kim's blog: "I Am A Witch"

My Daughter's ( I Wish You ) I Wish You When You're Lonely I wish You Love When You're Sad I wish You Joy When You're Discouraged I Wish You Hope When You're Spirit Is Low I Wish You Beauty When You Are Troubled I Wish You Peace

Charge of the God Listen to the Words of the Horned God, Who was of old called among men Adonis, Tammuz, Dianus, Herne, Bran, Beli, Lugh, Gwyn, Dionysus, Osiris, Cernunnos, Pan, And by many other Names. O Secret of Secrets, That art hidden in the being of all that lives, Not Thee do we adore, For That which adored is also Thou. Thou art That, and That am I. I am the Flame that burns in the heart of every being, And in the core of every Star. I am Life, and the Giver of Life, Yet therefore is the Knowledge of Me The Knowledge of Death and Resurrection. I am alone, the Lord within ourselves, Whose Name is Mystery of Mysteries. I am the Horned God. I am the Lord of the Universe, The Father of all living, The All-Devourer and the All-Begetter. I am He Whose Seed lies strewn As glittering Gems across velvet darkness Within the Womb of the Mother. I am the Lord of the Shadows In the darkness of the Underworld, For I am the Midnight Sun. I am the Light of the Stars, And the Spark of the Spirit Eternal, For I am the God Within. I am the Horned Leader of the Hosts of Air, The Leader of the Wild Hunt, The Judge of Gods and of Men. I am the Hidden God, Who ever yet remains, For I dwell within the secret seed. I am the seed of grain, I am the seed of flesh, I am the Seed of the Stars. I am the Lord of the Heights, I am the Lord of the Depths, God of forest, of flock, and of field. I am the Hunter and Hunted, I am the wolf and the Shepherd, I am the vine and the grain. I am a Guiding Star above you, I am a bright Flame before you, I am a smooth Path beneath you. I am the Light of Life. I am the Flame of Love. I am the Horned God!

Charge of the Goddess. Listen to the words from the Great Mother, who was of old called amongst men, Isis, Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Diana, Arionrhod, and by many other names. Whenever you have need of anything, once in the month and better it be when the Moon is full or new, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me, Queen of all Witcheries. There shall ye assemble, who have not yet won my deepest secrets and are fain to learn all sorceries. To these shall I teach that which is yet unknown. Ye shall be free from all slavery, and as a sing that you be free, ye shall be naked in your rites. You shall sing, feast, make music and love, all in my presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine is also joy upon earth. My law is love unto all beings. Mine is the Secret that opens upon the door of youth, and mine is the cup of the wine of life, the cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality. I am the Gracious Goddess who gives the gift of youth unto the heart of mankind. I give knowledge of the Spirit Eternal, and beyond death, I give peace and freedom and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things and my love is poured out upon the Earth. Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, She, in the dust of whose feet are the host of heaven, whose body encircles the universe. I am the beauty of the Green Earth, and the White Moon among the stars and the mystery of the Waters. I call unto thy soul: Arise and come unto me: for I am the Soul of Nature who gives life to the universe: from me all things proceed and unto me all things return. Beloved of all the Gods and men, let my worship be in the heart. Rejoice, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Therefore, let there be beauty and strength power and compassion honor and humility mirth and reverence within you. And you who think to seek me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery, that if that which you seek you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire. I seek the Crown of Wisdom and Understanding That Might and Mercy In balance bring Beauty. Victory and glory Find their foundation In the Kingdom

The Thirteen Principles of Wiccan Belief Adopted by the Council of American Witches, in April, 1974. 1: We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters. 2: We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment and consciousness within an evolutionary concept. 3: We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all. 4: We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity ~as masculine and feminine~ and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to each other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship. 5: We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. ~and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment. 6: We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership. 7: We see religion, magick, and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it ~a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft~ The Wiccan Way. 8: Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch, but neither does heredity itself, not the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature. 9: We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it. 10: Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way", and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief. 11: As American {Or World-Wide!} Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future. 12: We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as Satan or the Devil, as defined by the Christian tradition. We do not seek power through the sufferings of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another. 13: We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

I Am A Witch I am a witch. I do not worship Satan; I am not interested in Satan. I do NOT go to church on Sunday, Nor do I have to enter any man made building to feel the presence of the Divine. I am not afraid of going to Hell because I dont believe in Hell any more that I do Satan. I believe in reincarnation. I believe I will continue to come back to this world or another until I have reached enlightenment and only then will I return to my Maker, to become one with the Universal Energy. I am not evil. Telling people that I am a good witch or asking me if I am a good witch implies that there are evil witches. There are evil people who chose to hurt others through their action, those people are NOT witches. The central law of being a witch is: An It Harm None, Do What Ye Will. Please dont ask be about sacrificing cats or eating children. Such an idea is foul and disgusting. I love my animals as part of my family, and have respect and reverence for all living things from the herb garden in my back yard to the neighbor next door. Dont ask me about desecrating Churches. As I dont go into churches or synagogues unless a friend from that religion invites me to a special occasion. And if I DO enter a church, I am not struck by lightening. And if a Christian, Jew or Buddhist came to a pagan ritual, our Gods would not strike them dead either. Isnt that something to think about? Wearing a Pentagram is no different than wearing a Cross, Crucifix or Star of David. If you want me to take off the symbol of MY religion (and Wicca is a religion, protected by the same First Amendment rights as other religions) because its offensive, you need to make everyone of every religion do the same. The five points of the star signify the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and the fifth point is Spirit. This star is then encircled by the Divine, which holds us all together. How that can offend anyone boggles my little pagan mind? Also dont ask me if Im in a coven in that half-horrified, half-fascinated tone of voice. If I want to talk about my coven, I will bring it up. If I am a solitary practitioner, I have no coven to discuss. In any case, our rituals or spells are merely prayers to our Maker. They involve candles, poetry, food, and drink. We do rituals for healing, love, prosperity and protection. We honor the cycles of the moon, and the changing of the seasons. We have eight holidays in which we celebrate. Samhain (Halloween) is the day to remember those who have passed away. Yule (Winter Solstice) When the Days get longer and the earth is deep in slumber. Imbolc (Feb 2) When the first signs of spring appear, when new animals are born. Ostra(Spring Exuinox) When spring has sprung and we have planted our crops. Beltane (May 1) This is a time of love, and marriage. Midsummer (Summer Solstice) When the days become shorter and the crops are in full bloom. Lammas (Aug 2) When we give thanks for the first harvest of the year. Mabon (Autumn Exuinox) When we give thanks for the big harvest of the year. I do NOT drink blood. First off that is very unsanitary, secondly Im not some kind of vampire. I wear black because it keeps away negativity and because it looks better on me than orange and purple polka dots. I do NOT fly around on a broom, although with climbing gas prices wouldnt it be nice. If you do want to ask me something related to MY religion, ask me when the next Full Moon is, or the next Blue Moon, or what a Blue Moon IS. Ask me about herbs and crystals. Yes I would love to visit Salem Massachusetts, but not because any of those poor executed people were witches (I think the jury is still out on some of them), but because there are cool pagan shops there. If there were cool pagan shops in a town called East Cowflop, Id go there. Please DO NOT try to make me ashamed of who I worship or what I am. Please dont try to convert or save me. Dont throw holy water on me or wave a cross at me. Dont leave little pamphlets on my desk or windshield. I dont need to be saved. Witches are proud of the fact that we dont recruit people into our religion. So I will NEVER leave a religious tract with anyone. I dont have one, unless you count this letter. And I am NOT asking for you to convert by handing you this letter, I am only asking that you understand. And if you dont want to understand, then just leave me alone.