Being a Witch takes a lot of effort......

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Being a Witch takes a lot of effort, study and responsibility.
Attuning with nature is vital to being a Witch. You can't worship
Mother Earth if you have no connection to her, and worship of the
Earth is the basis of Witchcraft. Celebrating Sabbaths and Esbats
(full moon rituals) are the traditional ways to celebrate, honor and
Truly feel the life force of mother earth. They attune us with her
constantly changing cycles. Celebrating and participating in these
Rituals don't have to be elaborate ceremonies; the importance is to
really experience and feel them. If one doesn't make a strong effort
to attune them with the earth, they will never understand the
Path of a Witch or what it's like to truly be one.

Witches find joy, knowledge and enrichment in things that many people
take for granted. We don't just celebrate and observe the wonders of
our glorious planet on Sabbaths, we do it every day. By listening to
the song of a bird, or watching them soar in flight, squirrels
Scampering about, the power and beauty of a thunderstorm, the majesty
of a tree, and spending time with the nature of our surroundings. We
meditate while sitting under trees, at a lake or even in a public
Park. No matter where we live, we seek out the nature of our area and
spend time connecting with it. These qualities also strengthen our
Power of observation. Because we take the time to connect with nature,
We see a lot more of it than most people do. We notice a new spider
Web on a bush outside our home or a new bird’s nest, and even smaller
Things like the cocoon of a butterfly, a ladybug on a leaf, and the
Way the dew on grass catches the morning sun. The more time we spend
in nature, the more we see, and the stronger our connection to her grows.

Witches also take on the task of getting in touch with themselves.
Both the light and dark aspects of are beings are vital to explore.
Part of being a Witch is trying to become the best person you can be.
This is not possible unless one has the courage to journey within and
understand them. This can be a very difficult journey, and we
All have personal obstacles to overcome, but the benefits of learning
Who you really are, and working to overcome personal demons far out
Weighs the pain involved in doing so. We are all a part of mother
Earth, and to understand her and our connection to all life, we must
understand the mysteries of ourselves as well. When things go wrong in
our lives or we have bad experiences, we see them as lessons to learn
from or challenges to overcome, not a reason to try out a new spell to
make the problem go away. Getting to know one is a long and never
ending journey. Just as the more time we spend in nature the more of
it we see, the same principal applies to getting to know oneself. The
Deeper we look, the more we find and understand.

Witches take full responsibly for their actions. There is no evil
Deity in our religion that we can blame for any misdeeds we do, and we
Know that it will come back to us in some form, be it karma or the
three fold law. We carefully consider the ramifications of our
Actions, and what impact they may have on others. We are constantly
working on sharpening and keeping skills that are important to our
Ways such as meditation and visualization, the tools we use to aid in
our connection with the earth, worship, rituals and getting to know
ourselves better.

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Doing all of this takes a lot of effort. We are everyday people that
go to school, have jobs, children, families and all of the mundane
Responsibilities everyone else has, like paying bills, cleaning and
Grocery shopping. We are just as busy as everyone else. We make time
to connect with nature and ourselves, but we also go beyond that. We
also work to do whatever we can to care for the earth, and harm her as
little as possible. We strive to do things that make the world we
Worship a better place. We recycle, pick up litter, plant gardens and
Trees, put up bird feeders and/or houses, food for squirrels, donate
to environmental charities, educate about the truth of our ways when
Ever we can, and more.

Reading a few books and initiating yourself dose not make you a Witch,
Nor does casting spells. Witches read a great deal to understand the
various concepts and aspects of the Craft and its very important to
Study, but along with this one must also practice what they learn. The
Most important lessons to be learned will not come from a book, but
from the practices and experiences a Witch has during their life. No
Two Witches will ever have the exact experiences, just as each has
their own lessons and challenges to learn from.

Witches also learn from each other and should help each other whenever
they can. No Witch, no matter how many years they practice will ever
know 'all there is to know’. A Witch who has been practicing longer
than someone else does not necessarily make them more knowledgeable.
Everyone learns things at their own pace, and just because someone hasn't
been practicing as long as you doesn't mean you can't learn from them.
Remember that a Witch is just a person, and each has their own unique
outlook and perspective. Someone who is just beginning to learn our
path should be encouraged to ask as many questions as they want, and
never have to feel that they are asking a stupid question just because
the answer is obvious to you.

Witches also have a responsibility in how they present themselves to
others. Weather we like it or not, Witches that are not 'in the broom
closet' can find themselves in a position where they represent all
Witches when dealing with people who do not know the truth of our
ways. One Witch with a pompous attitude can cause a great deal of harm
and cast a negative impression on all Witches and our beliefs. Just as
someone who is half way through their first book pretending to know
everything can. When asked to explain your beliefs to others, keep in
mind that you might be the only Witch this person will ever meet.
You're impression and the information you provide can open a window of
understanding that can spread from that person to their friends and so
on. It can create a bridge of understanding and tolerance.

Being a Witch is not cool, glamorous, chic, trendy or a fad, and our
religion is not about gaining power over others by abusing the
magickal aspect of it to manipulate everything or everyone to your
advantage. It is a joyous religion based on a deep love and respect of
the God/dess and mother earth. It’s a path where you take total
responsibility for you actions. When someone is truly ready to be a
Witch, they are choosing a religious path which involves following the
'harm none, do as you will' code of ethics. We are normal everyday
people, but feel our lives are enriched in our connection with the
God/dess and mother earth. We don't all have fancy tools and robes,
and we don't have a dress code. We each worship in our own way. What
counts is the power of our convictions, and being true to ourselves
and our ethics.

Being a Witch can be difficult. There are many that don't understand
the truth of our ways. And sadly there are great deals of people that have no
interest in trying to. Many Witches have to hide their beliefs out of
fear, and those who don't can endure great hardships due to the many
stereotypes that cause people to think we are evil. Deciding to follow
the path of a Witch should only be done when you are absolutely
certain that it is right for you, and you are willing to take on all
of the responsibilities that go along with being one.

If you want to be a Witch, it is vital to understand that Witchcraft
is a religion. It is not a hobby to dabble in on occasion, nor a path
to choose because of its magickal aspects. It’s also not a path that
can be learned or explained in a day, or an email. Study our ways
carefully and fully. Take time to absorb and understand the
information you read. Don’t be in a rush to try and learn everything
all at once. Practice the information you learn and keep records of
them along with your feelings of the experiences you have. If it is
truly the path for you...you will know.