Choose & don’t be told

Surfing and reading keeps pointing out to me how annoyed I am about the constant: > As a witch you MUST do ……….. or you are not a witch. Says who? And my other favourite one: > As a witch you MUST have the following tools and altar or you are not a witch. Says who? Rules and regulations again telling you what to do on your path. Being a witch means having the freedom of choice to do what you want, keeping in mind what goes around comes around, and also the tools you would like to use. Please don’t get me wrong. If you like all the shiny tools, altars and also can afford it then by all means, knock yourself out. BUT, a lot of people come to the old path and wonder “How can I afford this” thinking that without the right gear, they can’t walk the path. Where do you think our ancestors got their stuff from? The esoteric shop down the road (LOL)? No, they worked with what they had, what mother nature offered or made it themselves. So, don’t worry about it if you can’t afford the expensive athame from the Wicca shop. Who cares? Consider if you really need it anyway, or do you think you need it because somebody told you. Keep it simple. A kitchen witch uses her utensils that she finds in the kitchen, were the wooden spoon becomes the magick wand. Just be careful with mortar & pestle. You don’t want to grind your frankincense and herbs for food in the same one.

Here is an example for a simple altar. I have used a parcel and covered it with a dark blue sheet. You can even consider stitching something into the material or paint symbols on it. On top I have placed symbols for the elements. A feather found when out walking to represent air. A shell for water, but you can also place a small glass/ dish of water on the altar. My earth goddess representing ….. Can you guess? Yes, earth. But, if you don’t want/ can’t spend money, use a beautiful stone to represent earth. The candle and the flame obviously represent fire, but make sure you use a heat proof bottom.

For some people this altar is might be far to plain, for others maybe already to much. The point I am trying to get across is MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES. Do what feels right for you and don’t let anybody tell you it is wrong. You talk to 20 different witches and you get 20 different answers. We are all individuals and especially the old path highlights this fact by allowing you to WALK YOUR OWN PATH. If you like to use more then what nature has given you, consider car boot sales, pound shop and so on. Here you might find little treasures which not everybody can get, like buying from the usual Wicca shops where items are manufactured in mass. Maybe even write some simple things on your list for birthday/ x-mas presents.

What ever you do, don’t ever think you can’t afford to walk the old path. Gadgets don’t make the path, you do.