About two or three years later, I then began a job at my City Hall, in a resource center, helping people type up resumes, and look for jobs. While on some down time, I looked up Witchcraft (more out of boredom than interest), and found all kinds of websites on legitimate Witchcraft...and here I thought I'd either get a bunch of Wizard of Oz stuff, or something to show me how to do magic like you see on tv. Little did I know that magic and Witchcraft were legitimate practices that people all over participate in. THAT prompted me to investigate further, and I enrolled in WitchSchool.com. I took their basic Wicca course, and completed it with a certificate. Cool, I thought. I now had the basics for practicing Wicca. So...I learned more. With internet now at my fingertips at work, I looked, learned, printed, researched more, and began my study.
I got married to my loving husband and put off my "Wiccan" study for a couple of years, and tried to get back into the whole "Being Catholic" thing. We went to church regularly, I prayed, we even did the rosary every night, until a tragedy struck us, and I no longer felt fulfilled by the Catholic church. I went back to my Wiccan studies (as now I had internet in my home...YAY ME!). More and more made sense to me, and more and more I practiced (in secret as I hadn't come out to my husband yet). I prayed to my deities (at the time were Diana and Osiris...yeah, odd combination, but they were who called me, so I didn't question it), participated in Sabbats, and went from there.
But at some point, through some serious thinking, I just couldn't get myself to be comfortable with the "Wiccan Rede". It sounded too "fluffy" (to steal one of their words). "Harm None"...what does that mean, I thought. I can't harm anyone, EVER??? What if they hurt my family? I just can't let someone hurt my family and think happy fluffy thoughts for them...I'd need retaliation. And that's when I abandoned the Rede...and thusly, I abandoned much of Wicca, and ceased calling myself a Wiccan. I have since called myself a Witch, just to avoid confusion. I still believe in a lot of Wicca, I just don't believe in their ethics...they seem unfounded and unrealistic, in my point of view.
I developed my own set of ethics...what I can do, what I think is crossing a line, determining IF I'd ever cross that line, and what actions would I take. I got more and more interested in Traditional Witchcraft...which has a tolerance for cursing when necessary (and sometimes even when it's not necessary, but then that's where my personal ethics come into play).
Essentially, that brings me to where I am today. I've labelled myself a "Solitary Eclectic Pagan Non-Religio-Specific Witch", but just call myself a Witch for short (because I don't like long-winded, totally unnecessary titles or labels)
Now, as for background, as in family relation...well, my mother is full Native Canadian (Ojibwa ancestry), my father is from Irish background with relations to practicing Druids (though never met them, nor do I ever think I will). This could be where my fascination and interests stem from. My whole life I'd question my mom as to why there isn't a "Goddess" or female God. for the mere fact that I couldn't go on thinking that God was only a guy. It didn't sit right with me. She never really had an answer...perhaps trying to avoid the conversation altogether. Maybe.
Anyways, that's my background. For the past 10+ years, I have been learning, studying, participating and helping people. I've loved every minute of it. Now if I could only just explain it to my logical son...
Ma’iingan
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