Happy New Year!
Witches and the Sabbat
This month,
our readers queried...
How can I find out if any member of my family living or passed is/was a witch?
– Leah
This would entail a type of history fact gathering. One would have to interview family members for information regarding anyone within the past few generations. Chances are even if one were a practicing witch, because of the veil of secrecy and silence that was a prerequisite for safe worship, any information that wasn’t passed down from family members may in fact be lost with time.
I am 13 yrs old, living with a strict Lutheran/Catholic family. I have been reading about and studying Wicca since I was about seven. It has always fascinated me. I am really interested in all the herbal rememdies as well. The problem is that my family thinks that the supposed “witchcraft” is wrong or “evil”. I have not started practicing or using any spells, charms, etc. But I want to. I don’t really have my parents or any part of my family to turn to for help or guidence, so in a way, I’m kind of stuck by myself. I also don’t want to offend or upset my family. I was wondering if you could give me any advice about what to do, no one I know is into the “Craft” except my bf, and one of my friends. But that does not help very much, seeing as how we are all pretty naive about the whole thing. Do you know anybody who could help me learn more about this religion?
– Kat
Because of the way of the world these days, no one would be able to teach you the religious principles without having some type of authorization from your parents. Since this isn’t something that seems to be forthcoming, you may want to simply investigate all you can on the subject.
Author, Silver Ravenwolf, has a pretty decent Teen Witch book available at most bookstores which helps to make the complex nature of the religion understandable.
The thing to understand is that the herbal remedies and spell casting are not exclusive to Wicca. Wicca is an Earth based religion that venerates the energy of the male and female in the form of the God and Goddess.
Herbal lore and remedies can be learned by simply obtaining information on holistic healing. One can be an herbalist without being Wiccan, and vice versa. Many Wiccans do learn herbal lore on the side but it isn’t a prerequisite. Scott Cunningham is an author you may want to also investigate regarding herbal remedies and the uses of herbs. He manages to incorporate their uses from spells, remedies and for religious services.
Hello Witch Hazel,
I was planning a special dinner for my first Samhain celebration when I
came across something in my reading about an “Ancestor Feast” honouring our relatives who have passed, etc. Any suggestions and/or additions for my dinner? I was just looking for some different and unique ideas for my celebration.
Thanks,
Lesley
Also, don’t be afraid to utilize the internet. If you go to google.com and type in Samhain Recipes, you will be treated to a number of pages dedicated to just this very thing.
I recommend the link search simply because it provides a resource for seeing how others share their ideas at this time of year. Sharing and Celebration are a part of Wicca, so it is a great way to tap into things that others have come up with over the years.
One reader, Michelle, shared her Samhain rituals:
What we did last year was set up 1000 candles to make a room outdoors to walk in and remember our dead. This year we are pitching/catapulting
pumpkins.
Another reader, Justine, suggested for a Samhain dinner:
Since my father’s side of the family is Ukrainian, I like to remember some of the dishes my first generation paternal grandmother would cook. This would include a delicious borscht and sauerkraut and cheese pierogi with fried onions. My spin on the meal is to make pumpkin pierogi, and to set a place at the table for grandmother.
This year, our meal will be inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine, in honour of my husband’s side of the family.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to drop a line and ask a question or tell us how you celebrate the pagan new year.
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