A few months ago, I did a video course called "The Basics of Paganism and Witchcraft" on Udemy. It was rather interesting because it had some journal prompts that I'm going to follow and answer for today.
How do you celebrate seasons now? How has it changed since you were a child?
I never really celebrated seasons as a child, because it was always more about the conventional Christian set of holidays that have been celebrated instead. The seasons were mainly noticed to bemoan the coldness of winter, how spring could never decide on one weather, how warm summer was or how autumn turned bitter with a snap.
I don't currently celebrate the seasons but I am paying more attention to them and their constant natural changes. Since the last of the frosts, I've been growing some plants from seeds and I do feel that this is bringing me closer to nature in general so that I can work even more closely with it in the future. Each season has an equinox or a solstice (spring and autumn, and summer and winter) to celebrate but there are also potential celebrations in between them. I hadn't thought of this before but these other celebrations have a tendency to occur at the time when the seasons would usually change. So in a way, as much as I hadn't thought I was celebrating the seasons, in reality, I am celebrating them.
Do you have a favourite season or time of year? What about that time of year is special to you? Why is it special to you?
I think my favourite season is Spring because it symbolises that life is returning, that there is still hope to be found, even when you think the earth of your life is cold and dead. Seeing the flowers starting to pop up and share their beauty always makes me smile. Spring to me is all about new beginnings and new starts, for everything that lives within Nature because things have to be lost sometimes to either be appreciated or acknowledged. Spring to me is proof that even things appear to be going wrong, the wheel of time/fortune will turn upwards just as often as things take a turn for the worse.
I also like Winter
What are your thoughts on paganism celebrating the seasons of life, such as: death, birth, fertility, adulthood, motherhood, and old age?
When it comes to celebrating the seasons of life, I think society in general has moved away from this as we've lost out connection to nature. I want to celebrate the various cycles within life and I plan to moving forwards within my life. I want to follow the Old Ways, the Ways we used to follow that gave us a greater connection the natural world around us.
Do you think such celebrations are positive additions to modern culture? Why or why not?
Because we don't have these celebrations in mainstream society, I can only think that they would be a positive addition to today's culture. Too often we as humans believe that we have the right to make our lives as comfortable and easy as possible but what is the price we pay for this? The removal of natural habitats that are used by a variety of creatures that are then forced to relocate or are killed in the process of building whatever it is. We've lost our connection to Nature because we've forgotten that we are a part of Nature too. Because of our "superior" brains, we don't think that other animals have just as much of a right to live on this planet as us.
Do you remember the first time that you encountered paganism or witchcraft in modern culture? Was it a movie or book, or something similar? What role do you think it had in shaping your current view of paganism and witchcraft?
I first encountered paganism and witchcraft in a book series I discovered as a child. I can't remember the title or much of what happened in the books I read all those years ago but it stuck with me in a very subconscious way. It called to me, but I couldn't express an open interest in that series because it was unlikely to be approved of by my guardian and I didn't want to disappoint them at the time. The next time I encountered paganism and witchcraft in modern culture was the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, which was then turned into a popular tv series. This is one of my favourite series as it really opened my eyes to the connection with nature and the things that are around us. It caused me to start down my path and opened my eyes to the discrimination that is still faced today for those who choose different beliefs/religions/ways of life.
Before you began studying paganism and/or witchcraft, what was your initial impression of it?
Before I started down my path, I didn't really have any impression of it apart from what was taught to me as a child when learning about the various religions in the world, which wasn't much compared to what children are taught in schools today.
If your friends and family know of your studies, what do they think of it? If they don't know, what is your assumption of their thoughts?
I came out of the pagan broom closet in the autumn of 2020 because I didn't want to hide my beliefs from them. I received nothing but support and love from doing this, although I know not everyone does so I do feel very fortunate and am grateful. They all support my growth and my closest friends have all said that they can see a difference within me, where I've gained self-confidence and a sense of self-assurance that I have never had before in my life.
Why did you come to study paganism?
I study paganism because I've always wanted a connection to something greater than myself and I personally never found it within Christianity, either as a child or as an adult. I wanted to be closer to the world of Nature and the other beings that surround me, and I feel that paganism has given me that as well as helped to guide me towards deepening that connection.
What are 3 things you don't understand about paganism or witchcraft?
The biggest thing I don't understand is how even as a pagan or a witch, people still assume that everyone has the same belief in the "Three-Fold Law" within Wicca. I don't believe in it myself and even if I did, I wouldn't assume everyone believed it because we are all different and have difference experiences as we walk our paths.
Because I struggled coming up with three things, I asked a close friend to help me answer this question and they said that the most likely question would be, "Why are tree-huggers associated with paganism?" So the question stems from where nature comes into the equation. And while I know the answer, I think this proves my point that we are disconnected from nature within today's society.
Their second question is "Why isn't magic more like Harry Potter, waving a wand and it works?" I think this is interesting too because in life, we do prefer an instant fix to everything and we forget that there are natural cycles in life. In our modern culture, we've lost a sense of having patience because we want the best things right now at that moment so we've lost that connection to nature where everything has a cycle and that knowledge that we can't have everything that we want immediately because we all have life lessons to learn.
Is there anything about paganism that makes you worried or concerned?
The biggest thing about paganism that makes me worried is that people still assume the pentacle is associated with the devil or Satan. This idea comes from Christianity and their fear-mongering tactics from centuries ago when Christian missionaries were told to eradicate paganism in favour of the "True Religion".
Is there anything about witchcraft that makes you worried or concerned?
Based on my friend's question, I'm concerned that there are those who believe magick to be a quick fix for all problems when it isn't. It's a tool to be used to assist with dealing with life's challenges, and to help you to achieve your dreams.
