How do I know if someone is a Witch?
Many years ago, when I was working in anti poverty, I worked for a progressive agency. Myself and another coworker were Witches, so we got Sabbats off with pay. (I miss those days) wiccaliving.com/wheel-of-the-year-wiccan-sabbats/ At the time I was securing shipments of food for local food banks. One of the food bank workers for a rural food bank came to the office on my day off and was told it was my holiday and I wasn't at work because I was a Witch. The kind lady replied "oh, she seems so nice though". My boss, being caught off guard, didn't know what to reply. My boss and I laughed about that for the longest time and even today I get a chuckle. So what's the point of my story? Well, it's leading in to a discussion about who is a Witch? What does a Witch look like? What do we think of when we hear someone is a Witch? Heads up!! There are a lot of stereotypes out there. We are not all decked out in pentacles. or black gowns (thanks The Craft!!) So what does a witch look like? Is it a young girl, expressing herself through Goth culture, dressed in black, loves heavy make up and exploring and empowering herself through spell-work? Is it a middle aged man that is connected to Nature, rides a Harley has tattoos and a long beard and loves the freedom the Craft brings to him through his rituals? Is it a woman, in her Crone years with grey hair and flowing dresses that has practiced Witchcraft for years ,raised her children in it and honours the magic within? Is it a jail guard with short cut hair, muscular build and dresses in a conservative manner? Maybe it's a shy young gay man, wears jeans and t-shirts, raised in a strict cultural tradition and finding what pagan path speaks to him as he learns to navigate his way through life? It's all of the above and many more. Witches can be your coworkers, your neighbours, a member of your church, the person that bags your groceries or the bubbly boarding agent assisting you at the airport. Witches are the young people that are stepping away from dogma and learning to grow their intuitive selves while following the wisdom of the old ways. They are the groups of people that felt an awakening the first time they practiced the Craft. Witches are everywhere. We can't determine if someone practices the Craft by the clothes they wear or by the way they preset themselves. Witches are male, female or other, young and old, newly practicing or seasoned and from all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Some witches like to dress in black, some love the sweat pant life and others enjoy dressing up. Witches look like anyone and everyone. www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-many-faces-of-women-who-identify-as-witches In closing, I will say that what Witchcraft should never look like is the following. It should never be a tool to diminish another person or to harm others. It should not be a tool to feed your ego self or to spread negativity. There is an emphasis on personal responsibility and sacredness while walking the path of the Wise Ones. Blessed Be Winona Water/Dragon/Shamanic Crone Witch
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The Wisdom of the Crone
To really embrace Crone, let's step back and discuss the meaning of Witch. Witches are the Wise Ones, the seekers of truth and knowledge. Witches understand that we are all connected through energy. Some people call it magic. Within Witchcraft there is a triple Goddess of Maiden, Mother and Crone. Each one acknowledging and respecting the times of a women's life. Crone Goddess comes from Crown, meaning wisdom. Historically, Crones were the healers, leaders and midwives within their community. There was a time in history when Crones were revered and respected. As the patriarchy took over, the meaning of Crone became one of hag, a miserly woman or ugly. Even today, when you look up the term in the dictionary, it gives a negative definition. With the shift came the hysteria and The Burning Times, to target strong ,wise women, the knowledgable, the healers and the helpers. The torture and murder of innocent women was a dark time in history. www.learnreligions.com/what-were-the-burning-times-2562890 Move forward and there is a new movement. The Crone movement. Crones are awakening to their Divine power. No longer will they sit in the shadows.There is a movement of women honouring and helping other women. Women are reclaiming the original term of Crone and embracing the beauty of transformation, healing and taking back our power. It's a beautiful thing to see. www.cronescounsel.org/the-ancient-crone/ Today, I celebrate the work I have done to reclaim my own power. To embrace all that I can achieve as a healer and a Wise One. I am a Crone. I am a Witch and I deeply honour the women in my life. I am embracing the Crone movement and honoured to lift up all women on this life journey. Blessed Be. Winona - Two Hawks Woman Water/Dragon/Shamanic Crone Witch Happy Yule, Winter Solstice, Christmas Whatever you call it, how ever you celebrate it, I hope it is full of loved ones, joy and peace. Tis the Season. Let there be peace on Earth. Some of you might be wondering how we obtain peace during these uncertain times. Peace isn't a season. Peace is