Essential to the Wiccan belief system is a deep reverence for nature, a passionate affinity for the moon, and a personal connection to pre-Christian goddesses and gods (although some feminist groups focus only on Goddess, most often, Diana). Marking the seasonal year with festivals and celebrations that symbolize the cyclic dance between the masculine sun and the feminine earth, Wiccans have created a positive and inspiring spiritual movement within the modern framework of Neo-Paganism. Wicca, however, is not truly synonymous with witchcraft, though many use the terms interchangeably.

The practice of folk wisdom, divination, intuitive Craft and shamanism existed in its various cultural forms before the birth of twentieth century Wicca, and even today may dwell outside of Wicca's framework, quietly existing within diverse clusters of belief. Even Christian believers and atheists count among them practitioners of witchcraft. The truth is, witches are not necessarily Wiccan. Many witchy women and men practice magical, healing or shamanic paths influenced by teachings as diverse as Buddhism, Catholicism, Celtic Faery, Jungian psychology and Native American spirituality. Energy dowsing, Native Medicine and the milagros of curanderas are practices that share certain customs and similar beliefs with the Craft of the Wise, without belonging to the Wiccan identity. Our witch cannot be easily pigeonholed. ����� �����

Exclusion or Empathy?

Unfortunately, I have witnessed displays of pigeonholing and exclusion firsthand. On witchy e-mail lists I have read running arguments about which witch gets to use an uppercase W. Apparently, for some, w or W is a big deal. Some insist that country hedge witches, dowsers, and self-dedicated solitaries aren't supposed to use an uppercase W. Only initiated Wiccans have the right to use a W. Those who practice high magick (Qabalah influenced ceremonial) often look down on practitioners of so-called low magic (folk influenced kitchen and hedge witchery). Feminist witches may claim that stating, "I am a Witch!" will make you one, while Gardnerians insist on three degrees of initiation. Differences of opinion can be fierce.

� When an acquaintance of mine cautiously disclosed her childhood gift of insight at a public goddess circle, a woman snubbed her by snickering, "Oh, a natural. We hate those!" Lack of generosity, empathy and tolerance gnaws at the fragile roots of our eclectic Neo-Pagan community. Expressions of judgment, contempt and exclusion may reveal an unacknowledged dependence upon dogma and concretization � standards we witchy folk claim to dislike. The internet web is tangled with forums and sites devoted to "Witch Wars". It is painfully evident that our expanding New Age and Neo-Pagan community wrestles with its own demons. Our alternative spiritual path is not immune to conflict. My own adolescent years repeatedly heard the paternal decree, "My way is the only way." I cringe inside when I hear similar intolerance in the New Age, witchy and Pagan population.����� �����

A Call for Generosity�����

Every person sincere in seeking spiritual truths deserves respect, regardless of their chosen path. Whether witch, Witch or non-witch, Wiccan or magician, Christo-Witch or Neo-Pagan, the time is ripe for embracing and celebrating the diversity within our expanding neo-spiritual community. Why not welcome opposing viewpoints and eclectic practices? Diversity enlivens us. Imagine all the personal energy that is preserved by not investing in defending our own position on the map. Consider that our aversion to someone else's beliefs just might reflect an aspect of our Shadow self that we are unwilling to accept. Jung taught us that our best teachers are often those that trigger aspects of our unacknowledged Shadow, mirroring traits we are afraid to own. What bothers us about someone else may be our own denied inclination to behave in the same manner. ����� �����

Diversity is Inevitable

Not everyone resonates to ceremonial Gardnerian Wicca. Not all practitioners of witchcraft are able to or wish to join a coven. Many find their spiritual home in solitary hedge witch style. Others are exploring the Celtic or Gypsy path of their heritage. One friend of mine combines her Buddhist meditation practice with full moon rituals and reading tea leaves. Another is attracted to Druidry. A third is a Christian, exploring the goddess for the first time, in the guise of the Virgin Mary. The soul's journey will be different for each person. Waking the witch within is a personal task. �

We all emerge into this world as raw material, imprinted with our unique birthright, shaped and influenced by our ancestral blood lines, family patterns and beliefs, inherent personality traits and peer culture. Yet despite so much input, our spiritual path remains our own responsibility. Our soul's compass exists within our own heart. �

In my travels I have met devout Catholic women in New Mexico who are potent witches. Their altars often serve the goddess through icons of the Madonna. Yet I have heard many Wiccans insist that NO witch could also believe in anything Christian. These witches do. They seamlessly weave their hereditary wisewoman Craft with their devotion to the Virgin Mary and Jesus. In fact, many indigenous cultures have often embraced Christianity through their dedication to this deeply familiar archetype - Heavenly Mother and Divine Child, Queen of the Heavens birthing the Sun, the Light of the World. The archetypal feminine divine is recognized, accepted and interwoven with their cultural folk beliefs. Witches can also be Christian. �

The truth is, statues of saints may be interchangeable with another pagan's gods. I suppose you could say, one witch's Green Man is another's St. Francis! From a Jungian and mythological viewpoint, this is completely understandable. The energy of the archetypes is universal and each individual practitioner is responding to the essence of the archetype, not the dogma surrounding it. Dogma doesn't inspire devotion. Archetypes do. Their eternal truth fires the imagination and feeds the soul.��

It may be difficult for us to separate the church from the saint, the dogma from the Divine, but that is exactly what we must do. We must detach from our ingrained expectations and prejudices, and pause long enough to identify the eternal energy of the St. Francis archetype, and recognize the tender, natural guise of the Green Man himself. Archetypal truths are timeless and universal. That's what makes them archetypes. Whether we resonate to the wild spirit of the Green Man or Saint Francis, the important issue is how we respond to their essential truth.

Whether it is Inanna, Queen of Heaven, or Virgin Mary, Star of the Sea, in the end, what matters most is our own individual alchemical process of discovery. The gods and goddesses live within. Perhaps in the end, spirituality, like true beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. �����

The Spiral Way

� It is my sincere belief that whatever our spiritual path embraces, be it New Age, Wiccan, Neo-Pagan or witchcraft, it ought to be flexible, evolving and expanding with our personal growth and deepening awareness. The unconventional spiraling path of the witch is not a static practice. It is not sustained by someone else's set of rules, classifications, laws and dogma. Its truth lives and breathes within our own body, mind and spirit. If we freeze it into a rigid structure it will become a dry and lifeless doctrine. Too many religious and spiritual paths have suffered this fate. The belief in correctness and rules ends up replacing a direct and juicy encounter with Divine Mystery. Upholding the contract of faith becomes the central focus. Experiencing the real and intimate energy of the Divine is lost in the lessons of dogma.

A living spiritual practice is constantly evolving, echoing the unique character of each era. Witchcraft and Wicca need to remain fluid as we navigate the twists and turns of life experience and new perspectives. Spirit cannot be paper-clipped into neat and tidy definitions. As a Wisewoman once said to me, "One truth is for certain - the more you think you know, the more you DON'T know!" I will share what I know. The personal spiral path of the witch is organic, flowing, and ever-changing. There really are no set rules. Life is diverse. Spirit is unlimited. In this time of rapid growth, challenges and change we need to be generous of spirit. Let us cultivate a sense of humor, a respect for diversity and a tolerance for different beliefs.