I'm also concerned about the mainstream ideas around witches doing black magick, because while I know there are those who do, there are also those who don't do that. Something that always concerns me is that there are witches out there who believe that everything is all love and light but without darkness and shadows, neither love nor light would truly be known.
What are 3 things about paganism and/or witchcraft that you would like to study further?
One of the things I'd like to study further is green or plant magick, something that I am already working on with growing plants from seeds to have my own witch's garden started. I've also got plenty of books about how I can use plants in my magick in a variety of different ways.
One thing that I haven't really done but I would like to do is work with deities or even just a single one. I've done plenty of research on a number of deities but never really worked with one. I've felt drawn to work with the goddess Diana and I do have an altar dedicated to her but I haven't yet worked with her in a ritual or anything.
Do you think there is a difference between religion and spirituality? Why, or why not?
I do think there is a difference between religion and spirituality. In my own experience, there tends to be more rules within religions but when it comes to spirituality, there aren't really any. Spirituality to me is more natural and doesn't have any rules unless the individual chooses to follow any. In my experience religion is also fear-based rather than about loving the self or the world around us.
In your opinion, what are the essential elements of spirituality?
The essential elements of spirituality, in my opinion, are a belief that there is something greater out there that may not necessarily be a deity, the belief that all life in the world is sacred and deserves to live and have a home as any other living creature. Spirituality is believing that everything, whether animal, bird, fish, mammal, or parts of the land (hills, valleys, trees, plants, rivers, streams, ponds etc), is sacred.
What kind of beliefs are important to you now? Why are they important to you? What do you hope to attain from those beliefs?
The beliefs I mentioned about spirituality are important to me because it makes me feel like I'm part of a greater whole, that I am but a part of the world around me. Since I discovered the concept of this belief, it called to me, to my heart, and I followed that. It makes me feel like I'm no longer alone and that I truly do have a purpose in this life. I want to work with the energies and beings that surround me without rules to make me feel like if I put a foot wrong, I'm going to be punished for all eternity.
When was the first time that you questioned a belief about religion or spirituality? What did you ultimately decide about that belief? What do you believe about it now?
I'm not sure that I ever really questioned a belief about religion until after I'd started fown my spiritual path. It was when someone remarked to me that Christianity was the only "Old Religion" and didn't like the pagan roots of some of the Christian feast days - like Christmas, Candlemas, Harvest and Easter. I understand that there are those who are pious in their beliefs and behaviours but during my own research, I discovered that paganism is the root for a lot of customs and dates within Christianity and paganism started to really be something that I was interested in. I believe that there are cultures and belief systems that pre-date Christianity and that Christianity is not the religion for me.
Pick a few beliefs that people usually have regarding god or religion that you believe are destructive or negative. Why do you find these beliefs destructive?
I don't believe that I have to do certain things at certain times to truly have a connection to a higher power or be viewed by that higher power as being "worthy" of success or a reward. Nor do I believe that I will be judged on my actions by anything after death to determine whether I spend eternity in "heaven" or "hell". Because I am human and I am not perfect, I doubt that anyone would judge me as being worthy but then again, I don't need anyone to judge whether I am worthy or not of finding success in my life. I don't believe that being judged for any actions or behaviours is necessarily a good thing because it feeds into the mentality/belief that no one is worthy of anything so why should any of us make the effort to find that success that we dream of? Believing that I have to earn the right to be worthy does not sit well within me and I don't think this idea/mentality is very helpful to modern society either where children are pushed to do well academically for as long as possible when not all of them are suited to academia.
Where did these beliefs originate and how are they currently being supported?
These beliefs definitely originated in Christianity and what I came to understand of the religion from both a New and Old Testament approach. These beliefs are supported by writings within the Bible and people I have interacted with in my life since I turned away from being a Christian. Too often, we turn to judgements or "stereotypes" and use them as an excuse for horrendous behaviours and actions and I don't want to be a part of that.
If you could replace them, what kinds of beliefs would you put in their place?
I would rather that every child in the world is taught to believe in themselves and to follow their hearts rather than be judged on the actions others are heavily suggesting to them. I would rather that everyone has the belief that they are worthy of having a nice life, of being successful. That everyone is worthy of happiness. That it isn't something we have to work hard towards and spend all our lives striving to achieve. That we can succeed just as we are without changing or conforming to the expectations of individuals or society. But ultimately, I would replace judgement with love - the knowledge that everyone is loved just as they are, the uniqueness should be celebrated and encouraged.
If you could create your own version of the Divine, what would it be like?
If I could create my own version of the Divine, it would be full of love and understanding that there are differences in the world but that they are welcome. My version of the Divine would never judge based on achievements or abilities.
When Satan or the devil is mentioned, what comes to mind? What kinds of feelings come with the images?
Satan or the devil is a very Christian concept in its origin and as much as I know there are those who are Luceferian, revering him as a heroic being, it's still, for me, very much a Christian ideology. Satan didn't exist before Christianity was shared across the world. It's not something I resonate with and I have had an experience where a neighbour asked me whether I was a Satan-worshipper because of a pentacle pendant I was wearing. The devil/Satan is a reminder, to me, of the misconception that surrounds paganism and witchcraft.
Where do you think you learned those associations?
I learned these associations primarily as a child when I first chose to be a Christian, and then a second time when I became a Christian as an adult. But I learned more about these associations in my own research about witchcraft and paganism, and how different those two things are to the devil/Satan.
This was a really intersting excercise that gave me a lot to think about. I hope this inspires you to ask yourself these questions and answer them. Know that you don't have to share your answers with anyone apart from you. There are no right or wrong answers either so if you disagree with me, that's okay and if you feel like saying so, I won't be offended. Having different beliefs is a part of life and this should be accepted rather than discriminated against.
Whatever your beliefs, you are all welcome here!
Peace and love to all!!!
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