What do you do when you no longer seem to be drawn to the witchy things you did in the past, yet still want some meaningful practice in your life?
What may have drawn you to the craft maybe no longer relevant?
Maybe the friendships, or coven, no longer exists?
Maybe you've realized that your group of witchy sisters can be just as bitchy as 'normies'.
Maybe it no longer feels safe due to changes in your life or circumstances to even let anyone know you are a witch.
Or you have outgrown the aesthetic side of witchcraft and are looking for something more meaningful and are just not finding it.
It is hard to find material that goes deeper, but it IS there. It was never meant to handed to you on a plate.
The good thing is that you can be anything you want to be in witchcraft - there are no rules, unless you follow a certain pathway that has rules like Wicca, Alexandrian, Ceremonial etc, and then you make the choice to accept those rules if it feels like the right fit for you at that point in time.
You can call yourself a white witch, green witch, forest witch, goth witch and that's OK.
You can create a way that supports you and your mental health and yes, you CAN be a political witch too.
Bravo! to those strong enough to fight for what they believe in!
Our sisters have fought long and hard, through many generations, to be able to embrace the journey of 'witch hood' and we cannot, right now, dismiss anybody's choice of the path they want to follow because we would be doing those women who came before us a disservice.
In the end, those who are deeply called for this to be their life path will remain and those that are traveling for just a few summers will eventually leave.
That's what happens.
No one way is the only right way - this is not Christianity.
So, when you do choose to opt out or to change how you practice, the way you do it is also your decision and you do not owe anyone else an explanation.
Witchcraft has changed so much. We are so lucky to have so much information at our disposal.
I started with reading a ton of books from the local library, mind you this was back in the 70's and there was not much else around. But that was enough to fuel a fire that never died down.
I nearly exploded with joy when an Australian witchy magazine came out and I could buy a copy every month (I still have them somewhere too!) So, my first 10 years were very much woven around being a very quiet closet witch as my family was deeply Catholic.
When I was in my 20's I found a local women's group to join (it wasn't a good idea to call groups of women a coven back then). I later formed my own group and had partnerships with others where we taught and ran weekly gatherings. By this time I was deeply into Wicca and studying that path.
It took long time,, and many emotional experiences before I parted ways with Wicca. There were many reasons why, some were about the people I was surrounding myself with. Some were to do with what I found out about Gerald Gardner and some were about my general growth and what I needed from my spiritual path.
So, I started to delve back into my ancestors pagan history, researching the country of my parents and the early beliefs of that part of Europe and this has really been it for me for the past ten years. I have also had the opportunity to travel and experiences places and stories tied to the witches of old and it has had a profound impact on me.
I have passed on all of my books on Wicca and replaced them with new books.
I have have passed on my altar statues, different paraphernalia and my cloaks, coats, and most of my witchy clothes.
I am now also a very solitary practitioner, but I still love to share and be a part of the deeper conversation about the enormous abilities of the craft to heal wounded souls.
This is what it certainly did for me. It supported me through my toughest years.
You can come and go in the craft - it is there when you need it.
You can change what you believe in until it sits right for your age and life experiences - what we thought when we were 16 is much different when we are 36 and at 60.
You are allowed to yearn for a community and the need to belong to a coven.
Or to say you are dine with that and you now prefer to stay quiet and be solitary.
You are allowed to follow your ancestral path.
You are allowed to outgrow it all and not feel guilty about it.
But, please if there is one thing I ask you not to do, please don't let those books or cards sit idly on your shelf or in a box somewhere. Do us all a favour and drag them out, look lovingly at them one last time and them resell them on line, gift them to your local witchy shop, find a local group to give them to, but pass them on to those who you know will love them.
Witches LOVE books.
Same with your clothes, crystals and jewelry. Feel as though you are passing them on to the next generation and that, if it must be so, you are doing this gifting or selling as the final act of your own journey.
Never forget what you have learnt, because if you have been taught well, that information will always be useful to you, sometimes when you least expect it to be.
And when you meet a young totally enthusiastic witch who believes she knows everything - smile and think to yourself, I was once like that too.