Celebrate Ostara On The Radio

Celebrate Springtime!

 

INTERNET RADIO

 

Spring Equinox Rituals & Meditations with Selena Fox
Tuesday, March 20, 8-9 pm central

Circle Craft Study with Selena Fox on Pagans Tonight Radio Network

Explore ways to celebrate Spring & take part in a short ritual that includes an Ostara Meditation. Tune in or listen later.

www.blogtalkradio.com/witchschool/2012/03/21/circle-craft-study-with-selena-fox-and-pagan-priest-1

My Solitary Ostara Ritual

I am a little more prepared and will do my solitary Ostara ritual tomorrow, on the actual holiday!! Here is my ritual:

Gather prepared items and set up altar

A basket of eggs (real or artificial)

Rose or Strawberry incense

Spring flowers 

*Only light the incense. Everything else will be lit at the appropriate time during the ritual.* 

Cast The Sacred Circle 

Call The Watchtowers 

INVOCATION OF THE GODDESS:

“I call upon the eternal Goddess in the ancient way, as Earth Mother and Lady Eostre. You who are Maiden, fresh and young like the new buds sprouting from the earth around me. Come join me! Bring me your love, knowledge and understanding as I celebrate the Spring Equinox, when the land is just beginning to show that which was promised at Imbolg. Send thy spirit forth so that I, your child, may feel your life within me. As it is willed, so mote it be!” 

Light Goddess Candle 

INVOCATION OF THE GOD:

“I call upon the eternal God in the ancient way, as Lord of Day and Horned One of the Forests. You who are known by many names – Green Man, Cernunnos, Dionysus. Come join me! Bring me your light, energy and protection as I celebrate the Spring Equinox, that magickal time when light and dark are in balance. Send Thy spirit forth so that I, your child, may feel your light within me. As it is willed, so mote it be!”

Light God Candle 

"Be with me now, oh Ancients, eternal,
Hear now my prayers, hopes and dreams.”

Statement of Purpose:

We gather together, I with Spirit, to celebrate Ostara, the spring equinox, when the day and the night is equal and the birth of new life can be seen throughout the land. This is the time for planting seeds, both in the ground and in our soul. Springtime is for hopes and desires, for new ideas, for balance & inspiration.  

With the Goddess and God candles, simultaneously, light the central candle. 

Read charge of the Goddess 

“Blessed be this season of Ostara,

Night of the Spring Equinox,

Night of balance.

Tonight all things stand as equals; Goddess and God,

Life and death, Dark and light,

All come together as equals as do our young deities.

But the wheel of the Year turns on

and after tonight, the light will conquer the darkness –

Blessed be the darkness, 

Blessed be the light!” 

“Behold the Goddess who turns the wheel,

Blessed be life renewed! 

Let my spirit be as a seedling,

Flexible to the winds of change,

Ever reaching toward the sun,

inspired to grow by the rain,

And grounded solidly in my path.” 

Take the eggs from the basket, saving one for yourself, and set them around the perimeter of the circle, clockwise.

“Tonight  I celebrate the renewal of my Mother Earth and the renewal of my own life as well, for we are all Her creatures and Her children of Nature.” 

Holding the egg in your hand upward, toward the Sun, say:

“The egg which I hold in my hand has long been a symbol of life renewed for as many millennia as our human ancestors have walked the Earth and our Father God, the Horned One of the Forests, has protected that life.” 

Meditation

All sit and meditate on your own "seed or egg". Think about something you want to do, a wish or a dream. Think of something you wish to change or plant in the soil of your soul, so that it may grow and be nurtured. After a suitable amount of time, the bell is rung. Everybody takes a piece of parchment and writes your wish or desire on it. The "seeds" are then lit from the altar candle, and the ashes fall into the bowl of earth. 

When done say:

“Lord and Lady, receive these, my seeds, my hopes, my dreams and my goals. Let them germinate in my mind and in my heart. Let them prosper and grow to maturity, for I will care for them and encourage them in your name.”

THE GREAT RITE- (symbolic):

(The following rite symbolizes the union between the Goddess & God - without which there would not be life.)

