Are any of us born Pagan, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist? Do we come into the world with a cellular understanding of something larger than we are that we can trust? Are we whole in our connection with the water of the womb, the air of our first breath, the solidity of the world we enter that is so brightly lighted?

Customs and conditioning form so much. The traditions of our families and our culture are made a part of us without our consent. It just happens. One day we find ourselves in a church or among a group that will confirm our place. It could be a bar mitzvah, or a first communion. Maybe a wedding or a funeral. The birth of a child or the luck to win the lottery. All these things have god interwoven in them. Some more somberly than others but it is pervasive.

I grew up in a Christian household where Jesus was god and women carried the burden of original sin. That all made sense when I was of an age that I had blind faith in what was presented to me. By the time I was 11 or 12 my comfort level shifted. The father, son, and holy ghost were fine except they are all men, or at least I strongly got that impression. The central focus on death rather than life seemed a bit out of balance to me also. I examined religions from around the world over the course of many years. The more commonly know religions and then the less commonly know. These explorations moved into the realm of Wicca and Mysticism and Native American spirituality.. Magic and nature became very important to me and that lead to deity as primarily female. In nature Birth, nourishment, nurturing are mostly female in orientation. This harmonized with the notion that the earth and water elements are more creative and passive while the fire and air elements are more active and analytical. All elements have both passive and active aspects but I found looking at the stronger seeming energy made sense.

Tarot became a big part of my spiritual studies when I was in my early twenties and has been an aid and a map for my continued journey. Work within a Ritual Circle was a part of my practice for several years but has become less important as I realize everything can be a meditation and focus can be done without props. Intensive study of herbs brought me into a deeper understanding of energy in the natural world and sent me down several paths of exploration in alternative healing.

I have been initiated twice as a Dianic witch (yeah, twice. Each time with a different commitment and it was very relevant as my spirituality evolved). Over the course of many years I have done workshops with several women who have done a lot for “women’s spirituality” and I have realized even more deeply the political aspects of religion in our culture and it tends to really piss me off much of the time that politics invades even this most personal aspect of our lives..

It has been over thirty years since I started to question the religion I was born into and my perspective has changed at least as many times as thirty. At this point I call myself spiritual and my preferred place of worship is the natural world. I’m certainly not finished learning and changing and I often wonder what I will be saying as I sit in my rocking chair as a crone.

So the point of this entry is my view on Wicca. Took a few paragraphs to get to that point. I just thought a bit of background helps. What is an opinion’s value without knowing something about the person expressing the opinion?

My current view of Wicca is that it is an important alternative to the other “big” religions. And, yes, I do think it is both a religion and big. The very mention of Wicca, Witches, and Pagans creates enough of stir in the minds of the masses that it ranks equally with the Judea-Christian view so therefore the classing as a “big” religion. I think that when Wicca is heavily laced with doctrine and the creation of exclusive “sects” it is no better than Judeo-Christian practice since individual relationship with deity requires an intermediary and adherence to rules. When a group says that only they are the true representatives of Wicca they are not spiritual in their practice and that is a total turn off for me. Wiccan and Pagan groups and individuals who bash the more mainstream religions are an embarrassment and again are not being spiritual in their practice. Unfortunately these things can and do happen. Fortunately not often but it happens. I think the world needs more folks who adhere to the credo “harm ye none”. That is probably the most important statement made in Wicca. There are other versions of that statement that occur in other religions but the challenge is to truly live with consciousness of our impact on other living creatures including the Earth.

What the object of worship is in Wicca is often controversial. I prefer to emphasize the Goddess in her creativity and as the source of life. There are so many aspects to all living things and the Goddess in her many aspects reflects that. Regardless of gender the link to the natural world is at the core of Wicca.

Magick. That is an attractive idea and needs to be address since folks want to find a new way to get what they want and if you can influence circumstances with magic some folks want to get in on that. Magick is real. But is it rigging the lottery? It is a tool for growth and a means of focus. I have done various spells in my time and when the energy is focused and well defined it often works out as I wished. Did I cause it? Perhaps my focus on the situation enabled me to see an opportunity I would have missed otherwise.
My hope is that no one takes up Wicca so they can win millions but at the same time Magick does happen.

I’m not sure I really answered the question. I know I asked a few in this entry. Maybe Wicca is about the need to find answers or to just being allowed to ask questions.