Some people view modern Witchcraft as a religion, while others call it a spiritual path. I consider it to be both, I suppose, but I like the idea of a spiritual path because the implication there is that you walk it. To me, spirituality is a journey. Mine started the day I realized that there was a name for who I had been all along, and it continues all these years later.
Along the way, I have grown and changed, and my practice of Witchcraft has changed as well. I’ve learned some things, changed my mind about some others, and decided that some aspects of what I’d been taught work better for me than others. There have been times when I needed to walk alone, and times I wanted to walk with others. My path may have meandered a bit, but my feet are still firmly on it, and I walk it every day in one form or another.
That’s the important thing about a spiritual path. For the most part, it is an active endeavor. Even standing still is a choice you make along the way. We talk about people “walking their talk.” What this means, in essence, is that you put your beliefs into action.
Most of us know people who claim to believe in a particular religious tenet (like “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) and yet they obviously don’t follow through on it when they are out in the world. Or there are the folks who only go to church at Christmas and Easter, and pretty much ignore their religion all the other days of the year. If that’s their choice, it’s none of my business. But that’s not how I choose to practice.
For me, being a Pagan and a Witch is less about the holidays, or even the Full Moons, and more about how I walk my talk every day. My spiritual beliefs guide my choices, strengthen and inspire me, and help me to keep the faith when times are tough. I may not do a ritual every time the moon is full, but I try my best to make sure that my actions are in keeping with the tenets I follow.
Here is a general overview of what those principles are, and ways in which they influence my daily life. As with everything Pagan/Wiccan/Witchy, these vary from person to person, and not every Witch agrees with every single one of these.
Other folks might also interpret them differently than I do. If there is something that doesn’t make sense to you, you can do more reading, since this is just the tip of the iceberg. If it doesn’t resonate with you, then feel free to ignore it. Witchcraft is an extremely individual path, and only you can decide which parts of it work for you.
Wiccan or not, many modern Witches follow this “rule,” which is considered by many to be one of the main tenets of the religion. It is called the Wiccan Rede. (Rede is an old word for law.) Although there is a longer version, the basic one says: “Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, an’ it harm none, do as ye will.” When you ignore the slightly archaic language, which was used a lot when Wicca first began to flourish, it comes down to this—as long as it harms no one, you can do what you want.
This sounds like a pretty great rule, doesn’t it? Whoo hoo! I can do whatever I want!
Not so fast. Let’s think this through in more detail. You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else. That means you have to pay attention to your actions, your words, and even your thoughts. You have to play nice with others, even when you don’t feel like it. Under certain circumstances when you might want to be selfish, you will have to think twice about whether putting yourself first will cause harm to another. (This doesn’t mean you can’t put yourself first, or pursue a job you want because if you got it, someone else wouldn’t. But it does mean you can’t get that job by badmouthing another potential candidate, only by being the best choice or working the hardest.)
To complicate matters, it can be difficult to predict what effect your actions will have somewhere down the road. If you tell a friend that she is behaving badly, that might hurt her feelings in the moment but save her from greater harm later. Or not. Oy.
Then it gets even trickier … because harm none includes you. Self-harm, whether it is something obvious (like taking drugs or drinking to excess or having unsafe or unhealthy relationships), or something subtle (eating badly, spending too much time playing video games when you should be working or sleeping, always putting others first and never attending to your own needs) is against the rule of the Wiccan Rede, too.
You’re probably thinking, “That rule is crazy! No one could live up to that.” Well, no, of course we can’t. But like the Christian “Do unto others” tenet, we can try our best. I use it to guide my intentions and to help me make choices. If I’m unsure about whether or not to follow a certain path or take a particular action, I may ask myself, “Is this in the best interests of others? Is it in my own best interest? Is anyone—or anything—harmed if I do this?”
And then I eat the ice cream anyway. Well, sometimes.
Mind you, not everyone follows the Wiccan Rede. There are some Witches who believe that they can do whatever they want with their power without worrying about the consequences. (Of course, there are always folks like that. I give you our current political system as a prime example.) Which brings us to the next belief I adhere to.
