Greetings from Maryland!

Hello! My name is Bonnie and I am currently searching down a new spiritual path that is decidedly more neo-pagan than Wicca, although, they seem to be blending. Growing up in a Christian home, I felt like there was more to me than what I was being brought up to believe. As I am solitary (for now), I label myself “a seeker” as I study and practice my craft.

This year has been sheer transformation for me, unlike any I have ever experienced. I have the most amazing support from my husband and children and if it were not for them, I believe in my heart I would still continue to feel a piece of me would be missing.

I am excited to connect with other like-minded individuals and grow from our collective wisdom, insight, and deep-rooted powers that have no explanation other than “it is what it is”. Blessings be to all!

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Nice to meet you! I am a solitary also and very much new 'round these parts but everyone has been so welcoming! :waxing_crescent_moon::full_moon::waning_crescent_moon::smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Merry meet @Wolf_Witch,

Welcome to the forum- it’s a blessing to have you here! :blush: It sounds like you have come a long way in finding the style of witchcraft and labels you identify with most. Congrats on your journey so far, and may you continue to thrive in your Craft! :sparkles:

In terms of finding like-minded magick-lovers, I’m happy to say you’re in the right place! Your coven is here to help, share suggestions, and simply chat about all things magickal. Please make yourself at home here! :infinite_roots:

If you haven’t already found it, I recommend taking a peek at the current Merry Meet Monday news post. There is a new one posted every Monday with the all of the events, happenings, and witchy things to be aware of this week. If you see any activities that catch your eye, please know that you are warmly invited to join in! :heart:

Blessed be!

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Hi @Wolf_Witch! I’m Amethyst from Southern West Virginia. Welcome to the forum! :infinite_roots:

So nice to have you here! Have you found the Courses yet? They are a great way to start out on this site and are full of good information!

If you have any questions, just ask and someone will pop up to help you out. I look forward to getting to know you!

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Hi @Wolf_Witch, I’m Amaris from Houston, TX. I too am a Solitary witch. I started on the Wiccan path but have since become much more eclectic and making up my own pagan/green witch practice as I go. I was raised Catholic until I was a pre-teen and then my mother decided to leave the church and found paganism and witchcraft. While I was intrigued by it, I was the rebellious teen that didn’t want anything to do with my mom so I ignored my pull for many many years. Now, I have never been happier!

This community is filled with amazing people that are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. There is so much information here that you can pretty much pick any topic and dive in!

It is great to have you here! Merry We Met, Merry We Part.

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@Wolf_Witch
Hey Miss bonnie, I’m Garnet from Florida. I lived in Virginia Beach for many years, Navy family, you know? Welcome to a site of knowledge, insight and love.
No one will or should encourage you to become something you’re not or don’t want to be, Should at any time you feel pressured, please let one of us know and the issue will be addressed.
If I may address neo-paganism & Wicca. You don’t have to be anything you don’t want. I came here & became an eclectic, Solitary Practitioner. Not Wiccan or Neo-Pagan, just a Pagan. I was once a Christian but when I arrived here> I was an empty vessel & I have been filling it ever since.
My darling girl, we all came here as Seekers with a great thirst for knowledge. Here we have a deep well (library). Please, drink deeply!
I think of you as an empty book. Pick up your pencil & let’s all fill our books.
Many of our lovely members will give you better directions as to surfing the site. We are a group of like minded people from around the world! They share so much experience & knowledge. @Silverbear & @MeganB make great instructional videos, @christina4 is very knowledgeable about crystals.
@BryWisteria is kind and helpful. @Amethyst Lovely, lovely girl.
My suggestions? Listen to what everyone says (we love questions). If I tried to name all the lovely people in this coven I’d be here for a week but they are all great. Teach us by your life’s experience & learn from us the same.
Grab a cup of tea, sit back, pick up your feet, learn something and make some new friends.
Blessed be.
You and yours, stay safe & know you are loved.
Garnet

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Merry meet and welcome @Wolf_Witch

I’m Marsha, a solitary witch from Colorado. I was also raised as a Christian. It took me a long time to come out of the closet.

I started searching many years ago, and I called it my spiritual quest! I imagined I was searching for my Holy Grail… :rofl: The name along with my search changed many times through the years! Anyway, here I am, a Witch!!! :magic_wand:

I’m so glad you have joined us, Bonnie, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.

With Love :heart: & Magick :dizzy:

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Aww, thank you for the mention @Garnet! You’re a sweet person.

@Garnet is wise beyond her years so I would listen to her advice @Wolf_Witch!

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@marsha
Hey, pretty woman, how often are you ‘hit’ with Marsha, Marsha, Marsha?
Mine was Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann :notes:
Just saying. :slight_smile:
Garnet

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@Garnet A.K.A. “Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Barbara Ann”

You are The Beach Boys Dream Girl!

Yes :rofl: sometimes, but it doesn’t happen very often anymore, many people I meet are too young to remember The Brady Bunch!

Love :heart: and Hugs :hugs:
A.K.A.The Other Marsha!

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@marsha, so… my kids say that to their friends (my husband & I have seen the Brady Bunch, my kids haven’t that they would remember, but hear us quote it) “Pork Chops & Applesauce” - Peter Brady & until @Garnet mentioned it, I hadn’t made the connection but my husband did when he saw your name as I was responding. He said that you look like a much better Marsha than the context of the line from the Brady Bunch. I told him you had nothing to do with Jan or Cindy.

