Wicca 101: Basics to Elements

Merry meet, guys! I haven't been writing about my Wiccan journey because I have no idea what to write about. As if the deities have heard about my writing block, a follower on the social networking site, Twitter, had noticed a recent post about me finding my element. They had a lot of questions, which is quite normal to ask, and I'm here to break it down not only for them, but for you.

I thought my zodiac sign determined my element.
Actually, it can, but it doesn't. Here's what I mean by that: there are 2 different aspects to elements. The zodiac element doesn't refer to your physical capabilities with element, but they determine your personality. A water sign would be completely in touch with their emotions and more empathic, more-so the emotions behind an idea. One who is in touch with earth would be grounded in what they do and think more in depth. They are the one that holds everything together. Air, my element belongs to me because I analyze everything. I am a natural-born leader, and I'm usually the brains behind the idea. I'm also very creative. Fire is the passion behind the idea. I'm not saying this to embarrass anyone, but they can be pretty sexual.

What is my element?
Your element is one of the easiest things to figure out in Wicca. I promise you, all you have to do is pay attention. I didn't do this until I began researching elements. When the wind blows, I can feel my heart flutter, and I just want to scream and throw my hands in the air. I feel so liberated and loved. It feels like I'm one with the wind. That's why my physical element is air.

But Astrology....
Yes, I get it. Astrological elements may be a guideline for you. I'm a Virgo, but notice how I connect with air on both tiers of elements. You don't have to be what your astrological sign is. Everyone is different. Just pay attention. You'll know.

I hope this helps everyone. There is only so much that I can do. If you want to follow me on Twitter I am @Faerie_of_Dawn. I also am giving you a heads-up. I may be changing my name because I found out my element is air, and my spirit animal is a wolf. I have my first name narrowed down to Camdyn or Aura. As usual, this is considered normal in Wicca.

Much love and positive energies,
Dawn )O(

Wicca 101: Appreciating Nature

Hello, again! I haven't blogged in forever, or at least, that's what it feels like.  Today, I want others to take a breather and think about what you've been doing with nature, and how exactly you treat it.  

Pause for a second.  When you are a Pagan, especially Wiccan, you notice that you don't go to a certain building for a worship session.  Nature is your temple.  You go out there and you admire its beauty. To be perfectly honest, that is why I go to camp, regardless of its religious teachings.  There are so many subtle ways to go into nature and bond with it.  I believe that's why I connect with the element earth a lot.

First of all, when you search for a wood to make a wand, don't you ever snatch a branch off on the tree.  Look and see if there is a detached branch. Trust me... I learned the hard way. Another thing you can do is that if the tree shades you from the sun, give it an offering, like water.  I remember doing it to this magnificent pine tree and I felt as though the tree actually said thanks. 

Meditation in the afternoon is calming, and you can focus on the beauty of nature.  You don't do it by using your vision, but by touch and listening. It is amazing.  I've done it for 5 days, 15 minutes each day.  You don't even have to close your eyes.  Just sit and write or draw.  It's amazing.  

You don't have to be in the sunshine in order to appreciate nature.  Sometimes, I like to sit out in the rain, or just watch it.

Either way, these things and more can be taken into consideration. 

Just a little thought and lesson for you. 

Dawn )O(

Huge Steps

Hello, again, guys! I'm Dawn, and today, I'd like to share with you what actually happened yesterday.  I talked about it briefly on Twitter, and seeing as there's only about 140 characters, I couldn't explain on what I was saying and what had fully happened, so I'd thought I blog about it.

Yesterday, I had met not only another Pagan, but I had met a Wiccan.  It started when we were talking about religion, and he claimed he was a witch.  He prefers the title to be called "Mage," so I asked him if he meant real life or Skyrim (because that was quite a bizzare statement).  He said both.  

