Saturday, November 23, 2013

A Year and a Day


Leading any type of spiritual life can be a difficult path.  In Wicca, it is traditional to take a journey of at least a year and a day to discover what Wicca is all about before deciding whether or not to dedicate yourself to this path.  Although Wicca is a beautiful religion that celebrates nature and our place in it, it is not the only path.

Although the year and the day rule for initiates is most commonly found in Wicca, it occasionally appears in other Pagan paths as well.  This time period is based upon a number of early European traditions.  In some feudal societies, if a serf ran away and was absent from his Lord's holdings for a year and a day, he was automatically considered a free man.  In Scotland, a couple who lived together as husband and wife for a year and a day were accorded all the privileges of marriage, whether or not they were formally wed. 
Many solitaries choose to study for this time, prior to any sort of self-dedication ritual.  If you recently became part of a group, this time period is enough that you and the group's other members can get to know one another.  It's also a time in which you can familiarize yourself with the concepts and principles of the coven.

Before you embark on telling the World that you have spent the last Year and a Day working on your path studies; think, will those who I tell this to take me seriously.  Can I really hold my own when questioned about what I have learned?  Am I still unsure about the names and purposes of Deity?  Do I understand that there is much more to learn and that I have only scratched the tip of the iceberg?

Even after a Year and a Day, a Wiccan never ceases to learn.  I have been learning for years.  This past year I decided to try a blog.  To share my research and help others find their path.  Sometimes it is good to go back to basics and remember where you started so you can continue in the future.  Others study by books, interviews, traveling, meditating or numerous other ways. 

Just remember to keep things simple.  Our lives doesn’t revolve around Wicca, it’s only a part of it.  Nothing has to be fancy, elaborate, or complicated.  You don’t need fancy tools, a decorative altar, a candle of every color or an expensive leather Book of Shadows.  All you need is “me, myself and I” to work true magic.  All the “stuff” comes with time.


Some great books to start with could be:

¥      The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews by Scott Cunningham

¥      The Wicca Handbook by Eileen Holland

¥      Wicca: A Year and a Day by Timothy Roderick

¥      Solitary Witch: The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation by Silver Ravenwolf

¥      The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

¥      The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason


And this has been my Year and a Day, again.  I hope I helped some readers explore deeper into their path or helped others start their journey.  I'm not sure where I'll take this blog next.  There are numerous other deities, concepts, paths and more that I could post about.  Maybe I'll just do a post on the Sabbats of rituals.  Or maybe I'll just post as I find things.  Leave a comment below if you have a topic to explore or other ideas.  Or click on "no comments" to bring up the comment box.  The comment will not show right away but it would be great to add others input.  I do not know much outside of Norse Wicca but ask away.  Enjoy your path and thank you for reading along!

 

 

"I am Pagan. I am a part of the whole of Nature. The Rocks, the Animals, the Plants, the Elements, and Stars are my relatives. Other humans are my sisters and brothers, whatever their races, colors, genders, sexual orientations, ages, nationalities, religions, lifestyles. Planet Earth is my home. I am a part of this large family of Nature, not the master of it. I have my own special part to play and I seek to discover and play that part to the best of my ability. I seek to live in harmony with others in the family of Nature, treating others with respect.  So may it be!"   ~ Selena Fox



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