes a regular family tradition they will have completed magickal cookbooks by the time they are ready to leave home; ready to pass on to the next generation.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Have your Witchlings pay close attention to their feelings as they eat as well as the reactions and conversations of any others sharing the meal. Have them write any observations they make in their BOS or journals.

Even if we cannot commit to instructing our Witchlings for each meal (most of us having to live in the ever hectic hustle and bustle of everyday life), try to do this once a week or even once a month. It may take some extra time at first, but very soon you'll have a confident Kitchen Witchling. And I don't know of many who would scoff at having an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.

As summer falls behind us, the days becoming shorter and shorter, we watch the colors change and look back at all we've accomplished over the past year and all we still wish to complete before the winter months blow in. The mistakes we've made are hopefully lessons learned, the successes cherished. We enter this season with reflection and gratitude. Did we truly connect with the ones we love, did we stand strong through our individual challenges, did we learn, did we teach? Start the season with your eyes wide open to all of the magick and joy there is to be had and shared. If you have been struggling with a way to open up your world to those you love, use your gifts of Kitchen Witchery to introduce your Witchlings into your world. May the blessings of the season bring each and every one of you love, joy and many warm memories.

Posted on Examiner.com / Sept. 5, 2013

Gratitude and the Season of Mabon

Magic is in the Air

Yesterday I completed our harvest wreath. I added the flowers that my husband had given me the other day. 

They were withered, but I wanted to include them. The flower bloom at the bottom no longer had its stem, so I pushed it in-between the surrounding stems. 

This morning we found that the flower had re-bloomed as if it were just picked )0(

I've been reflecting on all of the things that have happened over the past year; all of the challenges I've had to face. It's amazing what we are all capable of surviving. I say this because I've had to recreate myself in a matter of speaking. I was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition and have been on disability for almost 2 years now. I used to be able to work full-time, I used to be a dancer; performing professionally. Many things have changed in my life and it's been difficult at times to not live in the past. But during this time I have been able to seek income assistance, I met and married my husband, I moved from Arizona to Ontario, Canada, I continue to care for my son and now a step-daughter. I have my faith and I've been able to concentrate on writing; something I've been wanting to do for years. I've always wanted to move from Arizona, to be close to water...and now I am. I have a husband who adores me and cares for me on my bad days. We don't have a lot, but I cherish everything we do have.

And now, I've been blessed with a community who have opened their arms to me. Sharing my writing and giving great feedback. Mostly good, but even the not so positive comments have made me think about what I've written and how I'd like to present my thoughts and experiences in future writings. So I suppose I'll be grateful for them too.

In the beginning, I was only going to have a little blog that I would use to post my thoughts on, but now that I've been able to really put my time and energy into interacting with so many communities, seeing all of the questions, issues and advice everyone is requesting, well - I'm hoping that my 2 decades of experience in the Craft will help me give some answers and advice to those who want it. I'm also hoping to learn a lot from everyone as well. I began my journey on this path when I was 15 years old. I've studied a lot, practiced as a solitary as well as in a coven. I've met with teaching coven's and attending rituals with a number of other coven groups. I'm a High Priestess and ordained minister, but I know that my education is far from over.

My son is 6, my step-daughter 3. I'm experiencing what it is like to be a Wiccan parent and trying to find my way through passing on my knowledge and spiritual path to my kids. I've connected with many Wiccan and Pagan parenting pages - this has led me to create my 'Raising Witchlings' series. I'm hoping to teach, but also to learn from all of my readers.

The journey to where I am now has certainly been bumpy; but I wouldn't have gotten here in any other way. Even with my health issues, I am grateful for what I have and how far I've come. I'm blessed to have the life I do. I hope all of you can see the many blessings you each have in your lives.

Brightest Blessings this Mabon season!
the Witchy Writer ☽✪☾

Witchy ALERT: Pagan Hate Group on Facebook

UPDATE
As of 8/21/13 the Facebook site 'Witches must die by fire' has been removed.

However, this page was only one of many out there that incite violence towards Pagans / Witches / Wiccans. There are places in this world that are still torturing and killing people accused of Witchcraft. This is a current global concern. If you would like to help, my suggestion would be to send your energy to the victims. See them healthy, happy and safe within their communities. And if you choose to join a group to lend your voice to this cause - find an organization that stands for peace. Keep the positive goal in the forefront of your minds. See and feel the happiness and safety of these people. Join peace rallies, talk only of peace and safety. We get more of what we think and feel. So bring these people peace and joy.

Blessed Be!
the Witchy Writer
___________________________________________________________________________________

My pagan and Witchy friends, I have seen a lot of talk about a hate group on Facebook called "Witches must die by fire". It is so unfortunate that there are still individuals so disconnected with Spirit/God, but they are out there. I am glad however, that they are NOT the majority.

There are many, many pagans keeping an eye on this site and many who have reported this site to Facebook as 'hate speech' (myself included), but FB has made the decision that this page does not fall under that designation and have allowed the site to remain online.

One of the bloggers on 'Witches and Pagans' is staying on top of this story and has gathered the information for anyone wanting to report the site to Interpol in an effort to have it removed. My take on the site is a little different:

REQUEST TO ALL PAGANS/WITCHES

Rather than responding to the many ignorant comments of the sites administrator, let's use the Law of Attraction to find a better solution.