Also referred to as the Law of Returns, the threefold law is a version of Karma. What it says is that what you put out comes back to you … times three. Which is great, if you’re being loving and kind. If you curse someone with warts … well, ouch. (Which is one reason why the idea of the evil Witch just doesn’t fly. If you’ll excuse my bad pun.) Again, not everyone believes in the threefold law. Some people think that every action is returned in equal proportion to what is sent out. Some folks will point at the fact that lots of good people have terrible things happen to them or bad people get away without punishment and say that proves there is no relationship between your actions and what the universe sends back.
I’m going to have to disagree with that. While I’m not sure if things come back three-fold, I have certainly seen enough examples of the Law of Returns to say that I totally believe in it. No, it is not an absolute, every time, quid pro quo kind of rule. Little in life is, barring the laws of physics and the nearly one hundred percent chance that if a telemarketer calls, it will be while you’re eating or napping. But I’ve had plenty of times when I did something nice, just because, and something good unexpectedly happened to me soon after. And on the rare occasions when I did something selfish or inadvertently hurt someone’s feelings, it has almost always come back to bite me.
Yes, bad things still happen to good people, and life isn’t always fair, but I do think that if what we put out into the world is mostly positive, we will get mostly positive things back. This applies to speech and thought, too. This is an area I am constantly working on, because it is all too easy to let negativity creep into your mindset, especially in today’s often overwhelmingly negative environment. (Back away from the internet, people.)
If I catch myself thinking something like, “This situation will never get better,” I consciously replace that thought with something more positive. “There are lots of amazing people out there fighting to change this,” or the saying I picked up from an author friend, “Nothing but good times ahead.” Positive thoughts breed positive actions, and positive actions come back to you in ways you can’t even anticipate.
So try to be aware of what you are putting out into the world and what it might be bringing back to you. If what you are putting out isn’t something you’d want to get back times three, you might want to reconsider.
I don’t mean words like “abracadabra” or “shazam.” When Witches talk about the power of words, it is another facet of the idea that what you put out into the universe is what you get back. Why do we recite our spells out loud? Because saying the words aloud adds power to the intention we are sending out. If you really want something to have extra oomph, you might even say it three times, to reinforce that energy.
So what happens if you walk around saying, “I never have enough money,” or “No one will ever love me”? Oh, oh. And if you say it over and over again? That’s right. You’ve just sent a message out into the universe, and as Witches, we’re pretty sure someone is listening.
What does this mean for our daily lives? It suggests that we need to be aware of what we are saying, and even what we are thinking, especially when it comes to the words we put out into the world over and over again. We are actually changing reality with our word choices. Maybe in small ways, maybe only in ways that affect our own lives (although think what could happen if enough of us could hold on to the same positive thoughts at the same time).
This is both a slightly daunting responsibility and an opportunity to create positive change. And creating positive change is what Witchcraft is all about. No, we’re not all going to suddenly start beaming rosebuds and rainbows with our every thought. But by raising our awareness of how we use our words, we can alter patterns of negativity we might not even have known existed.
Instead of saying, “I never have enough money,” for instance, try saying, “It would be great if I had more money.” Or even, “I have everything I need.” Instead of complaining about what you don’t have, something we all do without thinking, try being grateful for what you do have. Very few of us are going to achieve a state in which every word we say is glowing and positive, but the more mindful we are about what we are putting out, the more likely we are to change it for the better.
It’s not hard. You can do it. I have faith in you. (See what I did there?)
In some religions, people blame their actions on the devil, or original sin, or other elements beyond their control. Witchcraft, on the other hand, is at its core a religion that believes in personal responsibility. (See the Law of Returns, above.) We believe that we are each responsible for our own actions and the results that stem from them. Again, this doesn’t mean that bad things don’t happen to good people—unfortunately, they do—but it does mean that you have at least some control over your own destiny.
For instance, say you lose your job. As a Witch, you may say a spell to guide you to the best possible new job, or open up new possibilities. But then you follow up that spell with action in the real world. The goddess may provide, but She also helps those who help themselves. We are in charge of how we respond to the situations the world hands us.