However the Barbara Ann & the Beach Boys… that has rung through my head before but not because of our Garnet, she actually reminds me of the piece of red garnet I have for Brighid that I put out for Her. :hugs:

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@Susurrus Aww, that’s so sweet!
Garnet

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Thank you, Garnet, for your kind words, support, guidance, and wisdom. I have never felt so welcomed or at home in my entire life! In Christian churches, everyone seems to do the same thing: smile, offer you a cookie as they say “Good morning!”, then…nothing. There is absolutely zero connectivity. A loner my entire life (first by rejection, then by choice), religion was the one thing I turned to for a sense of community. How can one be part of a group and still be made to feel so alone, like they are floating in an ocean with nobody in sight? It does not make sense.

I have come to acknowledge I am to be alone, but in my craft?..I want connections because I know I have something unique I do not understand and I want to grow in it. And just as you stated, I am parched but cannot seem to quench my thirst! My cup isn’t even close to running over, even though I have jumped in with both feet. Words have not been invented yet that can describe how fulfilled I am but yet, not, as I can never seem to get enough.

I just told my husband last night I am ready to begin seeking out a coven (As a staunch Christian, I never though I’d ever say that). His words…“Go for it.”

It is amazing to me that already I feel like I am home. Never one who cared about gardening, my porch is now ringed in with herbs and I am drying them, learning about their magickal properties, and using them in my casting. I am beginning to understand the importance of crystals, moon phases, and weekday magick. Whatever is inside is taking over and it feels so normal. My entire being is transforming as it guides me and walks with me through my daily life, routines, career, and my immediate family.

The only concern I presently have is how to deal with the “fallout” when this gets known to my extended family (parents, siblings, etc.) and stretches outward into a Christian community where all act as judge, jury, and executioner. Advice?

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Hello, Annakya. Thank you for the warm welcome! I am finding that out as well the openness and acceptance of those here. So refreshing! :scorpius: :triskele: :algiz:

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Thank you for such a warm welcome and cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to find a home coven! :triskele: :algiz:

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Thank you, Amethyst, for your warm welcome! I cannot begin to express what it feels like to be accepted and surrounded so wholeheartedly. Thank you for your support! :algiz: :triskele:

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Good morning, Amaris. I feel like I already know you. I was raised Christian in a family that did not practice what was preached. The hypocrisy was thick and the atmosphere was tainted with secrets trying to be hidden. Shedding that and stepping into a world unlike any I could have imagined is the most liberating experience I have ever known! Like you, I have not been happier with my choice to learn ancient practices that still have grounded meaning today. I am looking forward to learning from everyone and making connections that have been missing in my life. Thank you for reaching out. It means more than you will ever know. Blessings to you, friend. :algiz: :triskele:

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Good morning Marsha from Colorado! How wonderful to meet you! Being raised a Christian, I feel you are the one person who can identify most with my search for purpose and meaning.

Everything you are saying is resonating fully within me and moved me to tears. Upon reflection, the journey has only begun a few months ago but it has been a lifetime of searching. To have met someone who has walked the path I am currently on is the single-most validating experience I have had yet. Thank you for your openness!

As I shared with Garnet, my primary concern is how I will handle the “fallout” of this when my extended family finds out (parents, brothers, etc.). I come from a long line of Christian-based zealots who believe they mean well but judge and condemn in reality. Any advice that would prepare me? :algiz: :triskele:

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@Wolf_Witch honestly, only my husband & children, plus a couple of close friends, know that I am a practicing pagan/witch. Regardless of what I wear, say, or do, the same or different. My neighbors think I love animals & this year, my mobility is better to be able to work in the yard. I do anything else in my home, specifically in my room. Unless I am home alone, I may venture to the kitchen or living room. It depends on who is home & the general atmosphere of the people that may be here too. I do have an oak that I sit in front of or a spot on my back porch where I will sit in the sun & watch nature happen in my backyard.

I was raised Roman/Irish Catholic; talk about judge, jury, & executor because of hearsay… I get it. We had all but stopped practicing religion by the time I had moved out & had my children. I tried to go back to church here, but in the end, we didn’t end up following through much past my children being baptized. So YEARS later, when I was thinking about, who knows what, it dawned on me that when I was a teen, I used to practice with a friend of mine & started looking more into paganism, Wicca, witchcraft & I was very comfortable & happy. Then I landed here in 2020.

My father & brother, though… have no idea. I feel like it’s more of a don’t ask, don’t tell, or a who cares because my father is at one end of the coast & my brother is deployed. So we don’t talk about spirituality or organized religion anymore.

I have a pentacle chandelier hanging on a shepherd’s hook by my fire pit with five mini cauldrons hanging from each point. I recently had someone ask if it was from Halloween; I said no. I use it when I have a fire… so I’m pretty sure they think it’s a permanent Halloween decoration?

There’s no way to tell how others are going to react. I came from a very Catholic family, Italian & Irish, so I remember things from when I was younger happening that were based on the church’s beliefs, or we were being given reasons based on the church to find out later, it was the most straightforward explanation to save face at the time.

(IE: I have a half brother & sister. We were told that the marriage to their mother was annulled… there is no divorce or annulment record anywhere & on the marriage certificate. They weren’t married in the church. They were married by a justice of the peace in 1967. I found them in 2021, but I haven’t reached out because of conflicting information from other family members about what was or wasn’t relayed to the children whose names were completely changed to reflect the other man that their mother was with at the time after she left my father when he was deployed)

It’s going to be up to you whether or not you are ready to share the information with other people. How they react is up to them. I would say you will need to be prepared to hear things that may not be helpful or supportive based on belief systems that are different & don’t understand what a “witch” is or does or that it’s a very personal journey so no 2 witches are the same.

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You’re welcome, my dear! I hope you find what you need here!

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