Spirited (7 page)

May patience and love embrace my soul

Animosity be gone as fire burns in the bowl!

As you watch your paper turn into ash, feel your hidden anxieties, reservations, and dislikes towards your family members evaporate. Replace those old feelings with love, compassion, and kindness for your kin. Going deosil, everyone else should do the same. Now join hands and recite the following chant while envisioning the circle growing bigger and brighter around you:

Joined are we by common aim

Flesh and blood; we're of the same

May we see that kinship wins

Peace and love lies within.

Now take up the two lengths of satin and begin to entwine them so that there is one length of six metres. With the two end pieces in your hands tied together, make sure everyone is holding the circle of ribbon mid-air with both hands. You are now a circle within a circle within a circle. Take a minute or two to visualise the circle of ribbon as a flowing cycle of blue and white light curling around each other. See your family getting along, laughing, and giving time to understand each other. Feel safe, at peace, and honoured as a vital part of your family. Instruct the others to focus on the same images and feelings. Begin to walk deosil while holding the images and feelings, and chant:

We are a circle within a circle

With no beginning and never ending.

If you know the actual tune of this popular Pagan chant, then begin to sing it and the others will catch on.

Increase your speed and begin a slow run while visualising the energy as a cone of power, with its apex protruding through the top of the sphere around you. See it pulse with energy and grow brighter and more concentrated. When you feel that the energy has reached its climax, shout “Understanding!” and fall to the ground to earth the excess energy. Prior to the ritual, you should inform everyone that you will be raising what is known as a cone of power and that the word
understanding
will be the key to release the energy and to fall to the ground to earth the power.

A cone of power is generally restricted to experienced covens; however, anyone can successfully raise a cone of power if they are in a peaceful state of mind and are aware of the operation beforehand. It is also a great way to bond with your family, as it ends in a somewhat dramatic but equally humorous fashion. Laughing and dizziness is to be expected afterwards, and you should lead your family through a grounding exercise by suggesting that they all place their foreheads against the ground and visualise the excess energy draining through them and into the earth beneath.

Once you have recuperated and everyone is standing up again, open the circle by walking widdershins and visualising the sphere of light disappearing into the air. Retire inside and play a board game or just have a nice chat while snacking on food and drink.

From now on, you should make an effort at keeping your emotions in check and opening up to the best of your ability to your family when you feel the need. You can repeat the first phase of the ritual (paper-burning in cauldron) by yourself when you feel that you are in dispute with a family member. If you can find basil essential oil, make use of its inherent qualities by burning it frequently in your house to keep the peace.

A Note to the Nomad: Moving On

After graduating from high school and enjoying the first few months of having nothing much to do at all, I spontaneously packed up and headed off to Brisbane, the capital city of my state. It was a fairly spur- of-the-moment decision, backed up by years of begrudging my woeful hometown. As we entered Brisbane, I received a text from a friend of mine telling me of a room in the Valley that was available and cheap, in a house with several other alternatively minded people—Witches included! I went to see the place, had an interview, and was asked to join the rest of the housemates. It was definitely a destined event, and I learnt so much from my few short months of living there.

When we take the initiative to move forward and explore the endless possibilities that life has to offer, we commit ourselves to the way of Wyrd, which expresses itself essentially through patterns of growth and transformation. We take the stag leap and cross the abyss of the unknown, flying forth from all that is unreal or illusion to that which is real and wholly present. Some would suggest that we begin the descent and come to realise that effect has cause after all. Our lives are not merely psychological shells but take on the substance that underlies the sacred reality.

I never really made an affirmed decision to move away from my family and my hometown, though it was never really a place that I enjoyed being. I always knew that my destiny awaited me somewhere else, and while time and place cannot fully constitute an unfurling of fate, there is definitely more chance of having a run-in with serendipity in a place that your very soul feels drawn to. It was also in this city that I became a founding member of the Coven of the WildWood and am now surrounded by a group of devout and life-loving Witches who help to bring out the best in me and direct my conscious effort to great things.

Leaving home and loved ones behind is neither hard nor simple. Some thought is necessary to any adventure leading away from those to whom we are related by blood and by spirit. Leaving friends, family, and security for the great unknown is something we all must do eventually if we intend to fully know ourselves. Everything in life has its spiritual dimension, and this realm, this plane of awareness, is the essence that washes over me every moment of every day.

We can never truly settle down, and this is because at the core, each human spirit is endeared to the wild spirit of adventure. Standing where you are today, you are in contact with everything that has ever been, is, and will be. Move forward and keep keen eyes, clear and bright, for while the sun has its day, there is beauty in the wilderness of night.

[contents]

Most of us attend school at some time in our lives. School seems a trivial inconvenience at most times, especially when we are forced to study things like algebra and advertising. But as it is, our futures depend on our education.

