Hello to all,
Where do I start? I grew up Christian believing in one God, and Saints were a big part of it too. However, i wouldnāt say it was a strict religious upbringing. But, the fear if God was there. That we shouldnāt do something to offend him otherwise heād punish us. ( As a little kid i remember thinking, what kind of God is this? If he punishes you).
My family is originally from Uruguay, South America, therefore, itās mostly Catholic. However, within the Christianity and Catholism there is also spirituallism, mediums, Santeria or macumba.
Uruguay, borders Brazil, therefore there is a lot of African-based religions that involves BrujerĆa (Witchcraft)
I had a great aunt who would contact the dead and considered herself a spiritulist and medium. My paternal grandmother was a āCuranderaā ( Witch doctor) she helped neighbors and family with ailments and would cure āEl Mal de ojo.ā ( Evil Eye) I found out later in life that my grandparents founded a church of Spirituallism in the town where they built their home. They were believers in God and the Saints but they also believed in everything I mentioned above. You couldnāt go to someones house and not find a family member, or friend who would offer to read your cards ( Not Tarot cards but playing cards) or tea leaves. So basically, Witchcraft, is instilled in the culture alongside Catholism and Christianity. ( Needless to say, i always found this facinating!)
As a little kid and growing up into adulthood i would have premonitions ( which at the time didnāt know what that meant) But, it was a regular thing on and off. Dreams would come true, especially ones that involved death, a major incident,or pregnancy. They were too many to call them coincidences, as I learned later in life.
As a teenager, when my family lived in Florida for a bit- we befriended a Christian neighbor who gave us bible lessons and took us to Church. Now, in her eyes- anything that had to do with magick or divinition was from the devil, and one should not engage in it. This is were my religious ideals began to question each other. However, i was grateful for the knowledge.
In my mid to late 20ās, I did practice Santeria/witchcraft for awhile. But than, just stopped and quit all religion or practices. I had a time that I became agnostic. Eventually, i came back to believe in God, again. But did not practice any Witchcraft. The idea of Wicca crossed my mind- even researched it a bit back in my late 20ās. However, due to my ignorance of listening to others, and not researching it too its fullest, I was lead to believe it was more Satanic than anything else. ( What an idiot i was)
Until just about last year, when I was on lockdown, on my own, because I couldnāt see family and friends- as they were on their own lockdown as well. I was sitting outside on my patio looking up at the moon. I donāt remember exactly how it happened. But somehow, Wicca came back into the picture again. I proceeded to subscribe to Kindle unlimited ( which at the time they were running a great offer of 3 months free) I began to download all digital books i could on the subject. I became obsessed with it. At the time I was struggling, no job- i was 2 paychecks away from being penniless, had low savings. Unemployment, was on a standstill, because it was going through its own chaos. So it was a very difficult time . ( Iām sure not just me, but everyone going through pandemic struggles)
I read many books on Wicca, by Lisa Chamberlain. I found a money/abundance spell. I remember calling the quarters and taking forever, trying to make sure Iām getting everything right- and finally, doing a spell on a full 
. I just remember feeling this enormous energy- a feeling I never felt before. It was such a relief. I felt protected and cared for and a feeling that Wow! This spell worked!! I trusted the feeling and the spell took itās course and began to work. All the unemployment red-tape began to unravel and the checks began to come in. I felt so at ease.
After that, i kept reading and educating myself.
I want to say April of 2020 is when I came across Spells8. It changed my life ( thank you Francisco, and The Travel Witch as well as everyone in the community) Everything, just made sense! Even tho I was reading books on Wicca, itās nothing like Spells8ās help. It made the spells easy to follow and you could ask questions and get amazing feedback. I was so 
at the time. (Still learning) However, i was making spells left and right. Iām sure if I had a witches hat, you could see smoke come out, from under it. Lol.
Wicca- was finally the spiritual answer i was looking for. The path Iāve been longing for all these years- practicing magic felt like a part of me, an extension of myself that was dormant no longer. However, i still had a hurdle to overcome spiritually. Because, of my Christian upbringing- it took me a couple months to accept the Lord and Lady and other dieties. But, the beauty of Wicca is that you can have all the Gods/ Goddesses/ Dieties you desire or none at all. In my eyes this is such a spiritual awakening. I wish others who are conflicted religiously, could understand how liberating this is.
In the end, Iām not sure where my path may lead me. Will i be Wiccan for the remainder of my years? Or embrace more Paganism? Who knows? All i know is that Iām loving where Iām at spiritually, right now.
And to be a practicing Witch - what a Better gift from the Universe than that?!
Not sure, if i get my witchy vibes and intuition from my grandmothers ( my maternal grandmother also had great intuition- she was from Basque-decent) or it gets better as you practice the Craft. All I can say is that I finally feel that all the pieces of my spiritual puzzle clicked together.
Thank you @BryWisteria for this challenge. It was a great introspective look of my spiritual, evolutionary journey. Itās pretty weird that this challenge came about almost the same time, my Wiccan path began, last year in 2020
Blessed be.
so I can grow my own Garden. šŖ“I think doing that will make me happy 
Blessed Beā:sparkles:
It sounds like you have found many blessings along your path- may you continue to find owners and joy on the long road forward! Thank you for sharing your lovely personal journey 
Thanks for sharing your heritage breakdown.
I think it is all of these experiences and your interactions with different people and cultures that helped shape you into the wonderful and very talented person you are today 
This challenge will close TOMORROW 
