Dear Priestess,

I was wondering something about my path to becoming a Wiccan. I am actually only 11 years old, and I am worried that I will be prevented somewhat from my path because of my age. Is that true?

-- Young Wiccan

Dear Young Wiccan,

Don't worry. You can't be prevented from any spiritual practice, because spirituality is an internal matter. The rites and rituals don't matter; they can help us focus, but they are just props, not the path itself.

The connection with the Divine is always available to you. How wonderful that you are beginning to reach for that connection at such an early age! It will make a huge difference in your life!

I hope my site will be of help to you. There will be more information on Wicca for beginners in the Being a Witch section, as we go along. Lots of it will be aimed at developing the spiritual connection, rather than using the props and tools.

For instance, all the wicca practices and other spiritual practice tools are aimed at developing the skills you need for Wicca -- or any other spiritual path. They don't require anything but your own mind. You can be developing these spiritual skills without anyone knowing about it. (And what a great head start you'll have, starting so young!)

See, it's not really about saying the words and setting up a pentacle somewhere. It's about . . .

• your mental discipline,

• your emotional awareness,

• your connection with your body and the Earth,

• and your relationship with Spirit.

You might also want to consider why you are interested in Wicca. Your family, I assume, has its own belief. What is it that Wicca offers you, that theirs doesn't?

Maybe it's not so much about the specific religious tradition. Truth can be found everywhere. Can you feed your spirit while following the path that your family follows? Or does it demand blind obedience and intolerance? Only you can answer that question.

I don't mean to be pushing you off Wicca. Personally, I think it's a wonderful path for this part of humanity's spiritual journey. My intention is to encourage you to consider your motivations. If your family is not religiously tolerant, you could be setting yourself up for some hard times. Is Wicca important enough to you to be worth it, at this time of your life?

Remember, there's always the rest of your life! If Wicca is really right for you, it'll still be here when you're free of other people's restrictions.

If you still want to pursue Wicca, one last piece of advice. You might want to hold off on subscribing to the blog or e-zine if you're worried about your family's reactions if they found them.

Good luck on your path! And thanks for writing.

Bright Blessings to you!

Do you have a question you'd like answered? Email the Priestess and your question could be answered in a future issue.

(Note: questions may be edited for brevity or clarity. No real names will be disclosed. For reasons of legality, all questions become the property of Wicca-Spirituality.com.)

Book Review

Loving the Goddess Within:
Sex Magick For Women

Loving the Goddess Within: Sex Magick For Women, by Nan Hawthorne, reveals the sensual aspect of spiritual worship.

Hawthorne writes, "Love and sex are essential parts of magick, being the re-enactments of the Goddess's initiating and sustaining energy and of the cycles of fertility."

The premise of Loving the Goddess Within is that sexuality and the passionate interplay of energies is integral to Wicca.

  Read The Review: Loving The Goddess Within

Fave Quotes

~ Richard Bach, Bridge Across Forever

Spiritual Rebirth Barometer

While this can be challenging, it's also extremely hopeful. If we are to survive as a species/planet, things need to change fast. And even though quick changes may be scary or difficult, do we really want to drag out the current worldwide misery a moment longer than we absolutely must?

So take heart! The healing you want for yourself and the planet IS underway, and coming along quickly.

And you are part of this transformation! If you are reading this newsletter, there is a part of you that answers to this Call.

So you will be undergoing changes, sometimes very rapidly. Sometimes it feels like being in the rock-tumbler of spiritual evolution.

At least you can take comfort in knowing that, every time you allow or encourage growth within yourself, you are healing a piece of the world's pain. You can even actively pursue your own development, and through that process, be an active agent in the salvation of our dear planet.

On that note, see if you've experienced some of these "symptoms" of the transformation.

Voracious Days and Non-Eating Days

If so, this is actually a good sign! Your body is making a transformation, right along with your soul and mind. It too is adjusting to a new vibrational level.

How can you help? Be gentle and compassionate with your body's needs!

That, all by itself, is a huge gift of healing to the world! And your body will find its way through this transformation with much more ease and beauty.

And allow it what it needs. You may want to avoid porking out on a lot of fatty foods, which aren't good for you. But don't punish your body or reject it for its needs.

Try to assess what your body really needs. Sometimes it will simply be a near-constant intake of food. In that case, I recommend noshing on light, healthier snacks. Organic fruit and vegetables, baked rice crackers, etc, take the edge off nicely.

Sometimes, you may find what you need is simply self-care.

• Take a quiet break with nature (even if merely contemplating sunlight shining through the leaves of a potted plant, or petting a cat.

• Go for a contemplative walk by yourself or with an animal friend.

• Dance, stretch, work out, sing, reflect on a dream, write poetry, draw a mandala . . . do something that liberates your body and soul.

• Give yourself the gift of thinking, for a few minutes, of what is good in your day, right now... and feeling these beneficial sensations.

Shifts in Thought Patterns

Perceptions are changing dramatically, and very quickly.

• One person has a breakthrough in seeing the door through her block to career success.

• Another suddenly perceives gender in a whole new light.

• Another begins to clarify how she has been manifesting the opposite of what she wants, and understand how to manifest exactly what she desires... and finds it working! (Okay, that one's me.)

What is transforming in your thoughts and beliefs?

Wacky Electronics

It's like they're suddenly busy with their own stuff. "Sorry, can't think about volume levels right now... I'm busy."

They may turn off or on unexpectedly. They may be slow in responding. They may not always behave as expected. They may crash and burn.

Here's a (very synchronistic) example for you. As I was preparing to send out this e-zine, the local internet server crashed! It seems the entire North Island is off-line. They don't seem to know what went wrong, or when it'll be fixed. It's kind of funny, for this to happen just as I'm trying to write to you about it!

(In fact, this kind of amazing coincidence is something you might also notice happening more and more frequently.)

What's going on? Well, maybe something is happening in the electronic field. Or maybe, if these things are happening in your life, your personal energy field is in a state of flux. In the case of our internet situation, it could be masses of people who have energy fields out of alignment.

That's to be expected, when big changes are happening fast.

If it's happening a lot, or is getting to be a real problem, you can try calming and grounding your own energy field.

You already know some things that do this for you. It may be meditation, or exercise, or grounding visualization, or being near water . . . .

When you do this, and you begin to feel happier and "smoother," you will likely notice that your electronics come back into alignment as well.

Try to allow and enjoy these transforming experiences. It will ease your transition.

Notice or suspect an energy field going around? Can you confirm this reading, or shed more light on it?

I'd love to hear what's happening for you! Please let me know.

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-- B (country unknown)

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