My Witchcraft Journey

I first discovered witchcraft when I was a teeny sprout of 13 years old. At that time, the library was basically my second home. I devoured anything with witches, vampires, and werewolves (oh my!), so I also spent a lot of time on the library computer scouring the catalogue. There was a book called "Moderne Heksen" (Modern Witches) by Claudia van der Sluis, which was listed under "religion" instead of "fiction". I, of course, was immediately curious, and took it home with me. And that was the beginning of a now 27 year long journey that changed my life.

Like many other young witches at the time, my first spells were from the movie the Craft, specifically the ones to change my eye and hair colour. These, of course, did not work, but I wasn't deterred. There was magic in this world and I was going to find it!
At that time every info I could get in my country and in my language was Wiccan. So, for the first years of my practice, I followed a wiccan path, although I refused to see it that way, because I was a witch! And I didn't follow a tradition, I was wild!
At 17 I joined a coven, and worked my way up the ranks. I chose my _(then) God (the Horned One) and Goddess (Inanna), got my initiations, led my own coven, and had a lot of very gorgeous and profound experiences. And a lot of petty bullshit.

Then my life changed again. We went into lockdown and our coven fell apart. I got long covid and my whole life fell apart.
I took that time to explore new things, and old things, things I thought were "too childish" to explore. And what came out of that period was a whole new path, that looked nothing like what I had been practicing before. I realized I was holding on to old ways because those were the ways I was teaching, not because I actually believed it. So... I started over. Gave up my titles, my witch name, all of it. Thanked them for the experiences we had, but that it was time to walk a new path. My own path.

Which brings us to now. About four years later. I am still figuring things out, still exploring, so whatever I write here is bound to change and flow. I expect it to. But here is a bit of what my path looks like nowadays.

My Path

How I see Magic

Creation is a semi-sentient, passive force that weaves through everything. It has been here since the beginning of the Universe, the beginning of life, and was the spark that ignited the flame of the Big Bang.
Creation is unlimited potential, sacred inspiration, and the driving, creative force behind the Universe and all things in it. Creation is woven through all things, living and non-living.
We, as people, are all part of Creation, or One with Creation, while also being our own unique selves.
We, as practitioners of magic, can tap into the Potential that is Creation and guiding it, bending it to our will. To mold and weave it to create new paths and fates, or strengthen those that are already there.
Anything and Everything is possible, and Anything and Everything is happening in the same moment. No matter the time, place, or space. This creates the infinite potential for Change. Magic is taking this Potential and using it, in a way that fits the authentic self of the practitioner.
Items such as herbs, crystals, symbols, archetypes, and imagery can be used as waymarkers, or lighthouses, to guide Magic on the right path. They also help to make the goal and outcome clear for the practitioner, which helps them weave and mold their Magic. Not essential, but a helpful tool.

How I see Deity

I believe the Gods are the mirror of ourselves. Created by our ancestors’ need for answers and meaningfulness (zingeving), which we’ve fed through the years with worship and sacrifice and stories. We gave them their power and through it they became both the collective of all the people who helped maintain them, and grew beyond it. And because they came from us they are a mirror of us. They show us the parts of ourselves that we need, that we wish to emulate, or that we missed in our interactions with others. But it is all within us. They are within us.

However, simply because they live within the realm of the imagination doesn’t mean that they do not have power, quite the opposite. Human inventiveness, creativity, and imagination, our love and compassion and kindness, are the most powerful things we have. They are the source of our power. They are the source of the power of the Gods. Divinity is found within.

When I call upon deity I call upon this collective archetype that we built together, for ages and ages, and I call upon this power within myself. I use the mirror that is the collective stories and the art and the experiences and rituals of others, to call forth my own power. That power that has been with me since birth, but that I have kindled and nurtured and made grown.

I think the Divine is something that we’ve created ourselves. With our own sense of imagination and wonder at the world around us. We saw the beauty of nature and Named it, and we told its stories, and made it sacred. We had so much love for the world around us, and so much love for ourselves, that we made it powerful. That we lifted it above and beyond us and made it mighty. And isn’t that the most amazing thing?

The power of humanity, the power of love and curiosity. The Divine is not somewhere far removed from us, on a different plain of existence looking down upon their creations. It is us. All of us. Throughout all of time and space. All coming together, living life, looking for answers, being hopeful, seeking spiritual meaning, loving each other and the world around us, being kind. That is what builds and sustains Gods.