spellcrafting and beliefs

As I have stated in the past...I am a witch. I have studied Wicca for ten years now. I have to say study simply because it is a continuous study for me. I do not devote my entire life to Wicca as some people do. I have not made it my living as some of my friends have. I wish I could. But alas, we are not all so lucky.

I enjoy the celebrations of the holidays. Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Beltaine, Soltice, to name a few. My ex-husband and I hosted a few at our home as we had a large lawn as well as a firepit in the backyard to build bonfires. I love the stories about the goddesses. I like reading about magical beautiful women in all their glory. I myself feel I am a beautiful, powerful (strong, independent, etc...) woman who is always evolving, growing and becoming the best that I possibly can.

I do not take the stories of the goddesses literally. I do not believe Morighan was actually standing with one massive leg on either side of the river as she bathed and was seen by a king whom she made love to and then helped him fight a war for his country. I do believe woman can be warriors and fight along side their men. I do not believe a giant woman had sex with a average size man. How could that be physically possible? This is a story used as a tool to teach. Much like the Christian stories of feeding the masses with some fish and a couple loaves of bread, or the one about Jonah and the whale. Do I believe a man lived in the belly of a whale while god spoke to him? No. I see it as a fable to teach a lesson.

I have a goddess on my alter much like a Christian has a cross or a picture of Jesus. I do not worship the little statue. I have her there as a reminder of my higher power whom I pray to. I chose the particular statue or she chose me because of what I was feeling at the time. Goddess statues come in many styles, Greek goddesses, Eastern goddesses, Native American goddesses, etc... Then there are contemporary goddess statues that do not have a specific body or face, just a shape. Goddesses of fertility, balance, acceptance, etc... Many things are symbolic in all religions. I do not have enough knowledge of other religions to debate this, so I will let it rest, but I just want to say not everything is literal.

Spellcraft is a part of Wicca. I know people who choose not to do spell work and others who love spell work and do it daily. For me, Wicca is about my spirituality. I am in it for the feeling I receive when I pray and commune with my higher power. For the younger set (teens and twentysomethings), it is exciting to do spell work. They are more likely to be in it for the spells. I do not do a lot of spell work. I have done it on rare occasions when I feel strongly about something. People commonly ask me why I do not do spells for more money. First of all, I am not a materialistic person. I can live quite happily rather simply. Second of all, have you ever heard the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for"? For me, if you ask for materialistic things you could end up much worse off than you were to begin with.

For example, a man wishes for a large amount of money. He is not specific in his request or descriptive and detailed in how the money will come to him. A week later, he is in a crippling car accident and he is in a wheelchair for life. However, he gets a large settlement and now has the money he wished for. See what I mean? You have to be very detailed when you do a spell or it could have adverse effects. This is one reason I do not tie up my communication lines with the goddess asking for material things.

A young woman asked me to help her do a love spell on a man she had been chasing for 10 years. She was obsessed with this man. She had chased him since college and could not have a valid relationship with another man because he was the focus of all her love and ideals about romance. She tried to do a spell on her own and she said it didn't take. I told her no. I refuse to do a spell on a person without their permission. It is against the Wicca rede (code of ethics). I did tell her how to rework her spell. A week later, she was informed the young man is gay and that is why he never returned her affection. She was able to move on without feeling like she wasn't worthy of his love.

I ask for health for all those I love, I ask for peace and happiness. I have done protection spells on my daughter. I did do a spell once for a restaurant I knew was for sale. I wanted to buy it and open my restaurant in it. I didn't get it, but another person did and opened a restaurant. For me this was not an example of prayers or spells not working. It was an example that the timing was not right and I was not ready. The universe has my request and when the time is right and I am ready, the universe will deliver the right place in the right space of time. I am not upset or overly anxious. I know it will happen when it is suppose to happen.

I also do not believe in spells where there is blood shed. Some people believe blood is a strong agent adding clarity to your spell work and aiding it into creation. I know people who use a few drops of their own blood, no one else's. I do not do this. I do not believe there should be blood, pain, or any maiming of your body or anyone else's to create a spell. Again, I feel blood shed goes against the Wicca rede of "Do what ye will as long as ye harm none." I feel harming none also includes not harming yourself.

My thought is that everyone has their own code of ethics and choose what is right or tolerant to them in their religion. If it doesn't work for you, simply do not incorporate it in your practice. I was raised Lutheran and it didn't feel right to me. I feel right about Wicca. It works for me. This doesn't cause me to not be able to live in harmony with my Christian friends/family. I am tolerant of their beliefs as I hope they are all tolerant of mine.