Silver Chalice Wicca 'Zine #44

Witch Blood and Born Wiccans
and
Is It OK To Do Magick To Help Yourself?

April / May 2015

Editor's Note

I hope you had a wonderful Eostara! (Or HarvestHome if you live south of the equator!)

After a year of pushing at full tilt to get the Wicca School rolling on schedule, I've decided to slow down and smell some of these lovely flowers.

...Whether or not I actually have the time.

My big lesson during this project has been that taking care of oneself is not optional: it's vital. In order to focus on A Year & A Day, I was working 12-16 hour days, often 7 days a week. I'd take a "day off" only when I was too exhausted to continue.

I learned something, from this insanity. I learned that if you keep running on a mere breath of fuel, on a tank that's all but dry, sooner or later you're going to burn out your engine!

Okay, from that poor analogy, you can tell I know very little about cars. But at least now I know more about running a marathon-size project.

After a month-long crash-n-burn, it was made really clear that there's gotta be a better way of getting things done. (Doesn’t take much to get through to me, eh? I always say, I can take a hint — if you hit me with it hard enough!)

And, yes, I'm gonna share this better way with you!

Part of it is... well, if not easy, at least simple: daily self-care is a necessity. That includes time just to be quiet with oneself, and time to do something fun and/or relaxing too.

The other part is slippery; I just barely have a handle on it. I'll probably write more about it when I've really got a good grip. What I can tell you now is that it involves a white horse.

That's how it appeared to me in a dream, anyway. The message was this:

Stop trying to drag the horse
or resist and hold it back...

just sit in the saddle, centered and relaxed,
and let the horse do the work.

What, not whip myself til I'm exhausted and bleeding and half-broken?? Radical!!

I've actually been working with this idea for, oh, 12 years now. Seems like it's finally really sinking in, becoming more a practice than a concept. (Don't you love it with that finally happens?)

So, I'm still working on the course, and it's my top priority (in fact, almost the only thing I'm doing). And I'm still not able to be posting as much as I'd like online, answering emails (other than from A Year & A Day students), creating many webpages, or even writing full-length articles for this 'Zine (though you won't miss it, this issue, I'm sure).

But I'm learning a lot, and in the end, that'll mean I have more great stuff to share with you, to aid you in your spiritual life and Wiccan practice.

Meanwhile, please enjoy some of the special offerings in this Spring 'Zine.

And I hope you can learn from my mistakes... and enjoy the all-too-brief joys of this season!

Contact Us

If you have any comments, opinions, or content ideas we'd love to hear from you. Please write!

(Be sure to select Get Notifications and Like/Comment/Share often. Otherwise FB hides most of Wicca Spirituality's posts from you.)

Table of Contents

What's New on the Site	Best Self-Healing Techniques
Events & Announcements	A Year & A Day from Now... and Now... and Now...
Website Highlights	Being a Spiritual Wiccan
Feature Article	Witch Blood and Born Wiccans
Ask The Priestess	Is It OK To Do Magick To Help Yourself?
Fave Quotes	Using Magick For Ourselves
Word on the Street	Enlightenment in Wicca Spirituality
Energy Field Barometer	Dying Dinosaurs & New Paradigm's Birth
Silver Chalice Details

What's New On The Site

This may come as a shock to you, as it did to me, but I actually managed to get a new webpage done! (I'm really looking forward to next year, having the Wicca School rolling so I can go on to other stuff again. )

We've really needed something that puts all the best healing and self-development resources into one place. Now we have it:

Best Self-Healing Techniques to Make Real and Lasting Personal Transformation is a mouthful, but that says it all.

This article acquaints you with the very best of the tools and methods I've found in 30 years of study / practice in natural healing and spiritual seeking. (Many of them, you may have seen in previous issues of the Silver Chalice.)

In my experience, Wiccans are naturally drawn to the healing arts, in particular energy, nutritional, herbal, and spiritual healing. And of course most Wiccans enthusiastically incorporate effective spiritual techniques of all kinds.

