How to Become a Witch, Amber K. [new books to read .txt] 📗

if it addicts you or corrupts you into a greedy, selfish, wasteful person.

A custom popular with some Witches is tithing, the ancient idea of donating ten percent of one’s gross income to Spirit, usually in the form of charity. It makes us think about what is really important and deserves our support. It encourages us to be more careful with the income that’s left. And it doesn’t even require a sacrifice, because according to the Law of Return, our generosity will return to us three times over.

Many people feel they don’t deserve abundance—maybe you’re one. Your beliefs create your reality. Work on believing that you are sacred and deserving, and that it’s perfectly fine to gather abundance if it’s well used. Be a rich Witch.

Pagans and Consumerism

Buy This, Buy That!

New! Improved! On Sale Now!

Buy more clothes, more food, more cleaning products, more cosmetics, more electronic communication gadgets so you can share inane comments with your friends 24/7—are all people in industrialized societies first and foremost consumers of products? How do Witches relate to this buying and selling frenzy?

There is no simple way to explain Wiccan attitudes toward material possessions. On the one hand, we like to enjoy the material world and all the sensual pleasures associated with it. We have no belief that earth is sinful and heaven is pure, or that there is a division between the material and the spiritual. So eat, drink, and be merry, and enjoy things while you are here, as long as no one is harmed.

But that’s the tricky part—“as long as no one is harmed.” On an overpopulated planet, if some people have more than they need, does that mean that others have less than they need? Or is there plenty of everything—food, water, energy—to go around? More and more, people have to think about the impact on the earth of manufacturing, transporting, and possessing stuff. Witches too are asking the tough questions:

Where does the product come from?

What is the cost to the planet (including the carbon footprint involved in gathering the raw materials, manufacturing, and transport)?

What is the impact on the workers who make it, move it, and sell it?

What does it do to the planet during its operation or functional lifetime?

What happens when it’s no longer usable? Can it be recycled or do we “throw it away” (except there is no “away”)?

If we did not have a certain product, or made and used it only locally, what would be the effect on the planet and humanity?

For a one-stop website that explores these questions, go to www.GreenAmericaToday.org.

Maybe there is a clue in the little marketplaces, or merchant rows, that are part of every Pagan festival. There you can find brightly colored, festive clothing; jewelry; books; polished stones; drums and flutes; and ritual tools. Rarely are there mass-produced products of plastic. Many of the goods for sale are handmade and unique. Yes, Witches like stuff…but they really like stuff that is beautiful, practical, and can be made with little or no harm to the earth.

Transportation

My Other Car Is a Broom

What do Witches drive, or do they? Sadly, we can’t really fly brooms, apparate, or use floo powder as Harry Potter does.

Owning a vehicle is a trade-off between convenience and the cost to yourself and the earth. Do you really need to own a car? Do you live in midtown Manhattan and hardly ever travel outside it? Use public transportation and rent a car when necessary, or pool ownership with family or roommates. City dwellers in Europe ride bicycles and use buses, trains, and subways; what a concept!

If you live in the country, do you really need a Hummer? Maybe you need a car and a truck, but do you need a gas hog or can you drive a hybrid, or at least something fuel efficient? Whatever you drive, keep it tuned, watch the emissions, inflate your tires properly, and minimize trips. Mother Earth would prefer we ride brooms, but when we can’t, let’s do the alternatives responsibly.

Purchase carbon offsets to balance out the carbon your lifestyle puts into the environment. Search the Web for “carbon offset.”

For Goddess’ Sake, Get Some Clothes On (or Off)

Can you recognize a Witch by his or her clothing?

Well, at rituals the robes and stag crowns probably give us away. And in areas with privacy, the nudity of some traditions provides a hint.

But in public, don’t expect Witches to walk around in ritual gear or raggedy black robes and pointy hats (although we might at parties, just to mock the stereotypes). And not many Witches are really suit-and-tie or skirt-and-pantyhose types. In the range between, anything is possible.

Going skyclad

Skyclad means “clothed by the sky” and is the Witch word for “naked” or “nude.” Some covens and individuals perform their rituals skyclad for various reasons. Some say they can raise power more easily without clothing in the way. Others like the feeling of utter freedom and the wind on bare skin. Many say our bodies are a gift from the Goddess and should be honored, not hidden.

After one gets used to it, and especially among coven sisters and brothers, it seems quite normal. However, many covens simply do their rituals in robes.

Most Witches, most of the time, don’t stand out from the crowd. We have had centuries of practice in blending in, looking ordinary and harmless. Some Witches will wear pentagram jewelry out in public; more wear magickal jewelry that doesn’t look particularly witchy. But most of the time, a Witch will look like—anyone.

Only the Witch will know that clothing colors have magickal meanings. Almost the first thing you do each morning is choose your clothes for the day—and that can be a decision based on magick. Select your outfit according to the magickal significance of colors and materials.

Colors can be chosen for the day of the week, each of which corresponds to a planetary energy and one or more deities:

Sunday (the sun; solar deities of light, healing, energy,