At this point, I was really interested in the conversation.  He told me about a couple of spells that he had cast...  He had cast a couple for revenge, which I'm mostly against.  I wouldn't cast one in order to put a family member in the hospital, which is what he did to his sister, but if it was to teach another person humility, then MAYBE.  (Let's just say the other involved extensions falling out. Yes, I laughed my butt off.)  So, he's more into... a darker side of Wicca, you could say.  

He explained to a friend that was sitting with us that Wicca is all about manipulating energies and that is how spells work.  He actually volunteered to help her learn more about Wicca and its beliefs.  He also stated he works with candle magick, and I was happy that I wasn't the only one.  After he said this, I stated that I knew a lot about Wicca and asked him how long he's been a Wiccan.  He is on his 7th month, 5 months after I became a Pagan.

The conversation had died out, and he left to check out a devotional book from the library.  I then took a deep breath and said I researched Wicca for a year, and that I am Wiccan.  She is quite accepting, and now she has 2 friends that are Wiccan.  She has yet to get used to the fact that I don't believe in the Christian God and that I believe in Apollo and Hecate and other deities of this nature.  As a matter of fact, she loves religion and is kind of wondering if she wants to minor in Theology like I might do.

So, that's yesterday in a nutshell. I am so glad I was able to find another Wiccan, and I am starting to get out of the broom closet. 

To all of you who are still in the broom closet, I suggest that you tell your best friend about being a Pagan first. They are usually the ones to understand you a lot more.

Much love and blessings,
Dawn )O(

Christian Friends With Wiccan Aspects!

Hey, guys! It's me, Dawn, coming at you with another entry. First off, I wish you guys a prosperous New Year and I send you all positive energies~!

I was just thinking (yes, I know that this is how I start out every other blog, but I do think a lot) about all of my friends.  I was wondering why I got along with them so well, and a new friend had brought it to my attention when she said something about aromatherapy. 

I realized that most of my friends, whom ARE Christians, have some sort of Pagan beliefs. They don't designate that they are Pagan, but they do share some belief in some Wiccan ways. This shocked me a little, but it makes sense that I believe a little in what they believe in, and they believe a little in what I believe in. So, there are about 4 friends that I'll describe, and you'll see what I mean. Of course, aliases are in order, so, I'll make them up as I go along.

I'll start with the newest friend I made. I'm going to call her Cynthia. I've hung out with her as we rang in the new year together. Cynthia has had such a troubled past, but she's overcoming it as we speak. She's so strong-willed and loves to have many adventures. As stated, she believes in aromatherapy, as do I.  One odd thing I've noticed about her is she believes that everyone has a Lilith side to them. At first, I thought about that name. I had thought I heard it from the Greek Pantheon, and I was right. Overall, I haven't really sat down to talk to her about any spiritual things, but she absolutely loves it when I do some divination.

The second friend will be called Willow. She expresses herself a lot. She's a talented actress and singer, but also acts as one of the guys.  She has read the House of Night series, so, she's pretty much familiar with Nyx, the Goddess of Night, casting a circle, and other things deemed Pagan in the book. She's pretty satisfied that there's a Goddess in the story and that the elements are active in them. What she doesn't know is that she loves elemental magic. Willow has also believed in some paranormal things.

So, I am going to talk about my 2 best friends right now. Excuse me if I get way off topic because one of them is like my sister, and the other...

Let's call that friend Aiden. I will not lie, he is the complete and utter love of my life best guy friend any girl can ask for. He's beyond nerdy and is more into Medieval fantasy. That means, he believes in elven races, faeries, magick, and what have you. He is quite the religious person. If he was Pagan, we would probably form a coven together with him as High Priest and myself as the High Priestess. ANYWAYS, since he believes in magick, he can write his own spells. It's more-so for our LARP (Live Action Role Play) sessions, but nevertheless, he does write them.  AIden's also the one who got me into doodling elves and believing in Celtic aspects such as different types of faeries (again). 

And the last friend. The one that is most controversial.

Let me call her Raven. She actually helped me come up with part of my magickal name, and that's why Raven is in it. I talked about her numerous times...