Many of us also believe that our lives are filled with lessons that, if we pay attention to them, will help us grow as human beings and become the best people and Witches we can be. How many times have you looked back at what seemed like a disaster at the time (that lost job, the broken heart, the missed opportunity) and realized it had been a blessing in disguise? Maybe losing the job you didn’t really like opened the door to accepting one you did. Perhaps being dumped by Mr. Wrong left you available when Mr. Right (or Ms. Right) came along.
Personal responsibility means you acknowledge that no one makes the choices in your life but you. (Even choosing to allow someone else to have control over you is still a choice.) This can seem overwhelming, but it is also freeing and empowering.
Wiccans, and most Witches (although not all), also believe in the importance of free will. Think about it—if you are responsible for making your own choices, so is everyone else. This means that no one has the right to exert control over another. When you start working with magic and spellcasting, this becomes a crucial concept.
Take the ever-popular love spell, for instance. There is a certain temptation (especially among new Witches who haven’t yet learned these lessons the hard way) to cast a spell to make someone love you. Back away from the cauldron, ladies. This is a really bad idea. Yes, we all want to love and be loved, but that isn’t the way to go about it.
For one thing, you are interfering in free will, and that rarely ends well. Suppose you cast a love spell on someone—we’ll call him Bob. You’re sure that you and Bob are destined to be together, and he hasn’t gotten the memo yet, so you’ll just help things along. And huzzah, the spell works, and Bob tells you he is madly in love with you. That’s great, right? Until you start wondering if he only loves you because you made him feel that way. Or you get to know him better and decide that his abnormal attachment to his mother isn’t that endearing after all, and you want to change your mind. Only Bob is still sure he loves you and won’t go away.
And maybe you missed the guy you were supposed to be with, because you got wrapped up with Bob (and his mother) during a time when you should have been on your own.
More importantly, how would you feel if you knew someone had cast a spell to make you fall in love with them? That this person had interfered with your free will, depriving you of the chance to make the decision for yourself. Yeah, not so great when you look at it that way.
This doesn’t mean you can’t cast spells. What it does mean is that you need to be careful that the magical work you do only affects you, and not anyone else. Want love? Do a spell to open yourself to love, or to draw in the best possible mate, but don’t aim it at anyone specific. The exception to this rule is if someone asks you for help. You can do a spell for someone else with their permission, but not without it, even if you are absolutely sure it is in their best interests. You don’t get to make those kinds of decisions for other people, only for yourself.
Personal responsibility doesn’t just apply to you, after all. Everyone—friends, family, idiot politicians—gets to make choices for themselves. You don’t have to agree with those choices, but if you wouldn’t be happy giving up your own free will, or turning over responsibility for your own life to others, you have to be willing to let it go both ways.
Hey, nobody said it would be easy. It wouldn’t be a spiritual journey if it was.
If you’re concerned about inadvertently affecting someone else’s free will or causing harm without intending to, you can always add at the end of any spell, “For the good of all and according to the free will of all, so mote it be.”
I’ve mentioned this before, but what does it mean in practical terms? Clearly, we follow the cycles of the seasons and the phases of the moon. We often try to worship outside and to connect with the various elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. But in broader terms, it also means that we don’t take the natural world for granted.
Many of the traditional patriarchal religions believe that the Earth and everything on it was created by God and given to man (human beings) to use however they want. The King James Bible says in Genesis, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the Earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth.”4
As Witches, we take a completely different approach. We believe that human beings are a part of nature. It no more belongs to us than do the stars in the sky. On the contrary, as representatives of the goddess, we have the responsibility to nurture and care for the Earth and all its creatures.
This can mean anything from being as energy efficient as possible, to contributing to nature organizations, to calling your representatives and asking them to support bills that protect national parks or endangered animals. You might feed the birds or volunteer at the local animal shelter, or pick up garbage from a section of road near where you live. It means recycling and being mindful of where our food comes from. Using reusable tote bags instead of plastic bags. Witches and Pagans of all types try to walk as lightly on the Earth as possible, acting as guardians rather than owners.
Of course, we also believe that connecting with nature is an important part of our spiritual path, but that comes with an appreciation for and sense of responsibility to all the wondrous creatures and places with which we share the planet.
