Winter Solstice celebrations!
#131739 - 12/20/04 05:35 AM
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Ravenndark
Reged: 11/28/04
Posts: 531
Loc: the internet
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It sounds like most of the people on the boards are celebrating christmas, but for those non-catholics, are any of you celebrating the Winter Solstice today? Or Candlemas?
 just wondering
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I do both :)
#131747 - 12/20/04 05:52 AM
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atomic rose
Reged: 06/01/04
Posts: 7013
Loc: Maine (IBS-A stable since July '05!)
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I celebrate Christmas as a secular, social kind of holiday, but Yule is my spiritual holiday. I'll be celebrating this evening.
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I celebrate christmas, simply because my parents do, and as I am still in their household...well...
I did have plans for celebrating this evening, though those might have been changed due to weather. I have a few friends in a coven who were supposed to come down, but the snow is pretty deep in the country!
I hope your celebrations go nicely!
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Three out of the four of us (including myself) in my apartment are pagan (the fourth is just pretty much areligious), we're doing a combination Yule/Christmas celebration on Wednesday night.
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Melissa
Friendship is thicker than blood. ~Rent
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That's a great idea!
I'm a solitary, though I do enjoy my coven friends during the winter Sabbats.
I'm the only Witch for miles though, so being solitary isn't a choice...
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Heh, I was just going to ask if you were solitary or in a coven/group. I'm a solitary by choice, and always have been... I've moved a lot, it just makes things easier, rather than trying to find new groups. (I'd be unlikely to find a coven up here anyway.)
Anyway, enjoy your celebration with your friends - both of you!
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Hey can you guys explain what the meaning of your celebrations are? I'm Catholic so I have to say I am unfamiliar with some of the terms you were using like "coven" and what not.
Thanks for helping a curious fella out..
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Forgive me for explaining in really general terms, but it's usually a good place to start... definitely ask more questions if something strikes your curiosity.
Paganism in general is an earth-based religion, centering around belief in both a Goddess and a God (or pantheons thereof). I say it's "earth-based" because our celebrations follow the Wheel of the Year: the seasons, equinoxes and solstices, celebrating the planting, the harvest, and the natural cycle of living things.
There are many different subsets of Paganism, just like there are many different flavors of Christianity. Wiccans are probably the most commonly recognized by non-pagans, but they are far from being the only type. Some of us refer to ourselves as pagans, others as Wiccans (or whatever their belief system of choice), still others reclaim the title Witch, which is what I prefer.
A coven is most comparable to a church congregation - a like-minded group of pagans/Witches who meet for worship on a regular basis.
Yule (since that's what's been mentioned here) is "the time of greatest darkness and the longest night of the year. The Winter Solstice had been associated with the birth of a "Divine King" long before the rise of Christianity. Since the Sun is considered to represent the Male Divinity in many Pagan Traditions, this time is celebrated as the "return of the Sun God" where He is reborn of the Goddess." (Forgive the quoting, but www.witchvox.com explains it more concisely than I would!)
All in all, there are eight holidays around the Wheel of the Year; you can read bits about them all here.
Hope that helped a little.
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Thanks Casey, I'll check it out. I always like to educate myself about what others believe.
Thanks again! 
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Well described Casey!
I myself prefer the title Witch, and am solitary, no coven for me!
I've only been practicing since I was around ten years old, and I'm only sixteen now, but I can try to answer some questions if you have any!
Eep, my mashed potatoes are boiling over...
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Isabel - I haven't been practicing much longer than you! I've always believed what I believe, but I was 22 when I finally discovered the name to match the beliefs.  So I've been practicing for 7 years now.
Hope you were able to rescue your mashed potatoes!
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Wow!  
Can I ask more about this? What are your beliefs and what does being a witch mean? I honestly don't know.
What does it mean to say "practicing"?
What made you guys get started in this and why?
This is fascinating stuff.
** Oh ya,
I once went to a psychic and she asked me if I was a witch??? Or she told me that a witch was standing behind me (we were in her home and there was nobody else there except for my friend who say beside me)? I forget which is was??
