The Magickal Pen

The robe slips easily over my shoulders
And drapes my body in magick.

The amulet rests at the space of voice
Just below my upturned head.

I balance all parts of my self
And allow the mysteries
Of true Magick to flow.

I speak the name of power
And step through the Gates
Of Destiny.

My post this week is multi-layered in its approach and relates to a subject that is as expansive and diverse in its understanding as those who walk its spiritual path.  I am a Wiccan High Priestess of Oak and Willow, a coven within a Syncretic Wiccan Tradition, The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel.  I am a Witch. This designation colors all aspects of my life and in the spirit of all viable spiritual practice is a seamless weaving of mundane and magick.  So, I will offer in this post as little and as much as the reader wishes to know.

The path of the Witch makes use of self-knowledge, energetic practice, healing modalities and magick and takes these tools as a way in which to experience and interact with all of the surrounding world(s).  The natural world is the sacred Temple and all who abide within its domain are the Priests Priestesses and the Divine in all of their expressions. The goal is one of harmony and balance in all things as well as the acceptance of discord and imbalance as the natural polarities needed for spiritual growth. To be a Witch is to strive to “Know Thyself” and in that knowing serve and honor all others who are part of the interconnectedness that is revealed in that place of gnosis.

One of the responsibilities that many Wiccans take on is the role of service.  This may take the form of volunteering and/or spill over into their professional lives as many are also very much attracted to Social Work, Healthcare and Fundraising.  As a way to reach a broader community, in particular those who are solitary witches or the curious seeker, I wrote an online course that was intended to offer the foundations of the Craft.  There is no sign up or fee, and the material has ben freely offered for study at your own pace.  The extract below is from the first lesson and gives the minimum of philosophical approach encompassing a Wiccan path. For those who want to know more the link at the end will take you to the course.

The Wiccan Path is one of initiatory experience. Each step taken leads towards greater understanding of your own Divine nature, which in turn brings a greater understanding of the natural world and the Divinity that exists around you. By definition, initiation is  an act that sets in motion some course of events. In the case of a spiritual pursuit, initiation opens the seeker to embracing their spiritual nature as a support and foundation to their mundane nature. The spiritual path of a Wiccan (witch) is one filled with the beauty of the natural world and the mystery of the world within each of us.  The path leads to the subtle realms of the astral – the far reaches of the cosmos – and the shadows that lay hidden and buried within each of us.  We practice the Craft of the Wise, which in ancient times was the gifts of the healers and the seers whose ability to see far and wide and enter so completely into alliance with the physical natural world was depended upon to ensure viable crops, healthy livestock, fertility and a sustainable life for those in whom the wise lived.  In ancient times the knowledge was carefully passed in the style of oral tradition, the mysteries given ear to ear hand to hand. Although many of those traditions, rituals and wise ways are lost to the modern practitioner of Wicca, many of the core principles remain, having evolved just as we as a people have evolved, become modernized and have at our fingertips ways of communicating large volumes of information.  The information provided barely touches the surface of what is a complex and diverse spiritual path, that to a large degree can only superficially claim its heritage in the ancient practices of which we truly know so little. Wicca is rooted in the experiential, and is a way of life that is not limited by lack of sacred space, for all the world is sacred space from the Wiccan perspective.

To Read More:   A Year and A Day on the Wiccan Path