So, this is a topic I'm a bit sensitive about so anyone reading, please be kind.
I was raised in the Mormon religion. A very patriarchical church very far removed from ... everything that I love. When I left Mormonism I felt really lost as my whole reality had been constructed by the church. I had to figure it out for myself, my beliefs about substances, my spiritual beliefs, how I was going to dress, my sexuality, etc. I quickly figured out I would not find my place in another Christian religion. I eventually got into Buddhism, nothing super deep but just learning about the Noble Truths, the 8 fold path and practicing mindfullness. Somehow along this journey I also started to explore the notion of witchcraft. I think what drew me to it was the base in nature, the ability to create your own practice based on what works for you, and the celebration of feminine power and leadership. I wanted to write about it here because many people I mention "witchcraft" to kind of look at me funny. I mean, I get it. It feels weird to bring it up to people who have no idea about it. But I also know some badass witches and when I bring up something to them it's like "oh yeah of course ...". For me being a witch is being a person connected to nature, paying attention to the cycles of the earth. Paying attention to the stars, the animals, people's behaviour, my own behaviour. From this attention, one can kind of tap into the cycles and patterns that are present and learn from them, bend them (somewhat) to ones own will. Whether it's "real" or not doesn't matter to me. It's more about creating rituals, ceremonies, and symbols that resonate deep within me. I think of "spirit" as where mind and body meet. Spirit is the one who sits in the seat of consciousness (borrowing from Buddhism).
For me, I think being Indigenous is also part of this. I've recently been learning about my Aboriginal heritage (or trying to) and embracing my identity as a Metis person (Metis is a person of Aboriginal/European descent in Canada). Reconnecting with the land and nature, where I feel like in Mormonism everything is man made. Instead of embracing the chaos of creation, they create heirarchies, systems of belief and these big beautiful buildings to protect them from the unknown. I'm just not down with that.
Anyway, peace <3
-h