Apologies, One of those.. Help Me Figure Out My Path Threads.

[Lilac Moon]

Like most of you here, putting my practice in a neat labeled package or defining myself with a single word is a challenge. That being said, Hedgewitch is the closest association I have to an identifiable path. I am reluctant to even post this... you frequently hear of people saying things like " my great g-mother was an Indian princess.." it makes me cringe. My mother is full Cherokee, there are no princesses in our past.

But I digress, as I was saying... I am reluctant to post this but my path began as a young child, on the skirt tails of my Grandmother, my fathers mother. A Southern Appalachian of German and Welsh descent. She delivered babies thru out the 40's and 50's... raised everything she ate, canned, smoked meat, grew herbs, always carried a pocket knife and basket, gathered herbs, roots and plants... made poultices, salves, tinctures, soaps and teas.. was a douser, solved domestic problems and was the wisest woman in the hollar and county... She was a Christian but never attended church, she always said.. "I can talk to God right here on my porch and don't need some fancy man in a suit to tell me what the good Lord is saying".. she often quoted scriptures while she was making her medicine, over the sick and before taking on any special project...

As I grew, I quickly realized organized religion was not for me... but I tried.. I practice most of what she taught me.. she called it her "ways".. I am not a douser but I am a seer and intuit. I love my herbs, my copper pots and cast iron pans, my wood cookstove, my pantry of mason jars filled with this and that.. the smell of mossy woods and the cleansing coolness of the creek are my calls to home. I still live in Appalachia, not far from my homeplace..

I am drawn to the moon and do most of my practices around moon phases, etc... I do not feel the draw towards high ceremonial magick... To me and for me there is a loss of connection, the pull of nature is not as strong with High.

To me, I feel the Creator is one, all encompassing.. with vast many faces.. unique to each of it creations.. But I would not disagree to someones assertion of the presence of numerous Gods/ Goddesses. However, I relate to the Goddess and have a really hard time connecting to the Creator in male form..

I have read a very small amount of Z-Dianic, Wiccan and some general Goddess tradition books but nothing really resonates with me...

If you have made it this far and not fallen asleep I am surprised... Are there any suggestions about reading material, web pages or directions for connecting with others?

Blessings and Thanks..

[Caelestis ♥ Raven]

Hello Lilac Moon Welcome to the site.

I love your post. The way you describe your grandmother is just so lovely and it sounds like a wonderful experience that you could have had that!

I am not one for high ceremonial magick either I prefer simple and just to the heart. Just nature, the Goddess and me.

While I have never read her books myself, I know in a Goddess group I was in a while back she was much loved & recommended for all the green witches. So you might be interested in looking at Susun Weed.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...sprefix=susun+

http://www.susunweed.com/

I highly recommend Ariadne's Thread by Shekhinah Mountainwater. It is just an amazing book for the Goddess path.

[Tuzi]

Essentially, your grandmother sounds almost as if she stepped off of the wiki article on Granny Women [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_women ]. They're rare these days, and it's a pity that what they knew is now almost extinct. So you're incredibly lucky, and I'd urge you to write down what you know so it's not lost :]

But in any case, you speak of communing with nature as one does the divine. It brings to mind a lwa, from the ATRs, although I personally have no experience with her. Gran Ibo -- a compilation of her information can be found here [ http://tribes.tribe.net/global_vodou...c-a0fb3bda8b22 ]. I hope you find what you're looking for. :]

[Lilac Moon]

Hello Lilac Moon Welcome to the site.

I love your post. The way you describe your grandmother is just so lovely and it sounds like a wonderful experience that you could have had that!

I am not one for high ceremonial magick either I prefer simple and just to the heart. Just nature, the Goddess and me.

While I have never read her books myself, I know in a Goddess group I was in a while back she was much loved & recommended for all the green witches. So you might be interested in looking at Susun Weed.

I highly recommend Ariadne's Thread by Shekhinah Mountainwater. It is just an amazing book for the Goddess path.

Caelestis ♥ Raven, Thank you for the Welcome... My Granny was quite special and I was blessed to have such strong female role models in my life...

I have met Susan Weed at the SE Herbal Conference.. if you ever have the opportunity to participate in a group with her, I would highly recommend it..

I will look for Ariadne's Thread, I have seen others mention the book as a worthy read..