So I've felt this kind of resource to be long-overdue! And I'm really happy to offer it at last.

Check it out... there's bound to be a few things that will really make a positive difference in your life!

Events & Announcements

A Year & A Day from Now... and Now... and Now...

Now that we're long past Imbolc, you may be wondering if it's too late to start your Year & A Day training. I've been getting a lot of questions on this.

It's never too late, is the answer. After all, there'll always be another Imbolc, another Eostara, and so on.

A Year And A Day: 53 Weeks to Becoming a Wiccan was designed to introduce you to the Wheel of the Year, the Elements, and the Sabbats as you go through the seasons. I think that's the ideal way to learn Wicca.

But the "ideal" is not always what's practice, or possible.

There are lots of students starting to learn Wicca now, not in coordination with the seasons, and they're happy with that.

Virtually all of what you’ll learn in the course is useful to you right now.

The only bit that is less than perfect, perhaps, is learning about a Sabbat when you're somewhere else in the year. But that's minor. By the time that Sabbat rolls around, you'll really be ready for it!

So if you really want to learn Wicca
or start your spiritual development,
"right now" is always the perfect time...

The sooner you start,
the sooner you’ll know all you need to know!

Check out how A Year And A Day: 53 Weeks to Becoming a Wiccan can take you that extra step from thinking and reading about Wicca, to actually being a Wiccan now!

Best Resources

This column has, for years, been introducing the best of the best, when it comes to techniques for healing, magick, personal transformation, spiritual development, and so on.

This time, all the best of the best resources have been collected into one web page, and introduced in "What's New On The Site," above.

But you saw it here first!

Website Highlights

Spotlighting some of the Wicca Spirituality articles you may not have seen yet!

Being a Wiccan Is Being an Activist for Mother Earth

Wicca is a nature religion. You cannot be Wiccan without revering the Earth.

And you cannot revere the Earth without doing whatever you can to protect and heal Her.

Why I Love Wicca

There is something in Wicca - in particular, Wicca Spirituality - that offers what no other religion seems to satisfy.

And the more I thought about that "something," the more I realised Wicca Spirituality is a huge gift to the world, and to everyone who practices it.

Living La Vida Wicca

Wicca isn't something you dust off for the Full Moon and the Sabbats. It's not the pagan jewelry you wear or the books on your shelf or the magick spells you cast.

Living La Vida Wicca is living a spiritual life . . .

Feature Article

Witch Blood and Born Wiccans

Witches are very popular in fiction these days, and all those fantasy Witches are creating a lot of confusion.

We need to be completely clear on something: Witches are human. Fully human. There's no such thing as "Witch blood," except metaphorically, the way you might say you've got music or engineering in your blood. (And so, obviously, Witches are mortal just like anyone else.)

Shows like Charmed and Harry Potter seem — on the surface — to be a positive view of Witches as good rather than evil, but there's still the tendency to dehumanise us. We're not just people, like your neighbours and your aunt and the nice woman at the grocery store.

Apparently, to be interesting enough for TV shows and movies, Witches need to be some kind of mysterious supernatural creatures. Of course, we also must be conveniently human-enough to be attractive and normal, merely a little quirky and obviously with fantastical powers.

Don't get me wrong; I too enjoy Charmed and other entertainment. But they certainly do increase the muddled ideas about what it means to be a Witch.

I'd even say that, in general, most Witches are more human than other people — more conscious, more aligned with Divinity, more compassionate. (Sometimes it makes me wonder if these portrayals of Witches as non-human mean that most people think highly-spiritual people are some kind of non-humans.)

Born Wiccan

Another idea going around is that you can be a "Born Wiccan" (or Witch). This is also known as being "a _^th-generation Witch." And somehow, in this scenario, people can be born automatically knowing everything about Wicca and have no need to actually learn or do anything.

The entire concept of a Born Wiccan tickles my funnybone. By that logic, I was a "Born Catholic" — that is, my parents were Catholic so supposedly I inherited their religion by default and without volition.



