Merry Meet!
Yes, I am a sponge. I have been on my path for 13 1/2
years. When I think back to how I discovered Wicca and started my venture on
this path, it all seems kind of off the wall, but definitely meant to be.
Growing up, I never really went to church much, unless I went with my grandparents
when I was visiting them, to their church, which was 7th Day Adventist. Later
on, when my Mom married my second Dad, the Mormon missionaries came to our
house, and sold Dad on their whole "we're all about family" thing.
There was a lot of course that they didn't talk about (another story for
another post or day). So bcuz my Dad was all about family (which was absolutely
a good thing), we started going to the Mormon church. I never felt comfortable
there. They had rules that I didn't like. I always felt that a person should be
themselves and people should except them as such. Well, I was a tomboy and
didn't like dresses or skirts even a little bit. But the Mormons expect
everyone of the female gender, to wear skirts and dresses. There was a lot more,
but I won't get into all that right now. A few years later, the Pope was going
to be nearby and so this was the talk of the sermon in church one Sunday. But
the talk was not good. In fact, they said bad things about the Pope. My Dad,
being raised Roman Catholic, was furious. My Dad was the type who was open to
other religions, but didn't feel it right that one religion bash another. Well
that was the last day that we ever attended the Mormon church. We walked right
out in the middle and never went back. Next, my Mom and Dad discovered this
little Lutheran church that was just up the street from our house. This church
was the one we settled in. We made friends. We went there for many, many years.
And although I felt comfortable there, I still didn't feel just right. But I
married my now ex-husband there. I went to my Dad's funeral there. The people
were all very very nice. And they genuinely cared about all of us. To be
honest, I didn't know a lot about other religions, and nothing at all about
Wicca. In my entire life, the only thing I knew about being
"spiritual", all had to do with "The Father, Son and Holy
Ghost". Later on, a new series started on TV. It was called Charmed. And I
was fascinated. I didn't get to watch it all the time, bcuz my husband, at the
time, thought it was stupid and he was the ruler of his house. But I did watch
it whenever I could. And I loved it. This was the first time I had heard of
Wicca. But I still did not know that it was real. I will say that that all my
life, I have been very interested all the Gods and Goddesses of the different
pantheons, knowing them then, only as "mythology". About a year
later, when I split up with my husband, my daughter and I moved to Arizona,
where my Mom was living. I couldn't afford to be a single mom in California.
Once in Arizona, my daughter and I moved into a mobile home and we were so
happy. Money was tight, so we would go to the library a lot. They had storytime
every week for the little ones and my daughter loved it. While we were there one
day, something drew me to the section where all the Wiccan/Witchcraft/New Age
books were. To this day, I have no idea what drew me to that section. I don't
even remember how I came to be in that section. But I knew that this is where I
was supposed to be. I thought to myself, "OMG it really IS real!" I
had this huge emotion and realization of "YES! This is what I've been
looking for!" So I checked out a few books. There was one called Wicca
Source Book and another called Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot. I was able
to purchase both books from the library. And I knew at that moment, everything
would be right from that point on. Everything had a purpose now. This was what
I had been looking for and now I was on the right path!
Since then, I have been, like I said, a sponge, learning all that I can. Up until 5 years ago, I learned everything from books. I didn't know anyone else that was Wiccan. I was "in the broom closet" bcuz, I didn't know how others that I knew would react. About 10 years ago, I started coming out of the broom closet to my friends and people that I worked with. They were all very open and were a large diverse group of people themselves. But my family did not know. I didn't start telling them until much later. Even though my personal library was growing, and I was reading all that I could, I really wanted to be able to have others to converse with and to help me with my learning. I tried to find online groups. Five years ago, I found a group that I really wanted to join. I was drawn to this group and knew it would be a very beneficial group for me to be a part of. After reading more info about the group, I found that in order to be a member of the group, I had to be a student of the online Wiccan school that ran the group. So I did some more reading and research, and I signed up! This online Wiccan school is called The College of the Sacred Mists. IT IS WONDERFUL!!! I just love it there. I have learned so much. Everyone there is so nice and welcoming and helpful, and a real family of the Path. We have online chats and rituals. And there are forums for all the lessons, for extended classes, for all kinds of things! It does cost money, but for me it has been 100% worth it. The lessons are "work at your own pace" type of lessons. And I will admit that sometimes I don't work on them near as much as I should. Mundane life tends to distract and take away from life in the Mists at times. But it's not a race, and everything happens for a reason. So what happens is the way it is meant to be. I keep working on it and keep learning and soaking up all the knowledge that I can.
So that is my story. Yes! I am a WITCH!!! And I couldn't be happier and more proud of it! This is my path and where I am meant to be.
Well I think that I have gone on long enough for now.
Blessed Be!
Amythyst Moon
(in AZ)
