Q. Diosa asked how did you get involved with Wicca? What drew you to it?
A. When I was 20 I had a subcription to FATE magazine. My favorite articles were those dealing with the occult or magick of some kind. They would occasionally mention Wicca but never explained that it was a goddess religion. My first spell was one that I read about in FATE. lol Then came the movie The Craft. I wanted to know how much of it was real ritual. So I went to my local library and started reading the books on Wicca and witchcraft. I was utterly delighted that they worshiped a Goddess! The idea was revolutionary to me. I read everything that I could get my hands on and practiced Gardnerian Wicca. Well, mine was probably more Dianic, because I focused entirely on the Goddess. So what drew me to Wicca was initially the idea of magick, but what kept me there was finding the Divine Feminine. It felt like "coming home."
Q. Andr'eann asked how often do you practice ritual and what are your plans for Beltaine?
A. As far as Beltane goes, I haven't thought that far ahead...until now. lol Actually, this is my second favorite pagan holiday. (My first being Samhain.) When it gets warm out, my family and I have a fire pit going almost every night so many rituals and spells that I do in spring and summer involve fire. I think this year I'd like to try a fire dance.
I'm just now getting back into doing regular ritual. I quite honestly stopped doing formal ritual and did more what could be considered semi-spontaneous prayer and nature worship. The reason I stopped was because I became a single parent so it was hard to find the time (I had to wait until everyone was in bed and found I was just too tired by then) and because I found myself simply going through the motions.. Now I find I miss the beauty of formal ritual. I've been refamiliarizing myself with Wiccan ritual and have even begun to study ceremonial magick. My goal is to do a formal ritual every full moon.
Q. Willow asked how did your first week of spring cleaning go?
A. Not as planned! The first week was to focus on needed repairs. It takes money to buy paint and supplies and I just haven't had it. Once I made the list and tried to figure out how much it would cost to fix everything I had a mini-panic attack. Especially once I realized how they may be affecting me feng shui wise. That's when I figured out to advise to just do what you can even if it's just figuring out the cost or how to do something. As far as getting outdoor chores done like washing the exterior of the house and cleaning gutters, it rained almost the whole week. A friend of mine did pull a metal pole that used to be an umbrella style clothes line out for me. I've been wanting that thing out for 3 years!
I have however started paying attention to what I eat and how it makes me feel. Every since I read the part about chemicals and sugar in Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover, I've been taking note of how things like pop and sweets effect me. I've realized that they make me feel tired and just generally yucky. When I drink pop I taste chemicals now. I feel good though if I eat something that's a grain and/or vegetable. I want to get back into a serious exercise program especially now that it's getting close to bikini season. A few months ago my goal was to lose weight. Somehow I've done that. (Praise Goddess!) But that means I need to reevaluate my goals and build an exercise program around toning. I still have my pooch belly! Yesterday walking through the library made we winded so I know I'm just not in good shape.