But it's in our ACTIONS that we express our spirituality.

I was a poor Catholic. I was dragged to church every week but it didn't mean anything to me. I didn't participate at a soul-level. I didn't seek out how I could become a better Catholic or Christian. I didn't even inquire into what it really means, deeper than the surface level.

In reality, you can't inherit spirituality.

Spirituality is chosen, studied, reflected upon, acted upon... ever-deepening your understanding of yourself, the Divine, and the world around you.

That's the only way we gain membership to a religion, let alone a spiritual path! At least on any meaningful level.

Some people are born to Wiccan parents or grandparents and never do anything more with it than I did with Catholicism... yet still seem to feel superior to Witches who've really delved into the Craft and done something with themselves.

Who thinks that way?

Not everyone is like that, of course... some take the opportunity of having Wiccan forebears and really make the most of it, as a launching pad for their own deep spiritual pursuits.

It can be handy to have family members who are Witches: you don't have to worry about your talents and spiritual leanings being accepted, and you are likely to get some guidance on the path... not to mention the pleasant circumstance of actually knowing other Witches and having someone to Circle with.

But there can be a downside too: you could learn one way of Wicca without questioning it, and it may not necessarily be the best way; and when you grow up with something, it's easy to take it for granted and never really explore the depths of it.

That's a great loss, because it's in the quest for the deeper meanings and the spiritual awakening that we find the power and value in any religion.

And it's that, not our birth, which makes us real Wiccans.

Ask The Priestess:

Is It OK To Do Magick To Help Yourself?

Dear Priestess,

Is it bad to use a spell before my exams to help me get good marks?

It's not as if I don't try, and leave it all to my powers/the God/Goddess/Elements to help me. I revise months in advance, but it's just to help me feel I have really done everything in my power to help me get a good grade, and know I've got the God and Goddess with me the whole time.

It's worked so far — I've got A's and A+'s in all my practises and stuff but I'm just wondering if it's taking advantage of my powers.

E.L.P., U.K.

Dear E.L.P.,

It's perfectly fine to use magick for your own benefit and well-being. It's only not okay to use magick when it will harm others.

Since there's no way your school success can hurt anyone, you're fine. And there's always the caveat to add in to any spells you do: "An it harm none." That way, you make double-sure.

(In fact, I recommend adding another caveat: "For my good and the good of all beings." That really punches up the power of any magick!)

The idea that it's bad to do magick for your own benefit originates with the TV show, Charmed. In other words, that whole concept is fiction!

It comes from the illusion of scarcity: that if we win, someone else must lose; if we get something, someone else must do without. That's the mode of the Old Paradigm: compete and survive at the expense of others. Maybe it was true, once, but in the new world that's evolving, it certainly isn't.

In the New Paradigm, the new reality on planet Earth, we're working with Abundance Mentality. We know that there's more than enough (of whatever it is) for everyone, when we each share our blessings.

And the more blessings we have, the more we can share!

What this means is, as long as your magick avoids harming others, you should use it to improve yourself and your life!

Remember the truth that we are all connected. So when one person does well in any positive endeavour, everyone benefits. The whole Earth benefits by your well-being! (Please see the Energy Field Barometer below, for more on this.)

The Goddess not only allows but is happy when you enlist magick in a good way like this.

So, you go, magick grrl! :)

And Bright Blessings to you!

erin

*   *   *  

Do you have a question you'd like answered? Email the Priestess and your question could be answered in a future issue.

(Note: questions may be edited for brevity, clarity, spelling, and grammar. No real names will be disclosed. For reasons of legality, all questions become the property of Wicca-Spirituality.com.)

Fave Quotes

Note that in a holographic universe, the achievements of every individual contribute to the advancement and well-being of the whole.

~ Dr. David R. Hawkins, Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior

If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves .

~ Thomas Edison

The feeling of inability is common to anybody who is accomplishing anything.