As Pagans, our lives at school can often make it harder to define our individuality. Our spiritual path will often conflict with teachers and students. The conscious decision to publicly affirm your spirituality can lead to friction. To make the best of your own school experience, read on.

Peering Pupils:
Communication

School is not so much about what we learn but about who we learn with. Our peers are those who sit beside us during class. They are not necessarily our friends but may simply represent the majority of the student body we are unfamiliar with. These are the people whose opinions “really matter” when it comes to fashion, popularity, and the social ladder. These are the vicious bureaucrats who pass judgement on individual worth. These are the individuals who spread gossip like wildfire through campus and can make or break our appeal and identity. Amongst our peers are also our friends, those whom we have come to love and bicker with.

School is a blur of faces and personalities … a mural of diversity, laughter, depression, and tears. English and history soon disappear into the vague realms of irrelevance when we come to the crossroads in our relationships with others.

Communication is a vital bridge between two or more entities. However, the concept of communication does not suggest positive feedback and can often result in huge, meaningless debates over trivial details. This seems to be the norm, especially in the schoolgrounds, where we are forced to endure lame comments from idiotic students for who we are. Personalities often come under fire because of a social fear of the way someone is acting or how they identify themselves—for instance, guys who tend to make friends with girls and who are more academically inclined than sporty are often accused of being “fags.”

As Pagans, we are open to all sorts of insults and jokes from our peers, as Paganism is not wholly understood by the majority of society. It is not unheard of that when a Pagan or Witch comes out to their friends at school, there is a window of approximately forty-eight hours until the rest of the grade knows. I was fairly open about my interest in the occult when I first began high school and would often read Witchcraft books during classes or even bring charms to school. Soon my entire class knew, and then it spread on to the rest of my grade. There was no immediate backlash, and I merely received jokes and curiosity until my best friend at the time learnt that I was a Witch. This did not go down well, as he was a pious Christian, but he at least listened to me explain myself and my newfound spirituality.

It is not always a good idea, no matter how proud you feel, to publicly announce you are Pagan to others. Our relationships suffer and friction happily abounds. People soon realise they can use you as a scapegoat or even as the school joke. Unless you are seeking to experience how this can all feel at such a vulnerable time of adolescence, then I suggest you keep your beliefs private. I'm not saying deny your faith and simply lie about being Pagan but to be mature with the situation and to learn to know when there is a risk factor about being open. Remember to be yourself and to not fall to society's own stereotypes about what a Witch or Pagan is. I'm not saying don't come out of your shell but that you should do it gradually and get used to the idea of being assertive with your peers.

Often it's not just ill-mannered humour we are subjected to but also religious evangelism. Most Australian schools, public and private, have prayer services catering to Christian students. Unfortunately, a majority of these groups are founded on the pretences that non-Christian members of the student body need salvation, and active conversion comes into play.

Some time ago, several Christian students discovered that I was a Witch and so began their long-winded attempts at converting me. Whenever I had class with them, they would constantly prattle on about the glory of God. This elevated into verbal attacks against me. It just so happened that these Christians sat with some of my friends who I occasionally visited during lunch. I remember the fear I had whenever I gained enough courage to venture up to where they sat. Often my visits ended in religious battles, in which both my beliefs and theirs (ashamedly so) were put under scrutiny, though I seemed to be on the receiving end most of the time. The situation grew to the point where their entire church was praying for my soul, which they readily admitted to me. Eventually, the friction wore away and ironically we became friends, and religion is no longer a topic of discussion between us. This is simply one of thousands of similar situations around the world today in which individuals are discriminated against because of spiritual persuasion. Yet, as my experience proves, reconciliation is a possible and valid pathway to solve the problems that arise between people.

At other times, it is not necessarily the fear for the purity of your soul that causes people to feel they have the right to abuse you but also the mocking disbelief in Paganism and Witchcraft in terms of Magick and spells.

Have you ever had an obnoxious moron approach you with a lop-sided grin? You stand there, innocently wondering what all the fuss is about, only to discover you've been on the receiving end of a horrible joke. In many cases, once you have outed yourself, you will be met by harsh laughter, which can break down your internal self-esteem.

“Can you really cast spells?” “If you're a Witch, then where's your broom?” and “Go on, then, curse me. I dare you!” are all examples of the types of questions that are fired constantly from self-absorbed brats who have nothing better to do. It takes a strong-willed person to remain unaffected by comments such as these, and it is your right to feel angry and irritated. However, never allow them to see that you are annoyed or frustrated with them. Fight fire with fire; sarcasm is only ever quelled with sarcasm. Instead of wasting your time educating people who do not matter to you, use some of the following retorts:

“Oh gods, I've dropped my wand! Have you seen it?”

“My broom? Oh, we don't use brooms anymore. I took the Hoover
to school.”

“Curse you? Looks like someone else beat me to it.”

