For twenty-plus years I’ve been an on-again off-again Catholic. I went to church almost every Sunday growing up, and in some hard times when I had nothing else to turn to, it got me by. But, as I left home I saw what the world was really like. I began to form my own opinions and ideas, and I couldn’t help but question my faith. I had doubts, I wondered if my faith was real. Years later, those doubts turned to discomfort. Religion just didn’t feel right anymore. Hearing people vehemently talk about God rubbed me wrong. I couldn’t describe it. I had hoped it was just a phase, but it’s never changed. When people talk to me about how devoted their faith is, there’s a part of me that can’t help but think they’re just a little bit crazy.
Insensitive as that may be, I feel disconnected from my childhood-labeled faith. When I want something to go right, do I say a small silent prayer? Sure. Perhaps faith is simply a personal journey for me. Ironic (hypocritical?), considering I’m writing this blog, though, huh? But I’m not preaching or evangelizing, so that’s gotta count for something, eh?
The one place I’ve always felt a connection to something has been nature. I care about nature, dare I say love it. Pollution and animals pushed to the brink of extinction anger me. Trophy hunting disgusts me. I view Earth almost as though it’s an entity not unlike the Tao, even already resembling the Divine.
Originally I had approached Wicca from the angle of a Spiritualist deeply entrenched on the path toward becoming a Buddhist, satisfying a mere curiosity when my girlfriend and I jokingly decided to get a tarot deck. I can’t even remember the context of why. While tarot and Wicca are not inherently connected, tarot is usually associated with witchcraft. And witchcraft, as it happens, is the common practice of Wicca.
As I started passively looking at Wicca, I began seeing it for what it was: a counterculture movement rooted in caring for nature and rejecting traditionalism and narrowmindedness. Wiccans are practitioners, not believers. It’s practiced by many different types of people: monotheists, pantheists, atheists, spiritualists, and polytheists, to name a few. It’s a malleable religion and can be practiced as part of a group (a coven), or alone.
Ritual practice and finding one’s own beliefs are the foundations of Wicca. Witches (another term for Wiccans) are encouraged to have their own handwritten Book of Shadows (a sort of journal or grimoire of beliefs, spells, and rituals) and tailor their practice to their own beliefs and ideals. Wicca embodies non-conformity and personal growth, all while encouraging compassion for nature and finding comfort in one’s place in it. It’s this emphasis on nature and stepping away from the heavily dogmatic religion I was brought up in that is so alluring. No more judgement or rigidity and austerity. Harmony with nature, harmony of spirit, and freedom of the mind.
(Photographer: Noah, @derangednomad)
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