Witch on Board

[Mohana]

Greetings. There's no usergroup for Witches, so I am declaring myself here. There's no New Age usergroup either. I guess treehugger will have to suffice.

I fall under so many categories that its hard to choose just one as no category seems to be quite the right fit.

I was raised in a Christian cult till I was 18 years of age, although I was never indoctrinated. Doesn't mean I didn't have issues down the road! That is all behind me now, although it has been only three short years ago that I finally found my nitch in life and feel comfortable in my skin and with my beliefs. I try to stay away from saying that I do not believe this or do not believe that. I figure if something has not been my experience, it doesn't mean it is not real or true for someone else.

I am a self-proclaimed witch. My brand of magick/spellwork revolves around Reiki/energy healing as it is my belief that there is no situation that can't be helped along with a little healing. My healing methods involve Reiki, Aromatherapy, positive affirmations, and using the vibrational energies of crystals and sound to heal.

I apply the term Atheist to myself, yet I do believe there is a life force/cause to all existence. I call this life force/cause the Goddess. That confuses people, I know. I see all existence as the exploration and expression of "the cause".

This is my post in the "By what name do you call your god?" thread. Just so I don't have to type it all over again.

http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 0&start=30

So that's it for now. I'm sure we will get to know each other better over time. That is if I get brave enough to join a discussion. From what I have read so far, there are some very knowledgeable folks here.

[Mohana]

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At times even now I feel the need to hold on to a higher power in the hopes that said higher power will somehow accomplish for me what I cannot seem to accomplish for myself.

This is a dangerous position to hold because it hands over your personal responsibility to a "higher power" that may or may not exist. No matter how fervently a person may believe in supernaturalism, our life in the real world (where we actually live) is the product of OUR decisions.

In my opinion, we are responsible for all outcomes of all decisions we make -- no excuses and no passing responsibility, credit or blame for our decisions onto others (including a proposed "something greater than us")

Yep.

Reminds me of the saying that there are no Atheists in fox holes. Something I hear from my dad all the time that makes absolutely no sense to me.

Witchcraft is all about personal enpowerment. It's about learning to create my own reality from the inside out. I love pushing the boundaries.

So you all can get to know me a little better, here are a few quotes that reflect who and what I am.

My motto... No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. ~ Nietzsche

Tolerance for beliefs is one thing, tolerance for the social enactment of beliefs is another. ~ John Lamb Lash

All of your barriers are self inflicted. ~ scamp, occultforums.com

[Zzyzx]

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Mohana,

Thanks for the additional information.

Reminds me of the saying that there are no Atheists in fox holes. Something I hear from my dad all the time that makes absolutely no sense to me.

That is a typical religious platitude that has no basis in fact – just something said to make religious people feel better.

[sickles]

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Mohana,

Thanks for the additional information.

Reminds me of the saying that there are no Atheists in fox holes. Something I hear from my dad all the time that makes absolutely no sense to me.

That is a typical religious platitude that has no basis in fact – just something said to make religious people feel better.

I was an athiest when i was in the army, and i dug and dived into my foxhole a few times on command lol. I guess it means that everyone under extreme threat wants to believe in a higher power that will save them. That platitude is full of problems ;p

[McCulloch]

Greetings. There's no usergroup for Witches, so I am declaring myself here.

Could you explain the differences between Witches or Witchcraft and Wicca? I have friends who practice Wicca and they call themselves witches.

[Mohana]

Could you explain the differences between Witches or Witchcraft and Wicca? I have friends who practice Wicca and they call themselves witches.

I'd be more than happy to.

There may be others who differ with me when it comes to my definitions here, but they'll get over it.

A Witch is a person who practices witchcraft in that he/she crafts or creates their own reality. If I desire to be more knowledgeable in my field of expertise (Aromatherapy), then I cast a spell/weave magick that opens the doors to further education or contacts. The idea is that if I put my desire "out there" through concentrated will and intent, then doors will open, like-minded people will heed my call, and I will find my way to that which I need or desire. In my humble opinion, witchcraft is mostly positive affirmation and heightened determination. Nothing a good counselor can't help one achieve.

ON THE OTHER HAND... I firmly believe a witch is able to manipulate energy fields/auras for herself and others. My practice of Reiki/energy healing falls into this category.

A Wiccan is someone who celebrates the seasons of their lives through recognizing and celebrating the cycle of the Earth's seasons, while dedicating oneself to live in community with all life and to the care of the Earth/Gaia who sustains us. We see birth/rebirth in the Spring, glorious life bursting into full bloom in the Summer, life coming to maturity in the Autumn, and stillness/death/sleep in the Winter. Then comes Spring again with the rebirth of the Earth. This is where the idea of reincarnation stems from.

As to Wiccans and witchcraft... Not all Wiccans are Witches and not all Witches are Wiccan. The practice of witchcraft has nothing to do with the religion of Wicca. As long as Wiccans practice witchcraft/spell casting in accordance with the Wiccan rede of "harm none", there is no proclamation for or against witchcraft within the Wiccan faith.

[KennethM]

Could you explain the differences between Witches or Witchcraft and Wicca? I have friends who practice Wicca and they call themselves witches.

