My paganism

Submitted question covered in this blog:

"Is your family also Pagan/Wiccan?"

Thank you to whom submitted this question. Indeed, I have followed the Wiccan ways since before 2016 when i began my three years and three days initiation. In my even younger years before then, i learned about Wicca and dabbeled in some Wiccan traditions. However, since i was very young witchcraft and Paganism has always captured my whole being.

There is a difference between Wicca and witchcraft as explained in a previous blog: www.askagreywitch.com/post/why-start-this-blog-channel and I've talked in another previous blog about how I intuitively began witchcraft from a young age: www.askagreywitch.com/post/how-i-became-a-witch

So, what makes me Pagan?

From a very young age, i have always held a solid respect for nature and all living creatures and plants. The seasons changes have always been times of reflection for me and I have always held a deep respect for the times of the year that are traditionally the prime pagan celebrations within what's known as the "wheel of the year". The wheel of the year can be described as a circular calendar where as several holidays are equally spread out in one year cycle. The year consistently repeating itself like a circle, and these special pagan holiday times symbolically act as the "spokes" of that circular system often referred to as forming a wheel:

Image taken from my old book of shadows.

Even though while growing up my birth family was Catholic, i did not relate to their beliefs and traditions. Church sermans always left me with confusion and more questions until i refused to attend. While others around me celebrated Christmas, I was reflecting on and respecting the three days of darkness (the longest nights of the year) from Dec. 21st until Dec. 24th and I would behold the slight changes of the sun beginning to return on Dec. 25th, essentially celebrating Yule. While my parents celebrated Easter as the death and resurrection of Christ, I was observing balancing of light/dark and the awakening of nature and returning of spring/summer, essentially celebrating Ostara. Etc. As i got older my own traditions further differed from my family's traditions. Educating myself, I began to identify as Pagan. Given these stark differences between my birth family and myself, i left home at the early age of 15 years old and set out on my own journey of discovery learning the pagan traditions and rites that I also learned have been followed by others for centuries.

Skipping to many years later, after connecting with other Pagans, learning further about the pagan traditions and practices from a few mentors, and from my own understandings of life, I held an even deeper connection with nature and my place within the universe. Gods and Goddesses have always been considered to me as aspects of human nature that can be connected to/with through ritual, offerings and deep meditation. Knowing my own inner self and recognizing the shadows of my subconscious became trivial in my journey of self discovery and identity.

Now (again even many years after that), i have my own household family with my spouse and our four children. My spouse is Pagan with shamanistic energies. Therefore, is not Wiccan as am I. It was/is important to both of us that our children also take their own journey each into self reflection and discovery, to follow their head and heart together regarding what beleifs are held important to them as they grow in their own spirituality. Two of my children have Iroquois indigenous heritage, one of my children is Pagan, and one of my children follow a Catholic ideology and has been babtised. This variation within my household is totally fine with me as we have always been a family with values of diversity and acceptance.

This does not hinge on my own way of life in which i live as i stay true to my self and my own Wiccan beliefs. Which is what i teach my children, to be true to yourself. And, that's totally acceptable.

Long story short, my family is not Wiccan. I hope that this has helped to answer the question submitted. If you have questions regarding my practice, rituals, traditions, and/or beliefs, please feel free to submit them at www.askagreywitch.com.

Thank you for reading more about me and for visiting my blog.