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Being a "Green" Witch... in
an Eco-Friendly sense
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It seems
to me that living in an Eco-conscious way is important for a Pagan....
The Earth playing such a vital role in our beliefs, it would be sacrilegious
not to really....
Now I'm not
suggesting we all run out and make mud brick houses, without amenities,
and live in non-consumerist solitude... (I can afterall not live without
my computer!) But there are choices we can make that can help live
a more eco-friendly lifestyle, without too much strain.
Sometimes it
can be easy to get caught up in convenience of modern society, with our
single use products and disposable attitude, but we of all people should
take more care. Unfortunately too the nature of Witchcraft tends
to use single use items, like candles, a lot. But with a bit of thought
we can have our Witchcraft and not have to sacrifice the Earth.
Eco-friendly
ideas for everyday living
For Pagan
stuff, read on...
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Candles
Burning candles
is actually not so great for the environment - for a start most candles
are petroleum/parrafin based, plus you have the fact they burn oxygen...
Since most of a Pagan's Ritual and Spellwork includes using candles, there
are a few things you can do to have a lower impact.
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Use fewer candles
- Use the ones you need, but less candles just for mood
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No Single Use
Candles - Rather than using a new candle for each ritual/spell - cleanse
and consecrate the same candles. Even if you keep a box with compartments
or some other means for storing candles, so you can keep track of which
ones have been used for what, and use the one candle for all healing spells
for example. Or melt the candles down and use them to make other
candles.
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Don't bury - candles
are wax and are not going to break down quickly, so it is better to reuse
them that to leave them discarded in the ground. If you must bury
a candle, perhaps return after a while to dig it up and reuse or melt it
down again.
Recycle/Reuse
Instead of
buying things new, as much as possible go hunting through thrift shops
for tools and things.
Organic
While not
always possible.... where you can, try to buy organic herbs, oils and other
ingredients. These are grown without the use of pesticides and are
much better for the Environment. When having a simple feast, try
to incorporate organic foods, and homemade foods, rather than buying prepackaged
ones.
Earth Hour
http://www.earthhour.org
One thing
that really urks me about people's attitudes to Earth Hour is that "it
does no good, so I won't bother" - worse when it's from people who believe
it's not doing enough, so they won't bother. It is one step,
and if you can inconvenience yourself for an hour (better yet, do what
I do and turn everything possible off, for a couple of hours!), then it
does make a difference. Consider it a modern Pagan Sabbat - it's
a night where we are encouraged to do something for the Environment - something
on a global scale...... Seems Sabbat-worthy to me! Maybe get some
Pagan friends together and have a ritual based on the Earth to celebrate.
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