One of the things that all Witches and Wiccans have in common, no matter what style or form their practice may take, is a belief in magic. Not the kind that you see in Harry Potter, alas, where you can wave a magic wand, say a few special words, and amazing things happen. But a very real power, nonetheless.
We believe that this power, which we call magic, exists and can be used to create positive change in ourselves and in the world we live in. We sometimes use words and symbols and tools to focus our attention or boost the natural universal energy we’re tapping into. Sometimes we just reach deep inside ourselves to call up our own personal magic. Most of the time we do both.
But either way, the belief in magic is intrinsic to the practice of Witchcraft. If you love nature but don’t believe in magic, you are probably a Pagan, but not a Witch. (And that’s just fine. Not everyone wants to be a Witch.)
Learning to be become more proficient at the use of magic is part of the spiritual journey of the Witch. As with most other talents, it takes practice to hone your craft. Perhaps this is why Witchcraft is sometimes simply referred to as “the Craft.” Unlike other crafts, like woodworking or knitting or painting, you have to believe in the tools you are using in order for them to work. You also have to learn when not to use them.
That may sound strange—if you can use magic, why wouldn’t you? Doesn’t it make things easier?
Well yes, sometimes it does. Other times, the time and effort and focus you would put into casting a spell might be better used in more mundane ways. I like to refer to magic as the Witch’s power tool. It can give you more oomph when dealing with a difficult situation, but there are times when a power tool isn’t the answer. If you’re going to hang a picture, you can just hammer a nail into the wall. You don’t need to bring out the drill, or heaven forbid, the chain saw.
In the same way, there are plenty of situations in life where it is faster, easier, and more effective to simply take a more pragmatic approach. If you’re just starting that job search, for instance, and have a few good leads already. Or if you’re dealing with something small and reasonably simple. (I also don’t recommend using magic to change the weather. It can be very tricky, and even if you manage to move the rain away from your picnic, you’d probably just sent it off to rain on someone else’s barbeque, which isn’t very nice.)
But when you have exhausted all the ordinary options and you need an extra boost to achieve your goals, it is nice to know you can call on magic and ask the goddess for a helping hand.
Most Witches view the goddess (and the god) as being both transcendent, existing on a plane beyond the material world, and immanent, meaning existing as a part of the material world. They are at once magnificent beyond our comprehension and yet found in the smallest insect. Their essence is both spiritual and physical. You may hear the saying, “As above, so below,” used in a magical practice. This reflects the belief that the physical and mundane can mirror or represent the more mystical and esoteric.
If we believe that the goddess is everywhere in nature, then it stands to reason that She is in us as well. Some tiny part of us is divine. We are the goddess made manifest, walking the Earth as Her representatives because we carry with us the seeds of deity within us.
That small piece of the divine is in all living things, and so we are connected not just to the goddess, but also to the trees, the animals, the sky, the land, and to each other. Think about that for a moment. We are connected to everything. It may seem daunting, but it is also a great blessing. In our lives, many of us feel alone and disconnected. Witchcraft gives us a way to reach out beyond ourselves to embrace the concept of unity in spirit.
Knowing that the goddess is not completely separate from us also means that each one of us can speak to deity directly. We don’t need someone “official,” like a priest or a minister, to do it for us. We are all priestesses of the goddess. She hears us all equally, so if you have something to say to Her, just go ahead and speak. Then be sure to listen, in case She has something to say in return. (This might come as a sign or some other nonverbal answer. Or you might actually hear a voice that seems almost but not quite like your imagination. You never know.)
You carry the spark of the divine within you, and you carry it forth whenever you go out into the world. This concept brings with it power, and the responsibility to use it wisely. This is the essence of being a Witch. The goddess is both apart from you and a part of you.
The next time you feel inadequate or unattractive or unloved, look in the mirror and see the beauty and power of the goddess gazing back, and stand a little taller.
How do you integrate these spiritual beliefs into your everyday life? I’m so glad you asked.
I’ve talked already about Witchcraft as a spiritual path, and the importance of walking that path every day, but you might be wondering just how one goes about doing that. It’s simple—you just live your life. Except maybe you do it with a little more awareness, a little more purpose, and a little more magic, of course.
