Wicca/Paganism

[DoctorShoe]

Bright blessings to all!

Wiccan here. Just wondering if there are any more of us around. :) I don't have a coven, and there doesn't seem to be too much opportunity for it in Ireland, even in the medium sized cities.

DP is not a Wiccan. I'm a hospital doctor. We enjoy Dr. Who and Star Trek. I was raised Catholic.

I have had a lovely Beltane. Didn't get to celebrate quite as soon as I'd have liked, due to work, but it was beautiful.

My sick orchid is budding, my Book of Shadows is growing... Thinking about a nice walk in the woods tomorrow afternoon.

Would love to hear from others. :) I have so many questions.

Celts have a long history of pagan worship and wicca means wise women. This would be the midwife, mother, healer, teller of stories and the elder. The mystic Druids with there superstitions and omens that get passed down the generation's do count as culture

Interesting, Daisy. I believe all groups have their own culture, so superstitions and omens can be part of this. Incidentally how do you get to know about Druidic beliefs and practices? I know a small amount can be glebed from archeology however so much of this is theoretical.

Millli, I have read a small amount about indigo children before and there are certainly things that resonate, such as seeing positives within individual characteristics instead of fearing difference. However the aspect of this theory which seems off balance is putting aside certain people as being somehow more important / more highly evolved, than others - I don't agree with this.

Bright blessings everyone. I am another pagan scientist witch. I was brought up in the far southwest England with an 'earth-based' spirituality that sees divinity in nature. I don't see anything contradictory in science and a pagan belief system. I wouldn't identify as Wiccan but will have a go at explaining the difference.

Paganism refers to a set of spiritual beliefs that revere nature and the changing seasons. It's often associated with polytheism (belief in many deities) or pantheism (belief in the spiritual or divine essence of all things). Wiccans are pagans in the way that Baptists are Christian, but not all pagans are Wiccan, just as not all Christians are Baptist.

Witchcraft is a skill or practice in the way that yoga is a skill or practice. It involves conducting material rituals and activities (possibly small, possibly very ceremonial) that you associate with an intention. The actions symbolise and are intended to manifest your desire. Some witches call on deities to help them manifest their will, but some don't. You don't have to be a pagan, wiccan, or to believe in any deities to practice witchcraft. Just as you don't have to be a specific religion to practice yoga or meditation, but some practitioners of religion will practice meditation as part of their spiritual practice. If you've ever made a wish whilst blowing out candles on a birthday cake, you've performed a small spell.

Wicca is a religion that is largely attributed to the work and actions Gerald Gardner (and others) in the 1950s. It is said to be based on old traditions (the 'old ways' of neolitchic Britain) but the evidence for this is disputed. Wicca is a form of paganism, but it is not the only form. There are many pagans that would not call themselves wiccan. Wiccans celebrate 8 holidays or Sabbats a year to mark the turning of the seasons, and view the divine as present in nature, and having both female and male elements. The moon is often considered a representation of the feminine divine and the 13 annual full moons (or Esbats) are times of power and sometimes celebrated alongside the 8 Sabbats.

Many Wiccans organise themselves in covens to celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the year together, to share ideas, research and their magical practice, but this isn't necessary I think. There are many solitary practitioners of Wicca.

So in short:
Pagans are not necessarily Wiccans or witches, but Wiccans would usually call themselves pagan. Paganism is an umbrella term.
Anyone can be a witch (I have known atheist, Christian, Wiccan, Pagan and Buddhist witches).
Wicca is a pagan religion. Wiccans often do practice magic/witchcraft but some do not.

I hope that helps! I'll speak more about my own practice if it is of interest..

Bramble you have a good point there. I think most people have potential to heal and be more evolved if they chose to. We are not encouraged to do this though as societies need to be contained and controlled.

Milllli

Sorry, not sure how many L's are in your nn

yes, I recognise myself and two of my children from the Indigo Child link you posted. Even down to the dyslexia, adhd and in one case Asp diagnosis.

I have a question though?

It says born after 1978 and unfortunately, this isn't me. born much earlier.
Is ther a different term for the older Indigo, or is the year

Witchy do tell us more about what you do

sorry, posted too soon.

is the year just a guide or is there another term for those born before?

more it talks about "lightbearers" I think . These are the ones who guide the indigo child.

Brambleandapple
Much of the understanding of Druidic and Celtic belief systems is handed down through myth and legend. Robert Graves has written a fascinating (and more academic) explanation of the origins of a European feminine deity that came to be associated in ancient British mythology (and other European ancient religions) with the moon in its different phases. It's called 'The White Goddess: An Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth'. It's an enthralling book for anyone who's interested in the culture of ancient Britain (and not written as a religious text).

Ronald Hutton has also written some excellent and fascinating books on early British mythology and folklore. The Triumph of the Moon is a great one.

Neither of these books are exhortations on 'how to be wiccan' or 'how to do witchcraft' - but they are well researched books by scholars on the influence and mythology of the past and their connections to the old spiritual ways.

WitchyStitches that was very helpful and clear, I too would like to hear more about what you do.

I'm also wondering, what would be the main differences between a witch and a non-witch.

Thank you, Witchy.

^ sorry I was posting other my other user name, Brambleandapple in the posts above.

Indigo children are said to be children of the new age and here to steer the world back towards a deeper understanding of our connection to the earth and universe.

