Growth Like New Buds

When Spring begins, all manner of things begin and/or renew their cycle of growth. In my Ostara ritual, one of the things I expressed hope for was that I would be able to take new steps down the Wiccan Path. My prayer has been answered.

Shortly after Ostara, I met a new friend, Karen, who I felt comfortable enough with that I was able to reveal my status as a witch right away. She is Christian, from what I have gathered, but accepting of my choice to follow Wicca. She also is interested in some of my magick, particularly with stones. I gave her several stones that I felt would assist her with finding balance and success in her life.

Thus, I have taken steps forward in that I am able to explain the ways in which I show devotion to the God and Goddess and principles of Wicca as a whole.

Also, just tonight, I found out my beloved Grandma Coplon is not doing well physically, and in pain. I haven't lit candles or opened a circle in quite some time but felt compelled to after this news. I did so simply, not offering invocations but instead just talking to the deities as a child might who needs help. What I asked is something I feel should remain private, but I am proud that I did it at all.

I see this as a step forward because for the first time I was not asking the deities to assist me for personal reasons, but to assist someone else, or allow me the strength and knowledge to do so.

The shift from internal to external fulfillment is an important one. It signifies to me that my magick has grown and that I am ready to move more into healing magick.

Misha

Enjoy the Moment: An Ostara Lesson

Merry meet! I hope everyone is having a most pleasant Ostara.

For those of you still brushing up on the significance of the Sabbats, Ostara is the Spring Equinox. This Wiccan festival day is marked by the lengthening of daylight until day and night are equal, signaling the Sun King's growing strength.

Ostara is also all about balance. The length of daylight has already been discussed, but there are other things in balance too. The temperatures outside are becoming more mild, neither oppressively hot nor oppressively cold. Along with the night and day, masculine and feminine energies are at equilibrium.

I burn candles in my rituals as I feel that doing so brings me closer to the God and Goddess and allows us to communicate. In my Ostara ritual tonight, after setting out a circle of sunstone and moonstone, I lit a blue candle for the Goddess and a copper one for the God. The copper signifies the strength of the sun, and the blue signifies the water that balances the sun's fire, and the rebirth that occurs in nature with the coming of spring.

At first my candles did not burn, and I was somewhat alarmed, but a discussion with my mentor helped me to see that the slow pace of the burn was due to the God and Goddess telling me all was right in my world for the moment and I should enjoy the feeling of contentment rather than being out of sorts. Once I relaxed and began this blog post, they began burning normally.

Too often we do rituals because we feel as though there is an unspoken expectation that we will do so. When this happens, we simply go through the motions and the ritual becomes muddy and meaningless. Even if you feel a desire to simplify your rituals, for example, do so, for there is no requirement of large gatherings or opulence. A quiet simple ritual can be a thing of great beauty. If it makes you happy, so too will it be smiled upon by the God and Goddess. There is nothing to fear.

Blessed be.

Misha

The Wildwood Tarot: Initial Reading

For my first reading with the Wildwood tarot, I chose to do a past, present, future spread. This spread involves three cards laid out left to right. The card on the left represents the querent's past. The middle card represents the querent's present. And lastly, the card on the right represents the querent's future.

In this case, I was the querent, even though I was also the person shuffling and reading the cards. It is perfectly acceptable to do a reading for or on your self. I shuffled the cards and then spread them out in a  fan spread like you sometimes see magicians use. In selecting my three cards I did not draw directly from the top of the deck, instead watching for natural breaks in the fan spread with the cards were uneven. The uneven cards were the ones I chose. I placed them from left to right based on their position when they had broken up the fan spread. Once my cards were chosen, I set the rest of the cards off to the side. Most people think at this point they should ask a question. I never felt the need to, as I knew in my heart my question had already been asked to the spirits that guided the cards.

At this time I will share with you the results of my past present future spread.

 The card on the left which represents my past was the three of arrows. This card represents creativity. More importantly it represents the link between creativity and the spiritual world. This is a very accurate card for me. When I was younger I was much more active in choir and theater than I am now. Being that I was raised Jewish, I worshiped in the synagogue and my favorite part of services was when we would sing or chant. I have always felt that music brings me closer to whatever deity I am working with.