I'd be more than happy to.

There may be others who differ with me when it comes to my definitions here, but they'll get over it.

A Witch is a person who practices witchcraft in that he/she crafts or creates their own reality. If I desire to be more knowledgeable in my field of expertise (Aromatherapy), then I cast a spell/weave magick that opens the doors to further education or contacts. The idea is that if I put my desire "out there" through concentrated will and intent, then doors will open, like-minded people will heed my call, and I will find my way to that which I need or desire. In my humble opinion, witchcraft is mostly positive affirmation and heightened determination. Nothing a good counselor can't help one achieve.

ON THE OTHER HAND... I firmly believe a witch is able to manipulate energy fields/auras for herself and others. My practice of Reiki/energy healing falls into this category.

A Wiccan is someone who celebrates the seasons of their lives through recognizing and celebrating the cycle of the Earth's seasons, while dedicating oneself to live in community with all life and to the care of the Earth/Gaia who sustains us. We see birth/rebirth in the Spring, glorious life bursting into full bloom in the Summer, life coming to maturity in the Autumn, and stillness/death/sleep in the Winter. Then comes Spring again with the rebirth of the Earth. This is where the idea of reincarnation stems from.

As to Wiccans and witchcraft... Not all Wiccans are Witches and not all Witches are Wiccan. The practice of witchcraft has nothing to do with the religion of Wicca. As long as Wiccans practice witchcraft/spell casting in accordance with the Wiccan rede of "harm none", there is no proclamation for or against witchcraft within the Wiccan faith.

Having a lot of experience with both orthodox pagans and Wiccans I want to diverge from here as this definition is slightly less than accurate. Witches are typically either some denomination of Pagan (the most common being Egyptian or Norse paganisms but others do arise), New Age or Kabbalah. It is a very wide term that can be applied to any set of people who believe in a mystic path through their spirituality and embrace it as the main doctrine of faith. Wiccans are a far more specific sub-set which revolves around a modernized and reinvented form of Celtic paganism that arose in the 1950s. Differing from the orthodox Celtic paganism that have been relatively extinct since the Romanization of Gaul and Britain. The term witch comes from wicce (f. version of wicca meaning sorcerer).

[Mohana]

...Witches are typically either some denomination of Pagan (the most common being Egyptian or Norse paganisms but others do arise), New Age or Kabbalah.

It is a very wide term that can be applied to any set of people who believe in a mystic path through their spirituality and embrace it as the main doctrine of faith.

Well get technical, why don't ya.

Thank you for that clarification. I fall under the category of a New Age Witch.

I loved what you said in the bolded sentence above as it very much expresses what I adhere to and how I function. May I quote from you when I request a new user group?

[KennethM]

...Witches are typically either some denomination of Pagan (the most common being Egyptian or Norse paganisms but others do arise), New Age or Kabbalah.

It is a very wide term that can be applied to any set of people who believe in a mystic path through their spirituality and embrace it as the main doctrine of faith.

Well get technical, why don't ya.

Thank you for that clarification. I fall under the category of a New Age Witch.

I loved what you said in the bolded sentence above as it very much expresses what I adhere to and how I function. May I quote from you when I request a new user group?

No problem. Witch is just such a broad term and I have known a number of "witches" who all practiced completely different spiritual paths.

[justifyothers]

Greetings. There's no usergroup for Witches, so I am declaring myself here. There's no New Age usergroup either. I guess treehugger will have to suffice.

I fall under so many categories that its hard to choose just one as no category seems to be quite the right fit.

I was raised in a Christian cult till I was 18 years of age, although I was never indoctrinated. Doesn't mean I didn't have issues down the road! That is all behind me now, although it has been only three short years ago that I finally found my nitch in life and feel comfortable in my skin and with my beliefs. I try to stay away from saying that I do not believe this or do not believe that. I figure if something has not been my experience, it doesn't mean it is not real or true for someone else.

I am a self-proclaimed witch. My brand of magick/spellwork revolves around Reiki/energy healing as it is my belief that there is no situation that can't be helped along with a little healing. My healing methods involve Reiki, Aromatherapy, positive affirmations, and using the vibrational energies of crystals and sound to heal.

I apply the term Atheist to myself, yet I do believe there is a life force/cause to all existence. I call this life force/cause the Goddess. That confuses people, I know. I see all existence as the exploration and expression of "the cause".

This is my post in the "By what name do you call your god?" thread. Just so I don't have to type it all over again.

http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 0&start=30

So that's it for now. I'm sure we will get to know each other better over time. That is if I get brave enough to join a discussion. From what I have read so far, there are some very knowledgeable folks here.

Welcome to the forum!

One of my best friends does reike also. I do believe in the healing power we all possess, but I believe it is one of the gifts from God - either way, positive thoughts are the way to go. Am also a big time treehugger

Look forward to chatting...

[Misty]

Welcome.

My family owned a field where the last witches in my small island home were burned, NICE! The old houses have a step on the side of the chimneys where the witches were reputed to have rested when flying around on their broomsticks! That reminds me, mine is in need of its annual service!