| This website is a representation of my own beliefs, along with tidbits of information I've learned over the years....so I would like to share my latest thoughts with you, as well as thoughts that have passed. The majority of his website was written before I developed my current beliefs, expressed on this page. Just remember that as you read through my older pages. Wicca was the first pagan belief system I found. I was drawn to it because it was all I knew at the time, other than the various denominations of Christianity. I had some knowledge of Judaism, Buddhism, as well as a few other religions as well, and I knew those religions had little to offer me, personally. Wicca seemed to fit "best." I was young and was naive about beliefs....I figured I had to "follow" a path, to learn of a religion that seemed closest to my interests, and then study the heck out of it until I felt comfortable with it. That approach to spirituality proved disastrous, as far as keeping me content. I wasn't truly happy with it or with what I was doing. For several years, I studied all Wiccan traditions, read all the how-to books, found some information online, and practiced how I was taught by the literature I absorbed. Around age nineteen, I started to branch out. Spirituality, I learned, is a personal path. You don't "follow" a path that is set by someone else. You follow the desires of your own, personal, spirit....you please the needs and desires of your mind, body, and soul through personal discovery. You learn, yes. But instead of learning a path to take, you learn how to create your own. That was the idea that changed my spiritual and magical walk. I went through a time when I felt closest to being a traditional witch. Herb lore and magic was interesting and effective. My views of deity were similar to a particular witchcraft tradition....and similar to traditional witchcraft in general. I was less ceremonial, ditched my views of the threefold law. So I had a label for myself....traditional witch. I studied various traditions, read books, met some traditional witches on a couple of my travels. That didn't last long. High magic became interesting to me. I delved more into science and physics. My views of magic changed, and my magic became more effective. I did study high magics, such as Enochian magic, read various grimoires and also some modern books on magic and the high beings. But that wasn't what held my interest. I was interested in high magic in a different sense....magic to find a higher sense of self and enlightenment (spiritual enlightenment). I lost interest in low magic, for I had no need for it, to be honest. I wanted to discover new territories, spiritually. I still cling to some practises that involve low magic. I will perform a healing now and then, using some herbs and/or incense. I might burn a potion once in a while. I still look to the moon, sun, and earth in my practises. Witchcraft, in the traditional sense, still intrigues me. But my views have changed and evolved so dramatically that I will never find an established religion that relates to me, or a magical tradition, for that matter. People always ask...."what DO you believe, exactly?" Well, I believe that "belief is truth," which is a simple concept that my friend, Ian, helped me to accept. I do believe in a higher power, if you will. I also believe it has a personality and that we are very much a part of it....however we are all separate souls, not part of a collective soul. We do not reincarnate, but our souls continue to evolve after death....collecting thoughts, knowledge, energy. That's just an idea I've come up with, based on my knowledge of science, my experiences with meditation and magic. The afterlife is a mystery.....I cannot describe my views of it exactly, for as of now, I can't know how it exists. I will find out one day, as everyone will. My magic is very spontaneous. Ceremony is not necessary. I actually despise ceremony and prefer no tools, other than my mind. But, like I said above, I will occasionally work a spell that involves some herbs or a potion, might light candles and incense. But not because I'm ceremonial or feel they are necessary tools. I do it because I like it. I don't "cast spells" really. I don't really prefer that term. I don't work spells to gain money, love, to attract or to look a certain way. I gain, and have gained, these things physically. I don't work spells for material gain.....I work "spells" to expand my mind, to find peace, to find spiritual happiness, and for healing. I might create a spell to relieve stress now and then. As far as healing.....I am always happy to do what I can to assist those I love when they are in need. Harm none is something I'm asked about often. Yes, I do feel it's ethical to refrain from harming people or things. It would kill me if I knew I caused someone to hurt...physically, magically, or otherwise. However, do I think everyone should believe in this same ethic? I don't believe they "should," for I'm not an authority on what is right for everyone. But yes, I WISH they would. And, I do think it's best. I do feel that we should embrace our personal "darkness" and have a balance of dark and light, in a way. Not by harming, but by exploring those thoughts, ideas, and actions we have that are short of perfect. I think we should not just spend time trying to be "better." But we should also explore our darker sides too. I'm often asked about the threefold law, too. No, I don't believe it's logical. I also don't believe it was ever meant to be taken literally, for it's not really a "law" at all. It's the idea of cause and effect......what you reap, so shall you sow. In life, there are no "rules" as to what you can or cannot do. There do seem to be consequences to actions, however. This is just another way of explaining cause and effect. Be negative, and you'll probably attract more negativity. Be stupid, and you'll attract more stupidity. Be good.....and you'll probably be surrounded by goodness. My views will contradict, and sometimes I don't even make sense to myself, let alone others. However, all belief systems, established or otherwise, contain mass amounts of contradictions. I like where I am right now. And my beliefs will change as my knowlege grows, as I think and develop ideas.....as I experience life. |
| My Magick and Spirit |