My path is eclectic. This means that I don't follow one path in particular, but integrate the practices and beliefs of other paths or religions to form a unique one that feels right for me. Along with Wicca, I also incorporate some of the practices or philosophies of Shamanism, Buddhism, Kitchen Witchery, Asian and Native American practices, Druid, a dash of Christianity, and probably a few others I'm not even aware of :) I've been practicing the Craft a little over 25 years now, and still feel like a beginner. But for me it's one of the joys of it. It's a life long journey and since you'll never know all there is to know, it leaves you in a constant state of discovery.
Worship of the earth and all life was something I had done from my earliest memories. It was at age 13 I found out that what I had been doing was the core of The Craft, and all Pagan paths. Finding out about celebrating the Sabbats, the Wiccan Rede and more traditions just gave a name to what I had already been doing since my earliest memories. It was exciting to know that there were other people who had the same beliefs as me, and it was a religion no less!! It was then that my spiritual journey truly began.
The following years were frustrating at times as I met only 1 or 2 other real Witches (not fashionable looking 'knowitalls' that probably hadn't finished reading their first book on the subject), and had trouble affording or finding books to continue my studies. So I spent those years practicing what I'd learned. Eventually, I assembled a nice little library, and continued my journey. I felt that something was missing but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then some years ago I was given a computer as a gift. Having never been on or seen what computers could do, you can imagine how incredible it was to go on line for the first time. I found a world of Witches and a few web sites that had a wealth of information on them. I realized that this was what was missing and quickly became a computer junky. I noticed that I possesed a lot of information I never saw on other web sites. Not long afterward I decided to try my hand at web crafting.
On May 6th, 1997, A Witch's Cauldron was introduced to the WWW from my home in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. And to my suprise, at 36 pages, it was one of the largest related sites at the time! How things have changed. Back then, I had almost no computer experience, but was determined to try. The site you see today in no way resembles what it started as, and will no doubt go through changes in the months and years to come. My goal is to have a site that has a little something for everyone. Plenty of information about Witchcraft, a forum to bring people together, to bring attention to important causes, a platform for people to contribute ideas, submissions, and much more. It's a labor of love that has taught me a great deal, and introduced me to many wonderful friends along the way.
Creating this site and the forum has been a blessing and brought me more happiness and fulfillment than I could have possibly imagined. Learning, sharing and just having fun on the forum, not to mention meeting all of the incredible people who dwell there is a consent joy. Although I am solitaire by choice, it is great to have other Witches to communicate with and even meet in real life. Reading the entries that people are kind enough to enter in my guest book or email me brings great inspiration as it reassures me that I am providing the kind of information that people are looking for, and gives me ideas as to what new things to ad and which areas to expand.
I've never been in the 'broom closet' and although I've had a couple of challenges here and there, I've been blessed in that people either accept my beliefs or think that my 2 large, elaborately decorated altars are just really cool coffee tables :) It was only after I got on the internet and in forums that I realized how many Witches had to hide their beliefs or had suffered severe cruelty and ridicule because of it. This too, was not only one of the motivations to make this site but also instrumental in the variety of contents. I wanted people to see that Witches are just people like everyone else. They cook, read, write poetry, do crafts and the same things as non Witches or Pagans do.
Some pages found in search engines, such as meditation or the recipe pages have brought people of other faiths here, not knowing they were entering 'Pagan Territory'. This proved to be a positive thing as I have received emails from some who had a friend or relative who followed our path. After reading some of the information they no longer viewed them as Devil worshippers. It also made me realize that I could do much more than I was to educate people in real life about the truth of our ways. This too has proved to be enormously rewarding, and has resulted in a few people actually being able to come out of the 'broom closet'.
As you gaze into the mist,
I hope you enjoy your visit here at AWC .
Blessings..........Celeste Moondancer
