She's a Witch

I'll start by saying that, yes, I am a Witch (or Pagan if you prefer).... but for those who don't know, that doesn't mean I don a black pointy hat, cackle at the moon and ride my broomstick around... Paganism is a nature based Religion and the form I practice believes that you are not allowed to bring harm to anyone. (You can find out more information about what Paganism is on my website).

I guess you could say that I started being a Pagan when I was about 9. I don't know how I used to know how to do it, but I'd sit in the garden (in the actual flower beds under the trees), and just meditate (I guess that is what I did). Around the same time I saw an article on Tarot Reading in one of my mother's "Woman's Day" magazines (or something of that type). It actually had pictures for every card and the meanings. So when mum was finished with the magazine, I carefully cut out all the images of the cards (They were Rider Waite ones), and glued them to some cardboard I had lying around (It was actually the backing card for a school project! and it was mustard coloured I remember). I made sure all the cards were the same size and that they were glued down well. The Major Arcana cards were larger pictures and overlapped on the back, so I actually had to copy the designs and make my own, because I couldn't use the actual images from the magazine. I taught myself how to read the cards, and I used that silly glued together deck until I bought a proper one when I was 16.

As I grew up, I made an area of my bedroom that I called my "Altar". This was a corner of my room, where I put a HUGE red velvet cushion I made, hung some sarong/scarves on the walls and laid out candles, gemstones and things like feathers, an eagle made of a shell and a tiki that I had found that had significance to me. I would sit in there to meditate and just to relax.

MiniObsi and I at a Pagan Ritual (many years ago!)
See, though, no pointy hat or broom!

I knew that gemstones were somehow very important, but didn't know why. We'd been to a place that mines them, and I bought some pretty ones, some of which I put around my "Altar" and some I put in a leather pouch that I wore around my neck. In that leather pouch I also put some things I considered to be lucky or special, like a coin from the year I was born. I wore that all the time (except to bed), even to school - under my shirt.

My parents had no belief in "that sort of thing"... one being Atheist and the other Agnostic. They thought I was a bit weird, but let me do whatever I wanted to :) They were even visited by our local Minister, who ran "Religious Instruction" at our Primary School (which was just Christianity of course).... I'd been asking too many questions apparently. The ones like "Where did God come from?", "If there was only Adam and Eve and their 2 boys on the Earth, how were other children born?".... of course the Minister had been trying to get my parents to let me go to religion classes - and they had said no at first, until I begged them (just because I was the only one not allowed, and I had to sit in the staffroom, which was boring). So when he went to have a chat to them about my questions, they pointed out that it was him that WANTED me in the class... and that he should be able to answer all the questions, since it was his Religion.... He never visited again ;)

On that note... We were actually told at school that Women had one less rib that Men (or was it one more? I forget), because we were created from Adam's rib.... It wasn't until High School Biology (when I stupidly argued the point with my teacher) that I found out it was a blatant lie. I was stunned. You go to school to learn facts... what's wrong with the world!

As I grew up more I got interested in Natural Healing, and became a Natural Therapist. I was trained to do different types of Massage, Reflexology, Accupressure [Like accupuncture, but without the needles!] and Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy I loved! I visited every "New Age" shop I could, and that is where I discovered the term "Wicca", from reading a newsletter brought out by our local New Age shop. The article sounded interesting, pretty much like what I believed in... but I didn't look into it any further (I'm lazy afterall, and didn't see the need, I don't need definitions for what I am)

Funnily enough, my first job (doing plant tissue culture [cloning plants]) was with a Christian girl, and I used to go along with her to her Youth Group gatherings. Not because I wanted to become Christian (far from it)... but they were a nice bunch of people (who didn't drink or smoke) and I figured I could sit through the 10 mins at end where they read a passage from the bible. They went to the movies, bowling, Beach parties and stuff like that... After I left work there (I couldn't stand the Head Scientist, he was a prat), I lost contact with that girl (and the Youth Group). Then I somehow met up with someone I'd been to High School with (though we hadn't been friends), and she was in another Church Youth Group.... I started going along there for the same reason I went to the other one (Although this one had no Religious readings in the Youth Group outings). I even started cleaning the Church every fortnight for them :) Occasionally I'd go to church, just for interests sake... though I made it very clear to everyone that there was no point trying to convert me, I was happy believing in what I did, and was NOT going to become Christian. They were all fine with that.