Sarcasm can be taken to the extreme and beyond, and you'll need to know when to drop the act and to don your educator's cap, ready to regurgitate condensed versions of what you have learnt. Never give anyone an excuse to think they are right when they are obviously wrong, unless of course it's at their own expense.

Fighting for the right of fair treatment and equality is an ongoing battle for Pagans, but it is one that has proven successful in many respects. Though there are still those who view our spirituality as superstitious, we are also regarded as genuine spiritual people by many others.

Honour yourself, others, your environment, and the universe with sincerity and humility, and swift comprehension will follow. Remember, it is not how we dress or what jewellery we wear that defines who we are but our thoughts and our words and how we compose them—and even then that leans dangerously close to the realm of egomania.

Be mindful that anger and frustration are all negative emotions that will not only enrage your “opponents” but will also amplify their own feelings and increase stubbornness concerning changing their preconceived notions about you. Be firm with your words while ever remaining gentle and wise. Do not hate others simply because they believe differently than you, but understand and accept that these feelings are also human and entirely valid. Acting on your hatred with violence is weak and ultimately stupid. Know that it is better in the long run for you to choose to back down from religious wars with others and to acknowledge their feelings and background. Many people who preach their word as the absolute truth are brought up in fundamentalist families and are inundated by these ideas from an early age. Opportunities to reassess one's belief system are often futile in relation to these individuals, and hope should not be spent on their willingness to change but on the effect these views will have on you.

Every day in our lives, we are surrounded by people whose personal convictions are so varied that we often lose ourselves in the ocean of opinion. It is wise to always question your decision to open up to others on the subject of your spiritual path. If you do feel like opening up to a friend at school, then you will need to ask yourself a few questions regarding their attitudes towards issues
not just of a spiritual or religious nature,
such as homosexuality and abortion. Generally, if you have known them to react to the above issues negatively, chances are they will not take to the idea of you following an alternative spirituality. Even so, we cannot always be so readily strategic with our dealings with others, and often the truth finds ways to out itself. In cases such as these, it is best to simply take a straightforward approach and hope that the person in question will accept you. Many Pagans find that they have incorrectly assumed how others will react and rejoice inwardly when friends and peers simply smile and nod.

As Paganism is essentially a decentralised, autonomous, and sometimes anarchistic group of spiritualities, there are no universal organisations or networks that apply to all Pagans. Therefore, it is important to note that everything we say about our spirituality will affect the way outsiders view Paganism. When discussing your spirituality with peers and attempting to reconstruct their misconceptions, it is preferable to start small and use solid examples. For instance, start with the pentagram; bring the person's attention to the construct and design of the symbol. Indicate the five points and how each individual arm interlocks and passes onto the next. Also mention the circle that encompasses the five points, and explain what the symbol means, highlighting common misconceptions and deconstructing them, replacing them with truths.

After you have introduced your peers to something apparent and visible, the next step is to attempt to give words to your thoughts and to allow yourself to make sense. Explain the basic beliefs of Paganism, remembering to use examples wherever possible and to attempt to answer all of their questions kindly and not in contempt.

The following is a list of key points you might like to include in your spiel about Paganism:

• Paganism is a Nature-based set of spiritualities that has its roots in the pre-Abrahamic (or pre-Christian) ancient civilisations of the world.

• The word
Pagan
derives from the Latin word “paganus,” which literally means “rustic” or “country-dweller” and was applied to people who retained their native and cultural practices and
customs, e.g., agricultural and pastoral communities who
continued to worship Nature deities and local spirits. Later on, the word evolved into an insult implying a savage, unintelligent, backward, and hedonistic person.

• Pagans do not worship Satan or demons, as these entities stem
from Judeo-Christian and earlier Zoroastrian concepts that
developed into complex schools of thought. Nor do Pagans see opposing forces as inherently good or evil, as we have no absolute power recognising either.

• NeoPaganism, a term referring to the current Pagan traditions,
abides by the general law of “Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you”
in its varying forms. Though this is not a
central tenet of all Pagan traditions, it is a reasonable assessment
of generic NeoPaganism.

• Witchcraft, Wicca, Santería, Voudoun, Asatru, and other reconstructionist traditions are all essentially Pagan.

• Equality, respect, creativity, and individualism are all qualities admired and adhered to by most Pagans.

• Both female and male deities are honoured, though not all adhere to this principle—some prefer to form personalised relationships with individual deities, called patrons.

• Pagans generally fall under a polytheistic, pantheistic, animistic,
ditheistic, or archetypal belief in divinity (or a variation of several of these). Several Pagans subscribe to henotheistic
monotheism—the worship of one deity whilst simultaneously acknowledging the existence of other deities.

•
Most Pagans see science as compatible with their belief systems.

• In general, Pagans believe in and work with Magick, the universal, underlying flow of energy.