It's my hope, vain perhaps, that at least some *newbies* will read this and have some of their questions answered. It's also my hope that some of the more experienced Witches and Wiccans will see what I attempted to communicate, as well as the humor I offered. --John
Once upon on a time, maybe last week or so, a little witch went to a beautiful place. It could have been a beach by the ocean, a ledge by the mountains, a park in the city, or any place where there was a decent view of some natural beauty.
The little witch found a bench and sat down, carefully avoiding the latest deposits of chewing gum and graffiti, and went into a light alpha state. There, she let go of the never-ending stresses of the day: family concerns, work issues, how to pay the bills, etc. She let go of all her spiritual worries and doubts. She gave over everything to the Goddess and the God and felt Their peace. After she tried to telepathically say hello to a nearby bird, who in reply pooped the undigested remains of a candy bar and flew away, the duly humbled little witch relaxed and took in the beautiful scenery in front of her and around her, letting things happen as they must.
As she thus relaxed, the sounds of a nearby conversation invaded her consciousness. It was an excited, energetic conversation, and it went something like this:
"I'm gonna cast that spell !"
"Oh kewl !"
"That'll be fun!"
Annoyed but curious, the little witch perked up her ears and listened to more of the conversation. As she looked at them, she saw that they were three girls (though it could have just as easily been boys or other new or inexperienced people). The conversation continued.
"Like, I'm just so glad to do this stuff. I always *knew* I was a Witch !" the first girl said.
"You always *were* a Witch," the second girl said imperiously. "Didn't you read that part about reincarnation?"
"Well, that's what I meant," the first one replied.
"Hey guys," the third girl said, "you like said what I was thinking! It's our psychic bond. We're sisters in the Craft !"
Restraining the urge to regurgitate her last meal, the little witch forgot her manners and openly stared at the group as it continued its conversation.
"I'm gonna work on my *powers*" the third girl continued. "The *new moon* is coming up, and that's supposed to be a good time for working magic!"
"That's stupid !" the first girl said.
"It's not *stupid*" the second one said, helpfully. "It's just that, the *new moon* is for banishing stuff, like *bad energy.* You can't ask for powers then."
"Well," said the third girl, studiously ignoring that response, "I wanna get my powers soon, and I don't wanna wait a whole month!"
The first girl merely shrugged, and the second girl fiddled with her brand-new, ancient Tarot deck.
At this, the little witch didn't quite keep from chuckling, which the group heard.
"Hey, lady, what are you laughing at?" the first girl asked.
"Yeah, you'd better watch out; we've got *powers*" the third girl mischievously giggled.
The second girl looked up from her deck. Then, with a look that was half taunting and half knowing, she said, "We're Witches."
And the little witch simply replied, "You are? How nice. So am I."
The group was stunned. After all, the little witch struck them as ordinary, maybe even diminutive. Her looks were normal, as were her clothes and jewelry. All in all, she looked like a regular person, someone who could be described, contemptuously by some, as "one of the little people."
She did not seem at all to be powerful, beautiful or important. Still, she had said she was a Witch ! Maybe she was in disguise, using a kind of glamor to keep others from seeing her power or her beauty. As the thought simultaneously crossed the girls' minds, they became excited. Then, their expressions changed, as if they had found a wonderful surprise. The girls showed expressions of joy and started plying the little witch with questions.
"So, you're like a *real* Witch?" the third girl asked.
"Yes," Little Witch replied.
"Have you been doing it long? the second girl asked.
"Long enough," said Little Witch.
"Oh wow, so like maybe you could answer some questions," said the first girl. "We're, like, new to this. But, we just *know* we're witches, and we, like, totally believe in it."
"I'll do my best," said Little Witch with a smile.
The girls thought a moment. One of them asked, "So, can you fly?"
Little Witch laughed and said, "Only in an airplane, and that's when the flight hasn't been overbooked."
The girls were a little startled, but only for a moment. "Can you, like, move things with your mind? You know, like maybe when you're really angry at something?"
Little Witch momentarily thought back to her last grocery shopping expedition, when she had foolishly chosen the "express" lane and learned anew the virtue of patience. "No," Little Witch said, "I can only move things with my hands or with machines and sometimes with luck."
Not put off, the third girl asked with a nervous giggle, "Well, can you stop time?"
I wish, the Little Witch thought. "No, I can't stop time, though certain hair products help slow it down a little..." the Little Witch added with a chuckle.
"But, you've got, like, powers, right?" the third girl continued.
Little Witch sighed and said, "The only *powers* I have are from developing my talents and skills. And I do that through hard work, determination, and patience."
"Aren't you even psychic?" the first girl asked.
