Guest Author - Amelia Tucker
The spiritual path we all take is a very personal matter. It should be studied, contemplated and explored to find the way that all the pieces will fit together to give the most complete sense of balance to life.
Learning about Wiccan ways can be a difficult journey, wrought with a lot of hocus pocus, misinformation and downright scare tactics. Like any religion, the ideas and history are sacred to us. We don't often offer information freely for a couple of reasons. Sometimes it is a guarded sense of wondering why the questions are being asked. There is a very public and violent history of prosecution for those of us who practice the craft. Being questioned about one's beliefs is not comfortable and can lead to the very misunderstandings that persist among people who are not interested in tolerating anyone not of their religious beliefs. It is common for someone bullying us to say that we can not defend a certain point or we remain speechless because we have no good enough answer. The truth of the matter is that there would BE no answer that could mollify those who are hysterically adamant that it is there way or no way.
Religious belief need not be the idea that someone has to prove choices in order for them to be valid. It is impossible to argue against rabid hatred; There is not common ground available if no one wants to find it.
Finding out more about the Wiccan religion is not a one stop experience. One can not find a single book or website or person to have all the answers. The best thing to do would be to read everything that relates to religion, historical and spiritual. Find books for and against what you think you believe in. Learn everything possible about how a religion came to be. What makes it strong and how its strengths relate to who you are.
There will not be any truth in quick fixes: Do not trust someone who claims they can do a ~spell~ for you to fix things. There are no easy answers for finding your way. YOU have to do the work. YOU have to ask the questions until the answers make sense.
Treat yourself and your religion with honor, respect and dignity.
