About Paganism

Faerie♥Kat Talks About Witchcraft and Being Pagan

I adhere to the following principles in my practice, observation and implementation of what has been preserved and handed down through tradition about the ancient pagan religion known today as Witchcraft or The Craft:

1. I practice rites to attune myself with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon (full, waning, new and waxing) and the seasonal Quarters (Spring/Vernal Equinox, aka Lady Day; Summer Solstice; aka Mid-Summer’s Eve; Fall/Autumn Equinox, aka Harvest Home; and Winter Solstice; aka Yule) and Cross Quarters (Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas, and All Hallow’s Eve).
   
2. I recognize that my intelligence gives me a unique responsibility towards my environment. I seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
   
3. I 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 I see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
   
4. I 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. I value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. I value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magical and spiritual practice.
   
5. I recognize both outer and inner, or psychological, worlds — sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. — and I see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magical exercises. I neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for my fulfillment.
   
6. I 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. I see spirituality, magic 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 I identify as Witchcraft and the Pagan Way.
   
8. Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch — but neither does heredity itself, nor 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. I believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe I know, and my personal role within it.
   
10. My only animosity towards Christianity, or toward 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 a Witch born and raised in America, I am not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, or the origins of various aspects of different traditions. I am concerned with the present and the future.
    
12. I do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do I worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil,” as defined by Christian tradition. I do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do I accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.
    
13. I believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
    

The Wiccan Rede includes the words, “An it harm none, do what ye will,” which is generally agreed upon to mean that one should refrain from purposefully taking hurtful actions against others. It doesn’t mean one should just go ahead and do whatever one wants as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else. While I refrain from purposefully taking any actions that work against the free will of other people, I am quite willing to take action against others who take action against myself and the helpless. Wiccans refrain from taking action against others because they fear “The Law of Three,” which states that any harmful actions return back three-fold, but Witches know better; harm cannot always be avoided and sometimes must even be employed.

I am what is called a solitary Witch because I do not participate in a circle/coven and rarely meet in person with other Witches. I do not conduct or participate in group rituals, preferring to approach and interact with my Divine Ones alone and on a deeply personal level. I acknowledge there are many benefits to belonging to a circle or coven, entering upon and studying a well-defined tradition, and receiving oral instruction, but it has been my path to walk alone during this incarnation and I have realized many rewards in doing so.

Most witches, and I am one, call upon the natural energies of our world, as well as our own power and potential, through any number of these personifications when they work magic. I have a close affinity with the spirits of nature, as I suspect almost all pagans do, and I chose to begin working specifically with Fae energies about when I was 25 years old – half my lifetime. I consider it an honor and a sacred duty to share the knowledge and experience I acquired throughout my 35 years of learning and practicing the many aspects of The Craft itself and while studying various fields that supported my spiritual path and growth, such as etymology, ancient history, mythology, folklore, the major world religions, botany, English literature, archeology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, cosmology, geology, ecology, political policy, etc. Learning never ends because we are all learning to live and living to learn.

The two traditions with which I identify most closely are Fairy (of course) and Green (or Natural) Witchcraft.

In the practice of The Craft, spiritual freedom is unlimited and no path walked with a true heart is ever wrong.

Blessed be and faerie blessings.