Pick up the chalice of wine or juice and your athame. While slowing dipping your athame into the chalice, repeat the following:

“Chalice to athame as Goddess is to God,

Father is to Mother as man is to woman;

Behold the sacred union of The One!” 

When finished, make a toast to the Goddess & God – drinking from the consecrated chalice.

“I am a child of deity,

I am part of the creative life force which moves the universe;

I am part of all that is.

Though we are apart, we are always together,

For we are one in the spirit of our Goddess and God –

Merry Meet, merry part and merry meet again –

Blessed be!” 

Release Goddess

“O great Goddess Eostre
Mother of fertility and new beginnings
I thank you for the honor you do me this day.
I ask that your protection
Be not only on myself
And on those whom I love
But on the whole world.

Thank you for joining me tonight.

Hail and Farewell.”  

Extinguish the Goddess candle 

Release God

“O great God Cernunos
Brightly burning sun
Father of the Animals
Giver of life
I thank you for the honor you do me this day
I ask that your protection
Be not only on myself
And on those whom I love
But on the whole world.

Thank you for joining me tonight.

Hail and Farewell.” 

Extinguish the God candle 

Release Quarters/Watchtowers

Open the sacred circle

13 Goals of a Witch

1. Know Yourself
Take time to learn about yourself. Keep daily journals as well as sleep journals. Record your thoughts, experiences during meditation, your goals and anything else you think that is important. Use your dream journal to build a base line so that you can interpret your dreams because dreams are the way our shadow self talks to us. Endeavour to heal your shadow self. Use your daily journals to understand your thoughts and motivations. In other words, step back and examine yourself, your life, your goals and what you want and who you really are.


2. Know Your Craft
Study and practice the Craft. Through exploring the different aspects and theories of the Craft you will become more adept and begin to form your own theories and practices that work best for you. Take classes offered in your area such as tarot, meditation among other things that interest you. Attend public rituals to gain insight into how others practice. Talk to other Wiccans and exchange ideas and experiences.


3. Learn
The learning never ends when you are a witch. Read and study everything that you can and never dismiss any knowledge out of hand. You never know where a revelation may be hiding.


4. Apply Knowledge with Wisdom
Use the wisdom you have gained to temper your actions. Wisdom is a gift given to the wise and the wise use their wisdom to make the best decisions available. To apply knowledge without wisdom is reckless and can be dangerous in certain situations. The truly wise never claim to know everything or claim the status as an authority or guru, because no one knows everything. Do not abuse the knowledge you have acquired.


5. Achieve Balance
Wicca is a religion of balance. We embrace the light and dark, the God and Goddess; neither is more important than the other. Both have a purpose. We are to achieve balance in our lives. Such as balance in the self, home, personal relationships, what we take from the earth and what we give back and so on. A balanced life is a good life.


6. Keep Your Thoughts in Good Order
This goal goes hand in hand with Goal 7. As a witch, your thoughts manifest reality in accordance with your will. Once you have reached a level of magical development you can set events in motion without even realising it. A disciplined mind reduces those occurrences and aids in magical works. Your thoughts manifest before words are even formed.


7. Keep Your Words in Good Order
As thoughts manifest reality in conformity to your will, so do words. Words are the verbalisation of your thoughts and therefore carry power. To not mind your words is the same as spreading chaos magically. Discipline in minding your words adds meaning to what you speak and enhances their effectiveness in magical workings as well as the mundane world.


8. Celebrate Life
This one is somewhat self-explanatory. Live your life to the fullest and make every day a celebration of life. Life is a gift from the God and Goddess and they wish us to have a good time while here. Essentially, don't be afraid to enjoy your life.


9. Attune with the Cycles of the Earth
This is one of the basic concepts of Wicca. Our holidays, Sabbats, are based upon the Wheel of the Year, with the Wheel of the Year being based on the cycles of the Earth. We are to experience nature and understand that we are part of it, it is part of us and how it affects us. It is another mystery of Wicca that one has to experience to truly understand.


