This is such a great piece, it reminded me of my early 20s when I was trying to figure out my spiritual "place." I explored Wicca and larger paganism, Left Hand Path and a few other things. Over the years I've found I'm pagan-adjacent. I'm all in for the natural world, but some of the other aspects put me off. If I had to pigeonhole myself, I'd say Gaia Theory is probably the closest to how I view things now.
I hadn't heard of Gaia Theory before, it's such an interesting concept! I love a lot of things about Wicca, but I also don't totally vibe with it because of the organised religion aspect. That's why I like the term "witch" - it can mean infinite things, so we get to decide what it means for ourselves!
oh this is so so good. moved me in a way I can't quite explain. I saw myself in your words. although, I did grow up in an evangelical household and luckily my parents never were weird about halloween or witch adjacent media. but the way you described evangelism as a young teen hit hard! thank you for sharing your witch journey. 🤍
I'm so glad my experiences resonated with you! In Brazil people are generally very religious/spiritual/superstitious/all of the above, but I feel like evangelicals are definitely more intense. I know people who have some sad and crazy stories from the evangelical church, so in comparison I even got off easy. I'm just glad I never actually joined the church :p I'd love to hear about your experience (with witchcraft or religion) if you feel like sharing. thank you so much for reading!!
I love how witchcraft, in all its practices, belief systems, and spirituality, also serves as a signficant against individualist, selfish, self-destructive late-stage capitalism and society. Practicing focusing on the now, learning from age-old practices and societies, building internal strength and cultivating self love and kindness have become important tools on surviving the tumutous life we have to live, and I think it is no coincidente your relationship with witchery was reignited in London of all places. How does it help you with your current life and routine? What does it continue to mean to you and how do you continue to gain strength from it?
That's exactly what I love most about it too, it's a type of gentle resistance against an exploitative system that allows you to recenter and pour your energy back into yourself. I'm still learning and still creating practices and rituals, experimenting on what works for me and it changes depending on what I'm going through. Right now, I use it as a source of strength and encouragement to keep doing what I'm doing - this newsletter, my manuscript, freelancing etc, all of which can be hard and disheartening and I feel like giving up all the time. Taking time for a spiritual practice helps me remember why I'm doing this in the first place and that things will happen in their own time.
This is such a great piece, it reminded me of my early 20s when I was trying to figure out my spiritual "place." I explored Wicca and larger paganism, Left Hand Path and a few other things. Over the years I've found I'm pagan-adjacent. I'm all in for the natural world, but some of the other aspects put me off. If I had to pigeonhole myself, I'd say Gaia Theory is probably the closest to how I view things now.
I hadn't heard of Gaia Theory before, it's such an interesting concept! I love a lot of things about Wicca, but I also don't totally vibe with it because of the organised religion aspect. That's why I like the term "witch" - it can mean infinite things, so we get to decide what it means for ourselves!
oh this is so so good. moved me in a way I can't quite explain. I saw myself in your words. although, I did grow up in an evangelical household and luckily my parents never were weird about halloween or witch adjacent media. but the way you described evangelism as a young teen hit hard! thank you for sharing your witch journey. 🤍
I'm so glad my experiences resonated with you! In Brazil people are generally very religious/spiritual/superstitious/all of the above, but I feel like evangelicals are definitely more intense. I know people who have some sad and crazy stories from the evangelical church, so in comparison I even got off easy. I'm just glad I never actually joined the church :p I'd love to hear about your experience (with witchcraft or religion) if you feel like sharing. thank you so much for reading!!
your post inspired me to write about my experience actually! so, at this point, it should be out to the world in the next day or so. 🥰
Oh I’m happy to hear that!! 😻
I love how witchcraft, in all its practices, belief systems, and spirituality, also serves as a signficant against individualist, selfish, self-destructive late-stage capitalism and society. Practicing focusing on the now, learning from age-old practices and societies, building internal strength and cultivating self love and kindness have become important tools on surviving the tumutous life we have to live, and I think it is no coincidente your relationship with witchery was reignited in London of all places. How does it help you with your current life and routine? What does it continue to mean to you and how do you continue to gain strength from it?
That's exactly what I love most about it too, it's a type of gentle resistance against an exploitative system that allows you to recenter and pour your energy back into yourself. I'm still learning and still creating practices and rituals, experimenting on what works for me and it changes depending on what I'm going through. Right now, I use it as a source of strength and encouragement to keep doing what I'm doing - this newsletter, my manuscript, freelancing etc, all of which can be hard and disheartening and I feel like giving up all the time. Taking time for a spiritual practice helps me remember why I'm doing this in the first place and that things will happen in their own time.