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... this is something I want to know more about to! maybe I will take a look around when I am off this semseter at the library or on the internet. I have wanted to learn more about 'non-mainstream' religions, they interest me alot. A friend I had ahwhile back was a Witch, her grandmother was too, but she didn't talk to much about it to me, but she did take me to a Witch store that was VERY cool.
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-Sheri
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Well, stating all your beliefs can be a little tedious, as everybody has different beliefs and everything, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't try.
Being a Witch is different for every person, the same with any other religion. To me, being a Witch is directing energy in a healthy, positive way. I use spells and rituals to find guidance, solve questions and see what I must do.
Contrary to most Wiccans, I do not believe in the Wiccan Rede, which is:
Do what thou will, in it harm none, or, whatever thou dost comes back to thee, three times three times three. It is known as the Threefold law, and states that whatever you do in a hurtful, or in a positive manner, will reflect upon yourself threefold. Again, I don't agree with this. I do believe that what we do has an effect on ourselves, but not to the point that I should not practice what I desire.
For example, if I were to cast a spell to divine my future, to see if I should buy a sweater that happens to be on sale (I cringe at anyone who would use Magick for this), it would be for personal gain, but I do not think that I would suffer consequences. Alright, that was a REALLY bad example, but it's hard to think of one this early in the morning.
I do believe that you suffer repercussions if you use Magick for negative purposes, to hurt somebody, someone, something. I believe in this very strongly.
To practice Magick, to be a Witch is such an important thing to me. Practicing is using Magick in some way, a spell, a ritual, even some forms of meditation can use Magick. Some people use many tools to direct this energy, while others (like myself), use few.
I became interested in Witchcraft, I'm sorry to say, because I wanted to scare people, and it seemed an easy way. I was ten, I was severely depressed and an insomniac (not to mention the IBS that we all know and love). But as I read more and more about Wicca, Paganism, Magick and the like, the more I became interested in it, for what it was. Not to scare others at all!
Mind you, it still DOES scare people. The pointed hat, broomstick riding, evil cackling witch from so many movies does tend to impress a stereotype upon others. That is one of the reasons I have yet to tell my parents, actually. I've had some pretty bad experiences with people making unjustified and rude comments concerning my beliefs, and on the complete opposite end, I've had people come up to me and ask them to do spells for them!
Er…right, I'm rambling! I hope I've answered most of your questions!
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Isabel,
Very interesting post there. I have to say I have learned some new things. I'm sorry that some people have been intolerant and insensitive to your beliefs.
Thanks for the tutorial and Hppy Wonter Solstice or is it Yule?
Casey, checked out that site last night at home. It was some good reading. Thanks!
Tom
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Yes, that was very helpful Isabel! I realize that you couldn't quite write a book about it here LOL. very interesting stuff, after tomorrow night I am officially done for the semester, I will have to add some Witch materials to my reading agenda.
I can't wait to be able to read stuff I WANT again!
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-Sheri
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Wow, that's so interesting Isabel. You are quite the smart lady too. Your parents should be proud.
Can I ask what kind of spell you would cast? And do your spells work and lead to the desired outcomes?
I know someone who is either a Pagan or Wiccan (is there a difference?) and he once told me he cast a spell on his girlfriends loud upstairs neighbour. he said it worked and after that, they never heard his loud music again. Is this something you'd do as a witch or is it for personal gain and a no-no?
Thanks and I hope you know we're all super open-minded here and do not judge people.
Tina
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Most of the Sabbats (holidays) go by more than one name, simply from all the translations of different languages and the different cultures.
For example, Winter Solstice can also be called Yule, while Candlemas (celebrated on Feb. 1 and second), can be called Brigid or Imbolic as well.
For the winter solstice, the word solstice means "sun stand still", while yule translates to "wheel", referring to the Wheel of the Year, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
So you see, every name has a meaning, but they come close to meaning the same thing.