The card in the middle which represents my present, was the 10 of bows. This card represents instruction. Immediately I saw that this card represented the current relationship I have with my Wiccan mentor, my grandma. I am still very new to the Wiccan faith, and find myself relying on my kind and gentle mentor quite a bit. I also lean on the God and Goddess as well as other spirits, using many rituals to interact with them on deeper levels, or more direct ones, rather than trusting myself to interpret their gentle guidance on my own. This card is showing me that these relationships are important right now. But what is even more important is that I recognize my ability to grow through these relationships. I need to not only be listening to the instruction I am given but internalizing it and making it my own.This card also symbolizes my transition from child to woman.

The card on the right which represents my future was the eight of vessels. This card symbolizes rebirth. I nearly cried when I saw this card included in my spread, especially in such an important position. For so long I have searched for a way to move past my parents abuse. For so long, I have sought healing. The appearance of this card means that that healing will come.

One of the reasons I did this reading tonight, is because I had begun to feel out of touch with Wicca. I knew that this was normal, and that most solitary witches feel this way at one time or another. However, the trials I have faced in my past had me seriously doubting that even Wicca was the right path for me. This is what I was questioning when I drew my cards tonight. The results I received gave me a very clear indication.

The reading as a whole can be interpreted as follows. My creativity is a gift from the God and the Goddess. It is always been one of the most important links between myself and the spiritual world, even from a very young age. Now that I have found my true path, and am receiving formal instruction in Wicca, I am finally beginning to blossom and grow into my own person under the guidance of my loved ones,and I can begin to look toward the future. The future for me, holds a new beginning as a true Witch. I will finally be able to cast away the pain and sorrow from my past. But as I grow and am reborn, I must not lose sight of the lessons I am taught nor the creativity that is a part of my very essence. This reading signifies hope and promise, but it will take hard work to get there.

Blessed be.

Misha

The Wildwood Tarot

This post is going to differ slightly from others on this blog.Instead of addressing a key issue within the Wiccan community, I will be offering my thoughts on my newest tarot deck. Roughly a week ago I purchased the Wildwood tarot. It was conceptualized by Mark Ryan and John Matthews, and illustrated by Will Worthington.
This deck is actually a reimagining of the earlier deck called the Greenwood Tarot. The Greenwood tarot  replaced the stark imagesof early tarot decks with beautiful depictions of nature. This included the depiction of the archetypes of the major arcana as natural beings.

The Wildwood tarot features illustrations that are less ethereal and more naturalistic. The meanings of the cards are very clear, and even I, who is just beginning to be able to read the tarot cards was able to access this deck fully and completely. The companion handbook that comes with the deck is both beautiful and informative, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that once I attempted to work with the cards I was able to make my initial interpretation of the meaning of the spread on my own, and only had to look at the companion handbook for clarification and verification. In the end, I could have just trusted my own instincts as my initial interpretation of the cards was correct.

My first introduction to Wicca, was a guided meditation in which I visited a forest of spirits. These spirits, whether animal humanoid or otherwise, are in reality ancient guardians. I have been visiting this forest each night before I go to bed since last May. I was very pleased to find that the archetypes depicted in the Wildwood tarot were already familiar to me due to my guided meditations. Even the animals, which graced the court cards corresponded with my understanding of their role within the forest.

This deck is also, as is explained in the companion handbook, specifically structured so as to be in tune with The Wheel of the Year. Even after only a cursory glance at the deck, I find myself beginning to understand how each of the suits and the various archetypes correspond to the Wiccan festivals and the seasons. I cannot wait to explore this deck further.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this deck to anyone who wishes to further their understanding of Wicca and its connection to nature. Contrary to other reviews, I would in fact recommend this deck for beginners, because of the clarity of illustration and the helpful nature of the text at the bottom of the car which not only titles it, but explains what each card in the minor arcana represents. This is something that older more traditional tarot decks do not do, and is one of the reasons that I struggled with the original deck I had.

I realize that this deck may not be for everyone, but I certainly encourage both newcomers and experienced tarot readers to consider it.

Blessed be.

Misha

Wicca and the Internet

In the modern age, more and more Wiccans have turned to the Internet as a way of gaining knowledge and connecting with other Witches. While the Internet is a wonderful resource when searching for general information such as the meanings of colors for candles or recipes for incense and oil blends, one area in which I do not recommend its use is in finding spells.

