In the past, I’ve done a lot of thinking about the validity of worshiping ancient gods with modern rites. I have wondered if it is right to take Them out of the framework of the culture where They first appeared and import them into a new land and honour Them with new rituals. I have wondered if this appropriation is disrespectful to both the gods and Their original culture.

I soon began to realize that often times we don’t have any real say over what gods call to us. And They are very aware that we are (most often) not of the culture where They were originally worshipped. And if this is okay with Them, shouldn’t it be okay with me? I’ve come to realize that the answer is “yes”, with a big qualifier.

Now, I know that a lot of people out there may say that I have no right telling another person how to honour their gods. Each of us has a personal relationship with the divine that no other person can truly understand. But, when it comes to throwing symbols together willy-nilly without regard for the historical worship of a deity, I start to get a little worked up. There is a lot of bad scholarship out there.

This brings me back to my early concern about not reproducing or honouring the original rites dedicated to a god. I have lately come to realize that this is not necessary. The gods know we live in different times, and because of this different actions will have the same meaning of us as those original actions had for their earlier worshipers. For example, a god who once called for the sacrifice of an animal as a way to show respect might now ask Their follower to sacrifice an item in their posession or a habit or the like. In each case, the devotee is giving up something that is important to them.

My thoughts on this are still a little fuzzy, but I am starting to get a clearer understand of how one worships and ancient god in a modern way.

I am declaring myself a feminist. No, not one of the man hating variety. Rather, I what to support women in anything they want to do. If I woman wants to have a high powered career, more power to her! If she wants to be a stay-at-home mom, I will support her right to that equally as fiercely.

I believe men and woman should have equal pay for equal work, just on principle. (Hardly anyone likes working, so we should all be compensated fairly.) I also support maternity leave for both men and women, because not every woman wants to stay home and some men do. I believe in specialized health care for women and for men. We all have different bits that require different care. I believe sexual harassment is wrong, no matter who is doing it. (Women can sexually harass too!) And I believe we should all have control over our own bodies (which means no rape too), as long as we are mentally capable of understanding what we are doing or not doing to them.

I see men and women as being different but also the same. We are all human beings, trying to find our way in a complicated and overwhelming world. Sometimes we are told to be strong, other times we are encouraged to show our emotions. Patriotism is lauded, but it is also dismissed as destructive. I think we all need to support each other in finding our own paths to happiness, so long as they don’t trample on the happiness of others.

Just don’t get me started on that “wommin”, “womyn”, “herstory” stuff…

I’ve decided to do embrace a bit of a turn-around in my spiritual viewpoint. If you have read some of the articles over on The Lotus Pond, you may know that I don’t generally consider witchcraft (or Witchcraft) and spell casting a part of Wicca. I see Wicca as more of a philosophical and religious point of view, with several holidays celebrating or recreating important religious days. I do see the Circle as a work of magic, but to me it is more enacted prayer then spell casting.

Lately I have decided that I would like to explore Witchcraft a little more. I’m not quite sure what it is that is drawing me towards it. Perhaps it is just me wanting to know more about something that I have not yet studied in depth, or it could be something else entirely.

However, I still think it is wrong to use the words Wiccan and Witch interchangeable. To me, these are two different things. One can be Wiccan and be a Witch, but being one does not make you the other.

Lately I’ve been trying to remember what it was that made me decided to looking into other religions. I know it was sometime in middle school (grades 6-8), but I’ve had trouble remembering what the impetus was. But the other day, when watching something on TV, it suddenly came to me–reading Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret told me it was okay to question my relationship with God and to look for a faith and practice that made sense to me.

Shortly afterwards I began reading the Bible. Honestly, it is a little bit boring in the beginning, but since I’ve always been a voracious reader, I made it through eventually. Once I was finished, I was pretty sure that I needed to find a faith better suited to my beliefs. After that, I started looking into other religions by reading various books I signed out from the library. (These were the days just before easy and cheap internet access.)

I’m not really sure why I was drawn to Wicca. I had been reading Tarot cards for at least a year before I began this search, but I always saw them as an extension as my relationship with God, not as a “gateway to the occult.” I had also read a lot of books about witches, ghosts, vampires, etc. However, even to this day these aren’t things I associate with Wicca. I’m sure at some point there was some book that either connected Tarot or medieval witches with Wicca, and that lead me to learn more about it. I do remember feeling like I had found that right religion. It just… made sense.

Shortly afterwards I started buying books. Some were good and some were bad, but I kept learning. I had pages of notes, piles of stones, but no working tools. Over the years my faith and practice has waxed and waned, and I became a lot less fluffy. I’m sort of rediscovering the mystery of my faith right now, although I would say overall I am more practical and pragmatic about my it then ever. My pile of notes has declined, but my collection of books has increased. I have working tools now, but I don’t feel that they are necessary. I am learning to make my faith more personal within the Wiccan framework, and in the process I am discovering a great deal about myself.