Read everything and experiment to find what works for you. And never let anyone you’re “doing it wrong”. Go with your gut. lol. It’s also not a bad idea to look into historical Christian customs, and even just Christian customs from other cultures, as they can be a great source of inspiration. I’d also suggest making sure to keep a journal of your research and experiences if you don’t already. :)
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Something that really bothers me is when newer pagans and Wiccans are told that they "have to" choose a singular pantheon to work with. Honestly, I don't think someone should choose a pantheon. The pantheon should choose them. And when it does, you'll know. Trust me. And if just one chooses you, Fantastic! But there's a huge chance that you'll never be claimed by a whole pantheon. Even if most of the Greek gods are like "Hey, you're cool. WE want you to work with us", Dionysus (just for example) may never give a rat's ass about you. Further more you may decide that you can't stand an individual deity. Artemis and I do not get along. She likes me just fine, I think she can be a bitch and I don't work with her for such reasons. It has to be a pretty big emergency for me to call on her. While it's rare, it's happened. But that's just my personal relationship with her. Even more common is that you'll also be called by members of OTHER pantheons. While I work primarily with the Greek pantheon (and I mean more than just the Olympians because I tend to work with Titans more than Olympians), I've also been called by Sekhmet, Bastet and Ma'at from the Egyptian Pantheon. I have a love-hate relationship with Set for some reason. I'd love to work with Anubis but he's yet to call me to his service. And while he hasn't called me to his service, Sekhmet's son Nefertum has made it very clear that he's more than happy to reassure me and that he has my back (I was having a personal crisis and started seeing the blue lotus everywhere). I've also been called by Irish deities including The Morrighan, Brighid, and Scathach. Even more confusing is that I've been called into the service of the Virgin Mary and Saint Mary Magdalene and my "ancestors" (I use the older meaning of the word which is along the lines of someone who's died before you that had an impact on who you've become and also anyone related to you) that have actively giving me guidance range from Cleopatra to Anne Boleyn to Elizabeth Howe to Marie Antoinette to Anastasia Romanov.
To tell a person that THEY should choose a pantheon to work with is completely arrogant. To me that's like telling a god "hey, I'm going to worship you and you get no say whatsoever in this". And yes, some people do this and it works fantastically in the end and they develop an incredible relationship with their deity. And for those that see all deities being part of the lord and lady/spirit, it's weird to me that you should think you have to choose one face of the Goddess over another anyway. My point is that by making people who are just starting out on this path think that they "have to" choose a pantheon causes many of them to try to force a relationship with some deities, and ignore others because they aren't part of their chosen pantheon. I honestly think the attitude we should be "teaching" is that they should be open to deity in all it's forms. If a whole pantheon calls you, cool beans. If Aphrodite, Kali, Aset, and Krishna all call you, that's pretty awesome too. I think this should especially be expressed to people seeking to follow reconstructionist paths because I've known many who choose their pantheon, decide the best way to worship them is in their historically accurate form, and then try to force a relationship with a deity who they have a terrible connection with just because "historically" they would have been a main deity and honored every this day or that. Many of us came to Paganism because we were tired of mainstream religions telling us who, how, when, and where to worship. While the "you have to pick a pantheon" attitude isn't quite the same thing, it's not to far off to me. Hi, I was raised Catholic, and I have always been drawn to Wicca, particularly Celtic. I am drawn to rose quartz, the moon and water. I have been really intrigued by your page, since you are able to mix the Catholicism and Wicca. I was wondering if you had any advice on this or could recommend any resources, for me to begin understanding Wicca and how I can possibly begin to learn (as a sole practitioner right now).I really suggest reading the book The Path of a Christian Witch by Adelina St. Claire. If you’re on facebook there’s a group called the Christian Pagan Fellowship. For Wicca alone there are several sites and wonderful books out there. I really like about.com’s pagan wiccan site: http://paganwiccan.about.com/. It has lots of information and links to other sources as well.
thank you SOO much, yes i've started seeing signs about it as well which is what drove me to the internet for people who could teach me and lead me in the right direction. I'm especially interested in herbal magic. I'll be sure to track down those books! -- Floor-Pizzayou are very welcome. If you’re interested, I’m going to try to start posting the “lessons” my coven uses for those just starting out.
hello :) this is kinda embarassing but I've done my share of research and have been interested in wicca for a while, where would one start of one decided to start actually training and honing/developing their skills? where are good resources for learning about herbs and such? -- Floor-PizzaReally, the only way to decide it is to just be in tune with yourself, perhaps meditate on the subject, or pray for guidance. The answer might be subtle, or it may just smack you in the face. For me, the subject of Wicca started coming up EVERYWHERE! Every show I tried to watch on tv mentioned it. I’d open up random books at my school and local libraries and notes on wicca and witchcraft would fall out. I’d go to garage sales and resale shops and find books on wicca. and I realized that it was the universe telling me what I was supposed to do. But I realize it’s not always that obvious. Should you decide to take the leap, my all time favorite book on the subject is Where to Park Your Broomstick by Lauren Manoy. It’s geared almost exclusively towards teens, but it’s got a lot of really good information. I’d also suggest Solitary Witch by Silver RavenWolf for a general source of information and reference. I also suggest To Stir a Magick Cauldron (also by Silver RavenWolf), it’s not wicca 101, but it has “lessons” in it, and it also contains a Wicca 101 test with information that most witches should know after their first year of study. I’d also check out Witchschool.com, which has online classes, if you’re interested in that. For herbs alone, I’d suggest Magickal Herbalism and Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs, both by Scott Cunningham. If you’re very interested in herbs, try checking out books on their medicinal uses as they often go hand in hand with magickal uses. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. :)
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