Ten Things to
Learn Besides Wicca
By
Patti Wigington
You
finally sat down and had The Big Talk with your parents and they still won't
let you practice Wicca in their house.
It's not fair, you might just hate them for a few minutes, and they're
the meanest parents ever. Take heart -
there's a positive side to this. If you
can't practice Wicca while you live under their roof, that means you'll have
all kinds of free time to do other stuff.
And that other stuff can be just as educational to a future Pagan or
Wiccan hopeful. Or even if you are an
Open Wiccan, these are still good things to learn.
1. Learn
About Plants
Yes,
I'm serious. Plants. Pick up a book on your local floral and
fauna, spend time in the woods, grow a selection of herbs, or a flower or
vegetable garden. Take a class on
horticulture at your local college extension, if it's available. Volunteer at a local metro park or nature
center. Study up on the Doctrine of Signatures
so that by the time you're out on your own, you'll know exactly why herbs work
the way they do.
2.
Study History
Sure, they make you take an
entire year to learn about a bunch of dead white guys, but there's more to
history than that. If Celtic history is
more your flavor, grab a copy of Ronald Hutton's The Druids or Peter Beresford Ellis' books on the Celts. Or the Germanic Poetic Edda, a collection of
stories first written down about a thousand years ago. Choose the history you want to learn about and learn it. Later on, when you begin practicing, you'll
understand rituals a lot better if you can imagine them in a historical
context.
3.
Get Cooking
If
you can learn to follow a recipe, you can learn to follow spell and ritual instructions. Not only that, Pagans will have a potluck at
the drop of a hat, and you don't want to be showing up with a box of Chips Ahoy
when your coven sisters have all spent hours making casseroles. If you don't know your way around your home's
kitchen, now's the time to learn.
4.
Volunteer
Some
high schools require their students to do a certain amount of community
service, and if
you go to one of them, then you're a step ahead. Be assured that most covens expect their
members to be useful members of the community as well. Spend a few hours each week volunteering at
your local library shelving books, or at the animal shelter scooping up. You'll gain something from the experience as
well - the ability to do things for others with no expectation of payment.
5. Study
Your Parents' Religion
Okay,
I know it sounds silly, why would you want to study Christianity / Judaism / Islam
/ Scientology / Whatever as a precursor to studying Wicca? Well, because believe it or not, a lot of
times there's a lot more there than you've really paid attention to. If you've grown up in a certain faith, you probably take it for
granted. Take some time to really ask
questions. Go in depth, and figure out
what it is you disagree with or agree with.
You may find that the religion you've been brought up in isn't so bad
after all, even if it's not the right one for you, and you'll certainly gain a
better understanding.
6. Look
At The Stars
If
your city has a planetarium nearby, go there.
For the ancients, so much of what they knew was determined by tracking
the movement of the stars in the heavens.
Learn about the constellations, the movement of the planets, all the
things that go on thousands of light years away. It will come in useful later on, particularly
if you develop an interest in astrology.
7. Get
Healthy
Part
of a well-balanced life includes taking care of yourself not only spiritually
but physically. Exercise, even if it's just going for a walk
on your lunch period at school. Take a
yoga class or meditate daily. Eat a balanced diet. Add whole grains into your diet, cut back on
sugars and empty calories. You can tie
this into your new cooking lessons too - learn to prepare healthy meals for
your entire family.
8. Trace
Your Roots
Think
you might be interested in Norse religion because your family's
Scandinavian? Great - start learning
about your ancestors. Figure out who they were, where they came
from, what they did, etc. There are a
ton of great genealogy resources on the web to get you started and this is a
project you can share with your whole family.
9. Be
a Steward of the Earth
Nearly all Pagans and
Wiccans regard our planet as sacred, so quit throwing
your Cheetos wrappers on the ground!
Take some time to learn about things you can do to help save the planet.
Begin a recycling program at your school
if you don't have one. Organize a
newspaper collection drive and donate the money to an earth-friendly
organization. The earth is our mother,
so learn to treat her with respect.
10.
Learn a Skill
When
you get old enough to join a coven, if that's what you want to do, one question
that may be asked of you is, "What can you do for us?" If you can say, "Well, I sew so I could
help people make ritual robes and I taught myself metalworking so I'm good at
making jewelry, or I've just taken up candle making…". Learn to do something with your hands - it
not only occupies the body, but the mind as well. Find something you love and practice it until
you've turned it into something beautiful.
This can also come in handy later as something to sell and make money.
No comments:
Post a Comment