New Moon, New Month

For many years I have had a book by Marian Green entitled 'A Witch Alone: Thirteen Months to Master Natural Magic'. It was given to me by the friend who first brought Wicca to my attention at about that time. I have read it many times. I have even taken some of the suggestions from it for activities. But I have never ever worked through the book in the way it was intended.

I think there are two reasons for this. Firstly, I just wasn't ready to be an active Wiccan. In theory I have been a Wiccan for years but there is more to it all than just belief. Secondly, I just got scared by the magnitude of all the things a Wiccan can and should study. There is so much to do, enough for a lifetime and more.

I like to study, I love to learn, I like to learn all I can. Having a book highlight lots of areas to look at in one go is almost like overload to me. Without any guide of how far to study each area and my desire to get really into a subject, the thought of getting to grips with everything was just very, very intimidating. Finally I have realised that with life being a spiral, I can move on at the pace the book suggests and come back to subjects next year, and the year after.

I started just before the last new moon and the book suggests moving on to the next chapter at the new moon. So what did I do last month? The main suggestions were to look at different religions, start being curious about the locality, look at the farming year and agricultural practices of the past and think about what the craft means.

Starting to look at my locality has sucked me into a whole are of history that many English people would be ignorant of. I had no idea tilled I moved here how different the history of Cornwall is to that of the rest of England. This has led to me looking at the types of sacred areas in Cornwall, their links to Cornish Saints, the Romans and christianity. I also looked a little at Taoism.

I have started reading about growing food, not that I have anywhere to grow it. I have started reading about keeping pigs and chickens. I day dream of keeping pigs in a wood and hunting for chicken eggs. I also quite like goats and cows and donkeys and horses.

Time to step on. This month and I shall be looking at the characteristics of the God and Goddess and their many different faces, starting to explore the sabbats and looking at poetry in order to write invocations for the elements. From all the things I have done last month these are all things that I feel are important for me now anyway. I will probably limit my study of the sabbats to Imbolc though.

I have learnt over the years to pace myself. Becoming a Wiccan isn't about how much I can learn in a short space of time, it is no race. And no matter how many books I read, websites I surf and blogs I look at they can not substitute for doing. And that is what I struggle with most.