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Heh, thank you SS, I'm sure they are...very, very deep down :P
There are so many spells that I could cast, for any given situation. For example, if I was having trouble with a teacher at school, a situation that had a lot of anger and tension, I'd ask my Guides (Spirit Guides, Animal Helpers) to help me see what the teacher sees, or feel what my teacher is feeling, so I could see both sides of the equation. I could also do a spell to take away the anger, or frusteration out of the situation.
It's traditional to not speak of what spells you have done, after they have been cast. It is thought that is takes some of the power out of the spell, so I can't really elaborate on some that I have cast. But, in my experience, the more complex the spell that the Witch would like to cast, the longer the results may take to show up, or the more energy it will require from the Spellcaster. It's hard to say, really, because the outcome can be something different than what I would like, but it could be what I needed, you know?
It can get complicated.
I must admit, I do not see the wrong in doing spells for personal gain, as long as it isn't asking for a car, or a million dollars (and the chance of that happening are slim anyways). If the situation with the loud speakers was annoying me, I'd first go ask the people upstairs if they could turn them down. I use spells as a sort of "last resort", in a way. I only cast a spell if I have tried everything else to sort out the problem first.
Oh, and a Pagan has slightly different beliefs than a Wiccan, though it can be divided into even more categories.
(there are many Wiccan "traditions", or ways of practicing Wicca, like Faerie, Gardnerian, Dianic, Alexandrian, Italian, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Modern, eclectic, and even people like me who don't really follow a "tradition")
I hope that didn't confuse you to bits!
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I've gotten a little tied-up with holiday stuff... but I'm trying to catch up now!
Like Isabel said, it would be a little tedious to go through ALL my beliefs, but I'll try to sum it up really simplistically. If you want more information, ask, or email, or if you have oodles of time, I definitely recommend www.witchvox.com - they are a wealth of information on all things pagan and Witch.
Like Isabel, I do practice magick (by the way, we spell it with a "k" on the end to distinguish it from stage magic and magic tricks, which it definitely is not) or spellcraft. It's not as creepy or far out as it sounds. I can't turn a frog into a prince or make your idiot boss disappear. Basically, spells are our prayers - we focus our energy into an intent, and release that energy into the universe, for things to happen as they will. A super-simple example of "spellcraft" that everyone will understand is one most people do every year: blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. You focus intent (close your eyes and make a wish) and then blow out the candles, releasing that "wish" into the universe. It's such a simple and effective form of magick that when I say I'm praying for someone, that's exactly what I do - light a candle in their name.
Isabel also touched on something when she mentioned using spells as a last resort. Spells are definitely not a substitute for anything... you can't just cast energy around randomly and expect things to happen. If you were to cast a spell for a job, for example, but never sent out resumes or follow-ups, you can pretty much expect that you're not going to get a job. Does that make sense?
I don't consider myself Wiccan, but I do follow the Rede/Threefold Law that Isabel mentioned as a general rule. I don't consider works for personal gain to be a bad thing at all, but personal gain at someone else's expense would be negative and a no-no.
I just realized I'm sitting here rambling about spells and not talking about what I actually believe, which is the actual question. Heh. I believe in both a goddess and a god, although I'll admit that my worship is primarily goddess-focused. My concept of Deity is also earth-based; not that I worship the earth, but my goddess is a sort of Mother Earth, and I believe that all natural things on the planet are sacred and have their own unique energies. (I'm still trying to reconcile this with my fear and loathing of spiders, but you know... I'm working on it.  )
By the way, when I say "practicing", I mean actively celebrating the sabbats, and worshipping regularly otherwise... similar to a person who's a member of a church and actually goes to church every Sunday.
Hope that helps a little. I could really be here all day explaining things, heh... but that's a start.
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Used to Practice
#132157 - 12/21/04 12:25 PM
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Kimm
Reged: 03/10/04
Posts: 1171
Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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My grandmother was a practicing wiccan so I was brought up with it since I was born. I practiced faithfully until I was about 21/22 and I don't practice anymore.
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That clears a lot of things up for me.
How interesting!
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Isabel. Thanks so much for elaborating on all of this.
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No problem! It was kinda fun!
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