I have been studying and practicing Paganism since I was thirteen years old. Unfortunately, I reached a point of feeling very stagnant. Due to this, I have decided to start my studies from scratch like I did when I was younger. I have also decided to share my research with anyone who would like to join me. Please, feel free to correct any misinformation that I find. I am welcome to any discussions and questions.
To find the lost heritage, identify its threads, and trace those threads back to the present, we need to go as far back in our history as we can - to our very beginnings.
I am currently reading this book by Ann Moura and I find it absolutely fascinating. She takes you all the way back to Mesopotamia and the Sind Valley, to the start of civilization. She examines the similarities in cultures and the shift in cultures as people migrated across the world, taking traditions and stories with them.
At the end of the book, she provides a wonderful reading list for you to be able to continue your own research, and she encourages you to do so and formulate your own opinions.
I personally feel this is a wonderful starting point in your religious and historical research.
Hear now the words of the Witches,
The secrets we hid in the night,
When dark was our destiny's pathway,
That now we bring forth into light.
Mysterious water and fire,
The Earth and the wide-ranging air,
By hidden quintessence we know them,
And will and keep silent and dare.
The birth and rebirth of all nature,
The passing of winter and spring,
We share with the life universal,
Rejoice in the magical ring.
Four times in the year the Great Sabbat
Returns, and the witches are seen
At Lammas and Candlemas dancing,
On May Eve and old Hallowe'en.
When day-time and night-time are equal,
When sun is at greatest and least,
The four Lesser Sabbats are summoned,
Again witches gather in feast.
Thirteen silver moons in a year are,
Thirteen is the covens array.
Thirteen times as Esbat make merry,
For each golden year and a day.
The power was passed down the ages,
Each time between woman and man,
Each century unto the other,
Ere time and the ages began.
When drawn is the magical circle,
By sword or athame or power,
Its compass between the two worlds lies,
In Land of the Shades for that hour.
The world has no right then to know it,
And world of beyond will tell naught,
The oldest of Gods are invoked there,
The Great Work of magic is wrought.
For two are the mystical pillars,
That stand at the gate of the shrine,
And two are the powers of nature,
The forms and the forces divine.
The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess,
Of this did our ancestors teach.
By night he's the wild wind's rider,
The Horn'd One, the Lord of the Shades.
By day he's the King of the Woodland,
The dweller in green forest glades.
She is youthful or old as she pleases,
She sails the torn clouds in her barque,
The bright silver lady of midnight,
The crone who weaves spells in the dark.
The master and mistress of magic,
They dwell in the deeps of the mind,
Immortal and ever-renewing,
With power to free or to bind.
So drink the good wine to the Old Gods,
And dance and make love in their praise,
Til Elphame's fair land shall receive us
In peace at the end of our days.
An Do What You Will be the challenge,
So be it in Love that harms none,
For this is our only commandment,
By Magic of old, be it done!
Eight words the Witches' Creed fulfil:
If it harms none, do what you will!
Like many women, I have severe body image issues and confidence issues. I have struggled with diets and exercise plans since middle school. Ten years ago I purchased the book The Body Sacred. I read the first chapter and never went any further, not because I didn't like the book. In fact, I found it very intriguing. Life just always seemed to get in the way.
The author, Dianne Sylvan, is very upfront with the fact her book is not a miracle cure for getting over your body issues. There are no diet plans and there are no exercise plans. She provides spell work, journal prompts, and mental exercises that help you to work your way through your own issues. Her wording is kind and encouraging as well as providing funny stories and anecdotes. She also provides sassy quips that are very much similar to things I wish I had said to people who have made me feel negatively about my body.
I highly recommend this book to any woman who is struggling with body image. Again, it's not a miracle cure or magic wand, but I personally feel that this is a tool that is helping me face my own issues.
I am pretty sure that many of us are quite familiar with the amount of misinformation that gets its way around witchy spaces. I know I've fallen for misinformation several times, notably those darn correspondence lists, and I'll probably fall for it again. And honestly, I think constantly yelling "use critical thinking skills!" is all well and good, but if you've been in the American public school system or in an evangelical sect of Christianity (or both), you know that isn't taught to us in any meaningful way. What the hell does critical thinking even look like?
So, I have something that might be able to help. This can also lead you to help research things for yourself in regards to paganism or witchcraft (or both), determine your own personal beliefs and more fully find what craft is meant for you, without just taking a bunch of books at their absolute face value. I find it really helps with my anxiety over not being able to really articulate what I'm saying about a thing - because I more fully understand WHY I believe the things I do, I have less trouble handling discussing it in a critical manner.
