How to Become a Witch (18 page)

Skyclad
means “clothed by the sky” and is the Witch word for “naked” or “nude.” Some covens and individuals perform their rituals skyclad for various reasons. Some say they can raise power more easily without clothing in the way. Others like the feeling of utter freedom and the wind on bare skin. Many say our bodies are a gift from the Goddess and should be honored, not hidden.

After one gets used to it, and especially among coven sisters and brothers, it seems quite normal. However, many covens simply do their rituals in robes.

Most Witches, most of the time, don’t stand out from the crowd. We have had centuries of practice in blending in, looking ordinary and harmless. Some Witches will wear pentagram jewelry out in public; more wear magickal jewelry that doesn’t look particularly witchy. But most of the time, a Witch will look like—anyone.

Only the Witch will know that clothing colors have magickal meanings. Almost the first thing you do each morning is choose your clothes for the day—and that can be a decision based on magick. Select your outfit according to the magickal significance of colors and materials.

Colors can be chosen for the day of the week, each of which corresponds to a planetary energy and one or more deities:

Sunday
(the sun; solar deities of light, healing, energy, and intellect): Gold, yellow, orange.
Corresponding metal:
Gold, vermeil, gold-washed.

Monday
(the moon; lunar deities of magick, change, and intuition): Silver, silver-gray with black.
Corresponding metal:
Silver.

Tuesday (Mars, Tyr/Tiw; deities of action, assertiveness, and war): Red.
Corresponding metal:
Iron or steel.

Wednesday (Woden, Odin, or Mercury; deities of the hunt, the harvest, war, victory, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, and magick; guides of the dead; and, in Mercury’s case, trade, abundance, travel, and communication): Rainbow, any and all colors.
Corresponding metal:
Bronze or mixed metals.

Thursday (Thor, Jupiter, and deities of thunder, lightning, and weather in general; strength, rulership, protection, the sky and the heavens): Purple, red, and gold.
Corresponding metal:
Tin (tin is hard to find; use pewter).

Friday (Venus; deities of life, love, and creation): Rose/pink, aqua green.
Corresponding metal:
Copper.

Saturday
(Saturn; deities of limitation, discipline, organization, and time): Black.
Corresponding metal:
Lead (however, we do not recommend wearing lead jewelry, even if you could find some; hematite and pewter are safer substitutes).

Of course, you may not have a huge wardrobe in all the colors of the rainbow. That’s okay; your chosen color for the day can be represented by an accessory such as a scarf, tie, vest—even your socks!

Where the pointed hat came from

Why do Witches wear pointy black hats? Well, real Witches don’t, unless they’re having fun mocking the stereotypes. But why do fantasy witches almost always have them?

At least three theories exist: (1) The hats represent the “cone of power” raised by Witches at their rituals. (2) The hats are like women’s headgear that was out of style centuries ago—think about princess hats—and were a way to belittle Witches for being hopelessly old-fashioned. (3) They are a distant descendent of tall, conical metal crowns with magickal and astrological symbols on them worn by the priest-kings of early civilizations.

Who knows?

Many Witches wear magickal jewelry with stones of the appropriate colors, or simple amulets such as a holey stone or shell, or even elaborate talismans designed to store particular kinds of energy. The metals used in jewelry correspond to different deities or energies, as described in the list. In choosing jewelry for the day, you can think out the appropriate correspondences, use the charts in the appendices, or simply go with your instincts.

The Socially Aware Witch

The majority of Witches tend to be progressives, socially and politically, but there are certainly exceptions. Almost the only broad issues where the Craft is unanimous are (1), that the environment is sacred and must be respected and protected (exactly how is not always so clear), and (2), that freedom of religion must be defended.

But let’s look at a few other hot-button issues and see, if we can, where Witches stand.

War and Peace: Many Wiccans serve honorably in the military, but they are no flag-waving warmongers. In keeping with a “live-and-let-live” attitude, most would rather leave other nations alone unless our homes are directly threatened.

