Category: YouTube Pagan Challenge

ABC of Paganism: J is for Judgment

6/20/2018

When I consider the concept of judgment within my Witchcraft I first consider the Tarot card of Judgement XX and what lessons it brings forth when it appears in a spread; making a judgment on a situation or experience, judging others or oneself, facing the reckoning of the gods … when I do so I realize that there are often times when judgment is not only useful and helpful, but necessary. Within my own practice I recognize that judgment forces me to create boundaries where there previously were none or forces me to contemplate my own desires and needs instead of always yielding to others (especially when dealing with a coven or group of other practitioners). While it is certainly true that compromises must be made when I am a member of a larger group there are things that we all should refuse to compromise on, especially if we are uncomfortable with whatever it is being presented to us, though I would also concede that sometimes our own discomfort may indicate that there is a shadow within ourselves that we may want to address.

ABC of Paganism: I is for Invocation

6/6/2018

Invocation is an important part of a Witch's practice because it is one way in which he or she is able to commune with those entities that align with the Spirit Realm. The practice of invocation provides a channel through which communication between planes of existence is achieved. Through invocation a Witch draws a spirit, Spirit force, deity or other non-physical being into her or his body in order to commune with that entity or to be the mouthpiece for that particular entity so that others may have the opportunity to speak and listen to the messages that entity brings to the physical realm. When a successful invocation has taken place the Witch’s personality has been replaced by that of the spiritual being that has been invoked much like a possession.

ABC of Paganism: H is for High Priestess

5/23/2018

The role of the High Priestess is greatly misunderstand by many self-taught Wiccans and Witches. The title and role of the High Priestess was one that I assumed during the years I lead Lunar Wisdom Coven, but I no longer assume the position nor the title as the coven dissolved a few years ago and I did not birth another. At the present time I am solitary in my own practice and due to the transition I am experiencing I wouldn’t even suggest that I am a Priestess; I do not work or associate with any one particular personified goddess, god, or pantheon. I am Witch – that is a label that describes me, but beyond that I am uncertain.

ABC of Paganism: G is for Gnosis

5/9/2018

Gnosis is defined as esoteric knowledge of spiritual truth that is essential to the liberation of the individual from illusion or ignorance. The spiritual seeker searches for gnosis through numerous practices, striving to gain insight into the nature of the Universe as well as his or herself through these practices. For me these practices include; meditation, contemplation, fasting, Ritual, and any other means I find to communion with the Spirit Realm, but for others it may manifest in a different way. Perhaps the individual perceives deity as the personified god Ganesh and while in meditation that practitioner has a profound interaction with this deity or the Witch works only with the primordial forces of nature and while holding ritual outside in her backyard she witnessed a natural event that uncovered some truth for her. It is these moments when the individual is aligned with deity and the moment when gnosis can be gained if we are opened to the experience. Many times gnosis comes to me in a way I am unprepared for, which places even greater value on the experience for me.

ABC of Paganism: F is for Familiar

4/25/2018

Many new Witches misunderstand the concept of familiars. In discussing the concept with them it is clear to see that they believe that their familiar spirit is their animal companion whether it is their pet cat or dog or bird and that particular animal aids them with their magick or ritual, but the Witch's familiar is much more than a pet and typically their pet is not their familiar. While having an animal companion is pleasant and there are wonderful benefits for the Witch in owning a pet, to believe that your pet cat or dog is your familiar is misinformed and misguided. A Witch's familiar is not owned by the Witch. A familiar is a spiritual entity in its own right possessing freewill and a unique personality. They are spiritual entities with agendas that may or may not align with the Witch at any given time. The familiar chooses the Witch as much as the Witch chooses the familiar; the two cultivate a magickal relationship that is mutually beneficial to both parties involved in the bond.

ABC of Paganism: E is for Energy

4/11/2018

Everything is made of energy and is connected by the very nature of what it is. While some things appear to be solid material, it is still made of energy just vibrating at a low frequency. Nothing is permanent; everything deteriorates. Life is a vast web of energetic interconnections and human beings experience these connections physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We are connected to our relatives, our friends, our ancestors, the land we live, and situations we experience. We are connected to our possessions, our careers, hobbies, the people with whom we

ABC of Paganism: D is for Danu

3/28/2018

Prior to 2015 my matron goddess was Isis and my patron god was Thoth. I worked within my personal practice exclusively with these two gods of the Egyptian pantheon and they taught me much about magick and witchcraft. With their guidance I developed a strong personal practice and successful ritual spell casting, but it was in the summer of 2015 that I was called by a different goddess and I gladly accepted the invitation to work with the Great Mother, Danu.

Danu made herself known to me years prior to her formal call on the day that my husband and I were legally handfasted in 2008. The High Priestess who officiated our ceremony placed a turquoise colored statue of Danu on the altar, but I was unfamiliar with the image and so I asked her about it. While she spoke to me, I felt a flickering within my psyche and knew that I would work with Danu sometime in the future, but I had taken a vow to serve Isis and my time with her

ABC of Paganism: C is for Cauldron

3/14/2018

I have always associated the cauldron with witchcraft. As a child when I closed my eyes and imagined mysterious witches outside at night casting spells under the full moon they were always in the woods surrounding a cauldron that was bubbling over a fire. I’m aware that this is a stereotypical image, but for me there is a thread of truth to be found there within the exaggeration. Since I’ve lived in New England my entire life I often visited living museums such as Plimouth Plantation and Old Sturbridge Village; both museums present what life would have been like for people living during the 1600’s and 1800’s respectively and every home you visit within the museum centers around the hearth, which always has a cauldron

ABC of Paganism: B is for Baphomet

2/28/2018

I have always been fascinated by baphomet. The image has been uncomfortable for me to gaze at, but it never caused me fear even when I was told that he was an image for Satan. I had difficulty wrapping my mind around the concept that this image was what I understood Satan to represent, when I thought and felt that this image, which included so many polarities embodied more than the Christian concept of God’s adversary, the depiction of absolute evil. There was something meaningful encapsulated within this image that enthralled me and still does.

Baphomet symbolizes for me everything that is considered occultism and esoteric knowledge; these are things that I am constantly seeking out and mentally devouring. The first symbolism that I notice is the position of the arms and hands; one pointing to the heavens with the other pointing to the earth. Being a

ABC of Paganism: A is for Athame

2/14/2018

Instead of talking about the mechanics, purpose, and correspondences for the athame as you can find most of that in my online Grimoire, which can be found here, I want to discuss my personal relationship with my athame and how it has changed over the years and why I will never release this particular tool from my witchcraft practice even as the structure of my practice might change and grow over the years with my own spiritual growth.

When I first began practicing I didn't know exactly what to think about the blade. I had read numerous books by different authors and all discussed casting Circle with the athame and stressed that the blade was a sacred

YouTube Pagan Challenge: ABC of Paganism

2/12/2018

I am a member of a facebook group that was created specifically for YouTubers who make videos about paganism or for individuals who watch these types of YouTube videos and want to become involved with the community. Within this group there is a post presenting a YouTube Pagan Challenge for the year 2018. I’ve participated in these types of challenges in years past and decided that this year I would participate, but instead of creating videos I would blog my responses to the prompts. So this year Annika, the founder of the facebook group, suggested that we use the alphabet as a guide and make one video (blog post for me) for every letter of the alphabet by the end of the year. So every other week (some months 3 weeks) I will be posting the blog for this year’s YouTube Pagan Challenge and the other weeks will address other topics. I am behind as we find ourselves in February at the moment and I missed January so I my posts will be a month behind the suggested schedule. Regardless of the delay I do hope you enjoy these YouTube Pagan Challenge posts.