a state that we work on to feel inner calm and stillness during all seasons and periods in our lives. This is not to take away from the beauty of this season. (Yes, the profound beauty of giving and caring and the increase of good will towards fellow beings that December brings) This season is a beautiful reminder of the peace we can carry all year long. So you might be wondering at this point, how do I find this peace? Growing inner peace is a practice of learning to grow your inner calm and mindfulness during difficult times. It's a practice of learning to be present throughout the day, standing in your own brand of calm during stress or change. My very dear, loving friend Sheila Trecartin at Ultimate Healing Concepts taught me that being present was about being in every moment, whatever you are doing. Being present while washing the dishes, walking in the woods or sitting with a loved one. Life is full of distraction and it takes away from beautiful, magical moments because we are not being present. This statement was profound for me. It really shifted the way I wanted to learn to live within each moment. Sheila offers animal and human readings and is offering an incredible membership program in Sagacity. She posts meditations and podcasts and answers to questions that really help during these periods of rapid change and spiritual growth. Check out her page and her brand of beautiful magic. www.ultimatehealingconcepts.com Being present is about being mindful. You can find your mindful centre through meditation, affirmations and deep breathing, all of which connects us to Source. These are just a handful of wonderful tools to keep in your toolbox to find the magic of being present . A reminder here, there is no right or wrong way to meditate. Find your groove and add tea, crystals, candles or nature. Do what feels right for you. Have fun! Enjoy the journey! Speaking of meditation.....When I first started meditation to calm my mind I was frustrated when my mind wandered and I would be upset with myself for not doing it perfectly. I'm sharing that information so you don't get stuck in that same mindset. It created a lot of upset for nothing. Be kind to yourself. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. I won't lie to you. At first it felt weird working on mindfulness meditation and being intentionally present. It was hard to calm the chatter taking place in my mind. Even now, there are days when I have to work at calming the mind to find my peaceful center. I never give up. The days when I struggle are the days when practicing mediation pays off the most. Even as I write this blog, the Universe is showing me that I must always practice what I write. I will sit in stillness, smudge, light a candle, connect with Spirit and practice my own magic. Sometimes the practice of deep breathing is what gets me through a stressful work experience or if I am feeling overwhelmed while I am out of the house. Along with meditation, deep breathing exercises are a practice. Its a powerful tool to cleanse the body and mind. To begin, get comfortable, focus on taking full deep, rhythmic controlled breathes in and out and learn to relax your body. Let the stress of the day or situation leave you. Visual white light melting away any stress that your body is holding on to. Practice with 4 or 5 deep breaths. Deep breathing assists the body in reducing blood pressure, improving clarity and releasing toxins. It's good for Body, Mind and Soul. For free guided meditation check out YouTube or download Headspace for free. Another incredible way to connect to Source is walking with Nature. No headphones, no phone. Just a walk with yourself and the beautiful energy of the trees and wild life. That too, is a beautiful form of mediation. I promise you, It will feed your Soul. This season, gift yourself by creating a sacred space in your home. Your sacred space is a little peace of solitude that is just for you. It doesn't have to be elaborate., a floor cushion or chair will do. This is a spot just for you. A spot where you can sit and let go, refocus and be still. I have an indoor sacred space and an outdoor sacred space by a large pine tree outside my door. I understand that some people are limited by space or have small people that they share space with. Find what works for you. So what do you do in a sacred space? You get grounded. You can clear and balance your chakras, practice magic, smudge, light a candle, do breathing exercises, and set intention to let go of all that doesn't serve your journey to peace by meditating or you can just sit and hold space for yourself and others. Heart love. Its a beautiful thing!! If you are new to this, find what speaks to you and work on it until it becomes habit. If you just start with 2 minutes a day of deep breathing exercises to calm the mind that is a great step. Make it part of your daily routine. Love yourself enough to do it. You are worth it!! In closing, I wanted to share with you, a movement that is taking place across the globe. This movement is #golov20, a movement of love and heart connection by Dr. Joe Dispenza. This movement is centered in peace. It's creating heart coherence by focusing on the love we have for others. Please check out these videos below.
