Dusting off my altar

I have been working towards getting back to practicing Wicca again, slowly dusting off my altar and ritual tools and getting back to the basics of practice.

One of the best things for me has always been meditation - I've been practicing since I was about 12 and found an old book of my dad's on how to meditate. It really helps me focus and concentrate and not practicing regularly in the last year, I've been really feeling scattered. So every morning before I get too distracted by the craziness of my day, I step out on the back porch with my dogs. Starting with simple stretches and breathing, I settle into the lawn chair and spend about 15-20 minutes just breathing paying attention to the grass under my feet and the sun on my skin. Then I focus for a few minutes on my chakras pulling energy from the earth up thru each one clearing out any negative energy and energizing myself for the day.

By the time the dogs are ready to go in, I feel totally refreshed and ready for anything!

If anything stresses me out during the day, I try to go back outside for a few moments and breath. At the very least, I take a few moments at my desk to close my eyes and breath.

Baby steps, but good ones :)

What is Wicca?

Wicca is a spiritual practice which believes everything in nature is connected by energy - some think of that energy as God or various Gods and Goddesses, others as a universal force similar to the force in Star Wars.

Whatever you call it, it is created by and connects every living thing on the Earth and the Earth itself. That force is within us all so we are all part of it (I'll refer to it in the rest of this article as God for convenience) and we all have God within us.

Is Wicca a Religion?

No, it is a spiritual practice, not a religion. A religion is a set of rules that govern a spiritual practice and Wicca has no set rules or ruling body which means it is not a religion. While there are traditions in some branches or groups of Wicca such as Full Moon and other Rituals, their are no rules saying you must do this or that in order to worship God or be rewarded by God. This is one of the things that appeals to people about Wicca. It gives you freedom to worship (or work with) God as you deem appropriate rather than requiring you to adhere to things you may or may not fully agree with just to belong to that religion or be considered a good member.

The closest Wiccans have to a "rule" is the Wiccan Rede ("rede" is an old English word meaning "advice" or "council" so even it isn't a rule). A common form of the Rede is "An it harm none, do what ye will." ("An" is an archaic Middle English conjunction, meaning "if." "Ye" is an archaic or dialectal form of "you"), so basically, "If it harms none, do what you will".  (Harming none includes yourself and animals so Wiccans do not believe in suicide or animal or ritual sacrifice).

Is Wicca a Cult? 

No. A cult is a religious or spiritual group that follows one leader. often blindly following them and doing things considered harmful or illegal. Just as Wicca has no rules, it has no leaders. No governing body, no leader.

While some Wiccans do form groups (sometimes called Covens) to study, share information, or perform rituals, they are groups of equals with any designated leader (or High Priest or Priestess) being a convenience for Rituals and organization more than a leader in the traditional sense. Like any group, ego can be a factor, but as Wiccans believe strongly in free will, "...do what YOU will", this is the exception and many groups will quickly fall apart if one member attempts to control all of them.

Is Wicca Witchcraft?

No. Witchcraft (or "The Craft") is a separate practice not tied to Wicca or any spirituality. Anyone of any faith - Christian, Buddhist, Islamic, etc - may study or practice Witchcraft and that does not make them a Wiccan. Witches may practice without any religious or spiritual beliefs at all working with pure energy that they view as just energy and not anything divine.

Witchcraft uses the energy field or God to affect change in accordance with their will. For Wiccans, this again means with harm to none - Wiccan Witches do not practice hexing or what is commonly considered "black" magic and they strive to change themselves more than others.

What do Wiccans do?

As how you practice is open to each Wiccan to decide for themselves and there are no set rules as I've already said, it can be hard to understand what Wiccans actually do. Below are some of the most common practices, but is by no means exhaustive.