There's a few key things to keep in mind when reading a text, witchy, pagan or otherwise. Now, a lack of answer for one of these things doesn't inherently make them "invalid", but it does give you something you can dig into further to make that choice for yourself. As a witch, that is kind of your job - your power is your own, and you really should be making your own decisions on things. So, when you're reading a book, you can take a pause and consider:
What is the author discussing, and what is their conclusion? If a witchy author is talking about The Burning Times, what statement are they making about it? Do they believe this was an actual historical event? You'll usually know very quickly because in my personal experience, anyone who doesn't believe in the Burning Times (myself included), are very passionate about how we feel about this particular bit of misinformation.
What reasons do they have for making this conclusion? You can consider what the overall narrative is. For instance, if the author is vehemently against the story of the Burning Times as historical fact, their reasoning might be that they are a historian working against misinformation. The author may be arguing against the overarching issues of whitewashing within neopagan circles. If the author is making a statement in regards to the Burning Times being true, perhaps their reasoning is to invoke a narrative of continual, ancestral oppression against one singular unbroken group. You may need to real the whole of the book to really get an idea as to what the author is writing all of this "for".
What assumptions are they making in coming to this conclusion? Assumptions are things that we understand to be just kind of universally true, and there is kind of a problem with this in a lot of witchy circles. For instance, there is a problem within the pagan community of making the assumption that because their experience with organized religion was Christianity, the things that took place within their sect of Christianity are true for not only all sects, but other monotheistic religions as well. Conversely, there is the assumption that the "rule of three" is universal, when it is not the absolute law of the universe and is a specifically Wiccan thing. And even then that's debatable, but there are witches out there with a better understanding of that than I do and we're not here for that argument. The point is, it's important to know what is fact, and what is assumed.
Are there any informal logical fallacies present? Thiiiis is a big one, because there are a lot of ways of presenting an argument that tricks you into thinking the point being made is legit, but it really doesn't do anything to present concrete evidence towards the argument being actually true. This is your ad hominem attacks, your strawman arguments, your slippery slopes and false dichotomies. There's a lot to be on the lookout for here's a good link to a basic kind of rundown of several: https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-logical-fallacies-know/
How true is the evidence presented, if at all? This is very important. There is such a thing as UPG, which stands for unverified personal gnosis - it is your own personal experience in regards to your own singular interaction with a spirit or deity of some variety. This happens in witchy spaces all the time, but it's important to understand that UPG is not evidence. It should not be presented as fact or evidence, and it should not be taken as absolute fact or evidence. You can subscribe to UPG all you like, just understand that it is UPG. Back to our Burning Times example, actual concrete evidence would be in the form of primary sources from the time, secondary sources, historical analysis by experts in that particular field of study, etc., and it must match the actual claim being made. Yeah, there were witch hunts, that's true. But the narrative of the Burning Times as a continuous thing that specifically targeted "real" pagans and witches is not backed up by evidence.
Every author is a human being. Human beings have biases, have their reasons for doing things a certain way, their own rituals and beliefs and faiths. You can't always trust that someone is writing something with your best interests at heart, or that they themselves aren't stuck in thought processes that they've been manipulated into. Some of the best recruiters are the True Believers, after all, but that doesn't mean what they say is infallible. Witchiness, pagan-ness, spirituality and enlightenment do not make a person any less human.
Born July 13, 1863 in Calcutta, India to a British merchant father and his wife. She spent much of her youth traveling between India and England with her family.
In 1894, she began studying Egyptology at University College London. (UCL) She became a junior professor there in 1898.
From 1902-1903 she assisted William Matthew Flinders Petrie in his excavation in Abydos, Egypt
In 1908, she became the first woman to publicly unwrap a mummy with the unwrapping of Khnun-nakht
She was unable to return to Egypt due to World War I and put her focus into her witch-cult theories, on which I will elaborate below.
From 1921 to 1931, she undertook excavations in Malta and Menorca. During this time she developed an interest in folkloristics.
In 1927, she was awarded an honorary doctorate and in 1928 she was appointed Assistant Professor at UCL. She retired in 1935.
From 1935 until 1953 she continued her work in Egyptology including excavations in Petra, Jordan, lectures at the university, and cataloging antiquities.
In 1953, she became the President of the Folklore Society following the resignation of Allan Gomme.
She publicly supported the work of archaeologist T.C. Lethbridge and his claims that he had found three pre-Christian chalk hill figures. He in turn later showed public support for her witch-cult theories.
