girl seeker: the myth of magic + rituals

we are supposed to be scared of witches, right? and scared of all of their dark ways and magic and spells and secrecy. well, i am here to tell you, i’m not scared. i’ve learned a very little bit about witchcraft, or just enough to make me aware that i should learn more before judging, so i was really excited about reading eric weiner’s chapter on wicca (the modern term) in his book, man seeks god. i wanted to read about what he experienced + thought.

turns out, wicca is simply a form of neo-paganism. a modern version of druids + heathens. think: celtic/irish pagans and the scandinavian folklore. heathens + pagans are now considered “the devil” by many christians, i believe. but, they are simply people who lived in tune with nature and the land, before christianity spread throughout europe. in fact, there are many, many celebrations within christianity which come from paganism. like, all soul’s day in november, the day after all hallow’s eve (otherwise known + celebrated by every american as halloween). and in modern day scandinavia, with a state church, celebrations such as valborg (or the last of april) and midsummer, which celebrate the coming of spring and summer with bonfires and dances and traditions that have been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

so, whether we admit it or not, in the western world, we are into a little bit of witchery as well. how offended and pissed are you at me now? hehe.

there are definite similarities between the “accepted” religion of christianity and the taboo religion of wicca. both follow the golden rule, giving great weight to the belief in kindness and consideration to others. both perform rituals and pray, however, in christianity it is much more passive, with the minister or priest leading the people. in wicca, everyone takes part.

of course, there are also big differences between wicca and christianity. for instance, wiccans do not have any central beliefs that everyone adheres to. i mean, there is no book of theology to study – and no, there is no magic book of spells that all wiccans use. no right way to believe. like buddhism and other mystical traditions, it is only to experience. something i find both liberating and confusing. something i agree with and freak out about all at the same time. and, of course, with no central doctrine or theology, wiccans believe in a plethora of gods, from fairies in the forests to norse gods to sun + fertility gods. it is most definitely polytheistic, and a religion that encourages its followers to find the right god for themselves… making connection with one’s god directly. there is no middle man – it’s between you + your god… a great religion for anarchists, radicals, and non-conformists. which makes it intriguing…

according to the book, the belief in many gods is not because wiccans do not believe that the god exists, it is just that god is incomprehensible, so they break down their belief of god into different parts, something much easier to understand on a human level.

but, the central difference, i believe, which gives me a lot to ponder (not that i am considering being a pagan) is that one faith says “i can do anything” and the other says “i can do nothing without You”. one is complete dependency and one is complete independency. i agree with the author, i need a little of both. i feel pulled towards something that is Divine, that works through me. so, it is not just me being completely independent. but, it is also not that i am worthless without the Divine. it’s a choice that i make – to open myself to the energy of the universe (the tao, you might say) and to let it flow me, while at the same time knowing that i am completely worthy + whole because that divine spark, that energy already resides in me. my soul is the piece of the divine (the spirit, the light) that lives within me.

most of us imagine witches casting spells and doing magic and holding rituals. and, we are frightened of them, thinking that they are dark. not that that doesn’t exist. but, if we are honest, there are dark christians as well** – preaching hate and supremacy and discrimination and living out their faith with violence. the sense i get from the chapter is that wiccans are not like that – and i have met some in asheville as well. not one has been dark or mean or scary.

but, there most definitely is ritual in wiccan ways. again, so different from christianity.

now, this is something i could write about over + over again. i love rituals. i loved leading rituals when i was working as a minister in a christian church. i love them now as i seek to live out my spirituality in whatever way i am living it out. ritual helps us remember. who we are. where we are from. where we are going. ritual also helps us to slow down. that is, if we are aware of the rituals we are participating in. and we must participate. it is not possible to be an onlooker. for instance, when i worked in the church, and we practiced holy communion or even simply said a responsive reading (like a chant in wicca!), if we were not listening to what we were saying + being fully present in the moment, then we missed the “magic”. we missed the presence of the divine. the lord’s prayer meant nothing if we didn’t ponder and feel the words as we said them. faith/spirituality is not a checklist of things to do in order to get in good with the divine. it is an experience of the divine in our midst. and, that is possible, even when reciting words. ritual can most definitely become rote memory. but, the beauty of ritual comes out when we are aware and awake and active!

the other thing that i have always believed about ritual is that anyone can participate and lead. in fact, it is totally possible to create your own ritual – in that sense, a ritual becomes anything that gives you pause, that brings meaning to a moment. like saying grace before a meal. attending to our breath while meditating. repeating a mantra. praying. sipping slowing on a cup of coffee every morning. lighting a candle to invoke a special moment. sitting around a bonfire.

we don’t have to go out in the woods and cast a circle, standing there, holding hands with one another, chanting to mother nature. though, i think that is pretty badass in some way. my family (not wiccans) does this every summer when we gather on the beach at night in a circle to set off fireworks. this is our way, though we don’t say this, of celebrating life + celebrating each other. this is our way of bringing magic into our lives, and of honoring the divine, through honoring each other in these very special, annual moments.

ritual is simply taking part in something that helps us to slow down and pay attention just long enough to realize that life, that our life, is a freaking miracle. now, what’s so scary about that?

onwards + upwards! xoxo

** i compared wicca and christianity only because my background is in christianity, so i know more about that religion. i acknowledge that there is darkness + goodness found within any and every religion.