Abortion: Discussing abortion seems to be a no-win proposition, which is perhaps why there is very little real discussion of the issue and a great deal of rigidity and anger surrounding it. As with most issues, Witches have no official position or dogma as a religion. Doubtless there are sincere Witches on both sides of the issue; the majority (if numbers mean anything) would probably say that abortion should be a woman’s personal choice, with input from her family and physician. The Rede says harm no one, and this may be a case where choosing the lesser harm must be left to the individual Witch’s higher self.

Drugs and Alcohol: Most Witches would rather keep their faculties unclouded by drugs, and develop their psychic and spiritual abilities without that complication. However, there are certainly some who like recreational cannabis, and a few others who will carefully experiment with entheogens—plant substances that are said to trigger religious experiences, such as peyote and certain mushrooms. We would caution anyone exploring this path: first, be aware that such use can be dangerous, especially if it’s not guided by someone very experienced in such practices.

Second, if the practice is illegal, are you willing to pay the penalty for violating the law? Remember too that a Witch arrested on drug charges harms the entire Craft community by association. It’s unlikely that a headline would read
lutheran arrested for drugs
, but you can bet you would see the headline
witch arrested for drugs
. This alone is enough to keep us, the authors, far away from illegal drugs.

Alcoholic beverages are legal for adults to consume, and their effects are better understood. However, we know Witches who never touch alcohol, Witches who will only take a sip of wine in the circle, Witches who drink lightly and socially, and some who really, really savor a good bottle of mead. A Witch who truly lives by the Rede may not drink to the point where her health is damaged, nor may she drive a vehicle if alcohol impaired. Under the Rede, a Witch who drank so much that he lost control of his thoughts, his tongue, or his reflexes would be creating the potential for harm. A Witch who does overindulge too often may want to take advantage of Pagan 12-step programs. Almost every festival hosts meetings, and you can find more information by searching “Pagan 12-step” on the Web.

Civil Rights and Race Relations: Witches by their very nature support civil rights, because if civil liberties and personal freedoms are threatened, we are among the very first targets. Regarding race, skin color is irrelevant to us. The majority of Witches are Caucasian, because Wicca originated in Europe and many are drawn because of their ancestral connections. Sometimes it is simpler for whites to connect with their European roots, blacks to connect with their African roots, etc. However, the Craft is open to anyone who is called to it, and we are fortunate that some people of color have found their spiritual home in the Craft community. Many folks of Hispanic heritage are discovering the Craft as well, which seems quite natural, since Spain (and Central and South America) were very Pagan places before the Catholic Church became dominant there. To repeat: we judge a person by their character and accomplishments, not by their race or cultural heritage.

We could explore a hundred more social issues, but in most of them the conclusion would be the same: Witches are free to choose the position they hold under the guidance of the Rede: harm no one, and follow your true will.

Alara lives in a restored Victorian mansion covered with gingerbread woodwork and runs her own veterinary practice, where she uses reiki healing and crystals as well as modern drugs. She loves Japanese manga (comics) and is dating a Druid physicist.

Wolfy lives in a small town outside Seattle and works in a bakery. In his spare time, he raises exotic tropical plants and designs Internet games that boost the players’ psychic skills. He socializes with Luanne, a retired long-haul truck driver who paints giant Goddess murals.

Rita and Vixen run a bed-and-breakfast in the mountains, and have been partners for twenty-seven years. They also make wands to sell to Witches worldwide, and they have three dogs and a large snake as companions.

Torrin, Murf, and Petal are transforming some overgrazed grassland into an organic truck farm and selling their produce to fancy restaurants in three states. Murf is developing new mushroom hybrids, Petal likes to rebuild muscle cars from the sixties, and Torrin works online part-time as a financial analyst. They have been in a polyamorous relationship for seven years.