Milllli What would you like to know?
I don't belong to a coven, but I have grown up in a family where some traditions were handed down. I don't see myself as having special abilities compared to others (I'd never call myself a clairvoyant etc) - just a different way of looking at things, and perhaps training in listening more carefully to nature and being more in tune with the changes in seasons and so on. I believe that everything has the spark of potency or divinity in it (even rocks and stones).

My practice is not convoluted or distinctive in any way. I try to notice and immerse myself in nature's rhythms. I try to spend time outside in all weathers. I spend time alone in my garden, watching the moon or looking at the stars. I meditate. I am learning the tarot: not because I believe the cards have any predictive power, but because they represent to me a system based on Jungian archetypes that has relevance for my self-awareness. I think that with practice, I can use the cards in ways that are useful to help me address challenges in my life and draw my attention to relationships, issues and obstacles that are significant for self-development. It's a kind of 'life-coach' rather than a predictor of the future.

Some people would call me a hedge witch or kitchen witch. To me, this means I focus less on ceremonial forms of magic and spell craft, and more on just working my practice into my everyday activities. So for example, if I was making a cake, I would whisper my intentions into the cake and watch the cake rise in the oven. I might include herbs that correspond to my intentions (e.g. lavender for healing and love, cinnamon for protection, orange blossom for happiness and abundance), and decorate the cake with a ribbon in a corresponding colour (pink for love, red for passion, yellow for happiness and abundance). Whenever I knit I focus my intentions in every stitch, so that I am weaving my intentions and will into the work and it becomes a manifestation of my desire.

I am under no illusions that I can bend the will of nature! But I do believe that we can focus our intentions through small rituals, in a way that helps us to direct our own actions better towards our will.

Is that at all helpful?

Witchy I like your style.

I'm afraid that the indigo child stuff is leaving me feeling a bit cold.

Witchy very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I think that I feel the same way about things as you have mentioned. I am always muttering intent in lots I do. I tend to do it in a positive affirmation way as if it is already done. I live very very rural in the mountains and feel very connected to nature. I use crystals and regularly refresh them with intent. I have woven ribbons with intent and used them for good. I just "know" that I have a connection and understanding .

Vivacia
Firstly can I say I love your name! Are you a Robin Hobb fan by any chance?

I'm not sure what the difference between a witch and a non-wtich is! Perhaps the difference is simply that witches recognise themselves as such - or that witches believe in and/or acknowledge their ability to direct their actions in pursuit of their will, and that they can align certain material elements in ways that accentuate the intention behind their action.

I should add that most Wiccans (and many other pagan witches) believe in a 'harm none' philosophy that prevents them from conducting spells or magic which is aimed at hurting others. Some Wiccans believe in the rule of three, which implies that whatever you put out into the universe, you will receive back three times.

Why is that Vivacia?

Indigo child was something my children told me about. As I mentioned before its to do with the new age that we have entered and that people's eyes need to be opened before it is to late.
I am open to most ideas and learn from them with interest. Some things will resonate with me and some won't but I like to feel that I am open to all possibilities.

(Yes I really enjoyed the Hobb books Poor Paragon. Am trying to think why I gave up reading them now...).

Millli well from the teeny-tiny bit I've just read about them, it seems to be designed to appeal to more vulnerable people "Your child misbehaves and you're struggling with that? Don't worry they are just more special than other children".

The Indigo Child philosophy is just not part of my practice although I recognise that there are many people who accept it. In my own path I don't identify people who are somehow 'special' or more 'divine' than others. Rather I see my practice as just that - a practice in self-nature awareness, and an attempt to live in harmony with the seasons and recognise the potential of all things. And the more I practice, the better I get.

I'm not a great believer in conspiracy theories, although I find them interesting as a representation of our desire to learn and question. I don't know that I believe in deities as separate entities, but I find them interesting and spiritually relevant to my practice as representations of different cultural archetypes that we see in folklore and nature. I do think of those archetypes as a source of power - not because they exist objectively, but because they are so cemented into our cultural understandings that they have a lot of significance. But again, I am not a massive one for calling on deities all the time. I prefer to work with the idea of nature as potential and the source of spirit.

Vivacia the liveship trader series has been my favourite to date. Paragon comes out ok in the end (but I won't tell you any more in case you go back to them!)

morethanpotatoprints Wicca is a branch of Paganism, in the same way that say, Catholicism is a branch of Christianity. It's a modern(ish) take on cermonial, initiatory witchcraft developed by Gerald Gardner and Doreen Valiente in the 1930s and 1940s and is usually (although not always) practiced in groups (covens). There are other types of Paganism though - there are witches who aren't wiccan, druids, people who follow the Northern tradition (Asatru) or Native American spirituality etc. etc., and there are some fo us who don't quite fit completely into any box but identify as Pagan nonetheless There are lots of good books out there - some of my favourite authors are Marian Green, Doreen Valiente, Rae Beth, Emma Restall Orr, Ann Moura, Margot Adler. This is a handy little guide from the BBC about the different types of paganism and www.paganfed.org/ used to be really good (albeit a bit wiccan-focused), although I've not looked at it for a while.

I'm Welsh too, for what it's worth!

Viv yes I do see what you mean. It could be seen ( as you point out) as a way of excusing bad behaviour or a cover for children with aspergers or spectrum issues. Not sure how I feel in that regard. My children are in their early twenties and of course see a different world to the one I may see.

Witchy My children in their early twenties talk about conspiracy theory. We discuss it and I can see that there are many interesting ways of interpreting things. They have opened my eyes to possibilities that I hadn't thought of before. That why I love listening and learning how others feel and think. The possibilities are endless aren't they?