For Puck's Sake
In a recent article that I wrote on The Wild Hunt about studying magick online, I explored the legitimacy of learning witchcraft through the internet. One of the comments left was “Wow, a whole article just to state at the end that it’s all up ‘to the individual’?”
Absolutely. I never tell people what to do, at least I try really hard not to. Your spiritual and magickal path is personal. I’m not here to spoon-feed you answers or tell you what to do with your life. I’m not here to tell you what to believe or strip away your self-sovereignty and power of your path.
My focus isn’t to write with absolute authority on any subject, because I don’t have absolute authority on any subject. I have always been super clear about that in my writing. That is why I often use the words “in my experience” or “I have found” or “I’ve noticed” and discuss the conclusions I’ve come to. I’ve also always tried to be really clear that my opinions, views, ideas, and experiences change and evolve. I hold nothing as an absolute universal truth and have always promoted questioning things and critical thinking.
There is absolutely no one-size-fits all with these things. For example, there’s people who just cannot do the traditional grounding and centering effectively, so other methods have to be explored. Some people don’t even process energy like others do (and this is a fascinating subject that’s been explored by folks like Michelle Belanger).
Individuals are individuals and we’re all wired differently and different things work for different folks. This becomes super clear when teaching psychic development to others. Experimentation and exploration are necessary, and different people come to different conclusions and find things that work the best for them. This is why I mostly reject the notion of the idea of witchcraft as a religion, at least when it comes to the baggage of absolutes and dogma that come with most religions. If you are seeking absolutes and seeking to be told what to do, what to believe, and practice with absolutes, witchcraft may not be the best fit for you. Then again, maybe it is. That’s up to you to decide.
The only time that I’ve broken this rule (to my knowledge) and spoken with a tone of absolute authority was with my submission to the upcoming Witches’ Almanac, which I had to rewrite because I kept sharing my experiences, perspectives, and spoke with a tone of openness. After submitting, I was then informed that they don’t allow writing in the first person. So I had to step out of my comfort zone and rewrite the submission more authoritatively on the subject in a third-person context.
I’m also quick in correspondences with others or in my workshops to say the words “I don’t know” when I don’t know about a subject or a particular area of a subject, but try to point them to areas where they may find what they’re looking for, or people who may be able to give insight on the subject.
I don’t have all the answers, and anyone who claims to is full of crap. Anyone who claims to know what is best for you, what decisions you should make, which paths you should walk down, and what you should blindly believe is most likely either trying to strip you of your power or are controlled themselves.
While I do teach workshops and I do mentor in my tradition, I have always tried to be super clear that I am a student first and foremost and I see myself more as someone trying to explore things with others and share those explorations. I’m not here to be your marionettist, your guru, or your boss. I much rather you be empowered to make your own decisions and come to your own conclusions.
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