10. Breathe and Eat Correctly
This one is self-explanatory as well. We are to eat the proper foods and practice our breathing. It doesn't mean we can't enjoy the food we eat or occasionally indulge. What it means is that we should eat a proper diet because it will help to make our bodies healthy. A healthy body not only makes us feel better and live longer; it aids us in our magical works and makes the mundane tasks easier. Learning to breathe correctly aids in the raising of energy, focus, stress relief and meditation.


11. Exercise the Body
This is a difficult goal for many people but it is an important one. Our bodies are wondrous things that the God and Goddess have blessed us with. We should respect the bodies we have been given and keep them in shape. A healthy body feels better both physically and emotionally. We also live longer and are less encumbered during mundane activities and magical ones as well. To exercise the body is to honour the God and Goddess.


12. Meditate
Meditation is a key skill in the working of magic. It allows us to focus our thoughts thereby focusing our will. It also helps us in our mundane life as well. It reduces stress and helps us get through our mundane tasks by being able to focus and think clearly.


13. Honour the Goddess and the God
We should honour the God and Goddess in everything we do. They are a part of us as we are a part of them. We are all connected. By honouring them we honour ourselves and our fellow humans. We also honour our Gods through rituals and celebrations. We do this because we love them and we desire to not because we fear them.




These were featured in Scott Cunningham’s Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner, 1988 with additional information from a website called The Wiccan Way.

Fun Way To Find Your Magickal Name

I have always had troubling finding a magickal name for myself... and mostly I think it's because I actually like my given name and I really relate to it and have a hard time relating to a different name. Instead, I've dabbled with a few different magjickal names. But most of these names have been more for online/pen names and not names that I refer to myself as in sacred circles, during rituals or any other times I talk with the Goddess or God.

I do like to hear of other people's majickal names and find out how they got their name. And I also think it's fun to come up with witchy sounding names! So, just for fun, check out this magickal name generator:

Pagan Name Generator

Have you chosen a magickal name? I'd love to know what it is, if you feel comfortable sharing. And if you don't, maybe this fun pagan name generator will help you choose a fantastic magickal name!

p.s. These types of name generators are also great to help choose pet names! :)

Free Kindle Books About Wicca

I'm always "Liking" things on Facebook and one of them is The Pagan Writers Community. This morning they sent out a post about a free kindle book about Wicca. I like anything that's free, so when I saw those perfect four letters in a row, my eyes stopped to read more. This is what I saw:

Mark Carter: "Check it out. Gerald Gardner's novella 'High Magic's Aid' is free for Kindle users today. Be sure to grab it. It's a key piece of modern pagan history and it's actually better written than most people realize."

So, I went over and found High Magic's Aid on Amazon.com. The paperback is regularly priced $18-19 (depending if you bought it  used). The kindle is regularly priced $8.99. So this is a great deal! I downloaded it!

Now, let me take a step back and mention that I don't even own a Kindle! But what I do have is the free kindle app for my cell phone. You can get free Kindle reading apps that will even allow you to read these free ebooks right on your computer!

Of course, this got my mind turning and I wondered how many other free Kindle books about Wicca there were. I ended up downloading 11 free Kindle books about Wicca or Paganism! I think a couple of them were stories that featured Pagan and Wiccan characters, and others were more for learning. I basically did a search in the Kindle section of Amazon for "Wicca" and then sorted by price, and all the free Kindle books were right on the first pages! But if you click right on the link to the word Amazon you'll get right to that page.

So, go grab some free Kindle books about Wicca and then let me know how you liked them!

What I'm Learning From The Goddess Brigit

This is Brigit's season and I have never felt her presence so strong in my life. Well, yes, that could be because I've never tried to connect with her before. And it could be because I never really celebrated Imbolc or this season before. But I am so happy that I am today.


One of the reasons I so strongly wanted to activily practice Wicca again was because I needed the guidence of Spirit to provide me with the lessons I needed to learn to get healthy again. Mentally healthy. And to become a person that I can be proud of. Just as many people turn to thier spirituality when they need healing, I am doing the same.


