Dear Friends,
On my daily travels, I see lots of “Jesus loves you” bumper stickers and the like. While it makes me happy to see other expressing their faith so freely, it also makes me reflect on the cultural limitations that prevent me from expressing my own faith so freely. Oh, I’ve been out of “the broom closet” for years…but it wasn’t without a lot of personal struggle.
It takes a lot of courage to live your faith, and especially live this faith in a world that doesn’t quite understand what witchcraft is, and what it isn’t. Don’t worry if you’re not able to express your faith on the outside yet. It does take courage and time.
Living your faith is much more than wearing a pentacle or putting a “My Goddess Gave Birth to Your God” bumper sticker on your car. It’s about being true to you, on every level. It’s a high order, for sure, but with a little practice it can be done.
Before you can live your faith though, you need to understand yourself. You need to listen to your body and respect your needs; whether they be physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. In Wicca, more so than any other religion, your body is your temple. When you cast a spell, you use the entirety of your being and your being must be in good condition. Eat good foods, get rest when you need it and pay attention to how your physical body feels.
Also, pay attention to your dreams. They are the most powerful tool that you have for understanding yourself, and unlocking what your motivations are. Start a dream journal and try to remember and interpret as many dreams as you can. Slowly you will begin to unlock much more about yourself than you previously knew. It can be a fascinating and fun process!
There will be days when you don’t understand yourself. It happens to the best of us. There are days when you feel profoundly “unconnected” to yourself and vibrant world around you. These are days when you can’t remember your phone number, let alone your dreams. And barely have time to stop by the drive through on the way home.
I’m sure you’ve had days like this. How clear is your purpose on these days? Do you feel like yourself or like someone who is barely trying to get by in life? On these days it is important to spend some time refocusing yourself. A simple grounding and centering meditation will do the trick. It will work to refocus your energy and reconnect you to yourself and your purpose.
Being true to yourself also includes being true to your spirituality. Above all else, understand what you are doing in your practice of magick. Don’t just follow spells out of a book blindly (or even my advice!) If something doesn’t ring true for you, don’t do it. Part of the beauty of this faith is that it is so personal. There is no rulebook to follow, and the guidelines that exist are merely suggestions for you to adapt and absorb in your own ways.
Respect your beliefs by understanding why you believe them. And once you understand them, don’t let go of them. Hold to what you believe. If you’ve done personal exploration and understand your own views, its much more difficult for anyone else to convince you otherwise.
Above all, remember that living your faith is a daily process. Some days it will be easier than others, but over time you will begin to live your beliefs on the inside and outside. And that, my friend, is a beautiful way to live!
Blessings to you as you discover yourself,
Rose Ariadne
Your Warm And Caring "Resident Witch In Charge"
I am struggling with my comfort zone and find peace in your words. I don’t know who my Mother Goddess is although I know she has always been with me. I’m trying to connect with myself which leads me back time and again to the Mastering Witchcraft teachigs.
Pray for me please.
Blessings always,
DanJoli