She celebrated her 100th birthday on July 13, 1963.
She passed away on November 13, 1963.
In Murray's book The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, she state there were two different types of Witchcraft. Firstly, there was what she called "Operative Witchcraft" which was how she referred to the creation of charms and casting of spells. Secondly, there was what she called "Ritual Witchcraft". This was supposed to be the ancient religion that was prevalent in Western Europe.
Murray made many claims on the deities that were worshiped by the cult, the organization, celebrations, and the focus of their practice. It was her theory that this cult had survived through the Christianization process of Britain to only be practiced in certain areas.
In her followup book, The God of the Witches, she began to refer to the cult as the "Old Religion". She expanded on her theories about the male deity which she had begun to call the "Horned God".
The reception of her first book started out with almost full support. Several early historians actually incorporated her theories into their own works. The thing was, none of these historians were experts in the witch trials. And the majority of them were experts in Early Modern Britain.
The experts in the Early Modern witch trials did not support her theories. Many completely tore apart her theories stating there was factual errors and that she lacked the methodology required to do accurate research on the subject. George L. Burr even went as far as to criticize the fact she took the confessions from accused witches as fact when they had been acquired with the use of torture and coercion. He was also one of the first to say she selectively picked the facts that would support her theories.
After Murray's passing in 1963, the criticism of her work increased. Research into the records of the witch trials increased as time had passed and it seemed to come to an almost unanimous agreement that the victims of the witch trials had not be practitioners of a pre-Christian religion. English historian Keith Thomas went as far to say that the evidence could not prove that any of the victims were actually devil-worshipers, as was the reason they were tried, or secret worshipers in a pagan cult. Many other historians cited the fact that her area of expertise was Egypt, not ancient Europe, and therefore her knowledge of English history was superficial.
Murray's theories seemed to become a blueprint of sorts for Wicca. Many of the original founders of Wicca claimed to be survivors of the witch-cult that Murray wrote about. The way covens were formed, the meetings at esbats and sabbats, the very worship of the male and female deity all seemed to be influenced by Murray's work. Murray herself wrote the forward in the original publication of Gerald Gardner's Witchcraft Today.
As her work came into question, many Wiccans distanced themselves from her theories. They acknowledge what research was proving and instead of her work being the literal history of Wicca, it came to be seen more as a mythology. However, there are still individuals to the day that believe her research was true and the work to discredit her was just another way of attempting to eradicate Pagans by Christians.
Now, do I believe the fact her work was discredited invalidates Wiccan beliefs and practices? No. Her research was flawed but it paved the way for those who believed in witchcraft to step forward and meet those that felt and believed the same way. That is how religions develop.
“Margaret Murray.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Aug. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Murray.
Murray, Margaret A. The God of the Witches. Oxford University Press, 1970.
Murray, Margaret Alice. The Witch-Cult in Western Europe: A Study in Anthropology. Wentworth Press, 2019.
Sheppard, Kathleen L. The Life of Margaret Alice Murray a Woman's Work in Archaeology. Lexington Books, 2013.
The Power shall not be used to bring harm, to injure, or control others. But if the need arises, the Power shall be used to protect your life or the lives of others. The Power can be used for your own gain as long as you harm none. It is unwise to accept coin for the use of the Power for it quickly controls its taker.
I had a mentor when I was a freshman in high school that practiced Wicca. This was in her Book of Shadows and was one of the things she required I copy down. I believe she got it from her mentor.
Bide the Wiccan Law ye must
In perfect love, in perfect trust
Eight words the Witches' rede fulfill:
And harm ye none do what ye will.
What ye sends forth comes back to thee
So ever mind the rule of three.
Follow this with mind and heart
And merry ye meet and merry ye part.
This version of the Wiccan Rede was given to me by a former mentor of mine. I do not know where she got it from.
Wicca: The most well known branch on the Pagan tree
If you research Paganism or Witchcraft on the internet, I am 90% certain the first topic that will come up for you will be about Wicca. It has become the most well know branch of Paganism in the world. If I am correct in my research, it was also the first practice to go public. Now, a lot of people use Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism interchangeably. However, they aren't. There are several Pagan traditions that have nothing to do with Wicca.
Important Figures
There are eight individuals that are given a high majority of the credit for the creation of Wicca and it's gain in popularity:
Margaret Murray the "Grandmother of Wicca"
Gerald Garner the "Father of Wicca"
Aleister Crowley
Doreen Valiente
Raymond Buckland
Sybil Leek
Alex Sanders
Laurie Cabot the "Official Witch of Salem"
I plan on actually going into separate posts about each of these individuals.