Anyways, Raven is a huge believer in divination. She introduced me to a type of it, and sometimes I use it to locate a lost/misplaced item. She also has influenced me to attempt to make a wand, as she has one herself. Raven also ended up having paranormal things going on around her house. She has to leave a window open so that the spirit won't bother her. Raven's also had tried Lucid Dreaming... On top of this, she wants her tarot read. She shows a lot of potential for a Wiccan one day. The only thing that is holding her back is the fact that her father and grandfather are leaders of the church.  They wouldn't approve of a Christo-Witch/Wiccan in the family, or even in the church. The last Christo-Witch that was in the church had been forced to leave, and that is why I can't talk about my actual religion. I wonder if I should secretly teach her about Wicca, read her tarot in her own house with a Youth minister involved, etc. Either way, I'm walking on a very fine line here (these people consider me to be one of the "most Christian-like" in the church when I absolutely am not).

I mean, all of these don't define a friend, but these are kind of interesting friends I have here. It's funny how some morals we believe in can belong to another religion. Just thought that I'd share. 

Many blessings,
Dawn )O(

My Story

Within 24 hours, I come at you with a 3rd blog entry. I have been blogging a whole lot lately, so please bear with me.  

Anyways, I was thinking about where my path had stemmed from and when it actually started. I guess you could say that I didn't really notice it until my freshman year in high school (I'm a senior in high school now, so...) . 

It all started when I was 7. I was entertained with the idea of magick. Something about it had drawn me in. I read books that had had magick within them, and I used to create my own world with elements and faeries. I was completely lost in it as a child would be.

When I was in 8th grade, I started to see a huge change. I was into things like intuition, the laws of karma, and all of those types of things. I absolutely believed in self-control and if something needed to be said, I wasn't one to hold back. It seemed as though when I got mad, something was controlling me to say mature things. I thanked it each and every time. I believe it was the God and Goddess controlling me, and I didn't know it yet.

By my freshman year in high school, I had a unique friend. She wasn't exactly into church, and she introduced me to types of divination. She read my numerology (which was a 2) and said that I was bound to be a leader and do great things. I laughed at her when she said that, but now I'm starting to see what she means...

She also used a Ouija Board while I was on the phone with her. You could hear and feel the spirit she was talking to. I never really believed in such things until then. She also read my palms and taught me a little about palmistry. She had tarot cards, too, but her mother had threw them away, claiming that they "belonged to and served the devil." 

Also in my freshman year, we had this huge research project due about a Greek God or Goddess of our choosing. As much as I wanted to choose Apollo, the God of music and light, many people had chose him. Instead, I chose Artemis, Goddess of the hunt. I found that she was independent and the twin of Apollo. I had so much respect for mythology after this, and I literally obsessed over this project. I lived, breathed, and ate the project until I had to present. I had to edit my 10 minute speech because I had acquired so much information about Artemis. 

In my sophomore year, I found myself going back to church, but as soon as I did that, I began looking up spells and became a Christo-Witch. That contradicted everything in my opinion. I just couldn't make up my mind.... Until my junior year.

I actually met a pagan through a music program that unites our school district. He was goth and Pagan, so I thought he was quite unapproachable. I was wrong. He was one of the most awesome people I've met in my life. I found that surprising, not because I had heard that goths were so distant and cold, but how a Pagan, something that I was taught was wrong, was amazing and confident in what he believed in. He also developed a small crush on me, and I was pretty much liking him, too. I thought that if I got some more religious tolerance under my belt, I could actually date him and make this work. Unfortunately, we didn't end up dating, but, about a week later, Wicca became my obsession. 

I researched it night and day, tried a new moon ritual, tried keeping a Book of Shadows, and researching Gods and Goddesses to work with. In about 2 weeks, I had known most of the basics, and did a dedication ritual to the God and Goddess. It was about a week or 2 after Imbolic. I took notes, tried to memorize things, and now I have the days of the week correspondences memorized. I also have some colors that I mostly use memorized. 

