Witches!!

I had a good friend do a blog post for me over the weekend concerning a ritual in Mormonism, with which I'm not really family, nor is it likely that I will ever become familiar with. The one thing that struck me about his post however were his references to the deep emotions which he deals with when thinking and writing about his experiences.

He was raised in a Mormon home, and during that time was subject to so awful abuse, much of which hidden behind the guise of the quintessential "Happy Mormon Family". Since that time however he has formally left the LDS Church, and in my opinion done a remarkable job at breaking the cycle of abuse and providing for his kids a loving and accepting home.

His story is remarkably inspiring to me, but as I read his thoughts, I recognized the powerful emotions that religion, particularly the darker side of it conjures up in me. I find it interesting to delve into religion, but all to often, when I delve into the one in which I personally have and continue to be involved, it often becomes overwhelming.

So with that in mind, I should like to focus on a different set of religious ideals today!

I've had an interest in Paganism for some time now. Regular readers may have seen a few posts I've done on the power of women. I've gotten these from my associations with a Pagan Community in Northern Utah. The thing that has struck me most about his community is their sense of acceptance and particularly the charity they show for one another. Genuine Charity for their fellow men, without a sense of obligation from God or discrimination for religious persuasion.

I saw a link today on the community on a new seqment done on a member of Utah's Pagan community last week. You can view it here.

The interview is with Rita Morgan, a witch and member of a coven in Salt Lake. While I admittedly know very little about paganism, witchcraft or anything like this, I think I'll likely be posting more on this on future occasions.

There were two things she said in her interview that I really liked. These aren't exact quotes, but I tried to get them as close as possible.

When asked about Magic...

"Magic is altering your fate and having the ability, means and the courage to do that."

I like that a lot!!

And about spells...

"Spells are energy directed. You direct your intent toward them to help them recover from their illness, to help them feel better."

It's a far cry from the "hubble, bubble, toil and trouble" idea of witches traditionally, but I like that too.

I think any religion that believes in spiritual healing shares a part of this. We all have an energy within us, be that called your spirit, the light of Christ, or a connection to a higher being or nature. I firmly believe that energy can be directed for both good and bad towards our fellow beings.

I really like the idea of Magic as well. It's the idea that you are free and able to determine your destiny and that you are not bound to a specific fate by your circumstances or the plan of another being supreme or otherwise.