Gods and Goddesses
Wicca is based on the worship of a Triple Goddes and a Horned God. The Goddess is worshiped as Maiden/Virgin, Mother, and Wise Woman/Crone. She is associated with the waxing, waning, and full moon. The Horned God is known both as Cernunos or Herne. Different covens and Wiccan traditions will place a different emphasis on the Goddess or the God.
Hierarchy
There is no central leadership in Wicca, versus like how the Catholic Church has the Pope. Some Wiccans practice a solitary craft while others that are like minded come together to form covens. Covens can be mixed-sex or single sex. Coven numbers vary as well. The traditional number is considered to be thirteen, though coven sizes vary. Some covens will even come together for larger celebrations.
Initiation
There is a debate on whether or not initiation is required in order to truly be Wiccan. Followers of Alexandrian and Gardnerian require initiation, no arguments. They are considered "mystery" traditions and do not share their secrets with outsiders. They believe that you must be initiated by a "lineage" coven, a coven descended from one of the original Gardnerian or Alexandrian covens. There are other traditions that do require initiation. Some traditions are ok with self-initiation and even others require no initiation. Ultimately it comes down to the tradition and the coven.
Celebrations
Wiccan celebrate eight major festivals a year called Sabbats. The festivals are used to mark the changing of the seasons. I will have separate posts for each of the Sabbats to elaborate on them later.
-Yule/Winter Solstice (December 20, 21, 22, or 23)
-Brigid, Imbolc, Candlemas, Imbolg, or Brigid's Day (February 1 or 2)
-Eostar, Spring Equinox, Ostara, or Oestarra (March 20, 21, 22, or 23)
-Beltane, May Eve, or May Day (April 30 or May 1)
-Litha, Summer Solstice, or Midsummer (June 20, 21, 22, or 23)
-Lughnasad, Lugnasadh, or Lammas (August 1)
-Mabon or Fall Equinox (September 20, 21, 22, or 23)
-Samhain, All Hallow's Eve, or Hallowmas (October 31, or November 1)
Magic
Wiccans do practice magic with the belief that they have the ability to influence the energies of the universe around them. The cast spells with specific intent using herbs, candles, cords, and other objects to help focus their intent. Magic is performed under a strict ethical code known as the Wiccan Rede or the Threefold Law. They teach that magic can only be performed to help and not harm, that any negative energies will rebound on the caster.
Views on Death
Wiccans believe that after death people reincarnate and are reunited with people from their past lives. The aim of reincarnation is to continue growing and learning, as well as enjoying the experiences of living. Once the soul has learned everything they can, the move onto the Summerland.
Paganism and Witchcraft: Two names for the same thing? Or two different subjects entirely?
I was thirteen when I first learned that Witchcraft was real and being practiced by individuals alive today. I was intrigued and began to research this for myself. One of the first things I noticed was the way several people used the terms "Witchcraft" and "Paganism" interchangeably. For the longest time, I thought they were. It wasn't until I was older that I finally figured out the differences. To best explain it, I am going to include the practice of Wicca as well.
Paganism is an umbrella term that includes the practice of Wicca. All Wiccans would be called Pagan, but not all Pagans would be called Wiccan. They could be Druids or followers of Asatru. Now Witchcraft and the practitioners there of could or could not be Pagan. There is no set religion for Witchcraft. For example, there are Atheist Witches and Christian Witches. There are also Pagans out there who do not practice Witchcraft. It is not a requirement to practice one with the other.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as "A Religion that worships many gods, especially a religion that existed before the main world religions."
Merriam-Webster defines it as "A pagan beliefs or practices, a pagan religion." Also it includes "The quality or state of being a pagan."
Oxford Languages defines it as "A religion other than one of the main world religions, specifically a non-Christian or pre-Christian religion. Also, a modern religious movement incorporating beliefs or practices from outside the main world religions (Christianity, Judaism, or Islam), especially nature worship."
According to Wikipedia (I know, not always the best source, but handy) it was a term that began being used in the fourth century to describe people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism. This term was both originally used for rural living individuals and for those who were civilians instead of military.
The Pagan Federation International page defines paganism as simply "a polytheistic or pantheistic nature worshiping religion."
The consensus is that it is non-Christian/pre-Christian, polytheistic, and nature worshiping. But what exactly is Paganism other than that simple explanation? I know it is a blanket term that serves to cover many different faiths, some of the most widely known being Wicca, Druidry, Asatru, Hellanism, Kemetism, Ethnic Traditions (Closed Practices) and Non-Ethnic Traditions (Open Practices). Under each one of those "header" catagories if you will is a myriad of other branches of paganism.
