I have been a lot of things in my religious life. I went from church to church and faith to faith trying their doctrines hoping to find something that fit me. I was longest a Latter-Day Saint (LDS). But, no matter how I seemed to fit in at the beginning, I didn't feel like it was right for me. I didn't know why.
Being LDS was the last religion I tried before I became a Witch. I stopped being LDS of my own accord because I was disaffected from the teachings. I did not run out and become a Witch the next day. I didn't want to rush myself.
Most people hear of the Craft and then have trouble finding someone to help them learn. I knew people who were in the Craft. And it seemed my close friends were investigating this religion more and more. I have always recognized my affinity with nature, my psychic sensitivity, that my intuition is strong in times of danger or need. That was not the problem.
What was the problem? Not a problem per se. It was just that my friends were all being coven trained and those covens had a base of myths that did not call to me. Isis from Egypt, Celtic with Greco-Roman overtones -- these said nothing to me. So, I rediscovered an old friend, divination with the Viking Runes.
I had tried on and off to do readings, but tarot or other cards do not say a lot to me, and astrology made me confused and frankly I'm not fond of mathematics. But the runes felt right and good and I began to practice readings and learn the runes with the book by Ralph Blum. This book came with rune tiles so it was easy to start.
One day I did a sample rune reading for a friend who is a Witch. She had never seen runes read and was curious. Afterward, she told me that she had some books on runes, but had never used them and I was free to take one, as my birthday had just passed, as a gift. I chose one called Leaves Of Yggdrasil by Freya Aswynn. My friend's comment at the time was that she had looked at it in the store and thought it would be an interesting book, but when she got it home, for some reason, it didn't interest her anymore.
It interested me a lot. I read the introduction and a bolt out of the blue hit me that this was the path for me. She was talking about Gods and Goddesses that had always been my favorites. And my luckiest number was also the Goddess Freya's number. With a spiritual sigh of relief, I felt like I had come home.
And I discovered why the other religions didn't fit -- I was trying to pound a pagan peg into a christian hole and it wouldn't go. The result? I am now feeling more whole and at peace than ever.
I didn't find a place to train right away, but the friend who gave me the rune book ran a general "Wicca 101" type class with her husband. I was encouraged to pound out my own beliefs leading to my own tradition. They led a dedication ceremony, one that I wrote as an assignment for their class. I was free to go on my own, but felt I wanted more training. The Lady was with me, because someone was just forming a coven to teach people to be solitaries. I joined and studied and recived my First and Second degree initiations from that coven. (Note: most traditions, though not all, have a three degree initiation system that correlates to apprentice/journeyman/master in the old craft or guild systems.) In our tradition, the coven tradition, Second degree is all that is needed to hive-off or go on your own. Quite fortunate, too, because before I could receive my Third degree initiation my life turned a corner and I had to quite suddenly strike out on my own. But this path is one of lifelong learning, and that I am constantly doing.
For those of you looking for training, or not sure about someone you are thinking of training with, please read A Few Things To Think About When Seeking A Teacher. Anyone inquiring with me about training will be answered and treated as a serious student. There are no such things as stupid questions, ask me anything. Feel free to Email me.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! ;-)
