Continued...
All the girls were impatient by now, especially the second girl. She asked, "What are you talking about? That isn't Witchcraft!"
And Little Witch replied, "Perhaps. But what I was talking about are transformations, and transformations *are* the stuff of Witchcraft."
"Look, just because there are magical and spiritual transformations doesn't mean we can ignore the physical transformations. A Witch is in tune with *all* transformations, though some perhaps more than others." (Here Little Witch thought, but did not say, that many Witches focus on spiritual and magical transformations but, like everyone else, Witches are occupied with the realities of physical transformations, which constitute most of daily life, too.) Little Witch continued, "The key is the harmony of transformations, all of them, in ways that are most beneficial for Nature. You have to know about all transformations, especially the physical ones, to live well."
One of the girls was annoyed and said, "You use big words, like 'transformations.' Why can't you just talk normally?"
And Little Witch smiled and said, "I use 'big words' to have a 'bigger mind.' Try it yourself."
The girls were silent for a moment by the quick exchange. Mostly, they were silent and confused by Little Witch's "normal" talk --like from their parents!-- and nothing about spells and powers.
This did not suit the girls, not at all. The first girl asked, "So what makes you a Witch? I mean, I could hear that stuff you said anywhere, even from my parents !"
The third girl chimed in, "Yeah, what makes you a Witch if don't have powers?"
And the second girl, in a moment of real perception, simply asked, "So, what *is* a Witch?"
Little Witch paused, framing her answer. And here is what she said:
"A Witch is, first of all, a person like any other. We eat, we sleep, we poop (well, when the body cooperates), we breathe. We have families. We work to make a living. We live in houses or apartments or other places, not in fairy castles or in the clouds. We're real, regular people."
"But, a Witch is different from other people too. A Witch can work alone, a solitaire, or work with a group of Witches, a coven, but she is always "other."
"That's not just because she is always studying, either out of books or directly from Nature or through prayer and meditation. It's because she sees and is united to the world in a way that most others aren't."
"A Witch sees that everything is interconnected, that causes have effects everywhere. She sees the regular world and she "sees" (she is aware of) the unseen (invisible) parts of the world too. She also sees and knows that, on a certain level, everything is One. And she knows how all of this, taken together, is the source of great power."
"That great power expresses itself in everything, and it acts in all the forms we see and more. But the power is itself just an expression of something bigger, something vaster, something in everything and beyond everything and the source and ending of everything too. Some people call this "God" and others call It by other Names. ("For Truth is One and the sages call It by different Names," as one holy book, the Rig Veda, puts it.) But the Witch sees this Truth primarily through Nature."
"That includes people and animals and plants and herbs and rocks and things we can't see with our physical eyes too, like spirits and other "worlds." And the Witch works with Nature to help things and events in Nature to unfold.
"That's magic, and it's not Hollywood style special effects. Its real, but it usually works by making something more likely to happen than otherwise was the case. Witches know that we are, in a very intimate way, one with Nature. And, united with Nature and for the benefit of all Nature, we work with Nature."
Since the girls were listening to her, Little Witch kept going:
"You should also see that Witches are *not* Satanists, and we don't do things like sacrifice children or animals, and we don't try to do harm, like by manipulating people or cursing them. Those things are wrong. Also, we know that everything is interconnected; if we use the power of the interconnectedness of Nature to harm, it will only harm ourselves.
The girls were still quiet, so Little Witch figured --what the hey?-- and continued.
"So, if you want to be liked or popular, be true to yourselves and be respectful of others and the popularity will come on its own."
"If you want to be special or mysterious, know that you already are. Then, spend some time discovering that, by mediation within and by good actions to others. You don't need bizarre clothes or secret codes; you just need to truly pursue love. And you can do that by being good to yourself and, especially, by doing good to others for the sake of goodness itself, even when it is hard or when there is no apparent benefit."
"And, if you want love, don't look for a slave to your desires; don't try to control another. Instead, attract love by giving proper love and respect to yourself and to others. Like attracts like, and with a reasonable amount of being active and experience, you will attract the love of others who are likewise loving. In fact, you probably already are."
"If you want to control nature, know that you cannot. We are merely aspects of Nature, and we must comply with Nature's laws. However, we can learn Nature's laws and we can choose to use that knowledge to direct how Nature works. The most consistent way of doing this physically is science and technology. Learning and applying these will produce physical results, including, probably, getting a good income; so, study math, science and computers and study hard !
