What actually constitutes a High Preist/ess? Is it degree training and the gathering of initiations? Is it the attainment of status and privilage within a tradition? Who decideds and what is the the exact requirement to acheive such an exalted position, and is it actually exalted?
Unfortunately there are those Traditon Witches who feel anything that is not taught by some tradition is not valid and that the Solitaire who refers to themselves as a HP/S is fake and has a lot of nerve. However we know that traditional training is not available for a lot of people and others, such as myself, really don't need it or want it. We are happy with the way things are in our own little corner of the Universe.
To me personally the very act of judging someones validity as an HP/S is treading dangerously close to dogma in and of it's self. It rings very much the chimes of 'attend the church of your choice'. In other words it seems to me that the message is simply that so long as it is a trad, then it's okay. If it isn't then you are not a 'real witch' and should not even be concidered a good source of information or teaching. Sad really isn't it. Now for the record I do know this isn't a reflection of every Trad Witch, but enough of them.
In April of '74 the Council of American Witches adopted some principles, thirteen in all. I want to address Principle number eight. It states " calling oneself 'Witch" does not make a Witch-but neither does hereditary itself nor the collecting of titles degrees or initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in Harmony with Nature".
According to this neither lineage, nor degree makes a HP/S or indeed a witch. Ones practice of prinicple, of living up to Harm None (if you are claiming Wicca as your religion) and in short striving to unite yourself with the God and Goddess as well as learning to harness and control the power that flows through you makes you a witch. Caring for nature and all of her inhabitants makes you a witch. In short, it isn't so much what you know or what you have learned,nor indeed the levels of training and degrees you have attained, but who you are, how you act and treat your brothers and sisters on this planet that decides whether or not you are intitled to the role of witch. If you can in all honesty take leadership roles and genuiinely care for others while at the same time remaining humble then I would think the titles of HP/S is rightly yours to claim. As Scott Cunningham wrote when he addressed this same issue; "who made the very first Wiccan? The God and Goddess did."
There are fundamental principles and practices found in most every religion. Of these practices the corner stones are prayer and meditation. Each path and each person will undoubtedly have their own unique way of practicing prayer and meditation, but the principal is there nonetheless. However in Majickal traditions far more is required due to the very nature of these types of paths. While most see majick and prayer as the same thing nothing could be further from the truth. In prayer you are connecting with Deity and asking for something or saying hello, much like you would call a person on the phone and chat with them for a while. With majick of course you are harnessing energy from many different sources and channeling it to a desired and exact outcome. With prayer you may be asking for a God or Goddess to handle a situation and with majick you are taking the power in your own hands to handle it, with the added energies of a God or Goddess. While most spells today is benign, the getting of a lover or a new job, protection or perhaps even a raise or promotion at work, some is not benign and some require far more training a d discipline then others. All of it requires wisdom and meditation to know what to do and perhaps the best way to do it. Snap decisions usually yield results that are unstable and can be dangerous. Indeed there are many Pagans and even Wiccans that choose not to use majick for these reasons. Considering what it takes to work majick successfully I feel this may be wisdom on their part. It is far better to not chance it then it is to do something perhaps dangerous to you or household. With these thoughts in mind there are questions each person really needs to answer for him or herself about what it is they are seeking on their path.
1) Why am I seeking any sort of religious or spiritual path to begin with?
2) Why am I seeking a majickal path as opposed to a non-majickal path?
3) What are my goals and expectations from this sort of training?
4) How important is this to me and what relevance will I give it in my life?
5) What sort of training do I feel I need, if any?
6) What do I hope to learn about the world I live in and my place in that world?
7) What do I expect out of my teacher and myself if anything at all and are these expectations realistic and understandable.
8) How do I hope this changes me as a person and as a spirit?
9) What am I willing to do and how much time in my daily life and weekly life am I willing to set aside for it?
10) What is my overall motivation in this sort of training and is I clear about it with my teacher and myself?
11) Am I truly ready for this?
These questions are very important to answer to ones self. They will determine what your true intentions and motives are and tell the difference between wanting to learn and needing to learn. It has been said that Wicca/Witchcraft and other majickal traditions are not for everyone and they truly aren't. One must be honest with ones self about how much time and effort they are willing to spend. Not everyone works their path the same and some of us require far more order and discipline then others.