If you are interested in a global meditation there is a wonderful site to check out for anyone holding light for the planet. It takes place Monday, December 21, 2020
www.globalpeacemeditation.com Wishing you and yours peace for today and always. Peace, Love and Light Blessed Be Winona - Two Hawks Woman Water/Dragon/Shamanic Crone Witch Just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving is the topic of Gratitude. What's that got to do with Witchcraft? Well, everything!! Lets break down the word Wicce. Wicce are the Wise Ones, the Seers of the Sacred. They know that the Divine is all around us and within us. So what is this Divine you speak of? Well, it has many names. Divine Mind, Cosmos, Great Spirit, Natural World, God, Universe and Source. The list goes one, but you get the idea. When you open your heart (your second brain) to truly giving gratitude to the Divine it changes your world. Your thoughts change your world. How powerful is that?!?! This is the point where I get real. When I first started on a path of giving gratitude, to be thankful for every single thing in my life (even the hard stuff) it felt ridiculous. I felt silly telling the Divine all that I was grateful for. Why was I, a Witch, giving thanks to what I perceived as a Deity? What did I have to be grateful for? I was a great complainer and so good at sitting in victim energy. It was always something else or someone else creating the shit in my life. Never me. I was angry at the world and did a great job pushing everyone away. I was tired and miserable and longing for change. But how? One day I woke up to the understanding that the only person in my life that could change the nonsense was me. I had decided that sitting in the energy of not being grateful wasn't working for me. So, I decided to take the steps to giving daily gratitude. Was it easy? Some days. Other days were a challenge. Some days, all I could find to be grateful for were my children and family. Then one day I realized that I was starting to find many things to be grateful for. My pets, plants, indoor plumbing, home, electricity, my health and my bank account. Before breakfast time I could list 30 things I was grateful for. I soon discovered that the more gratitude I gave, the more I had to be grateful for. Do I have still have hard times? Absolutely, life is ups and downs and learning and growth. But I am reaching a place of being grateful for lessons, even the crappy hard ones. They teach me. During this time Louise Hay, was my go-to. I took baby steps and used her daily affirmations. It was a way to create a habit of giving daily thanks for all that I have. You can read some great affirmations on her page. www.healyourlife.com/be-grateful-for-every-moment Even as I successfully add a link to this blog, I give thanks to the Universe for the people it brings to assist me in learning blog pages and the direction they have me going in life. So that's what gratitude is all about. Giving thanks for all that you have and all that you are. If you can only say one thing today, let it be "Thank you". I am a grateful Witch. I am a grateful Child of the Divine. Today, I am grateful for All That Is. Blessed Be Winona _ Two Hawks Woman Water/Dragon/Shamanic Crone Witch .
You're a Witch? But you seem so nice!! All joking aside, Witchcraft, the Craft of the wise, is a deeply personal journey. Witchcraft is a journey of self discovery, self empowerment and growing your intuitive gifts. Witchcraft means many things to many people, but what is isn't, is dark, evil, baby burning or devil worship. You heard it straight from Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic. "There is no devil in the Craft". Speak that truth girl!! A reminder to readers that Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Shamanism and Witchcraft is all connected to Source - All that Is. None of us are separate. Race, creed, gender or age, spiritual practice or who we choose to love. We are all connected. Read that again. I started my journey in Wicca in my 30's. It was the answer to my Souls longing. That journey lead to my journey into Witchcraft. As is true with all of us, my practice grew as I learned. My journey became an eclectic mix of Water/Dragon/Shamanic Crone Witch. I am also a Drum Carrier and respect the teachings and wisdom of the First Nations Elders. I am Two Hawks Woman. I owe to the Elders, the deepest gratitude for all I have learned and felt along the way. The teachings of Elders and Grandmothers have opened my heart to truly understanding love for ALL CREATION. Chi Miigwetch. What is a Crone? The real meaning of Crone is the Old Wise Woman. The Wise Woman were often the oldest women in the village or clan. There was a time in history when Old Women were revered and respected. Crones were the healers and the givers of skilled council. Christianity distorted the Crone and with time Crone became a withered old spinster. A woman not to be trusted. It was a way to strip power from the healers, especially women. The Crone upheld traditions and offered leadership. With an awakening of the Divine Feminine, and rise in Witchcraft, followers of the Craft are reclaiming Crone. Women are stepping into their power and finding balance. That's why I wanted to start this blog. It is a way for women and men to come together and honour one another. It is a way to create a loving, supportive community. Blessed Be Winona - Two Hawks Woman Water/Dragon/Shamanic Crone Witch |
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