Most Wiccans meditate in some form. Meditation is a great way to quiet your mind and expand your senses to connect with or feel God. Some use active meditative practices such as Yoga (especially Hatha Yoga) instead of sitting meditation. Some find a walk in nature or a swim as the way to connect themselves to God.
Most Wiccans honor nature by following the seasons or the cycle of the moon as both affect the level of energy they feel.

While there are no set rules or rituals, various covens and authors have tried to standardize or publish rituals for their own use or examples to new Wiccans. You are always free (and usually encouraged!) to alter these published rituals or create your own. Connecting with God means doing so in a way that you feel is best to you - for some that means robes, altars and a full set of ritual tools, Latin or other obscure languages. For others, it just means standing barefoot in the grass and gazing at the full moon.

So that's Wicca in a nutshell. In future articles, I'll explain more about rituals and other topics.

Getting back to basics

I admit it - I've been a bad Witch. A very bad Witch.

Over the past year or so, I've gotten so caught up in work and life, that I haven't been practicing rituals, barely been meditating, and I feel like I've gotten away from my Spirit.

There are several reasons why. First - though I adore cats and have loved every one that has passed my way - I admit having nearly 50 at one time in the house (long story) was too many. Carpets, walls and the house in general suffered from it. We have this year re-homed most of them and are now down to our core family of 13 cats but my altar in my bedroom shows the carnage with broken statues, scattered stones and general chaos. The small altar above my desk became my primary when I couldn't use my larger one, but the problem there is trying to ignore the work on my desk to focus on the altar.

As I have been suffering a lot of chaos in my business as well (again, long story) his year, I've had "no time" for proper rituals so then tried to do small ones or participate in cyber rituals in Second Life, though I barely even realized the Summer Solstice was this week.

So, I am starting to reconnect. And I decided instead of trying to do full rituals or worry about altars right now, I'd focus on the basics.

For me, the basics of Wicca and the Craft, are the elements. So I woke up before dawn this morning and stood outside in the grass, in the dark and windy and soon to be raining yard and allowed the elements to envelope me. I watched the sunrise with my hair being whipped by the wind and the wet grass at my feet and felt the magic around me.

It's been a long time since I've taken even a moment to just be in nature - and it felt like coming home.

Commemorate Life instead of the Tragedy of 9/11

I'm not watching TV today. I know every channel will be having it's tribute to 9/11. The 10th anniversary of a tragedy isn't worthy of commemoration to me - instead, we should commemorate life, not the day those lives died.

I haven't totally decided what I believe about death or the afterlife. Most Wiccans believe in reincarnation - that the soul is eternal and comes back many times to keep learning and growing. Some believe their souls merge with the Divine upon death, some believe in "heaven" (known as the Summerland in Wicca). I didn't know anyone that died on 9/11/01, but I have lost loved ones - my mother, beloved mother and father-in-law, grandparents and friends. I used to light a candle on the day they died. I don't anymore. Instead, I light a candle on their birthdays and celebrate the life and love they brought into this world and the light they had, and perhaps still do.

Yes, 9/11 was a tragedy of epic proportions - but every time I flip past yet another program showing the Twin Towers burning and falling I wonder how the families of those that did lose loved ones must feel. Having to watch that again and again and again is truly tragic to me. How hard it would be to move on and let go of your grief when it's cause is shown so often you cannot escape it.

Grief is a process and, as painful as it is, at some point you do move on. You have to for your own sanity. And yet the families and friends of those that died are constantly reminded of it. A wound re-opened every anniversary year.

So instead of focusing on the day they all died, I'd rather think of the day they were born - of the joy and love they created while they were on our mortal plain. And let go of the death and destruction of 9/11.

Mother Theresa once was asked to participate in a march against war. She declined saying that she would gladly march for peace.  Instead of focusing on the tragedy, I prefer to act as Mother Theresa - to look forward, not back. To focus on the way the world came together after 9/11. Not since World War II were so many countries united it one cause or help each other so much. And to focus on the lives the people who died had before - and perhaps will have again if they are reborn.

It's their lives I celebrate today.