 |
 |
 |
 October 2004 Each month I'll try to answer as many of your letters as possible, offering you both practical and magical advice. Please address all emails to covencolumn@forthewitchinyou.co.uk Dear Georgia, I am a practicing pagan, by this I mean that I cast spells etc; I honour the earth and nature, and am respectful of the craft. But I still get quite confused when I think of the words 'Pagan' and 'Wiccan'. Is there much difference? Is it really the same thing? Many thanks, Lyn Dear Lyn, They say that most wiccan’s are pagans but not all pagans are wiccan’s! To answer your question: a pagan is a follower of a nature religion that is not part of Islam, Judaism or Christianity. The actual word Pagan comes from the Latin for country dweller. This was a word used by the Romans to describe someone unsophisticated or a hick. Wicca is a subset of paganism, so if you could imagine a large oak tree, Wicca is just one branch. The word Wiccan entered modern use around 50 years ago to describe a type of religious reconstruction of what had been practiced in ancient times. So yes you can be pagan and wiccan at the same time, but you can be just pagan - it truly is what you feel is right for you. Blessed be. Georgia. Dear Georgia, My query is two-fold. Let me explain. Over the last 3 years, I have met a lovely man and given birth to our 2 children. Unfortunately, this wonderful experience has left me with little time to practice as a witch and I feel that I've lost touch with a lot of the knowledge and routines that I had. Can you suggest a way to return to Wicca? Secondly, how can I protect my children and partner against any harmful spirits that I may attract through using magic? Thank you for listening. Blessed be. Fiona, York Dear Fiona, Congratulations on meeting such a lovely partner, having children and welcome back. I believe that the essence of being a witch is something that sleeps inside of us; it never travels far from our hearts. To get back into the swing of things, celebrate! Aren’t we just the luckiest people? We get 13 esbats and 8 Sabbats per year. Do what you feel is right for you at the time, read as much as you can and if you feel the need to dedicate yourself again then by all means do it. To answer your second question; we cast a circle at the beginning of any magical work to contain the magic inside the circle not out. If you manage to attract a harmful spirit, which would be unlikely as you cast your circle specifically for protection, it would be contained by the circle. The magical power comes from within you and whilst inside your circle, there is no magic outside, so your loved ones are safe. Blessed be. Georgia. :: Letters Archive |