Most of us know our sun sign and our moon sign and some may be aware of their rising sign as well. Many times in majickal paths we will use the type of element that is in harmoney with out signs and neglect the rest. This is much to our own detriment as in reality we are all elements combined. We breath air and need a certain amount of oxygen to live, we are warm blooded and have bio-electric energy that controls our bodies, we are made of 70% water and we must have minerals in our blood to keep our bodies alive. Gee, earth, air, fire and water..all of us are all of the elements together..imagine that!
I have found that when you stick to only working with the element of your sign in reality you end up causing great imbalances to the rest of your being. Our challenge is actually to balance ourselves and our lives and in working with only an elemnt or two we end up creating more imbalance perhaps then we had to begin with.
Right now I am currently working with the element of Water and the Kingdom of the Undines. For this I have created a water altar. It sits in the West and hasonly items that resonate with the element of water on it. I even made the candle for this altar by melting new wax, coloring it blue and adding herbs that are ruled by the element of water into the melting wax, after they were charged of course. I have a picture of a mermaid on this altar and every morning I sit, cast my circle and invite the Undine Kingdom into my life to heal me and balance me. The effect is very soothing and calming to me and has so far added a deeper peace to my life.
Ususlaly one can tell what elements are out of balance by looking at the area in their lives they have the most problems with. After wards you can created an altar for that element and simply sit in front of it and speak with that Kingdom and invoke it's healing and blessing to your life.
Playing to our strengths is a good thing, but correcting imbalances to lead a more peaceful and productive life is not only a wonderful thing to do, but has lasting benefits for yourself and all of those in your life that love and care for you.
Most of us love majick..we love to trade spells and rituals both simple and complex. We love to have that 'fix' to our problems and to bring forth maybe a bit faster what it is we want and need.
I remember when I first started on a majickal path I just adored the idea of standing in the center of my circle commanding the elements and getting what I wanted NOW!!! I like anyone else had a lot to learn.
I think maybe the first lesson I learned was that I could only draw that which I am. In other words I could only get things that were actually available to me. Now I knew this about material things. I knew I could not manifest thousands of dollars in the blink of an eye or make a mansion appear for myself out of thin air. What I didn't know though is that this area of availability also applied to my mental and emotional as well as spiritual life. I could not go 0 to 60 in 0.5 seconds.
I remember casting many love spells and getting all of these mates that were just not what I wanted. I had to go back over the spells and see what I said, what I did and then recognize that indeed I got not only what I had asked for but what I was on those levels. I still had those ideals of love and romance that was effortless..a never ending romance that was one perfect sunset after another. Being realistic now..I know that I have to actually look at what I want but more importantly what I am, what I put out on all levels of my being so I can see what is actually available to me.
If I am selfish and want someone to solely pay attention to me and not do any work on myself to improve as a person then I am pretty much going to get what I am. Needless to say I stopped with the love spells.
Majick sometimes does not work the way we foresee it working but most of the time it does work and in hind site we can see what and how it worked. This is maybe the biggest reason that keeping a log of what you did..exactly and then updating it is vital. It teaches you not only how the spell worked but even perhaps what you need to change about it.
It's important to really be certain that you are ready to receive that which you say you want. I personally do not ever enter a spell into my BOS until I know I have worked out the kinks and know it is going to get the results I want. Also if you use herbs it is important to know what herbs do what. Not all love or prosperity herbs work exactly alike. If I use red roses for a love spell I am more likely to get a nice romance...but it may not be the long and enduring love that I really am seeking. Forethought about what you want and need is vital before any sort of spell work and getting spells off line is okay..provided you do some research and see what it is you are actually doing before you do it.
Maybe the most important part is this. Make certain you are in the situation and space in your life to receive that which you say you want. There is nothing wrong with trying to get what you need or want in your life, but make certain you can actually receive what you want and recognise it when it comes.
Good fortune and happiness but sometimes a species of intoxication with success
The Wheel of Fortune is all about big things, luck, change, fortune. Almost always good fortune. You are lucky in all things that you do and happy with the things that come to you. Be careful that success does not go to your head however. Sometimes luck can change.
