Collection of Art recently made by the author for an event<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWhen I bring my work and ideas to events that aren\u2019t designated specifically as P-word, there\u2019s always a glimmer of reality that I\u2019m doing something that\u2019s unusual and probably rather strange to most. \u00a0I don\u2019t create my work to purposefully be under that umbrella, it\u2019s just natural to me. \u00a0In the last few years, I\u2019ve learned not to apologize for it, but rather to be confident in my process and product. \u00a0Which makes a world of difference in how other people unfamiliar with my work relate to it.<\/p>\n
All\u00a0aspects of my life tend to blend into each other: my artwork is very much influenced by my spiritual alignment, and I see it as extension of my practice as a Witch. \u00a0So it probably shouldn\u2019t be a surprise that my approach to making and presenting my work is similar for witchcraft \u2013 being confident in my process and product.<\/p>\n
Which is where we arrive at the title of this particular blog post \u2013 putting the craft in witchcraft. \u00a0Craft can be defined as \u201can activity involving skill in making things by hand\u201d (noun) or \u201cexercise skill in making\u201d (verb). \u00a0The major emphasis in both is making<\/em> and skill<\/em>. \u00a0In an upcoming series, I\u2019ll be focusing on my definitions of witchcraft (and witch), but for here and now, let\u2019s define it as the path and practice of the witch.<\/p>\nFar too often I find that people don\u2019t trust their own instincts enough. \u00a0There is a desire to work off of something they feel is more \u201cauthentic\u201d because it\u2019s older\/outside of their familiarity\/more acceptable. But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s right or will work for you. \u00a0It\u2019s great (and highly recommended) to do research, but you don\u2019t need to follow something in a book in order to be validated in your practice. \u00a0Book-learning is helpful and great for some things, but nothing can beat the actual practice and working.<\/p>\n
For example, there\u2019s been a renewal of interest in certain resources on traditional witchcraft, that have never felt \u201con\u201d for my own practice. \u00a0All the power and peace to those who resonate with those resources, but they just make my eyes blur and my brain go \u201cnope!\u201d. Meanwhile a study of folkloric practices and myths sings to me and I keep my eyes open for what the world can be revealing to me daily through nature and pattern. \u00a0My path is not invalidated by my lack of desire to practice that material, but instead is fortified by me following my own gut and doing what\u00a0works for me. \u00a0I don\u2019t need the approval or validation from anyone else, because they are not walking my path. \u00a0The same is exactly true for you.<\/p>\n
My path and practice is fortified by my desire to make and to create. \u00a0I\u2019m not only crafting work (art, dance, talismans, teaching, etc), I\u2019m crafting my path daily. \u00a0I evaluate all information that I come across, and work with what resonates for me. \u00a0I\u2019m actively doing and making the things that build my path, developing and strengthening my skills. \u00a0Witchcraft to me isn\u2019t about how it looks or talks as so much as it how it feels and does. \u00a0But you can\u2019t find that synergy in your path if you aren\u2019t confident in your own skills to make your path. \u00a0The confidence within yourself and your inner voice is crucial to making of practice and the honing of skill.<\/p>\n
Take a while to ponder what craft means to you, and how well do you listen to your gut? \u00a0What have you been doing lately to guide your own path and build your sense of self and confidence? Are you actively forging your own path or following another?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just got home from being in Atlanta for DragonCon, where I exhibited artwork in the Art Show and presented my Art of Sigil Magick and Visual Alchemy workshops. When I bring my work and ideas to events that aren\u2019t designated specifically as P-word, there\u2019s always a glimmer of reality that I\u2019m doing something that\u2019s unusual […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,14],"tags":[26,22,11,88,27,7,4],"class_list":["post-158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","category-myth-and-folklore","category-tradition","tag-pagan","tag-paganism","tag-path","tag-polytheism","tag-polytheist","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\n
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