For most of us, the biggest challenge when it comes to walking a spiritual path has nothing to do with spirit and everything to do with the limits on our time and energy. I don’t know about you, but I am already overextended about twenty percent beyond my maximum theoretical to-do load. Most days it is hard enough to juggle work, family, friends, pets, home, community, and all the other obligations of life without trying to add in something else. Not to mention trying to get to the gym. (Sure…)
But don’t despair, because walking the path of the modern Witch doesn’t necessarily require putting on a full-blown ritual every time you want to get in touch with your spiritual side. Don’t get me wrong—in-depth ritual is wonderful, and if you can find the time now and again to do one, either alone or with like-minded friends, I suspect you will discover it is worth the effort. I know that whenever I gather with the ladies of Blue Moon Circle, we all feel better for days afterward.
But practically speaking, most of us are lucky to be able to grab five minutes for ourselves in the course of any given day. Thankfully, five minutes can be plenty of time to connect with the feminine divine in one form or another. Here are a few simple suggestions:
There are plenty of other ways to add small bits of magic or spirituality to your life. It is easy to add protection work to mending (when early Witches wove the clothing their families wore, they probably added protection in with their spinning and weaving). If you garden, commune with the plants. Entire books have been written on using herbs for magic both in the kitchen and around your home (magical face cream, anyone?), or making your household magical in various ways. Don’t worry; I’ll add a few recommended reading suggestions at the end of this book. Plus, of course, each of us finds our own ways to connect with the goddess based on our needs and our differing lifestyles. Don’t be afraid to explore the possibilities.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t manage to do something every single day. There are no rules for how to best make goddess worship work for you, and no one (not even the goddess) is looking over your shoulder and judging you if you only focus on your spiritual path once a week or once a month. It is more about how you live your life as a whole than any individual activities. Just walk your path and see where it takes you.
For me, one of the most important aspects of goddess worship and modern Witchcraft is its focus on personal growth and forward movement. Before I found my way to Wicca, I spent many years studying Buddhism and Taoism. I liked the way those religions focused on the goal of self-improvement and positive change. They were all about striving to become the best human being you could be—attaining your best self.
Modern Witchcraft has much of the same focus, although that isn’t necessarily the first thing that draws people to it. But if you read many of the definitive books written by those who shaped neo-Paganism, like Starhawk’s The Spiral Circle, and Marion Weinstein’s Positive Magic, you will see that it is in fact one of the driving forces behind this spiritual path. Magic is useful for helping us attain our goals, but often those goals are focused on improving both our lives and ourselves.
But it isn’t always easy to know where to start, or how to use Witchcraft for more than the simple basics of increasing prosperity or bringing in love. How does standing outside under the Full Moon help us to become a better person?
Creating positive change in your life starts with the obvious—wanting to create positive change. Hopefully that is one of the things that drew you to the practice of Witchcraft and/or goddess worship in the first place. In magic, we call that wanting “intention.” But intention on its own isn’t enough. You have to follow it up with action in order to bring your goals to fruition.
Here are a few simple suggestions for how to use this spiritual path you’re on to create positive change in your life and in yourself. Much of it will probably seem very basic, and it is. That doesn’t make it any less true. You can also use the meditations, affirmations, and spells in Chapter Seven to give your efforts a magical boost.
If you are going to make positive changes in your life, it helps to know exactly what changes you want to make. Instead of getting frustrated about the things that aren’t working, try making a list of what you want. What do you wish was different? What are your goals? How can you achieve them? Which parts of your list can be helped along by doing magical work and which ones require concrete action?
If you’re not sure what the answers are, try asking the goddess for guidance. If you know what you want, but not how to go about getting it, ask for help with that, too. Make a list and put it on your altar, if you have one, and try lighting a candle and reading it out loud every night from Full Moon to Full Moon, and see what happens.
The thing about making changes is that, with very few exceptions, those changes don’t happen overnight. Even if you do something drastic, like leaving an abusive relationship for example, the healing takes time. It is important to have reasonable expectations for transitions, whether you are casting spells, taking practical actions, or both.
You can ask the goddess for help, but don’t get angry with Her if things don’t move as fast as you’d hoped or in exactly the way you’d envisioned. Just keep working at it (and maybe saying the occasional spell).