{"id":59,"date":"2016-04-24T10:01:13","date_gmt":"2016-04-24T18:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/?p=59"},"modified":"2016-04-24T10:01:13","modified_gmt":"2016-04-24T18:01:13","slug":"learning-witchcraft-uphill-both-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tempest\/2016\/04\/learning-witchcraft-uphill-both-ways.html","title":{"rendered":"Learning Witchcraft Uphill Both Ways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Painting
Painting by the author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cBack in when I was young, if I wanted to learn anything about witchcraft, I had to walk to the library \u2013 uphill both ways in the extreme heat and snow \u2013 nobody today wants to do the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s not an actual<\/em> quote, but it sure does summarize quite a few things I have heard recently that have been the source of much eye-rolling in my belfry.<\/p>\n

The internet is both a blessing and curse. \u00a0There\u2019s a LOT more information out there, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s all correct. \u00a0It\u2019s easier to ask questions to a larger forum, but that doesn\u2019t make the answers any more correct. \u00a0In fact, there\u2019s even more to sift through and to confuse in the cacophony. \u00a0It\u2019s certainly an exercise in comprehensive reading skills.<\/p>\n

I think some also forget that \u201cback in the day,\u201d sure it was a bit harder to publish a book, but that didn\u2019t guarantee what was being put out there was the correct information. \u00a0I can think of not just a few \u201cclassic\u201d titles that would certainly fall closer under the category of \u201cwitchcrap\u201d versus \u201cwitchcraft.\u201d \u00a0Some because of poor research or being based off of misinformation, and others\u00a0from\u00a0pushing their own agendas versus being a resource. \u00a0It was fairly easy to get the wrong idea about something, or get adamant about a tradition because it was the only thing you could find.<\/p>\n

The amount of information that\u2019s out there doesn\u2019t reduce the actual learning experience. \u00a0In some cases, it can help us along quicker, but there\u2019s still work involved \u2013 one that goes far beyond how many limited edition grimoires you own.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also easy to forget, at some point, we didn\u2019t know all the things. \u00a0I think you can truly tell an elder in a community because they freely admit, \u201csure I know a lot of things, but the older I get, the more I realize I don\u2019t know everything, and that\u2019s OK.\u201d \u00a0And that they are patient with beginners.<\/p>\n

So when we throw shade and disdain at beginning practitioners, what good does it do? It doesn\u2019t help them, and it makes us look like smug assholes. \u00a0And as I pointed out in this post<\/a>, what we see online is just a portion of the experience. \u00a0I think I have encountered far more references and sarcasm about \u201cfluffy bunnies\u201d and \u201cglitter witches\u201d online than I have ever met live in person actual stereotypes that fit the bill over the last 20 years. \u00a0Maybe the slag is just a way of saying, \u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot, but I\u2019m not that stupid (anymore).\u201d \u00a0Good for you, do you want a cookie or a medal?<\/p>\n

Everyone has to start somewhere, and we often begin with far more enthusiasm and spirit than critical thinking. \u00a0There\u2019s the excitement of finding out there are other people who share similar ideas, that we\u2019re not alone, and in some cases, not that crazy. \u00a0It\u2019s like being a kid in a candy store, or a puppy in a ball pit. ALL THE THINGS! There\u2019s going to be a fair bit of slobber before one starts to make more educated decisions. \u00a0That\u2019s life. \u00a0If this path is one of education, then we need to support the desire to ask questions and find out diverse opinions. \u00a0We don\u2019t have to dedicate our lives to answering questions, but at the same time, if we refuse to answer, we give up the right to mock or belittle those who do ask. \u00a0We can<\/em> help folks learn to ask better questions, encourage other thought processes, or provide information in other ways that are comfortable for us. \u00a0Preferably without being a dick about it.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

As we approach the time of year when the veils thin, I want you to think back to when you first found this path. \u00a0What resources were at your disposal? Who could you talk to about these things? \u00a0What helped you? What\u00a0confused you? \u00a0What would you have changed about your experience if you could? And what new<\/em> thing do you want to learn about?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cBack in when I was young, if I wanted to learn anything about witchcraft, I had to walk to the library \u2013 uphill both ways in the extreme heat and snow \u2013 nobody today wants to do the work.\u201d Of course, that\u2019s not an actual quote, but it sure does summarize quite a few things […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2676,"featured_media":61,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,14],"tags":[31,26,7,4],"class_list":["post-59","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modernpractice","category-tradition","tag-learning","tag-pagan","tag-witch","tag-witchcraft"],"yoast_head":"\nLearning Witchcraft Uphill Both Ways<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""Back in when I was young, if I wanted to learn anything about witchcraft, I had to walk to the library - uphill both ways in the extreme heat and snow -\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning Witchcraft Uphill Both Ways\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""Back in when I was young, if I wanted to learn anything about witchcraft, I had to walk to the library - 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