Almost every morning I take part in a daily devotional ritual, which takes anywhere between five to fifteen minutes. It all depends on my mood, my schedule, and how long the Gods keep me there. Although I don't do this every day, I wish I did. On the days I don't have this quiet time with my Gods, I always sort of feel off-kilter. I'm so glad I had my ritual this morning.


I have a beautiful image of Brigit above my alter. In fact, this is the exact image:

And as I was meditating and thinking about the words I say during my daily ritual I knew She was helping me sort out some issues.

I have added special wording within my ritual to help me remember to see the beauty in every one and every thing and to make the right choices to live in perfect love and perfect trust. Part of the reason for this is that I have a child with several neurological disorders and he is always challenging me, whether he knows it or not. And over the  years, I just come to expect the worst. I need to let go of this attitude and learn to be more patient with him when he needs me to be and remember that he has troubles and is a bit immature for his age. But we all know how hard it is to change things like this that have become almost instinct. I don't want to yell anymore and I just want to love him even more than I do now, no matter how bad his behavior is.

Brigit reminded me of the Charge Of The Goddess.. this line that keeps echoing in my head over and over for the past couple months, which is "If that which thous seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee"  And this line I continually meditate upon. It's telling me that if I can't first find the love and compasion and patience within me, how can I then share it with others? If I can't FEEL the Universal Love within me, I will not be able to feel it from others, including my  Gods and my children. And I will not be able to be the mother or the person I want to be until I feel that I am that person already in my heart.

And it ties in with Brigits fire because that fire of passion and love must be contiously burning within me, and then I can share it with others. Passing along a piece of my fire.. aka.. sharing the Universal Love with others...When I share my internal fire with others, what is burning inside me will grow to replace what I have shared, because that is the nature of fire. And that person will now have a small piece of the Universal Love Flame that will grow within them, just as the natural will of fire is to burn big and bright and it will grow big enough to fill up that person's soul just as it fills mine.

As with everything in and of this world, we are all connected, which is why Brigit is showing me how my desire to be more loving must start within me, as a flame in my soul, just as She shows her flame. And then I can share that flame with others as She shares hers. But I first have to find and kindle my flame and be the person I want to be before I can then share with others. I will not find what I am looking for anywhere but within myself. It's a lesson in the energy of Fire, in the emotion of love and compasion and forgivness, and also an inspiration to continue to learn how to be the best I can be with the help of the Ancient Ones. And I belive this is one of the Wiccan Mysteries that I am meant to learn and continue to learn more about.

Do you have a daily ritual, meditation, or affirmation? How has it helped you as a Wiccan or as a person? Have you been able to connect with a specific Deity through this process? I'd love to hear about some of your stories!!

Until next time, may you be guided and protected by the light of the sun and the moon,

Aria

My Solitary Imbolc Ritual

Well, here it is, 12:32 AM. on February 3rd, and I ran out of time to do my first Imbolc ritual. I'm going to do it tomorrow. Even though I'll be a day late, I do believe that all the right energies are about three days before and three days after any sabbat and esbat. But, in the mean time, here is the ritual I plan to do tomorrow:

Gather prepared items and set up altar

Use melted snow water for the water

Milk in chalice, and a bit of milk in a bowl outside for offering

Extra white t-lights all over altar

Cast circle

Call Watchtowers – lighting each candle

"Earth with molten core of light,
With strength and purpose, inspire my rite.
Powers of Earth, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.
Oh Spirit of Earth, be within me!"

"Winds of East, fan flames of light
To fire my thoughts, inspire my rite.
Powers of Air, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.
Oh Spirit of Air, be within me!"

Fires of South, burn high, burn bright.
Charge my will, inspire my rite.
Powers of Fire, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.

"Waves that reflect the fiery light
Flow with compassion, inspire my rite.
Powers of Water, the Maiden awakens!
Come join the circle and share in the light.
Oh Spirit of Water, be within me!".

Goddess Invocation – light Goddess Candle 

“Great Brigit, Guardian of poetry and smith crafts.
I am honored to have you here
and to bask in the light of your eternal flame.
Please join me tonight.”