First: Do not respond to any of the negative and ignorant comments from the site admin or any others whose responses are negative or hateful.

Second: Deluge the site with images, articles, comments, responses etc... of the positive aspects of who and what we are.

My hope is that the site will be so overwhelmed with the positive and good of our path that anything negative will no longer be seen. Or, the admin will be so overwhelmed with trying to respond to, block and/or delete the positive posts that he/she will see how futile their site is and delete it themselves.

Let's put the Law of Attraction to work. Please do not concentrate on the negative of this site, only the positive impact we can have on those who need our sympathy.

Blessed Be!
the Witchy Writer

How do Witches Cast Spells?

 

Those who know nothing about the religion of Wicca or the various pagan paths that deal (not all of them do however) with magickal work are often curious about how exactly a 'spell' works. I once had a young woman in an english class as me how she can do a spell to get money. She wanted it right that second. To somehow magickally appear. Well, let me just wave my trusty wand that I have right here in my back pocket and bippity boppity boo! Money! It would be great if that were the way it happens, but it doesn't. And the young woman was very disappointed when I pointed these facts out to her. I guess I just wasn't the right kind of Witch for her.

But for those who are truly interested...a spell is a very focused and concentrated prayer. It is no different from any other person in any other faith sending their request out to the Universe, or God, or Source or what ever name you personally choose to use in reference of the higher power in your life.

Now I know this doesn't sound very glamorous or mystical. We ask for things to come into our lives all the time. The difference however, is what happens after the spell is complete. Every Witch does their spell-work differently. We all have some kind of alter where we place items to represent the various forces, energies and deities we wish to work with into a physical context for us. Many religions do this. Priests where specific robes and use specific tools during services; think of any image of the Pope. Their dress and tools are meant to put everyone into a specific state of mind. To open up your awareness to Source, to God. This 'mood' helps bring the collective thoughts whirling around into alignment with a specific purpose. Witches do the same. Our alters are very special and specific to us. To what visually brings us into alignment with our goals. Covens use this just as any church; to bring everyone into a focused alignment with the previously chosen goal of the particular gathering. By bringing our collective thoughts into alignment we add the energy and momentum needed to manifest our goal into our physical realities.

There is no right or wrong way to conduct a spell. If it feels right and good to you, then you're doing it right. But, there are plenty of online information, books and teaching covens and other groups out there that can help point any novice in the right direction. There is however, one stead fast rule that we all MUST adhere to. The Wiccan Rede, 'An it harm none, do as thou will'. We NEVER do any kind of spell work for the intention of harming or taking away from anyone or anything. We know that what we put out there will always come back to us. So if you do a spell to harm someone, bend someones will to what you want, to change someone or something by means of force to be what you want, you are working against the Rede. And trust me, it will bite you in the ass...big time. (More on that in a future post).

So once you have figured out what you want to do, focus your thoughts and project them out into the Universe...what's the next step? Your intentions in the present moment will determine how easily your desire will manifest. Say you did a money spell; if your thoughts and intentions following the spell-work are that of how you lack money, how you can't pay this or that, your spell isn't going to manifest any time soon.

You need to maintain the same good feelings after the spell is complete. You have to use your imagination to see your desire already manifested in your life. You need to FEEL rich NOW.  If you keep thinking about the lack of money...you will always lack for money.

This also involves regular work on ourselves. We need to find an inner peace with ourselves and our present. It's the only way to see our desires manifest. To see our spell's work. Individuals from all walks of life and faiths do this to find their own inner peace. Many use meditation as a way of finding the peace they need in their present lives. This is the fastest way of doing it. When you slow down and quiet your mind, step within yourself, you see the world in a different light. You can travel anywhere you want simply by closing your eyes. Money isn't a problem, time isn't a problem, the day to day issues that appear in our physical realities are no longer issues. We simply are, and we can be or do or go anywhere. There are no limitations. Astral projection, meditation, communing with God or Source - all of these are accomplished through a meditative state. And the best part is that absolutely anyone can accomplish this with practice.

We must keep our projections (our thoughts) in alignment with our goal. It's all about Law of Attraction. Like attracts like - not the opposite. Want money...see and feel your richness now. Want love...see and feel your love for yourself and others now. Want a new job...see and feel your dream job now. We have absolute control over how we interpret the things around us. Other people don't make us sad, angry, heartbroken or any other emotion. We allow it. So if you catch yourself falling into a negative thought (basically - if you are no longer FEELING good), just stop yourself, take a deep breathe and rethink how you are viewing what ever it is. 

Just because you had the thought does not mean you have ruined your spell. You have to allow it to have your undivided attention to build momentum in order to stop your goal from manifesting into your physical reality. So just work on catching the thoughts and bad feelings, breath through it and change the thought into a positive one. The more you practice this the better you'll get. And the better you get at it the more magickal your life will become because you will know exactly how to manifest anything you want into your life.

Happy Spelling!

Have any of you had a spell go horribly wrong or wonderfully right? What happened?

Blessed Be!

the Witchy Writer