In the beginning when I first began to explore Wicca I looked everywhere for spells, convinced I would not be able to find the words to form spells of my own, or that if I did manage to write a spell it would sound silly. I pulled various spells for love, protection, even money off the Internet, and said them in a hushed voice. I could not seem to put strength behind my words and it just felt...wrong.

Since that naive experience I have come to realize the reason I felt odd using someone else's spell. It was not mine, and so lacked my personal power. Any spell found to be lacking in this will be ineffective. As a result, I much prefer writing my own spells and rituals to using those written by others. I would however recommend using the internet to thoroughly research about rituals and typical customs before trying to write them, and in the case of a spell, for any dieties you might wish to invoke or phrasing that may assist you better in acheiving the desired effect.

For those that are concerned at their ability, or lack thereof, to write rituals and spells, I believe that every one of us has the potential to be good at this. Part of Wicca is being able to form personal and open relationships with the God and the Goddess, and speaking to them from your heart, or in your own words, is one of the best ways to accomplish this. Best of luck. It will take time to get comfortable writing these types of things if you are not a writer or anything normally, but if you trust in yourself and in the God and Goddess, the right words will come.

Blessed be.

Misha Coplon

Wicca and Predestination

Through my reading of materials about Wicca thus far, I have come across several Witches who feel that even if they began practicing the Craft later in life, they had always been different from others and later recognized these oddities as skills or traits that have served them well when studying the Craft. There is also this myth out there that to be a "True Witch" one must be born into the Craft. I would prefer to integrate these two theories and say those of us who are Wiccan, whether we have been so from day one or not, were always meant to be Wiccan. The God and the Goddess do not see force as the optimal way to get messages across however, and as such are content with letting ourselves find our way to Wicca. When necessary though they can be quite...well...persuasive.

For me, the path to Wicca was one of many starts and stops. I first encountered Wicca as a junior in high school when my friend expressed an interest in it. I did not truly understand what she was talking about and having it explained to me by someone that barely understood it themselves was no help. Unable to do book research without arousing the suspicions and ire of my abusive and controlling parents, I turned to the internet. I checked the facts I was reading among several sources for validity and found myself awed, a little scared, and very very intrigued.

I did not do much research on the subject at the time, considering that besides my father's almost fanatical obsession with Judaism, I was also afraid of the occult. Yet what I did know stayed in my mind and I frequently would wish I had the time to learn more. It took several more years and a journey into the martial arts to finally set me permanently on the path of Wicca. Having moved out of my parents' home at 18, I took up learning martial arts as a form of self defense at 21 years old. My sensei, or teacher, follows shamanism, and taught me about achieving higher consciousness through meditation. This is a practice also used in Wicca. My sensei also became a surrogate father to me, and his mother became my surrogate Grandma. Grandma is Wiccan and has been for years and when she began to share her beliefs with me, I was determined to follow the Wiccan way as well.

I am a solitary, since I don't have access to a Coven that I can join, but Grandma has become my mentor and is teaching me all she can. Through our time together and her talent for unlocking past memories, I discovered I have always been fascinated by the stones and gems I now use as the basis for most of my magick. I also have realized I have always been able to bond in special ways with animals, so I call on animal spirits for help and guidance when needed. Even my least favorite chore as a child, helping with the garden, became fun when I started growing herbs, many of which are the same herbs I now use in Wiccan practices.

The types of habits and interests I mentioned above may be an indicator that you are meant to follow the Wiccan way. This is what I mean by predestination. We are drawn to Wicca because of these things, not the other way around. But the only way to know for sure is to know yourself and ask the God and Goddess for guidance.

Blessed be

Misha Coplon

Wicca and Those With Special Needs

My mentor, who also happens to be my surrogate grandmother, recently gave me a gift of the book A Witch's Book of Answers by Eileen Holland and Cerelia. This extremely valuable text answers many common questions related to the Craft, and in fact is another piece of the inspiration behind this blog. The material within was compiled from an online forum moderated by the two authors. One of the most intriguing questions and answers was whether r not there was one illness or disorder that seemed to plague high numbers of those who practice the Craft and the answer was fibromyalgia.

