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.

It's a lovely thread Shoe

DaisyStarLight have you seen Joey Morris' website www.starryeyedsupplies.co.uk ? She does a nice line in dedicated candles, ritual oils, and so on. It might get you thinking about what you could sell!

I agree this is a lovely thread - so interesting to see how people work their practice into and around their lives. I was prepared for a flaming too!

A little while ago there was a thread where someone came onto MN and advertised for people to join a campaign to make somewhere in the Midlands (the old Mercia kingdom?) a pagan kingdom. They wanted to reclaim churches and turn them into pagan temples, to make all women between 18 and 25 between complete national service for the civil police (uniform: miniskirts and knee socks), and all men between 18 and 25 do the same, but become part of the military instead. The 'matriarchy' involved selecting a group of young women to kneel naked around an outdoor fire for months at a time, after which they would have received enough 'training' to become head of state! Obviously it didn't go down well - and many pagans came out of the broom closet quickly to roll their eyes and explicitly state that this was far removed from their personal faith or practice. And since then I haven't seen a single thread referring to any pagan practice, which is a shame because obviously we're not all loons and most of us just want to quietly go about our business without trying to convert other people, hurt anyone, enforce gender norms or indeed overthrow the state.

So it's nice to have a friendly thread where we can share our ideas! Time for a (non denominational) MN coven anyone?

Coven it is, Stitchy!

I like that paganism is such a broad church! It is lovely to see a thread where everyone is so welcoming of each others differences.

I still identify as pagan to an extent, but am probably more influenced by yoga, taoism and buddhism these days. Modern witchcraft borrows so heavily from eastern traditions that they actually fit very well together.

Daisy - have sent you a pm

Wow witchy!!

I agree it is hard to "come out".

On another note I found this book very interesting when I first started my craft. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0062516329

Oooo so putting good intent into candles and selling them is a possibility then. It's how things like that are marketed that makes me buy something or not.

Velvet I'm interested in eastern ways and their medicine / spiritual /mind body connection.

Thanks for the PM.

I'm good at marketing and business ethics so it would be honest and simple with lots of flowers and sunlight (or moonlight depending ) and simple spells for protection and well being. Less is more IMO

A MN coven sounds good to me

Circle work - I used to live by a country water park so I did a lot of circle casting and earth magic as it was by a river and nice woodland with rolling hills in the background and it was so calm that it was very connecting. Then other people found out how nice it was and turned it into a public park and now its not so calm but it is looked after and care for

Then I moved to the city and there are no quiet green spaces so now I use meditation/visualisation for a white protective energy around me, my family and my home when I work or just when I meditate.

Today's lesson for my DC is about dream catchers. My dd fell out of bed two nights ago and my Ds had a nightmear about foxes getting him. My mil has provided dream catchers for both so I will put them up and tell the DC about them and see how we go

I have a little bedroom circle space. I keep flowers and my wand, athame and candles there.

On reflection, I do have many liberal family members.

doctor- that sounds lovely. I have a little bedroom alter. My OH is very supportive, the rest of my family are all evangelical baptists.

Nice thread.

I would never have labelled myself as pagan but much of it seems to resonate with my world view. How do you all feel about the theory of consciousness? Everything is a different expression of consciousness and that everything is essentially energy that is vibrating at different rates and therefore takes on the appearance of difference but at it's core, is the same?

I love hearing about the altars! My witchy things are spread throughout the house, but there's a very old beech tree in my garden which I use as a focal point for offerings, etc. I meditate and practise yoga under it.

Welcome quiet I don't know if it resonates with consciousness theory, but it's been handed down to me that there's a spark of sacredness and potential in all things. I'd love to learn more about this - one of the things I love about this path is there's always more to read!!

I also have a Scottish Brownie living in my house. I have a plain tiny wooden door attached to a wooden skirting board - this is where he lives. He is mischevious an often steals things. Fortunately he has a very sweet tooth and can generally be persuaded to return items that he has taken.
I leave a sweet biscuit or marshmallow outside his door. Even my teenage kids do this if they lose something.
I actually have very rational personal explanations for this !!

I actually have very rational personal explanations for this!!

For which bit?

For my Brownie returning items he has stolen!

For my Brownie returning items he has stolen!

I am sure you understand vivacia. It is a technique that works- and is a playful thing to do.

This thread is so enlightening and even though I know diddly squit feel as though I'm with like minded people.
I am seeing posts and thinking yes, that makes sense, or yes I agree with that.
Thank you so much, and I'm loving the idea of circle space.
I am going to start learning more as a result of this thread.

That's kind of you to say so propel but I don't think I understand at all.

It goes back to the rational approach that I have about witchcraft. How the subconcious mind responds to ritual and can carry out subtle yet powerful changes in our everyday interactions that we won't even be aware of.

Same with my Scottish Brownie. I don't actually believe he exists, or indeed steals things. Like most of us items get lost or usually mislaid somewhere. ( usually in the house or car). keys, bits of jewellery, tickets etc.
During the course of our everyday activity we probably see thousands of items and their location during the course of our activities.. Far too many to remember- we would get bogged down.
Placing a biscuit outside the Brownie door while focusing on the missing item is a small act of ritual magic, and sends a message to the subconcious brain- and acts as a memory jog, an aide-memoire, as often these memories of item placement locations have become inaccessable easily to the concious brain.

W have had the Brownie door for a number of years, and the more we use it the more effective it becomes. My teenage kids use it now too ( although they don't believe in Brownies either).

Place a sweet at the door, focus on the item, leave it 10 minutes or so, and usually fairly quickly- within a few minutes we will happen across the item we were looking for despite previoulsy hunting high and low.

I call it witchcraft, but I don't think it is supernatural. Plus it's a great deal of fun!

What happens with the sweet?

It gets cleared away afterwords. It's symbolic gesture, like things used in a magical spell.

Interesting to hear about it.