Little Witch smiled to herself as she recalled the last time she totally missed something obvious. "I'm about as psychic as anyone else," said Little Witch. "I may have worked on it more than most folks. But, I don't have anything special. I get intuitions. Sometimes I can sense what others are feeling or that they're worried about something, but that could be just as much from reading body language and context than anything psychic."
"Sometimes I get a dream that comes true or a flash of what might be. And there are some deeper things I can, with effort, perceive. But, that's about it. If I were really psychic, I'd be rich from the lottery or the stock market !"
"*Can* you predict the lottery?" the first girl asked excitedly.
"No," replied Little Witch with annoyance.
"But, you, like, practice magic, right?" asked the second girl. "You make things happen."
The Little Witch smiled and said, "Yes, I do practice magic. But when it works, which doesn't always happen, it's pretty unspectacular. It helps things work out. It doesn't make stuff materialize out of thin air. It's not like the special effects you see on TV or movies. It's another way for natural laws to operate; it's *not* a way to break or get around natural laws."
"Can you make someone like you?" impatiently asked the third girl.
The Little Witch frowned. The *love spell* issue, yet again. She replied, "I can't *make* anyone do anything. People have their own free will. Do as you truly will, so long as it doesn't harm anyone. That means respecting other people, and that means respecting their free will too. If you don't, you end up *hurting* other people as well as yourself. As for whether people like me, I try to simply be myself and, like I said, I try to respect other people and their free will. After that, people can like me or not, as they choose."
The girls were quiet for a moment. They didn't expect to meet a Witch, but they assumed a Witch had "powers" and that her magic would look like special effects, and that a Witch could command or control others. What Little Witch had said didn't sound like what a Witch was, and they said so.
"So, like, what good are you? You sound like anybody else." The first girl was becoming confused.
"Exactly," replied Little Witch. "I *am* just like anybody else. I have a job; I have a family, and I spend most of my day trying to take care of those things."
The second girl joined in: "But, can you change things? I mean, like, can you make things happen?"
The Little Witch smiled. "Girls, a Witch isn't someone who makes things happen, like making things appear out of thin air. A Witch is someone who helps things happen, naturally, in special ways."
The Little Witch paused and continued. "If you want to *know* how things physically happen in the world, in Nature, study science. The word "science" means knowledge, and it's the knowledge of Nature's physical laws and how Nature physically works. And if you want to *make things happen,* study technology: engineering, chemistry, physics, computers, that kind of stuff."
"Science and technology are about Nature's physical laws and the ways that people can use those to cause physical changes. In fact, science and its physical applications, technology, are the most consistently effective ways that human beings have devised to understand and cause physical changes."
"After all, the TV, the microwave oven, modern medicine, and pretty much everything we use in daily life came through patient, dedicated study of Nature's physical laws (science) and trying to use that knowledge to make physical changes (technology). Those things *didn't* come from waving a magic wand; they came from science and technology."
Little Witch continued, "Just remember that people don't *change* Nature, and they can't *conquer* Nature either. People and the world around us *are* Nature, or, more accurately, parts of Nature. Remember that we are part of Nature, and therefore remember to take care of Nature, and then science and technology can be wonderful."
"Besides, there's good money to be made in science and technology, especially in computers, and there are not nearly enough women in those fields. So, by studying -- really hard-- science and math and technology, you could learn how to "make things happen" and, make money too !"
The girls were really confused now. They expected to hear about magic and spells and instead they heard --from a Witch! -- about science and technology and *stuff*! Before the girls could protest, Little Witch went on:
"Now, if you want to learn how to change the world by changing people, let me give you a piece of advice. Learn how to change *yourself* first. That doesn't mean doing whatever the heck you feel like or not thinking about other people. Quite the opposite is true: we define ourselves most often by how we deal with the world and the people in it."
"The point is, you *can't* change someone else. We can influence others, but we can only ever truly change ourselves. But here's the mysterious part: We can change ourselves only by going outside of ourselves --through other people or through the world or interiorly through our deepest selves. Either way, we can discover the interconnection of all people and all reality."
"Some know this as "God"; many Witches call It "the Goddess and the God." Others have other Names for It, but perhaps the best name is simply "Love." That love, the love that connects and transforms all and that *is* All, is the only thing that can really "change the world."
The girls were silent and confused, *really* confused. But Little Witch continued:
"Aside from changing yourself, there are other things you can do. Lawyers help people work in compliance with the law, which is one of the most powerful ways the world's people give themselves order. Business is a way for people to create and collect and distribute wealth. Trades and skills allow people to transform the physical world into useful things, anything from farmers growing food to machinists making things to musicians making music!"
"All the worlds work can be a way to change, for better or for worse, in big ways or in small ways, the world."
Continued.......
The Group - Blackangel