For those who are unaware, fibromyalgia is a neuromuscular condition which is caused when the protective myelin sheaths which are on nerve cells has worn away causing overstimulation and extreme pain. I do in fact know a witch with Fibromyalgia. My grandma. I have a neuromuscular disorder as well, cerebral palsy. My muscles are randomly incorrectly stimulated, which causes muscle spasms.

This revelation led me to wonder whether or not these excess stimulations and our sensitivity to them might explain our sensitivity to magick and our ability to use it. Same for those with pain, or keen sensory perception due to the loss of function in one or more senses. Could these setbacks really be gifts in disguise? Often, a person with an illness or disability will compensate for their shortcomings by excelling on other levels. Ex: an autistic child may struggle in the classroom but be very talented as an athlete. Could the God and Goddess have blessed us with an awareness of our magick to help us find something we CAN excel at?

I think the answer is undoubtedly yes. Another explanation which can be applied here is the retained imagination principle. Young children have extremely active imaginations. These imaginations come in very handy when living with a chronic illness and disability, providing us with hope, amusement and escape. Many of us who have faced these things retain this open mindedness and a unique awareness of the true power of the mind into adulthood. This combination of skill and awareness allows us to be open minded and accept magick in all its forms.

But not all Witches are disabled. There are also other types of pain such as emotional pain which can necessitate this need to cope and this open minded attitude toward means of personal power and escape can manifest as magick. After all, our magick is the result of powerful will and focused thought, the same things that allow us to play Let's Pretend.

If my conclusions are correct, as I suspect they are, then I am for the first time grateful for my disability. The gifts that I have been blessed with by the God and Goddess are truly worth all the additional struggles. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Blessed be.

Misha Coplon

Wicca and Organized Religion

It is no secret that organized religion, particularly Christianity, has had its clashes with the Wiccan community. Through meditation and education on the subject of Wicca, when the differences became clear to me, it was easy to see why the clashes arose.

In Christianity, which arose from Judaism, there is a distinct lack of personal power among practitioners. That is to say that as a follower of these religions you are immediately given an extraplanar being to who you can look for solutions to problems. As nice as this seems to some, some of us feel there is also a downside to this, when you consider that help must be asked for not by the practitioner but in many faiths by clergy on the practitioner's behalf. Even if you can intercede with the divine on your own behalf, you are told to leave your problem in the hands of the divine, rather than taking action after such intercession to solve it. Some can but these people are rare and seen as having experienced miracles. Thus if the problem is not resolved it is not the practitioner's fault, but this generates anger at the divine and an unhealthy spiritual environment.

Christianity (and also Judaism) actually makes monetary contributions to religious endeavors a requirement of Scripture. Yet too often these monetary contributions glorify the sanctuaries and clergymen more than God. The Burning Times were seen as a way for many to profit through the suffering of others and many did.

Wicca doesn't require such contributions, aside from personal acquiring of religious tools should you choose to purchase them rather than make them, and possible minimal fees for workshops and classes. We in fact make sure to never profit through another's suffering especially, living by the ethic of harm none. We also have no clergy to support monetarily, and no temples or churches to maintain as nature, or our homes in which we incorporate nature as much as possible, become our sanctuaries,

In Wicca, the magick we practice is our name for the direct action we take to influence our environment and change things where necessary. Instead of asking the God and Goddess to solve our problems for us, we ask them for the strength and power to solve them ourselves. Wiccans follow the Ethic of Self Responsibility, which says that we are responsible for all we do in the name of Wicca.Not the God or Goddess. Us. This means we may make mistakes but it also allows us recognize and learn from those mistakes, allowing for great personal growth I find it difficult to replicate with other religions.

I think the tension between Wicca and organized religion, and Christian fear of Wicca is because they cannot imagine versatile sacred space like the Circle that can be cast anywhere, and see such unbridled joy as is in the Wiccan communities as a whole as well as the great wealth of personal power that we possess as coming from none other than Satan. But they would do well to remember that not everything unknown is evil. They also seem to think that even if we do not embrace evil, we do leave ourselves unprotected. This is blatantly untrue. One of the steps when casting a circle is to ask the protection of the deities so no evil can approach.

