Picking Up Your Broom

THE MIND

Who Are the Witches?

Before you can take your broomstick for a test drive, there are some basics we need to cover. In chapter one, you will find a basic overview of the most important things you will need to know before you start your journey. This will serve as your golden ticket as we head out of the station. It is important for you to remember that this book's focus is eclectic Wicca whilst you are reading the information shared. Remember that most can be customised and designed to suit you, your needs, your likes and dislikes. Very few things are set in stone, and that is the beauty of the faith. It is absolutely, without omission, yours and yours alone.

What is Wicca?

Wicca is the fastest growing spiritual practice in the United States of America and in Europe. I believe that is because those who follow Wicca and use it can see physical evidence that it actually works. In a nutshell, Wicca does what it says on the tin. There is no putting your faith into elements of creation that you cannot see, feel or touch. There is no dependence on anyone but yourself to create your own reality and live in the world you desire to live in. You need not even leave the comfort of your own home to study, practice and master the art that is Wicca.

You do not have to follow a hierarchy or be told "the right way" to worship and practice your personal beliefs. You finally get to experience, speak to and hear back from the divinity within yourself and the universe. It's a way of finally opening up your eyes and seeing the truly sacred in existence, not just in certain places but absolutely everywhere in the world. It's a way to practice and live true in your faith with every breath you take, and the most rewarding thing is you don't have to listen to anyone but yourself. Wicca is a pathway to the divine.

Many say that Wicca is not about believing something in particular but about experiencing what is actually right in front of you. There is no element of blind faith in Wicca where you have to trust really hard that something exists somewhere despite the fact that you know you will never ever have that idea confirmed completely. Wicca is about experiencing the divine within yourself and the universe. Having a genuine and undeniable connection. When I was very young I had a friend that told me she wasn't religious because she didn't believe in anything she couldn't see. I accepted her views as she accepted mine, and we got along just fine. She stumbled one day when she realised she had never seen a dinosaur or the solar system in a fathomable way to the human mind. There were too many things she knew existed despite never actually seeing them for herself. My young friend was not believing in the solar system, but experiencing it first hand from first- person perspective of a human being living on the planet earth.

She wasn't certain what each and every planet looked like, what stars were entirely, the shapes, sizes and speeds at which everything moved. She could research to her hearts content but would still only be left with beliefs based on what others had said and recorded. Instead, she was happy to simply experience the solar system for what she personally could see to be ultimate truth. Wicca is a faith based on the truth of the experience. Much like gravity, you do not believe it, you know it exists, and you experience it every second of the day. But that doesn't mean you completely understand all concepts of it or how it came to exist originally. The journey of Wicca lies in the adventure of discovery: the studies, the observations, the lessons. No one graduates from Wicca. There is no base Wiccan, intermediate or high level Wiccan. All followers are equal. The only difference is a higher number of years living with your eyes wide open and experiencing reality for what it truly is.

Unlike a lot of religions, it's highly encouraged to question the universe and what you are being told is true. It helps you grow spiritually and mentally. Wicca urges you to challenge the divinity inside of you and out in the universe. It permits you to try and find the hidden camera or who's pulling the strings of puppetry. Wiccans crave to learn and know truth is all things. Know thyself to know what you truly believe from the bottom of your heart based on real experiences. Trust thyself to trust every experience you have and be brave enough to stand by it despite what today's society tells you is or isn't impossible.

What Is a Witch?

One of the most common questions I get asked is what is a witch? There are so many mystical, strange and confusing rumours that surround the topic, not to mention a certain level of stigma that is still associated with the term today. A witch is a practitioner of the craft of Magick. You may find that until this moment in time you have associated the term witch with a pointy hat, broomstick and green skin. Am I close? Well, I am sorry to destroy the fantasy, but it is something quite different altogether. I often wear a hat to keep my head warm, my skin only turns green when I wear cheap jewellery and as for a broom, I much prefer vacuum cleaners, personally.

Many people today are still scared of witches. This fear stems from many years ago when the puritans associated witchcraft with the devil, and anyone accused of practicing witchcraft would more often than not meet a very unpleasant end. Un truth, most people ruthlessly killed as witches had nothing to do with the craft at all. Often congregations would cry witch if they took distaste to a certain member or family. Women who spoke up or whose opinions differed from those of a man were also condemned to death as a witch. Once a victim had been labelled a witch, there was very little they could actually do to save their lives. Often, they were asked to provide names of other witches and heavily tortured with grotesque devices until a name should leave their lips. Very often, innocent people were accused in this way not through malice but just so that the prisoner could find the sweet release of death in the gallows and leave the torturous houses of pain behind them. All who fell prey were labelled as being in league with the devil. If they did nothing they would die, and if they acted out they would be killed for disrespecting the Church.

In Wicca there is no belief in the Devil at all — there is no belief in Hell or in Heaven — and so not only is Wicca not associated with the Devil, it is a religion that does not recognise the existence of Satan at all. A Wiccan witch can be defined as a nature-loving human of any gender who includes the practice of the craft into their lives. They acknowledge the divinity within the universe and within themselves. They acknowledge the changing seasons and the wheel of the year. Wicca is a religion in which its followers are witches. However, not all witches follow Wicca.

You may find yourself wondering: where are all these witches I speak of? Where can you find one? Where can you see one? How can you meet a real witch? The chances are, my friend, you have met thousands. We do not look or act a certain...