Joan and Marty are married with three children and have converted an old barn into their model energy-efficient home. Joan is a magistrate judge, Marty writes science fiction novels, and the whole family takes care of the hamster colony together.

Terra lives in a high-rise in the center of a large city and works for the Animal Control division of the police department. She wonders when the owners of her apartment building will notice the raised-bed herb gardens on the roof.

They’re all Witches.

Every Witch’s lifestyle is unique and personal, but the foundation for all is the Wiccan Rede, a great love of the earth, and the ability to see Goddess and God in all things.

As a Witch, you will represent the gods and the Craft to the other inhabitants of this planet. Your life will express one more facet of the infinite and sacred diversity of all things. So be yourself, and live the way that only you can live while seeking wisdom, love, and power within.

And yet, we haven’t really covered how Witches live until we look at one more thing. Most Witches have certain things they do each day to help them along their spiritual and magickal path—a daily spiritual practice. We’ll explore that in the next chapter.

Deepening Your Practice
Exercises Toward a Wiccan Way of Life

• On separate sheets of paper, list the various aspects of life we have discussed:
  

Sustainable living • Food • Housing

Health care • Relationships • Sexuality

Children • Animals • Work/Career

Money/Wealth • Consumerism • Transportation

Clothing • Social involvement

Now think about your life in each of these areas. Which feel as though they are genuinely witchy in style already? In which areas do you feel like you have a very muggle lifestyle? Rank them from “most witchy” (magickal, spiritual, natural) to “least witchy” in your life.

• List three priorities for improving your life in each area, and write down a plan or series of steps to achieve them.
  
• Brainstorm a list of the people you most admire and respect. What is it about them and their lifestyles that you would like to be and do yourself? Write your observations in your Book of Shadows.
  

Chapter 6

Spiraling Into the Center
Your Daily Practice

A
t your altar, seek the way,

Touching magick, wielding power,

With Spirit start and end each day,

I am a Witch at every hour.

To become superb at anything, be it tennis or art or starship design, you must practice. To become a great Witch, you must practice. Many Witches do, in fact, have a daily practice in order to grow magickally and spiritually—but because we are so incredibly individualistic, what we do to hone our skills and nourish our spirit varies dramatically.

Here are some examples:

• Rosewood meditates on positive questions each evening and spins fire poi.
  
• Aventurine lights incense on her altar, thanks the gods for the new day, and selects one tarot card to study.
  
• Cybele visualizes a great pentagram and then mentally moves from point to point, checking the energy of each element within her life.
  
• Twig walks in a forest grove by his house and greets the trees and wild things.
  
• Lyonesse works to clear and balance her chakras, then chants to the Goddess.
  
• Blade does breathing exercises, then practices his martial art, dedicating his bo staff work to Scathach, his patron goddess.
  
• Amethyst chooses a stone that intuitively feels like the energy she needs that day from her large collection of gemstones and crystals; she greets it, thanks it, and places it in her pocket.
  
• Catnip visits her garden during the warm months, shares energy with each plant, and talks with the deva of that species. In the winter, she converses with a different plant deva each morning before her altar.
  

Some have done essentially the same thing for years, at least outwardly, deepening the experience as they mature spiritually. Most of the others have changed their practice as they felt the need.

Choose a personal daily practice that serves your needs. You may want to energize yourself each morning for the day’s tasks. Perhaps you want to get some quick guidance for the challenges you are going to face each day. You might feel the need to express thanks each evening for all the blessings in your life. Your sessions could be designed to keep your magickal skills honed and ready for action. Your practice could help you balance the elements in your life. Maybe you just need to ground, center, and gather your resources.

We will discuss some of the infinite options for your daily practice as a Witch, but first, some basic decisions need to be made. Will yours be a completely personal activity, done in solitude? Will you work with your spouse or partner? If you have children, will they be involved? Or will you do some combination of these, perhaps working alone in the morning, having a bedtime ritual with the children, and giving thanks later in the evening with your partner?