I didn't do much about it for a few years... After I moved back in with my parents I started working in my their shop. Strangely enough, over the years that I had been interested in "New Age", my parents started off thinking it was weird, and slowly started believing it themselves! They eventually started up a New Age shop of their own. Funny how life changes!

In my parents shop one day I noticed a book on Witchcraft. I knew that was what Wicca was, so I read it. I felt like I finally found a name for the beliefs I had. Beliefs I'd gathered from here and there, over my entire life. So I got my parents to order in a few more books on Witchcraft. I read them (carefully), put them on the shelf and I'd notice people looking at the books, and I'd go over and talk to them.

That started me seriously on the path. I read every book I could get my hands on. When I got the Internet, I went to every Pagan webpage I could. I subscribed to 40 Pagan Mailing lists..... I was always online! I'd gather every bit of information I could, and file it away in my BOS for later. Even stuff I wasn't particularly interested in at the time.

Through a friend I found a Women's Pagan group, The Wyrd Spyders.... which had a mailing list and held occasional rituals. I joined them a few times, though they were a bit too female-orientated for me. I started looking around for a Pagan name. I couldn't think of what name to use... nothing seemed to fit. I wanted something to do with purple (since it is my favourite colour, but someone in that Women's group was called Amethyst already... so that was out.... I wanted something to show my Green eyes or Red (though it's dyed with Henna) hair - which I think are key features of me....Then one day I was flipping through a book, and the name "Obsidian" just seemed to jump out of the page at me. Hmm.... I thought about it for a while... I loved the name, but was concerned that it was "black"... since the Obsidian I knew about was a black stone (glass). Then I read up on it. There was a purple Obsidian (for my love of purple), a Green Obsidian (for my eyes), a Mahogany Obsidian (red for my hair), as well as other colours and variations. Wow... a pretty looking name, with the 3 colour aspects I wanted. It was ME. The "leader" of the Women's group told me it wasn't my name, that I might use it for a week or so, but it wouldn't stick... Ha... (It's now my legal name, I changed it to that, since I'd been pretty much only known as that for many many years!)

Through being in the shop and talking to people, and from reading books myself, I thought that there should be some books on certain topics in Witchcraft, so you could buy a cheap book on just that topic. So I started to write some. Then some people asked me if I taught classes in Witchcraft. I laughed at them - Like I has anything to teach people! Then, because so many people were asking me... I thought about it. I'd started writing a book on Witchcraft, and I decided to turn that into classnotes for a Witchcraft class. To my complete surprise it was popular, I had people wanting to do my course, and enjoying it. I also had people who wanted to join a Coven. I didn't know of any. So some of the people that did the Witchcraft course, and a few friends all got together one Full Moon, as a friend's house and held a ritual. We had fun, so we had another one. Then "Coven of the Crescent Moon" was born. Through people moving away and having babies and things though, we eventually faded away. I had made the decision that while pregnant I wouldn't participate in any Pagan rituals. I felt this was best for the baby, as they can't decide whether or not they wish to participate. So I felt that it was wrong to do rituals when pregnant.. that's when I handed the Coven over to another woman, and we all sort of lost interest after that.

To be honest Witchcraft is still a part of my life, but there are so many other parts to my life now that take up time... so I haven't been devoting as much time to practice my religion - but not that I feel I really need to *do* anything.....

I still do Pagan things and think in a Pagan way... I've just never really been one to do spells or rituals all the time. I much prefer to just do something simple to celebrate a Sabbat or Full Moon, like just lighting a candle. I also don't believe in just casting spells for the sake of it. I figure that you should try the mundane approach first, and if that fails - THEN try a spell... A lot of people I see on the Internet do spells for all kinds of things. I have actually been asked for a spell to stop someone's dog leaving muddy footprints on the floor after they have been outside in the mud....... I mean, honestly.. just wipe their damned feet before you bring them inside!

I figure that yes, I could do with some more money, a nice house, a car etc. But have I done everything "mundane" I could to achieve that? No... then why should I "cheat" and do a spell for it.... I personally think it is wrong. Protection spells and healing spells are a little different...