God Invocation – Light God Candle

“All the land is wrapped in winter
The air is chilled and Frost envelops the Earth
But Lord of the Sun, Horned one of animals and wild places
Unseen, you have been reborn Of the gracious Mother Goddess
Hail great God Hail and welcome. Please join me tonight.”

"Be with me now, oh Ancients, eternal,
Hear now my prayers, hopes and dreams.
Bridigt has wakened, once more as the Maiden
By loving caresses from the strengthened Sun King."

Statement of Purpose:

We gather together, I with Spirit, to celebrate the promise of returning warmth and vitality that is the assurance of Imbolc. This is the time to celebrate the enchanting beauty of the last days of winter, and of the budding promise of life. [with the Goddess and God candles, simultaneously, light the central candle].

 

Read charge of the Goddess

Place the tapered candle into the bowl of snow or ice, while saying these or similar words:


“Beneath the blanket of ice and cold lies the spark of life. May this spark grow and spread in love.” If you are outside, you may place the bowl near the lit fire.
As the candle and/or lit fire melts the ice/snow, meditate upon the spark of life within you: how will it grow and prosper as the days lengthen?

Now is the time for meditation and any spell workings.

Spell workings associated with Imbolc include those for fertility, defining and focusing on goals for the future, organization, health, and protection.

Cakes and wine 

Release Goddess

“O great Goddess Brigid
Bringer of Light and Fire
Mother of the Horned God
Healer of the Sick
Patroness of Bards
I thank you for the honour you do me this day
I ask that your protection
Be not only on myself
And on those whom I love
But on the whole world.
Thank you for joining me tonight.
Hail and Farewell.” Extinguish the Goddess candle  

Release God

“O great God Cernunos
Brightly burning sun
Father of the Animals
Giver of life
I thank you for the honour you do me this day
I ask that your protection
Be not only on myself
And on those whom I love
But on the whole world.
Thank you for joining me tonight.
Hail and Farewell.” Extinguish the God candle 

Release Quarters/Watchtowers:

“Spirit of the North, I thank you for joining me tonight. The rite of Imbolc has ended, but may its lessons remain within. Hail and Farewell”
“Spirit of the West, I thank you for joining me tonight. The rite of Imbolc has ended, but may its lessons remain within. Hail and Farewell.”
“Spirit of the South, I thank you for joining me tonight. The rite of Imbolc has ended, but may its lessons remain within. Hail and Farewell.”
“Spirit of the East, I thank you for joining me tonight. The rite of Imbolc has ended, but may its lessons remain within. Hail and Farewell.”

Close the sacred circle.

“The Circle is open but remains unbroken.  Around and through me always flows its magickal power.”

Clean up.

At some point during the next day or two:

Do some housecleaning and bless each room with salt water and sage.

Blessed Imbolc - A Wiccan Sabbat

Today, the first signs of spring and the lengthening of the days are celebrated around the world and the Wiccan Wheel turns again!

Brigit, the beloved Celtic goddess is invited into many circles and homes in hopes of her blessings for the year.

The sabbat Imbolc honors the Goddess as the waiting bride of the returning sun God. Before the Nordic influence, it was also the Sabbat and season when the Celts saw the sun as being born anew. In Ireland it was, and still is, a special day to honor the Goddess Brid in her guise of bride. The modern Irish celebrate this day as St. Briget's Day, St. Briget being a slightly disguised, Christianized version of the Pagan Goddess.

On Imbolc, the Celts would dress grain dollies, which are made from dried sheaves from the previous harvest, as brides. These dollies would be laid in a place of honor within their homes, typically in cradles or baskets called Bride's Beds. Nuts, symbols of male fertility, were tossed in with them, as well as a staff, cape and other items.

Imbolc is a fire festival, where bonfires are held and candles are lit in profusion, often within a wreath, another symbol of the Wheel of the Year. The fire and candles are symbolic of the heat and light of the returning sun.

At this time of the year, the Goddess and God are seen as youthful figures and are not yet joined as One through sacred marriage. They are innocent and fun-loving, and are waiting for spring just as anxiously we are.

