"Beannachd nas soilleir ort, agus air gach duine."
(Brightest of blessings to you and all you hold dear.)
I learned something new today. Writing the first entry for a blog is a lot like going on a first date—its awkward! I am sure everybody can relate to the uncertainties. You want to put your best food forward and make a good first impression, but you don’t want to give any false impressions. You want to “prove” that you are witty and entertaining, but you don’t want to come on too strong. You want to reveal who you really are, but are ready to pull back at any moment due to fear of rejection.
I embark upon this project knowing that I don’t fit into the cookie cutter mold of society. That makes getting past hello all the more difficult for me. I am eccentric, outspoken, and irreverent of popular icons. Self educated, un-travelled and unglamorous, I have none of the usual laurels to rest upon. My life has been fairly quiet and I am mostly just a bookworm. Nevertheless, I have some interesting things on my mind.
I’ve been a student of the arcane as long as I can remember. Since a young age, my natural curiosity and my unquenchable thirst to “know” have set me on a constant quest of discovery. It has been my goal to "understand" the inner and outer workings of life, science, spirituality and the universe. This has led me to pursue a number of unusual interests and even violate a few taboos.
Some of my off-beat interests include: energy healing, chakras, the aura, kundalini, acupressure, benefits of chanting and meditation, mental affirmations, the inter-relationship between metaphysics and modern physics, Shamanism, European, pre-Christian religion, indigenous culture, entheogens; sacred places, UFOs, crop circles, alien intervention in human history, forbidden history and forbidden archaeology, myth, legend, superstition, divination, magic and spell-casting. I’ve also studied some more conventional topics including alternative health care, herbal lore, natural childbirth, midwifery, breastfeeding and natural parenting, The Bible, spiritual warfare, prayer, and the fundamentalist mindsets.
I have stood between the worlds and sought magic beneath the full Moon, journeyed with a shaman to other dimensions, received a message of hope from a giant rock in the desert, and observed a dragon materialize from a mountain.
If some of my interests and experiences suggest the dreaded “W” word, you are correct—I am an *initiate to the craft of the wise. But labels never reveal all and some things are never as they first appear. So before you jump to conclusions, let me assure you that I am “the good Witch on the mountain”. I wouldn’t think of conjuring ill into the world. I am a caring individual, with great compassion on the plights of others, and I live by a strong personal sense of ethics. I daily invoke blessings, and gladly send out positive energy when asked.
Though some segments of society will continue to falsely correlate Witches with evil, cursing, and Satan worship, in a sane and educated world, such unfounded stereotypes must be laid to rest. One of my intents with this blog is to show the world that Witches are not malevolent evil doers. We love our families, nurture our children, and support our friends. We also hold a deep respect for the Earth and all her creatures.
So now that I have thrown open the broom closet doors and swept out the cobwebs, I hope you will stay around a while and allow me to bring a little magic into your life.
Blessings and Peace,
Esmerelda
*Note:
Those acquainted with Wicca may have questions regarding my up-line. The truth is, I have no claims to lineage. I am an initiate of a Southern California teaching coven that is not directly lineaged. Furthermore, my personal beliefs are not defined by the parameters of the Alexandrian tradition upon which Ecclasia was modeled. I include many “exotic” essences within my spiritual practices and therefore consider myself an eclectic.