"Magic is also a way of understanding and working with Nature's laws. Thus, it can be a complement for science and technology, and you can certainly practice both. But, when magic works, it doesn't usually show up as special effects. Instead, it usually merely helps making something more likely to happen, in a *natural* way. This works because of the power that is in all of Nature and its interconnectedness; it's *not* because of *powers.*"
"A Witch is someone who understands and lives all of that and more. A Witch is someone who is religiously, mystically and magically united with everything, in everything and as everything, especially as Nature. Whether the Witch marks the changing seasons of Nature, meditates, or works magic, the Witch is ultimately doing these and more: the Witch works with the *all* of Nature, in a very intimate and total way."
The Little Witch stopped.
The girls were silent as they took in all she had told them. They began to realize that Witchcraft is more than mysterious clothes or TV shows or movies or "powers."
The girls began to see too that Witchcraft is not a substitute for real life, like studying useful skills really hard to make a living or developing a likable personality and stable relationships. Instead, they got a glimpse that real Witchcraft is a religion and magic and something more... something much more, something connected to Nature in ways that we can see and in ways that can be scarcely comprehended.
Mostly, they saw, perhaps for the first time, that Witches are real, normal people who are "other" because of their union (on all levels) to what can be called Nature or "God" or "The Goddess and the God" or a hundred other Names. This was really different from what the girls had thought about Witchcraft, and they would be thinking over what they had heard for a long, long time afterwards.
Finally, the second girl asked, 'OK, what do we do next if we want to become Witches, I mean *real* Witches?"
The Little Witch pursed her lips and replied,
"First, if you are minors, you must obey your parents or guardians about how they want to bring you up religiously. You don't have to believe their religion, but you do have to do what they say."
"Aw," one of the girls said, "my folks would kill me if they knew I was into this stuff. They would never let me study Witchcraft."
"If that's how your parents are, " replied the Little Witch, "then while you are a minor, you will not study Witchcraft. It is a parent's right to raise their children in the religion of their choice, and its a child's duty to obey their parents in this regard. "Honor you father and mother" isn't just a Jewish or Christian commandment."
"Next, develop into a healthy person. Don't do drugs, don't drink and drive, etc. Eat right, sleep right, do all that good stuff. Just as important, learn how to love: respect yourself, respect others, and try to do good for the sake of doing good and not just for what you might get out of it."
"Third: Study! Study, study, and study some more. Obviously, you have to hit the books and learn something that will let you support yourself when you are grown up; for example, science and technology (and computers)."
But, honestly judge your talents (and find out what they are by trying lots of things), and see how you can use those to make a living. Maybe your strengths lie in law, business, in a trade, in the arts, in the humanities, in service, etc. There are lots of opportunities, but none are available unless you work for them ... even if you cast a spell."
"Study Nature, too: the natural sciences, the human sciences (like history, anthropology, psychology, sociology, religion, the arts, etc.). Study Nature directly, too. Get outside and start to experience Nature. Learn about herbs and trees and the weather and the stars. Finally, learn how to learn and how to love learning, for as your knowledge grows so too can your wonder grow.
"If, after doing this (and when you are old enough), you still feel an attraction to the Craft, there are plenty of resources available. There are many excellent books, and there are many materials online. You may discover that the Craft is not for you; that's wonderful! Find the way that the Divine has created you to follow. And, if you decide that the Craft *is* for you, the Goddess and the God will direct your steps.
The girls just sat there.
The third girl, the one who wanted powers, was impatient and not at all entertained; she announced that she needed to get going and made her way home, ultimately to watch some new fantasy on the TV.
The first girl, the one who had "known" she a Witch, realized that she wasn't one. She didn't understand everything she just heard, but she did understand at least two things: Little Witch had spoken truly and what she had previously thought about Witchcraft was totally wrong. She also wasn't too sure if she liked what she had heard: it didn't sound fun or exciting and, truth be told, it kind of scared her. So, she mumbled some thanks to Little Witch for her time and left.
The second girl, though, the one who had gone from knowing everything to understanding that she knew very little indeed, stayed behind. She didn't say much, and Little Witch eyed her quizzically.
The second girl tried to say something about the weather, then how weird everything went, and then apologized and started to sound really silly. She said all of a sudden, "You know everything, don't you!"
Little Witch honestly replied, "No. In fact, the more I learn the more I realize my ignorance." Little Witch smiled and understood the girl; in fact, Little Witch was remembering when she first was made conscious of what real Witchcraft might be.
The girl looked up at Little Witch-who now seemed very big and not at all "little" - and Little Witch answered her unspoken question:
"In time, perhaps, in time."
The Group - Blackangel