The Concepts of Religion & Deity as They Relate to Me...Or Should It Be "How I Relate to Them"???

If you wanted a standard dictionary definition of �religion,� you would look it up someplace like Dictionary.com, so I am not even going to go into that� Instead, I am going to focus on MY faith. Since I am an eclectic Solitary Witch, my views are not intended to represent an all-encompassing viewpoint of Witches everywhere. They are simply MY take on the subject. You may or may not agree with what I have to say. As long as you respect my right to my beliefs, I have no problem if your point of view conflicts with mine.

It is very difficult for me to put into words what my religion means to me. Religion is my anchor in this life. My faith is what allows me to get up every morning, ready to start the day with a positive attitude�even when the day before has been a trial. It is my main source of comfort, joy, and peace. My religion keeps me grounded and humble when I notice all nature�s wonders around me. Faith is what allows me to see the inherent good in others, no matter how hard it seems to notice these things.

Religion is NOT something to take lightly. It is not something I �do� once a week, once a month, or once a year. It is something that I live everyday of my life. Religion is what has made me finally realize that I cannot control the whole world; that I can only control my reaction to the things that happen around me. It guides my decisions and actions. It bridles my tongue sometimes�but not always�when I would speak unwisely or unkindly.

Religion is not something to flaunt in front of others. It is to be lived quietly and calmly so that others only notice that I am a spiritual person, not a glaring neon sign saying, �I�m a Witch� which flashes over my head. My religion is not a statement or a way of getting attention. It is simply the guideline by which I live my life.

I see the Goddess is the female half of The All, the female energy that compliments, balances, and completes the male energy of the God. In Her aspect as Maiden, the Goddess is the young, carefree spirit of the little girls I see playing in the park on a summer�s day. She is innocence embodied. She is the confident young woman, idealistic and ready to take on the world. In this Maidenhood, She is unfettered by allegiances to any man and tests Her powers of seduction on all comers. I see Her spirit in those who fight for the under-privileged, for those without a voice of their own. She is the suffragettes and feminists who paved the way for women to become lawyers, doctors, and corporate heads, even in the face of adversity.

The Mother aspect of the Goddess is She who birthed my spirit�and the Universe itself�into creation. She encourages me to grow in Her image and soothes my troubled mind when things don�t go the way I would like. She is stern and �motherly� with me when I become lazy and want to take the easy way out of a situation instead of taking responsibility for my actions. I see Her within all women who take on ANY nurturing or creative role, not only in women who have given birth to a child.

I see the Crone within the wizened, wrinkled faces of the elderly women that most people dismiss as being past their prime, useless in this youth- and beauty-oriented society. She is the teachers and priestesses who pass along the knowledge that they have gained so that others may become wise. She is the destroyer that rids the earthly plane of obsolete objects and concepts to make way for the new.

The God is many things to me. He is the male energy that balances the female principle that is the Goddess.

He is the Father, who loves me and allows me to spread my wings and explore life; I routinely see this aspect in the eyes of men caring for their friends and families.

He is the Warrior, who lives in all the brave men who give their time, their expertise, and sometimes their lives as law enforcement officers and military men.

He is the Lover who cherishes the Goddess and gives his life for Her. I hear His seductive words when my beloved speaks to me.

He is the Spirit of the wild things, which I see in the herds of deer as they bound across open fields in the fall.

He is the Sacrifice that allows life to go on, as I see it in the harvest each autumn.

He is the Hunter who thins the herds each fall, slaughtering some of the animals so that the majority may prosper.

He is the wisdom that lives within priests and scholars who give their time to educate the masses.

He is the Reaper who guides the recently deceased to the Otherworld.