Here are some things you can do on or around Imbolc to celebrate the season:

• Make the Bride's Bed using the Corn or Wheat Doll made the previous Lughnassadh. Dress the doll in white or blue with a necklace that represents the seasons. Lay it in a long basket adorned with ribbons; light white candles on either side of the basket, and say:

"Welcome the bride both maiden and mother; rest and prepare for the time of the seed; cleansed and refreshed from labors behind her; with the promise of spring she lays before me."

Next morning, remove the dress and scatter the wheat outdoors (or if you use corn, hang it up in a tree for the squirrels and birds). This represents the Lady's recovery from the birthing bed and readiness to begin the turning of the seasons anew. The Imbolc Corn Doll represents the mother nurturing her son, who will grow and become her husband. This is the earth and the sun, which is still weak but gaining in strength.

• On Imbolc Eve, leave buttered bread in a bowl indoors for the faeries who travel with the Lady of Greenwood. Next day, dispose of it as the "essence" will have been removed.

• Place three ears of corn on the door as a symbol of the Triple Goddess and leave until Ostara.
• Light a white candle and burn sandalwood incense.

• Cleanse the area where you do card readings or scrying with a censor burning rosemary or vervain, and say:

"By the power of this smoke I wash away the negative influences that this place be cleansed for the Lady and her babe."

• Cleanse the altar and equipment, do a self-purification rite with the elemental tools representing earth (salt) for body, air (incense) for thoughts; fire (candle flame) for will; and water (water) for emotions.
  
• Make dream pillows for everyone in the family.
  
• Create a Solar Cross from straw, palm fronds or pipe cleaners. (A great craft for kids!) Make enough to place one in each room of the house.
  
• Bless each room in your home. Place a red pillar-style candle center to the front door; with palm crosses in hand, light the candle and open the door and say:

"We welcome in the Goddess and seek the turning of the wheel away from winter and into spring."

Close door; take up the candle and go to each room of the house and say:

"Great Lady enter with the sun and watch over this room!"

Leave a Solar Cross in the room and proceed throughout the house. This is great for the kids as you can divide up the tasks for each to do - one can hold the palms, another can open doors, another can carry the candle, and so forth.  The last room should be the kitchen and here you say:

"Mother of the earth and sun, Keep us safe and keep us warm, As over our home you extend your blessings."


Later, I will post the solitary Imbolc ritual that I will be doing tonight.

Magical Things In The Most Unmagical Places

It's really "funny" how once you have decided to walk down a certain  path, or put the intentions out that you want to learn about something new, that things can pop up anywhere. For example, I was at CVS yesterday to pick up my son's medicine and I walked by the small book shelf near the pharmacy. I've decided that I want to learn more about herbs for healing, and refresh myself on everything I learned in an aromatherapy course I took several years ago. I felt drawn to stop and look at this small book shelf and low and behold.. right out in front, where these two small books.

The New Guide To Remedies

Homeopathy - Essential Oils - Crystals - Home Remedies

This is a small book, about 4 inches by 5 inches, and 250 pages. And it's AWESOME! I love the detailed information that it provides for every herb you ever wanted to know about, every essential oil worth having, and it tells you all about all the different crystals and how to use them.

Complete Well-being

A guide to symptoms and cures

This must have book is also small, about 4 inches by 5 inches, and 250 pages. It can easily fit into a purse or bag. The first part of the book is an alphabetical listing of every common ailment and some not so common ones, and then tells you all the things you can do to cure it, including herbs, vitamins, aromatherapy, homeopathy, and medical treatments. Then it talks about all these different kinds of treatments, from acupuncture to reflexology, to yoga and laughter therapy, and more.

But, it's so true, that you can find magical things anywhere and everywhere, if you just look, stay alert and open, and if you are ready to receive it. Some of my favorite places to shop are the dollar stores, where I can get altar decorations sooo cheap, and even cute little boxes and jars for witchy things, or frames to hold witchy pictures, and so much more! One thing is for sure, you don't need to be rich to be a witch! LOL!

Brightest Blessings,

Aria

The Very First Post! All About Me

Merry Meet!