Blessings

[Lilac Moon]

Essentially, your grandmother sounds almost as if she stepped off of the wiki article on Granny Women [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_women ]. They're rare these days, and it's a pity that what they knew is now almost extinct. So you're incredibly lucky, and I'd urge you to write down what you know so it's not lost :]

But in any case, you speak of communing with nature as one does the divine. It brings to mind a lwa, from the ATRs, although I personally have no experience with her. Gran Ibo -- a compilation of her information can be found here [ http://tribes.tribe.net/global_vodou...c-a0fb3bda8b22 ]. I hope you find what you're looking for. :]

Tuzi, Thanks for your reply. Yes my Granny was very like the article.. I still live in the area and though the numbers are dwindling there are still a few Granny women, practicing their ways.. Side note: I recently read an article about " Appalachian Granny Witches"... I almost wet my pants from laughing so hard. The author has the notion that these women were pagans and practiced "witchcraft".. I would love to see the author voice her ideas to my Granny, her sisters and neighbors... They would wallop her over the head with the King James Bible, smother her in suet and wood ash, turn her in circles and pray the psalms over her head... Demanding and rebuking the devil in her mouth... I have thought of writing a rebuttal article but that is another thread, for another time...

Wow, the information on Gran Ibo resonated with me. I am not familiar with Voodoo and the finer aspects of the practice. But, One with nature, patient, wise, herbalist, foresight and a Hermit.. sounds like my kinda gal!

Thanks and Blessings

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

Like most of you here, putting my practice in a neat labeled package or defining myself with a single word is a challenge. That being said, Hedgewitch is the closest association I have to an identifiable path. I am reluctant to even post this... you frequently hear of people saying things like " my great g-mother was an Indian princess.." it makes me cringe. My mother is full Cherokee, there are no princesses in our past.

But I digress, as I was saying... I am reluctant to post this but my path began as a young child, on the skirt tails of my Grandmother, my fathers mother. A Southern Appalachian of German and Welsh descent. She delivered babies thru out the 40's and 50's... raised everything she ate, canned, smoked meat, grew herbs, always carried a pocket knife and basket, gathered herbs, roots and plants... made poultices, salves, tinctures, soaps and teas.. was a douser, solved domestic problems and was the wisest woman in the hollar and county... She was a Christian but never attended church, she always said.. "I can talk to God right here on my porch and don't need some fancy man in a suit to tell me what the good Lord is saying".. she often quoted scriptures while she was making her medicine, over the sick and before taking on any special project...

As I grew, I quickly realized organized religion was not for me... but I tried.. I practice most of what she taught me.. she called it her "ways".. I am not a douser but I am a seer and intuit. I love my herbs, my copper pots and cast iron pans, my wood cookstove, my pantry of mason jars filled with this and that.. the smell of mossy woods and the cleansing coolness of the creek are my calls to home. I still live in Appalachia, not far from my homeplace..

I am drawn to the moon and do most of my practices around moon phases, etc... I do not feel the draw towards high ceremonial magick... To me and for me there is a loss of connection, the pull of nature is not as strong with High.

To me, I feel the Creator is one, all encompassing.. with vast many faces.. unique to each of it creations.. But I would not disagree to someones assertion of the presence of numerous Gods/ Goddesses. However, I relate to the Goddess and have a really hard time connecting to the Creator in male form..

I have read a very small amount of Z-Dianic, Wiccan and some general Goddess tradition books but nothing really resonates with me...

If you have made it this far and not fallen asleep I am surprised... Are there any suggestions about reading material, web pages or directions for connecting with others?

Blessings and Thanks..

I don't have much to offer but you basically summed up my beliefs as well. I have a god that has called to me, but he's usually very much off to the side of things. i never have connected to him like I have the Goddesses who have called to me. he's there but in the background should I need him. While the Ladies are forefront in all matters.

[Erebos]

To me, I feel the Creator is one, all encompassing.. with vast many faces.. unique to each of it creations.. But I would not disagree to someones assertion of the presence of numerous Gods/ Goddesses. However, I relate to the Goddess and have a really hard time connecting to the Creator in male form..

I have read a very small amount of Z-Dianic, Wiccan and some general Goddess tradition books but nothing really resonates with me...

If you have made it this far and not fallen asleep I am surprised... Are there any suggestions about reading material, web pages or directions for connecting with others?

I didn't fall asleep. Actually, I thought your background story was very interesting!

Have you ever read The Spiral Dance by Starhawk? I recommend it to people often, but with good reason. I like her because she describes Witchcraft as a shamanic, indigenous, nature-oriented religion rather than being overtly ceremonial and occult. You might also like it because it's very Goddess-oriented, although she's not an extremist like Z Budapest. Starhawk was trained in the Feri tradition rather than in Wicca or Dianic Witchcraft, and The Spiral Dance reflects that. The Goddess is emphasized over the God in Feri, but it isn't a fertility tradition of sexual polarity, and though the Goddess is considered feminine in function because she is the source that gives birth to all life, the gods do not have physical gender. No gender is considered better than the other.

If you read The Spiral Dance and find yourself drawn to Feri Witchcraft, T. Thorn Coyle's book, Evolutionary Witchcraft, goes deeper into that tradition, specifically.