~ Elizabeth Boyer

Keep in mind always the present you are constructing. It should be the future you want.

~ Alice Walker

When the future is sufficiently clear, it acts as a magnet drawing us toward it.

~ Brad McRae

Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push — in just the right place — it can be tipped.

~ Malcolm Gladwell

Word on the Street

What People Are Saying About Wicca-Spirituality.com:

I have always felt that realizing our Divinity was the eventual outcome of any spiritual practice, but could find nothing explicit in books on Wicca to indicate that Enlightenment was even possible through this path, never mind desirable!

I have always felt a little put off of Witchyness by the popular emphasis on spell craft relating to mundane pursuit, whilst being simultaneously drawn to Wicca as the leading western path to worship of the Goddess. I have a real soft spot for yogic philosophy and Hinduism, but am tired of having to 'translate' constantly, literally and culturally.

Maybe I will study spell craft in more detail at some point in the future (I enjoyed reading what you have to say about it here).

But for now I feel empowered by your teachings to follow my own path, and worship Her in my heart and home just as I am guided to, and less by what I perceive others to be saying is the 'right way' to do so! I have been such a fool to doubt myself. (And by proxy Her!!) :)

Thank you again. I am getting much inspiration from your website and I pray that this light shines into the lives of others.

-- B.M. in Canada

Thanks for writing!! I appreciate hearing from you! : )

Energy-Field Barometer

The energy has been really intense lately for a lot of people. It seems that masses of negativity are flying around — if you're on track, it's likely that the negativity is pointing out what needs to change, and if you let go, the negative circumstances will move out of your life now.

There's also a strong, pervasive sense of anxiety or anticipation, like something is about to happen (referred to by many as "a feeling of impending doom," while for others it seems to be a sense of something good coming.)

Basically, "a great disturbance in the Force." (Been watching Star Wars. )

• Disturbed sleep and bad or extremely vivid dreams
• Moods that are intense and rapid-fire changable
• Feelings of unwellness (especially in the stomach) or pain (especially headaches)
• Vastly increased psychic perception
• A feeling of being held back
• Low energy (sometimes leading to depression)
• A lot of endings overlapping a lot of new beginnings

I read this as the ongoing Shift that's been happening at full speed since 2012, continuing to intensify as well as speed up:

• the steady movement toward opening, authenticity, self-awareness
• the ebbing away of resistance, denial, anger, etc.
• the scouring and erosion of denial and falsehoods
• greater and greater accessibility to Subtle realms and information

Thankfully, its efforts are doomed to failure! The New Paradigm is definitely growing in strength and range!

In the meantime, though, it's extremely hard to live with all the hatred, fear, destruction, violence, greed, and overall massive negativity it's generating!

If you're a sensitive person, it's more important than ever to Shield and protect yourself, and cleanse often.

The Divine Light Invocation is really helpful for this. As are any of the tools in the new Best Self-Healing Techniques to Make Real and Lasting Personal Transformation page. (See, this is why we really needed that page finished!! )

The Earth needs you to be well and safe!

As you get clear of negative energies,
you're helping the Earth get more clear.

As you feel better,
you're generating more positive energy
to sustain and heal the planet.

*   *   *  

Notice or suspect an energy field going around? Can you confirm this reading, or shed more light on it?

I'd love to hear what's happening for you! Please let me know.

What to do about being caught in an unpleasant energy field? Click here for tips.

Know somebody who'd like to read this?

If you enjoyed this newsletter, please SHARE with your friends. If you think your friends might be interested in taking a look, please feel free to forward it to them.

Haven't subscribed yet?

Want to get your own copy of the Silver Chalice Wicca 'Zine? Subscribe Here For Free.

Contact Us

If you have any comments, opinions, or content ideas we'd love to hear from you. Please write!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

© erin Dragonsong 2015. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprinting any of this is forbidden unless you obtain my written permission: karma and the law agree on this one. And Copyscape is keeping an eye on these things.