Of course, if you don’t share your home with other humans, it may just be you and the cat, or dog, or iguana—whomever.

Think about timing as well. Morning practices are fine to energize and seek direction for the day. Your schedule may allow a daily practice at any time during the day, perhaps during your lunch hour or breaks from work or study. And many Witches like to do progressive relaxation and meditation just before bed.

Your daily practice will evolve into something unique because you are unique. But you will probably want some suggestions to get started; experiment with these techniques until you find the activity or combination that fulfills your needs. Write the results of your experiments in your Book of Shadows.

Your Changing Altar

A personal or family altar can be an ever-changing work of art
and
part of your daily practice. A basic altar is described in chapter 3. However, you can get very creative with your altar arrangement—and you can redo it daily, weekly, at each moon cycle, or for every sabbat.

For some Witches, it feels appropriate to change the altar each day, to reflect the energies and goals for that day. You would not have to change every part, only as much as feels helpful. Simply changing the candles to a different color is enough to change the focus: for example, orange for energy if you feel sluggish, or pink for healing if you feel a cold coming on. Or you might have one central magickal object that changes according to need: a quartz crystal for clarity, a rose in a bud vase for romance, or a chunk of hematite or tiger iron for stamina. Tarot enthusiasts might place a different card in the center each day, while others may prefer a carefully selected runestone. (For more on tarot and runes, see chapter 10.)

On any special occasion, take the time to redo the whole altar; you don’t have to wait for a sabbat or a new lunar cycle. Job interview? Health crisis in the family? Looking at a new project? A fresh altar will help you be ready.

Words of Power

Witches are careful with their words, because words have power to heal or harm. They can become part of your daily practice if you craft them carefully into a tool for self-transformation.

You have probably heard some of the affirmations floating around the New Age community: “I am a child of the universe, filled with rainbow light…” Most are harmless, but perhaps they could be more powerful.

Here are some simple guidelines for writing or choosing a powerful affirmation:

• State your intention in the positive: “I am strong” rather than “I am no longer flabby and weak.” Your younger self will focus on the adjective, such as “strong” or “flabby,” and has difficulty understanding a state of not-being.
  
• State it as something that exists now or is coming into existence, rather than in the future tense. For example: “I am the balance of the elements…” or “I am becoming more balanced every day…” Don’t say, “I will become…,” because that’s always in the future and can’t manifest now. And don’t say, “I am trying”; remember Yoda: “Do or do not; there is no try.”
  
• Keep it simple. Concentrate on what you need most right now.
  

Write affirmations you like in your Book of Shadows, whether you create them or find them in your research. Carry around three-by-five-inch index cards, and when you come across a well-phrased statement that is especially meaningful to you, write it down (transfer it to your book later) and tape it to your bathroom mirror.

Apart from affirmations, you can read passages from an inspirational book, favorite poems, or anything that has power for you. You can choose things that are appropriate to the season and sabbat if you wish.

Sometimes you may want to switch from a positive statement to a question, to broaden the possibilities. For instance, if you don’t know what you want to be doing, instead of saying, “I have a great new job,” you may want to ask a question: “What wonderful financially abundant opportunities are coming my way?” This adds the opportunity for a financially abundant non-“job” to come to you. Meditate on this question, and unexpected answers may pop up!

Remember, all words are Words of Power.

The Breath Of life

Breathing is good. We highly recommend it as part of your daily practice.

Well, yes, you breathe all the time—but do you often breathe
consciously
, in a particular pattern, for a definite purpose other than survival?

If your daily practice includes a balancing activity for each element, then intentional breathing is one way to include the element of air. Hindus have a name for the practice of intentional, controlled breathing:
pranayama
. Here are three different styles, from many possibilities:

Energizing Breath:
Boosts your oxygen and clears your lungs of stale air. Either stand up or sit tall. Inhale deeply, all the way down into your abdomen, then expel all the air. Now inhale three times quickly through your nose without exhaling: three deep sniffs. Immediately open your mouth wide and blow out all the air through your mouth quickly, making a
ha
sound. Do it again: three quick inhalations through the nose, one explosive exhalation through the mouth. Do five to seven complete breaths; then pause, and breathe normally. You should feel energized and clear-headed.