And this is where I would like to begin my studies. I plan to research as many of the branches as I am able to to see which path suits me best, with the exception of the Closed Practices of course. For those I would like to make a list acknowledging them, and a space for those who do practice them to provide information only if they are willing to do so.
Feel free to tag along and to correct me on any facts that I get incorrect. I wish for this to be a learning space for all who find it.
Edit:
On doing further research I found this wonderful article posted by the American Humanist Association. It includes recommended reading and links to articles to do further research as well, though I am finding one or two of the links don't work.
I originally started this blog back sometime in 2012/2013. It's purpose has changed and been reworked, molded over and over and then been left to collect almost twenty years of dust again and again.
I think, this time, I am going to try my hardest to stick with it. I really wanted a clean slate, so I went through and deleted 99.9% of what had originally been here. But don't they say from destruction comes new beginnings?
I really want this to be a record of my journey. I'm 35 and barely really feel like I know who I am, what path I am meant to follow. So I am going to be putting myself out there for all to see. Feel free to tag along. All are welcome, especially the misfits of any age.
Let us see where this wandering road in the dark leads.
Back in 2007 I took on the working name of Valeris Shadowsong though in reality I did not come up with it myself. I was given the name by a close friend but I felt it fit me so well. I've always been a singer, my religious belief has always been kept in the dark, and the name Valeris was just so pretty and mysterious. So, I adopted the name and never looked back. Until now.
I was only 21 then and didn't give my name much thought. There was no research into meanings and no meditation, just "here ya go" and I was done. I know ten years is not a long period of time, in fact it's passed very quickly, but if feels like I have grown and changed so much. I've hit a point that I am reevaluating my life and Valeris just doesn't fit me anymore. It doesn't connect with me that way. I may still use it in some aspect of my life because it's still a part of me, but not for my faith and beliefs. It's time for my name to change if I want to move forward with change.
From today forward Valeris Shadowsong is put to rest, and Syllvi Willow Starr is born.
Syllvi was inspired by the Old Norse name Sylvi meaning from the house of strength. This is to pay honor to my Norwegian heritage. My great-grandmother was the first of our family born in the United States after her family immigrated from Norway. That is a family history that has been passed to me my whole life. Unfortunately the language and culture were not passed with it completely. My mother remembers being able to have lefse bread made by her grandmother. We grew up being told the word spørskjip (pronounced spursheep with my best guest spelling) was Norwegian and it was used best on the kids. "What's for dinner?" "Spørskjip." "Where are we going?" "Spørskjip." My grandmother once told me the word literally had no meaning but was used as a sort of 'none of your business' and taught to her by her mother and grandmother. When I was older I learned "Kan du snakker Norsk?" which means can you speak Norwegian which of course my answer is no. That is the extent of my knowledge of the language and culture of Norway. I don't claim to be Norwegian just Norwegian decent with a wish to know more about my family's cultural history. I want to honor where I came from.
The fact the name means from the house of strength pulls to me greatly because my grandmother was a very strong woman. She was the true embodiment of the word matriarch for my family. We all turned to her for advice, guidance, and support. We were all also prepared for the swift kick to the rear if we were doing something stupid. I was named after her and would like my name to be something connected to her still.
Willow is one of the trees associated with Pisces, my zodiac sign. It is connected with water , the moon, and the Goddess. Water has always made me feel safe and at home. I can spend hours in a pool or in the water at the beach and just lose track of time. A good rain will both invigorate me and make me feel refreshed, clean. The full moon calls to me every cycle and standing in its rays makes me feel giddy . The Goddess is my mother, the ethereal mother that I call to when I am need of guidance or relief. She is always with me whether it is the voice to comfort me in the darkness, the shoulder to lean on when in pain, or the stern teacher to reprimand.
The willow tree itself also feels as a wonderful reminder of the way my friends have always described me. You see when the wind gets to blowing a willow tree bends with it. This allows the wind to rage on and the tree not to break. It continues onward without falling, held fast by strong a sturdy roots. My friends have always told me that no matter what seemed to be thrown at me I seemed to just go right along with it until I could stand tall once again, never falling.
Starr is very dear to me. You see my wife calls me her Star. Then again she is my Moon. It is also a reference to the Star tarot card. It is a symbol of hope and several years ago while doing a mediation on that very card I was told that hope was my strength. The fact that no matter how bleak the darkness gets I never give up on finding the light.
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