This Thing Called Witchcraft

It's a funny thing we do, this thing called witchcraft.Why would one choose such a path? What drives a person to turn their back on the "known" world and instead engage with "unknown"? Who is this strange soul walking the hedgerows, alone? Deep in the forest where only beasts and hunters roam?

I ruminate often on topics such as these, pondering why those such as Ourselves do this strange thing we call Magick, with a k to distinguish it from illusion. Then with all the audacity we can muster that ultimately everything is illusion and reality is largely a matter of consensus and opinion. I am of the opinion that I do concur withe consensus. I walk with others, the shadows, monsters, fairies, animals, and the desolate spaces. Like a "weed" I take root anywhere, but I prefer the quiet places where nature can sing to me her song.

I do not know or care if my path fits the design of other more Orthodox paths, but as Harold over at The Alchemist's Garden says;

Orthodoxy, shmorthodoxy. Like art, the bottom line is whether magic works. I can testify that using ordinary ink on paper does indeed work, and so can thousands of other magic workers in the course of history. I am sure you have had similar experiences in your magical practice. Sometimes the simplest magic that was never a part of any big huge impressive tradition is the most powerful, and sometimes the most orthodox magic that has the best and most props and cool ingredients and secret words is a huge flop. Partly that’s because of the skill of the practitioner, but partly it’s also a question of the spirits or the energy or the will of the gods or whatever we want to call it. Sometimes the universe works with us and sometimes it works against us.

That pretty much squares with my own experience as I briefly mention in my previous post.What matters most is whether or not you get results. Learning how to fine tune your work so that you yield the results you want is an entirely different affair. With practice you get better results, with work you produce results. Reread that, I use it as a mantra. If you want shortcuts, this not your path. If you want something for nothing, this is not your path. If you are expecting Hollywood style powers, this is not your path.

So we return to the essential question, why do we do this thing we do, this thing called witchcraft? Let's be honest it is fun. What other spiritual path invites you to have an inquisitive mind, does not condemn you for enjoying sex, and says that a walk in the woods is holy? The impulse to learn is encouraged although one must remember that experience is the best teacher and the whole of existence is constantly communicating a lesson. I have never fit in well with off the rack culture, the big box may be fine for some, but no matter how big it is still a box.I need open source culture; That Thing In The Desert, Witchcraft,online communities, wikileaks, Hackspaces, Makerzones, and I need a spirituality that embraces and encourages that state of mind. 

That I believe is why I do what I do......