Relaxing Breath: Inhale deeply through your nose to a slow count of four, then exhale through your lips to a slow count of four. Make sure you inhale all the way down into your belly. Relax your neck, shoulders, and facial muscles as you breathe out, and try to expel the very last dregs of old air from the bottom of your lungs. Do ten complete breaths, and focus only on your breathing. With each exhalation, allow your whole body to relax more. You will feel calm and relaxed.

Earth and Sky Breath:
Breathe slowly and regularly, with your inhalation the same length as your exhalation. Now visualize a beautiful place on the earth: mountains, sea, or forest, whatever you choose. Breathe in the beauty and strength, and at the same time allow love for the earth to fill you. Do this several times. Then, as you breathe out, send your love for Mother Earth into her heart. Then feel her love returning to you, enfolding you, and inhale it. Breathe more love back to her. Do this several times.

Next, visualize the starry heavens or the brilliant sun in a blue sky if you prefer. Breathe in the beauty and power, and allow love for the heavens to fill you. Do this several times. Then, as you breathe out, send your love for the sky into Father Sun. Then feel his love returning to you, filling you, and inhale it. Breathe more love back to him. Do this several times. You may feel connected, loved, and even exalted.

You can read books about breathing techniques and experiment with different types until you have a collection of favorites that are especially powerful and effective. Continue using them in your spiritual practice and whenever you need them during the day.

Meditation
Still Moments

When most people think of meditation, they imagine sitting quietly and releasing all thoughts, letting the mind be still and empty. That’s a fine practice, but there are many other styles of meditation to choose from.

Meditation is a mental discipline used to get beyond the “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Different meditative disciplines emphasize different goals—from achieving a higher state of consciousness to greater focus, creativity, or self-awareness to simple relaxation and serenity.

Meditation is also a good way to connect and harmonize with Deity. Many Witches have a statue or picture of their favorite god or goddess on their altar, and spend a few quiet moments daily just contemplating it. By the way, this is not “worshiping idols” any more than when a Christian looks at a picture of Jesus. No one believes that a statue of Athena is alive, but it can be a powerful visual focal point for meditation.

Practice your meditation in a quiet room or peaceful outdoor setting with few distractions. It can be done seated, lying down (stay awake), or during any repetitive activity such as walking or swimming. Saying the rosary or using mala beads involves rhythmic touching and movement as well, and these are also forms of meditation.

During meditation, you can focus on a statue or artwork, or on your breathing, or on a flower, candle flame, affirmation, mantra, passage from a holy book, or the names or attributes of Deity. In a walking meditation, you might focus on the play of your muscles, the rhythmic movements, and simply being in your body. In Chinese qigong, the practitioner concentrates on the flow of energy within the body; in hatha yoga, on the kundalini energy rising through the chakras; and in bhakti yoga, a goddess or god is the object of devotion.

One popular form of meditation is to concentrate on a question. Zen Buddhism provides mind-bending koans, such as “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” You could choose a passage from one of your favorite authors. Programs such as Access (AccessConsciousness.com) ask things like “How does it get any better than this?” Then there are the Big Questions, such as “Why am I here?”

In another type of meditation, you do not focus on one thing, but open your awareness to the environment around you. A walking meditation in nature is natural for Witches; just let the breeze, the light, the bird songs, and the colors flow around and through you; this is relaxing, cleansing, and energizing at the same time.

Communing with the Gods

Direct communication with Deity or an aspect of Deity is the core of many Witches’ daily practice. (Of course, you can also talk to spirit guides, animal allies, plant devas, ancestors, faery folk, trees, stones, and other people.)