Traditions vs Paths: Walking Your Right Way

Paganism is full of it.

Different paths, different traditions, different ways of doing this or that. Paganism is just plain full of choices.

I believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to do your spiritual thing. I believe this firmly. I just don't know what it is for you. And I certainly don't think that what works for me is right for you, or vice versa.

See, I'm an all-paths kinda witch. Each of us is different, with different backgrounds, experiences, preferences, and, yes, even goals. How can anyone possibly believe that there is a One True Way (tm) to do something so personal when people are so very different?

There are many traditions in Paganism, such as Alexandrian Wicca, Faery Wicca, ADF, etc., and many of them are very much worth a look-see. Maybe even a bit of learning. Maybe one of them is right for you and your family. But maybe not.

There are also more general paths, such as Druidism, Wicca, Left-hand Path, etc. They tend to be more of a guide than traditions, which are more scholastic and ritualized (in most cases). Perhaps one of these paths is right for you, even if none of the traditions on the path works.

So many choices, and Paganism is full of it.

Isn't it great?

Magickal Tools: If you use them, they will work...

The high chair tray is
being put to good use!

There is a half-finished staff by my front door. There is a mostly-done wand on the entertainment center. There are several skull-bead and bone pendant necklaces scattered about the house.

And this is just the stuff we make for sale, never mind the staffs, swords, wands, Tarot, and ritual jewelry and statuary on and around our altars.

Our side-by-side altars (pic taken in
the wee-small hours of the night).

The funny thing about this stuff being all over is that the kids ask about it.

"What is it for?" "Why do we have it?" "How does it work?"

Having the extra kids around, we also get the disbelief questions, also: "You can't REALLY cast spells with a staff... Can you?" To which (witch, haha) I gleefully respond, "Um, yeah, I can."

Or turn your brother into
a pink bunny...

I guess we could be like some people and keep all the precious and/or possibly harmful objects (hey, a wand is dangerous... you could shoot your eye out!) away from the kids until it is determined that they are old enough. But we would miss out on the everyday conversations about our religious beliefs.


I have to admit, one of my favorites is the periodically recurring "witches are evil" discussion. First of all, claiming that you are a witch to small children who are convinced that all witches are of the green-skinned, Wizard of Oz, gonna-getcha variety never fails to evoke a facial expression of epic hilarity.

Not a comfortable fit...
Just sayin'

Personal humor aside, most religions have some way of periodically exposing their children to the expression of their beliefs and practices. Why should we be in the broom closet to our own kids?

Warlock: To Be or Not To Be

“Some men who are Wiccans are reclaiming the name “Warlock” in the tradition of women reclaiming the name “Witch”. Warlock is commonly said to mean oath breaker. What do you think? Can it/should it be reclaimed?” - Pagan Blog Prompts

Cute, but evil... right?

 Wow, what a topic. I decided to weigh in on this mostly because of how solid my answer is, though it is usually mitigated by the "politics" of other people's beliefs.

To me, the answer is simple: use whatever you want to; just don't complain about it when you have to explain YOUR meaning to everyone and their dog.

There are many people, particularly Pagans/Wiccans, who have this firm idea that certain words mean just one thing. This, I understand, to a point. Using just the right word for the meaning you wish to convey is a practice I fully participate in.

Whatever you do, don't
call him a "wanker"...
seriously, do you SEE
the gun?!?

The issue I have is when this is taken to the point where words are not allowed to evolve. I speak English, a language that wouldn't exist without the evolution of words, by co-opting words from other languages, stringing multiple languages together (which is pretty much how English originated), or using words that mean one thing and using them to mean another (fat/phat, anyone?).

We use phrases and words in ways that, literally, make no sense. We get used to slang from one generation and invent new slang for the next one. Even someone from the early 1900s would have a difficult time understanding us today. The deviation of the English language in America vs. Britain is practically a one-liner joke... to both sides of the Atlantic.

I am woma-an, hear me roar!

We have "reclaimed" words throughout civil evolution, including the feminist sisters: "witch" and "bitch." Why shouldn't we reclaim warlock?

If words have power, their power is in the meaning and imagery that the word invokes. This is why words can cut you down or build you up. Why "\ˈī\ \ˈləv\ \ˈyü\" can heal all wounds, rather than being a string of less-then-random syllables. When we talk about "reclaiming" words, we are talking about CHANGING the meaning and imagery, the POWER, of those syllables that make the word in question.

"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." Mother Teresa 

If words have power, wouldn't the most powerful thing we can do be to change the meaning, the power of words to something better?

The old meaning for "witch"...

The new meaning for "witch"...

Blogging on Blogging: How multi-tasking is the only way to travel

I am currently on the radio.

I am sitting at my desk, connected to Pagan-Musings radio blog as one of the weekly co-hosts, along with Phil Kessler. We are celebrating two years of being on the "air". Woot!

We have been on all this time, with kids and cats, technical issues and technological progress. And what a ride!

The following is a real-time run-down of what we are talking about:
We are talking about The Witches' Hour ezine, as well as our past guests and musical artists, such as Kaedrich Olsen, Damh the Bard, Paradiso and Rasamayi, Wendy Rule, Spiral Dance. We also have a call-in guest, Zaracon from Pagans Tonight.

We are also talking about plans for the future, both near and far: guest Lady Amythyst Raine who wrote Tarot: A Witch's Journey, and when I am moving to Lincoln, NE for the continued saga of Pangaia Metaphysical Store, the site and the facebook page. We are also discussing future-guest Oberon Zell and his projects, The Church of All Worlds (CAW) and Green Egg Magazine, Dorothy Morrison, and Patrick McCollum.

Phil and Z are teasing me about something they know about and won't tell me... Grrrr! Phil has a new project coming up, a pagan news program associated with Pagan-Musings and the sister programs, Musica Pagani and Selections from the Mess.


In discussing music, we have to mention that we carry some of this music on the webstore. We are also going to be bringing on Stormcrow to discuss the magical properties of various woods, which he uses to make wands for Pangaia.


Also our second-half of the show is a more serious subject, discussing the legal situation with Patrick McCollum and the religious rights of pagans in prison systems. Here is the press release he made regarding his continued efforts; and an article about the situation, Pagan Values: Why Prisoners Matter.


One of the wonderful things about a live show is the hecklers/spammers. Having open call-ins and/or an open chat room means that sometimes we'll have a caller talk about something totally inappropriate, or chatters posting about fundie Christian stuff, or posting porno links... *sighs* Idjits!