So, You Wanna be a Witch?

So, you wanna be a witch.

You’re standing in front of a sink full of dishes and thinking how much easier this would be if you could snap.your fingers or wiggle your nose and BOOM, they’d all be done and you could get back to watching “Charmed.” 
Dear gracious Goddess how i wish it worked that way. My house would be sparkling. Unfortunately, real magick doesn’t work that way. And being a witch is so much more than spells and the Hollywood stereotype.   
At the heart of it, being a witch, at least to me, is about honoring the masculine and feminine, the light and dark, and the true nature and beauty of the universe inside and out. It’s understanding that our actions have consequences, and our thoughts form our actions. It is a religion and a lifestyle. 
For the record, not all pagans are witches. Not all witches are Wiccans. But there are some commonalites. Keep in mind, these are broad and general because there are so many different “types” of witches and what they do and believe. 

The basis of being a witch is that it is a nature based religion. Our holidays and sacred times are based on the moon phases and seasons such as solstices and equinoxes. We acknowledge that we have a responsibility to the environment. We recognize the great power that lives in all of us. We are polytheistic, with a main focus on the duality of deity. Short version, we have gods and goddesses. Where we don’t exactly have a chuch hierarchy system we do have leaders who choose to share their wisdom and experience with us.
Witchcraft is a way of life. It’s how you cook, garden, wash your clothes, take a shower, stir your coffee, celebrate holidays. Just declaring yourself a witch doesn’t make you one anymore than saying you’re a gourmet chef when you can’t make a bowl of cereal without burning the house down. 

And then there’s the big thing; what’s your deal with Christianity. I have many Christian friend. My husband and parents are Christian. I love my Christian brothers and sisters. The only issue I have, and I think others in the witch community do as we, is the insistance that the Christian way is the only way. We get that you dig your choices and want to share them with everyone. We’re content with our choices. Please respect that. 
Still wanna be a witch? Cool. You’re still probably thinking about the spell aspect of it and how cool it would be to wave a wand and make a pile of money appear. Dude, that would be sweet!!! But, yeah, no. That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works. Spell work is about intention. It’s  also about control of yourself. You can do all the love and money spells you can find and they may work for a time but unless you work on preparing yourself for that love or what a change in income and financial status will do for you then your results may vary and be temporary. You have to work on yourself. Seriously, isn’t the whole point of being human to be better?

Still think you’d rock this witch gig? Awesome. Wait! You mean your mom’s sister’s aunt’s grandmother’s cousin wasn’t a witch?! The shame! The horror! How dare you think you could ever sit at the lunch table with us?! Yeah, about that. I don’t care if you’re grandmother was accused at Salem for dancing with the devil by the pale moonlight. I also don’t care if the most you know about witches came from “Practical Magic, “Charmed,” and “The Craft.” I dig people that ask questions and have a genuine respect for learning. I also have great respect for those that share their wisdom with others. Those are the people that can sit at my bonfire any day. 
I hope this helps you understand what it is I do and believe. And as always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to ask me. 
Brightest blessing, my witches.