I fully couldn't grasp the idea of a Goddess until I reasoned with it in a Christian way. "Ok, so God... The Christian God, has a masculine and feminine side. The feminine side would be the Goddess, right?"

Long story short, it's been about a year since I actually got into Wicca. In my opinion, it was only a matter of time before I got into a great religion. And now, I'm starting to learn from a mentor so that I can continue on my path, form my own coven, and become an effective leader.

Well, that's my story, but it's still not written to its fullest.

Wishing you many blessings,
Dawn )O(

Wicca 101: Spells

Hello, again! It's me, Dawn, and I'd thought that since tonight is an esbat (more commonly known as a full or new moon) that I would talk to you about the subject most people would love to know most about: Magick. Many people know this as spellcasting.

To tell you the truth, most don't need the physical casting of a spell, but most consider this common.  What I just found out moments ago is that prayer can be considered a spell. Depending on who your mentor is, this can vary, so you don't really take what I'm saying at face value.  Once again, what you think matters when being Wiccan.  

There are different methods in casting spells. I usually cast a circle to keep positive energies in and negative energies out. (I will explain this in a post following this, so do not worry!) If you do not want to cast a circle, then it is fine. Some decide to get their spells online, while others write theirs.  Once again, it is up to you.  However, it is more powerful if you write your own.  There are many kinds of spells that you could conduct, and that depends on what you want to achieve.  

When conducting a spell for love (as an example), you can use correspondences to strengthen this spell.  The color red is for passionate love, and you would most likely cast it on Friday.  As a note for any love spells, you must be careful. If you follow the Wiccan's Rede, you do not want to tamper with one's free will. If it is more of a general spell to find love, and it is not aimed towards anyone, I would say that that is better.  Still, you would want to be very careful.

There are so many things that I could tell you guys about spells, but this will have to do, seeing as though Wicca 101 is covering certain topics briefly. In the future, I may post about different spells I have used and how they work. 

Wishing you many blessings,
Dawn )O(

Wicca 101: Magickal Names

Hi, guys! The first thing I want to establish is that my Magickal Name has switched from Echo to Dawn. I feel as though that I have been more attached to Dawn than Echo...

So, what is actually your Magickal name? It's a name that provides privacy to those who practice Wiccan/The Craft. Of course, my real name isn't Dawn. It's something else.

Usually, Magickal Names are inspired by nature. They can consist of a first and last name. For example, my first name would be Dawn because I am a morning person. I love sunlight and watching the sunrise. I won't tell you guys my new last name to keep a little more privacy, but I admit, it does sound a little Harry Potter-ish. That means like "Lovegood," "Ravenclaw..." That sort of thing.

Finding it is an interesting process. Sometimes you can get them through dreams, through meditation... I actually got mine from a television show. Actually, that character inspired me to try Wicca and its ways. Here I am now. You could even make up one. Like myself, some change theirs because it doesn't suit them or they feel like they need to devote themselves to another aspect of nature.

Your name has energies that come along with your name. So if you name yourself "Skullcrusher Nightmare," you just might get some bad vibes. And, if you name yourself after a God or Goddess, you will take the characteristics of that deity. If you act in malevolent ways while being named after a God/Goddess, the results ARE NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY.

I hope you'll find a Magickal Name that is close to you!

Blessed Be! )O(

Dawn

A Brief Introduction

Hi there! My Magickal Name is Echo! As of right now, I've been studying Wicca for about a year. I'm eclectic, and proud of it! I'm also in the broom closet right now, which means no one knows for various reasons. On top of this, I'm 17.

On this blog, I'll be posting information on Wicca and Witchcraft,
thoughts pertaining to my path, and things that would be helpful for incoming Wiccans to start with.

To be honest, I have a feeling many are going to get a lot of use from this blog. As for when I'll post, I'll try to do it daily. I can't promise that I will DO it everyday, but...

Anyways, I'll post something else later tonight.