Blog PostsFriends | Walking the Talk, Talking the WalkThe following is a blog that was sent to my by a very dear friend who is no longer with us on this plane.Walking The Talk, Talking the Walk ® Atreyumichael Being a Witch is more than just calling yourself a Witch. Most everyone is probably familiar with the trials of the Religious Right in the last 30 years or so. Spiritual leaders and Televangelists, all of them preaching ultra conservative morals, seemed to fall one by one. Extra marital affairs, tax problems, fraud, gay sex, and combinations of those and other moral quagmires seemed to trip up all those who railed against “moral corruption” in our country and its people. The louder they yelled, or the more extreme their views, the harder they seemed to fall. One very well known Televangelist years ago, even went so far as to proclaim that if people didn’t send him ten million dollars, that “God will call me home”. The implication being that he would die if he didn’t raise the money. Now what, you may ask, does this have to do with being a Witch? I use the above as extreme examples of what a Witch does not do. A Witch does not brag about what he or she is capable of either spiritually, or Magickally. A Priest or Priestess does not tell others what they should or should not do. A Witch simply doesn’t need to. The only personal affairs that a Witch is concerned with, are his or her own. That is the lesson that most who claim the title of Witch, never seem to learn. Have you ever watched as one of those Televangelists shouts from the pulpit and points out over the congregation, telling them how they shouldn’t be doing this, or should be doing that? A friend and Priest once pointed out that every time you point at someone else, and say what they are doing wrong, you have one finger pointed at them, and three fingers pointed back at yourself. Televangelists seem to do a lot of pointing. Every time you point out another’s shortcomings or failings, you are also pointing out your own. You may not have the same failings as that person, but the simple act of pointing them out, shows off your own. You have no control over anyone but yourself. The only person you can change is you. One of the biggest problems I’ve seen in the Pagan Community is that of finger pointing. One person doesn’t like another, so they point and whisper to their friend how bad that person is. Whether good or bad it makes no difference, you are a Witch, and a Witch is better than that. A Witch does not go around spreading rumors and hinting innuendo about others. So what then does a Witch do to cause change in others? A true Witch inspires others to change their behavior through example. I know, that’s not nearly as exciting, nor as much fun as attacking someone’s character, but attacking another without just cause is not the Witch’s way. A Witch remembers at all times, that they are a Priest or Priestess first and foremost. That is not easy. It is human nature to call attention to the failings of those you don’t get along with. We’ve been doing it all our lives. On the play ground at school, there were bullies, who picked fights with those they didn’t like. Pointing out another’s shortcomings is just the adult version of bullying. Anyone who was raised as a Christian knows the Golden Rule. “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.” What a marvelous idea! But the Witch knows how to work with subtlety and intent. More appropriate to a Witch would be, “Do unto yourself, as you would have others do unto you.” |