Open recruiting is perhaps the major difference between the two religions and perhaps the one that has hurt the relationship between them the most. As I said, people are afraid of the unknown and often assume it is bad. Wiccans do not actively recruit because of historical persecution, and a belief that if you truly wish to know the ways of the Craft you will seek out the proper avenues of information. It helps prevent those who would not take it seriously from stumbling upon it, using it incorrectly and causing chaos.That doesn't mean that we would not be willing to explain our ways to those wishing greater understanding in the name of tolerance, and perhaps even allow you to see a ritual or celebration. Ask. If covens will not allow this, seek a Solitary who practices on their own. We are everywhere, and willing to help.

Striving for understanding and tolerance is one of the reasons I am writing this blog. I feel I am called, within Wicca, to the paths of teaching and healing. Part of the role of teacher, as I define it when it comes to Wicca, is activist. Without proper information, change can never occur.

Blessed be.

Misha Coplon

Why Wicca?

In the process of beginning my conscious spiritual journey in Wicca, an important step for me has been to reveal my new choice and this new aspect of my self identity to those I care about. Invariably when doing so, the question I get first is "why?"

People choose to embrace Wicca for many reasons, too many to list or even to be aware of. However one of the most common is dissatisfaction with organized religion, particularly in the Western world. This was certainly true for me.

I don't know why, but I just never felt comfortable with Judaism, which is the religion I was raised in. The major reason for this was the emphasis, even in the less strict denominations, on praying in Hebrew. While Hebrew is a beautiful language, I always found it difficult to read or speak and never quite was satisfied with my religious experience as a result. My fiancee is Christian and so I tried that for some time, but still felt empty. Though services were participatory, I still felt powerless, like I was repeating the prayers simply because it was expected.

Another reason I have heard of is the desire to reclaim personal power, especially among those who come from troubled families or abusive relationships. I was emotionally, and occasionally physically abused by my parents from a young age. I was made to feel unloved and worthless, so that is how I viewed myself, even after I had removed myself from the situation at 18.

Faced with these issues I had nearly given up on spirituality altogether. Thanks to a wise teacher who introduced me to Wicca and helped me begin to understand the reasoning behind the Craft, my hope has been renewed. Wicca is a very personal religion and requires a willingness not only to learn about the deities and the traditions but about yourself. Why? In Wicca the self is the most important tool you have. Where organized religion might say we are incapable of accessing the divine simply because we are human, in Wicca not only does each practicioner have a direct relationship with gods and goddesses but is divine in and of themselves, thus our ability to perform magick and see real change. Thus we come into personal power and also find that element of self direction and relatability our religious lives had been missing previously.

This personal power can be a powerful healing agent once it is awakened, so it comes as no surprise to me that many who turn to Wicca have come from backgrounds where for whatever reason that power was compromised. When my first spell worked, a simple spell asking the God and Goddess for protection from negativity I felt immediately empowered and my self esteem went up astronomically. I was also filled with gratitude toward the God and Goddess. I was subsequently able to reclaim myself and also release my anger at those who had hurt me. The fear that prompted the anger, the fear that the power and self worth I had once had was gone forever, was gone and I could move forward.

I hope that gives those who want to know me better a better clue to who I am, and perhaps also the answer to why they or a loved one has been drawn to Wicca. Wicca is a very loving path and as more information is revealed in subsequent posts I would encourage you to partake of it.

Blessed be.

Misha Coplon.

Welcome

Merry Meet! Welcome to Misha's Mirror Book. For those that don't know what a Mirror Book is, it is a tool for new and experienced Wiccans alike to journal about their life as it relates to their religion. Most mirror books are private.

While I have a second more intimate Mirror Book, this blog is meant to showcase my personal ideas, opinions and views about issues in the Wiccan community. I have only been Wiccan for a few weeks but already I see ways in which I can honor the God and Goddess by giving back to the Wiccan community.

I welcome all readers, no matter who you are. However,I will offer two points of caution. Firstly, I have only been Wiccan for about a month. My ideas and views are still in the formation stages. I do not claim to be an authority on Wicca, nor should what I write be taken as the end all be all. I hope, however, to foster discussion and maybe give others a basis for their own opinions.

That said, the second point is: these are opinions. If you believe differently or would like to debate something, please do. I hope to learn as much from my readers as they do from me. But please keep it respectful. Everyone has a right to believe as they choose and offensive comments will be deleted.

That said, I look forward to sharing my journey of discovery with all of you. Who knows what will be revealed? The possibilities are endless.

Blessed be.

Misha Coplon