Every so often,
I'm asked this question.
What is Wicca anyway?
My answer is always a short one.
We are followers of a nature-based spirituality.
From there,
If the person asking the question wishes to know more than that,
I'll certainly answer if asked.
The short answer works best in most situations,
Because it immediately addresses the false assumption that our religion is completely geared towards the dark side of things,
Vindictively casting spells,
And a wide array of other things that simply are not true.
This short answer is not only the quickest route to beginning to set the record straight about us,
But it also happens to be the best answer,
In that it is extremely accurate.
The fact that Wicca and witchcraft are nature-based spiritual practices is but one important understanding to have.
This is a true statement,
But it doesn't end there.
To understand our religion to its fullest,
One must realize that the way we view nature is of pivotal importance.
Yes,
We see the divine in all living things.
Plants,
Animals,
Water,
And anything naturally occurring.
And this defines the way we see nature as a whole.
Unlike the secular world,
Particularly the contemporary representation of it,
We do not see nature as a mere stepping stone to be utilized to our advantage and merely for our advancement.
From our perspective,
The natural world is not something to be used to facilitate our agendas.
We are not the masters of nature,
Therefore making it in any way subservient to us.
We maintain harmony with it.
We have,
In the truest sense,
A relationship with it.
Think about relationships in general for just a moment.
Whether close or casual,
We've all experienced many types of relationships.
Some seem effortless,
Some we tend to have to take the lead on.
In sum,
There is no give and take,
And the frustration with this usually arises from our realization that we are the one in the relationship doing all of the heavy lifting,
So to speak.
Some relationships aren't exactly the best for us,
But we sometimes attempt to rehabilitate or tolerate them.
Some are downright caustic.
And then there are some in which an individual or a group of individuals attempts to completely take over everything.
This applies to conversations,
Projects,
And so forth.
When this type of dominance is exerted,
We typically respond by either pushing back to the point of exhaustion,
Or stepping back altogether and continuing on with how we were doing things to begin with.
This example,
I feel,
Best describes the relationship that humankind keeps attempting to have with nature.
Nature's response is to simply continue on with its way of doing things,
Because any sort of pushback accomplishes nothing.
And nature isn't wired that way to begin with.
So herein lies the problem with the mentality that everything on Earth exists for our convenience and our personal development.
Nature's response is to simply carry on.
It ignores us to the same degree at which we disregard it.
When this occurs,
The next problem comes into play.
Nature's spirits might become skeptical of us and our intentions.
The end result is that we have essentially established an abusive,
Self-serving relationship that exists with complete disconnect on our part.
When we continue our developments at such a rapid pace,
With the sole interest of advancement and bettering ourselves,
A by-product of this is disregard for the Earth.
Don't get me wrong,
There are still so many people living in urban areas who genuinely care about nature.
But the spillover from the centuries-long obsession with acquisition,
And the self-serving mentality behind it,
Has placed us,
Even the best of us,
And whether we want to admit it or not,
In a mindset of superiority.
We no longer feel equal with nature.
We feel as though we are far more advanced than nature because of our accomplishments in science,
Technology,
Medicine,
Transportation,
And construction.
Wiccans,
Witches,
And pagans do not share this perspective.
Yes,
A lot of us live and work in cities.
We have phones and tablets that we use the same way as everyone else.
But when it comes to spiritual matters,
We still maintain a healthy relationship with nature.
Comparatively,
At least,
I think it would be more accurate to describe it as a partnership.
We still recognize and understand that divine energy flows through all things,
And that the divine exists in all living things.
Our relationship with nature has not been decimated,
And we have therefore put up no barriers inhibiting the way we interact with the spirit realm.
As wonderful and as powerful as this is,
The end result is that we continue to be misunderstood to this very day.
This misunderstanding is also centuries old,
And it gains strength in large part due to humankind continuing to distance itself from the natural world more and more.
And with this distancing,
Eventually came feelings of superiority.
And those became so well established,
That followers of the old ways,
Or the old religion,
Were easily looked at as lunatics.
Or,
At the very least,
People who lacked adequate education.
Add to this the misconception about witches that spread like wildfire and the perfect storm was created.
Because of this,
The Inquisition and the various witch hunts throughout time and across the globe were set for success and encountered very little pushback.
The results of this disconnect remain far-reaching today,
And followers of the old ways are not immune to them.
Even the most earth-first members of the population at large will have at least moderate struggles due to this prevailing detachment when it comes to a true sense of oneness with nature.
The relationship or partnership that was once commonplace to the ancients now requires effort on our part.
Magical consciousness is no longer as automatic as it once was,
And takes a certain level of commitment to reacquire and maintain.
For those of us who recognize that all things are interconnected,
This is quite alarming.
When our connection to the natural world erodes to such a degree,
So too does our relationship with the spirit realm and the otherworldly.
Over time,
The entire pipeline will break down,
And the natural flow is disrupted.
If this continues on unchecked,
The supernatural is then turned into that person in a relationship who is expected to do all of the heavy lifting.
And while this feeling of superiority to nature gave way to the oppression and persecution of followers of the old ways,
The damage didn't stop at the conclusion of the witch trials.
People,
Regardless of their spiritual practices.
Fixing inequality within the human race and the world in which we live will remain an uphill battle as long as we continue the belief that the human race itself is superior to and not interconnected with the universe as a whole.
We waste water,
Cut down trees,
Build buildings taller,
And throw out perfectly good food just to pay out a spreadsheet and a financial report.
Everything but our agenda is expendable.
We have complete disregard for the spirit realm,
Except for times when we pick up a Ouija board just for kicks,
Because,
After all,
Spirits are just sitting around waiting for us to summon them for our entertainment and amusement.
This isn't any sort of healthy relationship with the natural world,
The supernatural world,
Each other,
Or anything.
And it is anything but a partnership.
Can we change this?
I believe we absolutely can.
But no one should expect overnight results here,
Because the way in which we arrived at how things are today was a gradual process.
I'm not at all suggesting that everyone needs to become Wiccan or start living in the wilderness.
But a great place to start would be giving back as much as we take.
Truly living equality,
Instead of just demanding it,
By at least recognizing that this is a shared existence.
The reason I believe that this is fully attainable is because,
At one time,
It was a fully functioning way of being.
Which is now referred to.
As the old ways.
The crow flies from me to thee.
To send the message.
Blessed Be.
