My Pagan History
(or Why I Call Myself Witch)
I was baptized a Catholic at birth, that being the religion of my mother and
grandmother. My grandfather was a Mason. I more or less practiced the Catholic faith until my grandmother died . I was 12 at the time.I made the rounds of many different Christian faiths, never feeling that I really fit there. I had read the Bible cover to cover a couple of times by then, but could never see it as a holy book, just a history book with a little human wisdom thrown in. More or less, you could say I didn't attend any one church for very long, and I never was a regular attendee. Never Quite bought into it all.
Then, about eight years ago, I began to develop my own type of spirituality, based on a set of beliefs and principles I thought of as my own. First, God as a woman, the embodiment of nature and Her creative forces, and from there, it just sort of snowballed. I worried about myself for awhile there. The old tapes kept playing in my head, the ones telling me I was gonna go to HELL for blasphemy. Right about the time I had myself convinced I was okay in spite of my weird belief system, I discovered that I was not alone, that in fact there was a whole bunch of people out there that believed much the same things as I did. About five years ago I began to study Wicca.
I have never felt happier or more fulfilled. I can be my own high priestess in my own tradition if I so desire, and no one may dispute my claim. What I am getting at, is that paganism is a very diverse form of spiritual expression that empowers the individual. The individual not only has the power to perform, even to write their own religious rites, he/she also must take responsibility for her own life and actions.
I have tried practicing as both a solitaire and in a coven, and I find both spiritually satisfying. It’s a personal choice. Me? I’m a social animal. Someone else might work better on their own.
I have been studying for seven years now and I feel as if I am only touching the tip of the iceberg as far as what there is to know. I rejoice in the fact that there is so much more to learn, and in the fact that Paganism, as a religion, is growing so fast, and becoming so widespread that there are now tens of thousands of web pages dedicated to its many paths and traditions. I am proud to be a witch, and glad to be out of the broom closet.I'm currently circling with a few different local groups, and have found a very fulfilling life in the Sacramento Pagan community.
Isina