As a newly minted green witch I am in the process of developing my faith and practices. There are three ways that I do this: daily prayers, developing keys to remembrance, and attempting to live a simpler life. As I continue on this mortal coil I find myself constantly changing and updating these practices.
Part of my RL job as a support worker is supporting my individuals in their desires to attend the local Mennonite church. As I have become accustomed to going with them (and in the process attending services myself) I have often felt quite moved by the songs and the prayers sung by the members of that church. When I first started I was quite upset by these feelings: why could I feel them here, and not in my own faith?
The feeling I would get in church always started as a tingling sensation across my boobs. Then it spread everywhere. You know that saying about the hair on the back of your neck rising? That was me. Then I would get the strange desire to immediately sing, laugh, and cry all simultaneously. This was always accompanied by a wish to instantly convert to the Mennonite church and give up Wicca entirely.
Eventually I asked a friend of mine what this feeling was. She was also a church-goer (Baptist) and she said it was the Holy Spirit which was, essentially, the spirit of the Divine going through me. This was a sign to me then that what I craved was not a conversion to the Mennonite faith (although I respect quite a bit of what they believe in and stand for) but instead this sense in my own faith.
So I began.
Daily Prayer
When I get up I say my daily prayer, which I currently have taken from the book Way of the Green Witch (which is my tome and life manual, LOL). The prayer setting is always in front of my altar on my special blanket. I sit cross-legged and light my special prayer candle. The prayer itself goes like so:
Lord and Lady, Spirits of Nature, Elements around me: bless me as I move through the world today. May I bring joy and tranquility to every life I touch. May my actions bring only harmony to the world. May I heal pain and soothe anger, may I create joy and balance as I walk my path. Support and guide me, on this day and all the days ahead of me. This I ask of you, and I thank you for your many blessings.
In the book, the prayer ends “this I ask of you as a green witch” which I have left out. I’m not entirely sure why yet but I don’t like having it in. I guess I don’t want to be seen as a green witch special and divided from the rest of myself, and asking for favors from the world based on that makes me feel that separation. As if I’m special-er than the rest of you because I’m a green witch. Whatever, it’s just a sore point for me at this time.
Keys to Remembrance
This technique comes from Evolutionary Witchcraft by Thorn Coyle. Basically you pick a common action (such as resting your hand on a doorknob) and whenever you do this action you stop and refocus your mind to the present. Like a mini-meditation. I started blanking my mind whenever this happened and now I have begun to ground/center.
Another practice I use when meeting people comes from zen habits (link: http://zenhabits.net/2007/06/a-guide-to-cultivating-compassion-in-your-life-with-7-practices/). When I run into someone (be it friend or foe or stanger), I try using these steps to cultivate empathy and compassion for the person I’m facing:
Step 1: “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.”
Step 2: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.”
Step 3: “Just like me, this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair.”
Step 4: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs.”
Step 5: “Just like me, this person is learning about life.”
Living Simply
Living simply isn’t really a faith-based practice, although I have noticed that it has affected how I interconnect with and understand the natural world. This is a personal choice for me, and it’s a hard one. I have come to the realization that I am actually quite a little addicted materialistic consumer. And I don’t want to be. Stuff makes life complicated. I am choosing, therefore, to cut down on my consumerism as well as my access to technology – in short, I am going on a media diet. So far I have cut down TV time to about an hour per week, and I have ditched my cell phone completely. Gave it to my sister to use. I have cut down on fast food to one iced coffee per two days (on average) and am making an effort to withstand the urge to spend.
The two techniques I am using are a) limit my exposure to advertising and places like Walmart, and b) write the non-essential things down on a piece of paper. If I still want them after 30 days then I can get them. Otherwise I obviously didn’t want it, right?
So these are the steps that I am working on, anyway.