I'm Aria! I am a freelance writer that loves to create websites so I thought it would be really fun to create a site to document my spiritual journey. I'm an Eclectic Solitary Wiccan. I am solitary mostly because I can't find any covens close to me, my husband and I only have 1 car so it's hard for me to travel to a coven, and with two kids it's hard for me to commit to a coven with regular meetings.

Okay.. about me.. I'm in my late 30s, mom to two boys ages 3 and 11, and a wife to a wonderful husband. We live in Massachusetts. I used to work in the financial services industry, but was laid off the week before I was to go back after Maternity leave. It was the best and the worst thing that ever happened to me. The best because I was able to stay home with my new baby, the worst because after 2 years, I ended up falling into a deep depression. I became a freelance writer and transcriptionist and have vowed to never work out of the house again! Now that I've got everything down pat and some great clients, it's awesome!

I have always known that there were real witches, living in Massachusetts, Laurie Cabot made her regular TV appearances around Halloween.  But it wasn't until I was 17 and went to Salem for the first time that I realized that it was a real religion called Wicca. I came home with Scott Cunningham's Guide For The Solitary Practitioner. I immediately knew this religion was for me. (I'll save my past religious experiences and history for another post.) I set up a small altar in my bedroom and I was determined to become a Wiccan.

But I was 17, and over the next few months, the Wicca book was opened less and less as I went out with friends, hung out with my boyfriend, and was just busy being a teenager. But I always kept the Wiccan's beliefs, I just didn't do any rites or rituals or cast spells, or anything like that.

In my early 20s I picked it back up again, bought a few more books, found a few local Pagans, joined a few Yahoo message groups and Internet message boards, and was once again very happy. I began to once again fully practice Wicca. My boyfriend said I was changing and he didn't like it. I was given an ultimatum. I instead went into hiding and continued to practice without him knowing. But it was very hard having to hide, again, my practice fizzled out.

After I had my first son, in the early 2000s, I again couldn't deny my spirituality. I got out my Wicca tools and resources and once again became a practicing Witch. Once again, after a few months, my boyfriend gave me an ultimatum. I again became secrative, and my practice again fizzled out.

I am never has happy as I am when I'm practicing Wicca. I got married (to the same boyfriend who gave me the ultimatums) and had another baby boy. After being laid off for 2 years, I found myself in a deep depression. Once I realized the true state I was in, I started soul searching to get myself out of the depression and get my life back in order. I wanted to live as happily as possible. I previously questioned if Wicca was the right path for me and after a lot of thinking, reading. learning, self reflection, and meditating I realized that Wicca is indeed the right path for me.

My altar decorated for Samhain

I had saved most of my tools and books so I dug them out of the attic. I had the perfect piece of furniture, a buffet table/cabinet,  for an altar, and set it up. It's been up ever since... which has been about 6 months.  I haven't really shared my thoughts on this with my husband, but since my altar is smack-dab in the middle of our house, it's hard to miss! He calls it my swami table. I will not take any more ultimatums.. and I think he's matured too and will not give me an ultimatum. He understands how important it is for me to be  happy and to practice Wicca. Since he hated seeing me depressed, I think he'll let me do just about anything to keep from being in that state of mind again.

I have recently started talking to the kids about Wicca, and ultimately, I'd love it if we could practice as a family. I wouldn't hold me breath for that, but hey, I can dream, right?! But I can still teach my son's about Wicca, if anything, to broaden their knowledge about religions and spirituality.

I'm lucky in that my family is very supportive about my religion. I can talk openly with them about it. Especially since many of them have some similar beliefs/thoughts/experiences that shows them that this is a great and credible religion.

While I don't hide my religion and I'll tell anyone that asks that I'm Wiccan (I even have it on my FB profile!) I do use my magickal name in Pagan circles and I don't talk about Wicca with my clients as I don't really want to mix my spiritual life with my professional life. At least not now.

So, now you know about me and my spiritual path, and how I got to this point here today! I hope you'll come back again and we can follow the Wiccan Way together!

Bright Blessings,

Aria