I’m so sorry I haven’t posted for a while - I know I made a vow to get back into posting regularly, and now I haven’t done so for over a week, so I’m terribly sorry. I’d also like to apologise for those 15+ Despair comments I’m behind on - I have them in my To-Do list and will hopefully get to them tonight.

A whole lot of stuff has happened this week - well, not a whole lot of stuff, but a couple of significant things. Number one is that Michael and I have been living in our apartment for a year now, which is awesome because it means neither of us has killed the other in that amount of time and we’ve managed to hold it down.

Number two is a significant event in my life, and some of you already know this so it might be old news now, since it happened on the 10th, but it’s still pretty huge to me and I’ll get to that in a second. In smaller news, we purchased two new goldfish, Urik and Anya, bringing the total number of fish to four (we lost Vladimir last week )

Lately, I’ve been working on http://geekwitch.org - I’ll warn you in case you have very Christian or other-religious parents; it does contain content of a Pagan/Wiccan nature, so don’t get caught peeking at that while the ‘rents are around, and respect their wishes if they’ve expressed to you that you’re not to look at that sort of content under their roof.

I’ve also joined a couple of new messageboards to do with Wicca and Paganism, and got into some really interesting discussions and debates, which is great in furthering my knowledge and horizons as to what I’m learning and experiencing.

So, I’ll get to the big news now - since there’s a lot to write, it’ll be after the break.

Recently, I have been experiencing some changes within. Something in me has just ticked over and said, “Stop taking bullshit, be yourself, be honest with people and stand up for yourself.”
Part of that was asking for my pay at work to be upped (which has happened, yay!).
But what this thread is about is the fact that after 9 years of following my Wiccan path, I’ve finally come out to my mother about being Wiccan.
I wrote her an extensive letter, since I tend to express myself better through writing and, well, read for yourself:

Hi Mum,

You know that when I write you notes or letters that it’s about something that I don’t think I would be able to say in person. Writing allows me to get what I want to say out without interruptions, and allows the reader to think about what I’ve said before reacting. So I wanted to put this forward so that the weight is off my shoulders and I don’t need to pretend or act differently with you.
You may remember when I was younger that I had a high interest in sort of paranormal, occult themes, and you probably thought it was a phase and I’d get over it. I still have an interest in those kind of things and what I wanted to tell you is that I have chosen a religious path that might, from the outside, appear to deal with those sort of things, and it sometimes can, but not with the way I practice - don’t freak out; it’s not scary, it’s not threatening, it’s not evil.
About five or six years ago [I say this so that she doesn't know it's actually been since I was 11, because I think that could have freaked her out, but the time aspect isn't particularly relevant because I could be following this for 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and it would still be as valid], I chose, for and by myself, to follow a religious path called Wicca. It is a Nature-based religion, that places responsibility within my own hands, and any choices I make are my own, good and bad. That is, the good things in my life are not chosen or ‘blessed’ upon me by Jesus or God, but by myself, and the bad things are not forced on me by Satan, but myself – it is a path that gives me ultimate responsibility. It worships a God and Goddess (and sometimes numerous gods and goddesses of different pantheons, as it’s a very personalised religion), and that God and Goddess are of the Earth, rather than above it in Heaven. As part of my beliefs, I believe that there is an element of God and Goddess within each one of us.
Wicca believes in equality not just between the sexes, but between everyone – it’s important for us to accept everyone for the choices they’ve made for their own lives, and their beliefs. We’re not about to go on and disrespect people for their life paths. We don’t believe in a male-dominated way of life – everyone is equal from my point of view, and while that isn’t quite reflected in society yet, it’s getting closer and closer to being the case.
I know you’ve read The Secret, and in fact some of what The Secret says is actually reflected in Wicca – the whole “what you put out, you get back” idea, the Law of Attraction. If you put good energy out, you will receive good energy back, and the same goes for bad energy. Part of Wiccan belief is “And it harm none, do what you will” – meaning as long as it isn’t hurting anyone, you can do what you want. This could be further interpreted as “Do what you want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s choices and freedom to do what they want.” Therefore, it is up to me, not some higher power, to ensure I do the right thing.
Wiccans do not proselytise – that is, there is no preaching, no attempts at conversion or anything like that, like there sometimes is with Christianity. If people wish to turn to the Wiccan path, they do so of their own freewill, and are free to leave the path at any time – it is not a cult religion, it isn’t forced on anyone. Additionally, it’s not a strict religion – again, I have the ultimate responsibility for myself and the choices I make, and I chose this for myself because of the freedom it presents, and because a lot of the beliefs most Wiccans hold are those that I held previous to coming across it, so it fit me, personally.
And the touchiest subject – Wiccans will often practice magic. Now this isn’t your average “eye of newt, toe of frog” stuff, not at all. It’s ultimately energy work – so sending out good energy to the universe (like The Secret) and hoping for good energy to return to you. For example, if I wanted to ensure I got home safely from work, I would (in my mind) send out positive thoughts, maybe send out something like “I would like to get home safely” and repeat that to myself. There’s no ‘black magic’ involved, and it’s definitely not Satanism. Satanism refers to an Anti-Christian mindset, in which there is God and the Devil. Wicca has no relation to Christianity at all – we have no concept of the Christian God or the Devil, for that matter. All good and bad energy comes from how people think and behave, not from a higher (or lower) power.
Wiccans may also do healing work – this also involves energy work, but might also include, for example, herbal remedies – chamomile tea is a good example. It’s important that I clarify this for you because so many books and websites out there try to paint Wicca as ‘black magic’ and relate us to terrible things, but in actuality Wicca is a very peaceful, loving religion.
That’s just the beginning of Wicca, so if you have any questions I will try to answer them. As I said, it’s not supposed to be scary (it’s nothing like what Alisha was involved in, where I was scared for her and her inability to choose what she wanted in that situation) and it’s really a very honest and open religion. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I will try to answer as best I can and if I can’t answer, I will make an effort to find the answer for you.
It might be that I’ll stick with this for the rest of my life; then again it might be that I only stick with it for the next few years. What is important is that it’s what I’m sticking with right now.
I’m not asking you to convert, I’m not asking for your acceptance of my path (though it would be great, but again it’s not what I’m asking for); what I am asking for is acceptance of my free will and my freedom to choose what I feel is right for me as an adult. It hasn’t changed me as a person other than bringing me more happiness and bringing me to a place I feel secure – I’m still the same Terri I always have been – I just have a different religious belief to you guys and I hope you can understand that.

I love you all so much,

Terri xxoo

So I sent it to her via email, as she was at work, and held my breath to prepare for the upcoming onslaught.

Here’s her reply:

Maybe I’m Wiccan too!

As long as one is happy and has their own free mind , knows right from wrong and lives to be the best person they can be, is there for others and send out positive messages then I don’t care what it is called . Every one needs something to believe in and as long as that belief does not hurt others then all is good.

Love you no matter what

Mummsie
xx

*SIGH OF RELIEF* I can’t believe she was so accepting. What the hell have I been waiting for with this?!

So, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders, it brought a couple of tears to my eyes, but I’m so happy now it’s out.