Physically Handicapped Practitioners

In the words of Lord Rowan, one of our Black Forest high priests who has a congenital deafness condition:

The number-one point to remember is that I have found that the words handicapped and disabled don’t carry as much weight in the Craft community as they do in the outside world. Wicca is about spirituality and accessing your inner power and wisdom. You should have absolutely no problems raising power, and then releasing it toward your desired goal. However, if you are expecting the Lady and Lord to cut you some slack because of your handicap, don’t count on it. Deity expects you to grow, and to develop your powers, along with the other practitioners of the Craft. You will be pleasantly surprised by the gifts Spirit may bestow on you for your hard work.

Magick and religion only require the use of your mind. Therefore, no matter what your handicap, physical challenge, and so forth, you can always find ways to accomplish your goal. Yes, you may have to use a little ingenuity to master some rituals, or find a totally different way to do something, but the Craft is fluid enough to support the changes that you must necessarily make.

If you are working in a group, make sure that the facilitator knows of your special needs. For example, in Rowan’s case, the coven always worked in low lighting so that he could read lips. Frequently he was given rituals ahead of time so that he could review them before the ceremony. He never got frustrated if the high priest got carried away and forgot to face him. Rowan simply moved with the flow of the energy and was rewarded by Spirit with the information he needed to be a part of the ritual. Other Black Forest covens have also worked with “special needs” individuals. The Texas groups made audiotapes of all our lessons for our sight-impaired members. Dyslexic individuals were given additional time to complete written tasks and many times were given the opportunity to take oral examinations rather than written ones. Because the Craft is all about making a better you, and not following a hard-line dogma, special needs individuals can flourish and grow in the same manner as anyone else.