Celtic Moon's
Secrets of the Earth
This rather long-winded explanation "about me" is to help you to build a picture of my philosophies/principles and hopefully give you a little confidence in me as an individual...
As this was written in 2004 I shall be writing an update soon!!!
About Me and This Web Site
Hello, my name is Celtic Moon; not my given name you understand but one that I adopted for myself when I knew that I was truly on a magical path. I am 45 and my husband and I live with our 3 children, my parents and our cats and dogs in a rambling house in a small Devon village, although this is only a mile from the nearest town.
Why 'Celtic Moon'? Well I do have Celtic roots, and of course, the influence of the Celts is well-documented in many of the Pagan pathways. The moon bit is obvious really, as She represents the feminine and is the Lady of Magic but more importantly (to me) because I was mesmerised by the moon as a child, spending many hours feeling Her energy run through me as I watched Her wax and wane. My long fascination with the moon led me to have a waxing moon in Celtic knot work tattoo on my left shoulder, which in turn led me to my spiritual name, one that seemed entirely natural and pre-ordained.
The Occult, and Witchcraft in particular, produce extreme reactions from other people, the main one being fear, and so I didn't openly declare my interest in Druidry and Witchcraft while my children were young or during the years I worked nursing new mothers and babies, being apprehensive about the prejudice I would meet . Nursing on a busy maternity unit, and raising our three boys, one of whom has Aspergers Syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder) developed many skills and a confidence in my own abilities, along with the habit of really listening to other people and focussing upon their needs. These years enabled me to develop a strong sense of truth about myself and the world around me and I have found a new balance and ease within myself because of these experiences.
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Many years later drastic changes came quite unexpectedly, as is often the case. They brought with them fear, pain, a steep learning curve... ... ... but remarkably freedom.
Following my diagnosis with a life-threatening cancer and the subsequent treatment that resulted in me no longer being able to do such a physically demanding job as nursing - I was able, at last, to follow my heart and am now completely out of the broom closet!
Since leaving the hospital and finding that I had no-one to answer to (but my conscience and the law of threefold!) I have taken the opportunity to study Druidry, Witchcraft, Wicca and other related esoteric subjects extensively and participated in a wide variety of courses, which in turn have given me the opportunity to meet many other like-minded souls. I am happy to say that it was as natural as breathing to fall back into the life-style that I had when I was a child and a young adult and that it brought with it a strong sense of deja vu. For knowledge alone does not make one a Witch, nor is it enough to proclaim one is a Witch, one must live as a Witch - every day...
As a child of no more than seven years old I created my own sacred spaces (just a chalet in the garden and a place in my bedroom), laying things out on a table that I would now call an altar and would collect natural objects like stones, crystals, shells and pieces of driftwood etc, which I would decorate my room with. Being somewhat of a loner I enjoyed my own company then as much as I do now and spent much time just thinking or reading in these peaceful hidey-holes.
Animals have always played a big part in my life as I love the unconditional love and trust that they offer us and feel that we can learn much about the world "through their eyes". I have many happy early memories of walking with my father and our dogs around our beautiful coast and countryside here in Devon, and later, when I was twelve and lucky enough to have a pony, going riding early in the morning and watching the sun rise over the bay. Each time I watch a sunrise I remember how I felt as a child during that moment when His light hits the horizon and the energy of a new day is released. Today I still enjoy being alone with nature and watching the sun rise, set and make way for the moon to rule the sky and feel that this is a ritual in itself.
At thirteen I bought a wonderful pottery figurine of the three Witches from Macbeth, which has pride of place in my spiritual retreat room today and feel that it is a significant marker of the time when I realised (and accepted) that I was a little different from most other children. These early years of instinctive practice eventually led me to find my true pathway in Druidry and Witchcraft and study these intensively - it is a journey I am still making of course.
Looking back I am positive that my Grandmother, who had such a unique and lasting influence on my life, was a Witch. She would have laughed out loud at the title and maybe even been a little surprised by it, but her great knowledge about plants and their healing properties enabled her to concoct her own remedies and balms for everything from sore throats and colds, to chapped lips and scraped knees - I have many a memory or her healing poultices! She passed her love of cooking down to me, especially home-made soups, which she swore by as a cure-all (and it's true, they are!) I also try to keep her quaint beliefs alive like passing dishes of food or the salt etc around the table clockwise, which we still do today unless we have family or friends to dinner who are not familiar with this! A very kind, down-to-earth and uncomplicated lady, she was very much in tune with nature and the rhythms of the planet and enjoyed simple pleasures such as tending the garden and home or spending time with her grandchildren. She loved family gatherings, especially Christmas when there would be at least twenty-five for lunch, not just family and friends but anyone who was lonely during the festivities would be invited and I have many happy memories of these meals. Every table we possessed, including decorators tables, would be pushed together and set with lovely white cloths and the best of everything we had, it didn't matter that nothing matched or that the chairs were an odd mixture because everyone would be happy and would sit elbow to elbow the entire length of our spacious lounge/dining room, which in the summer held the breakfast tables for our guest house.
My grandmother would have been the first to say she was "no-one special" but her extremely gentle nature and great humility made her remarkable and through her I learned that to "harm none" was the best way to live. She was never judgmental, always willing to lend a hand and offer a friendly word or smile, she respected all forms of life... and lived a life that was honest and hardworking. She didn't make the headlines, become famous or take the world by storm (and I doubt very much whether I will either) but I will always remember her wonderful example and appreciate the fact that she kindled an interest in the natural world within me, which I continue to build upon. I believe that the tendency towards the way of the Witch does run in families but that it is not purely genetic, much study and time are needed to be worthy of the title of Witch.
A gentle and caring nature has made me vulnerable to the manipulations of others (even those who publicly profess to share the same values!) and although I have been badly hurt by a few unscrupulous people I don't want to change. I like who I am, have a clear conscience about the way I treat others and accept these trials as a learning curve. I can truthfully say that I am not taker, nor would I want to be, nor do I seek to hurt others through my actions or words - life is hard enough without additional spite being injected into it. Man's inhumanity to man sickens me and people who use and abuse my good nature only do so for a limited time as the self respect I have learned as part of my studies, now enables me to take control and cut them out of my life... ... ... peacefully but deliberately and completely.
I am fortunate and very blessed to be surrounded with several soul sisters - wonderful true friends with whom I have a genuine, deep and lasting bond and was truly overwhelmed at the time of my cancer diagnosis to receive so many cards, flowers and wishes of get well and amazed that these continued for months and months and months, along with telephone calls and visits. The wonderful kindness shown to me then was complete confirmation that my generosity of spirit and the straightforward, cheerful and caring approach I adopt in life is usually appreciated and reflected.
The Pagan way of life provides the opportunity for the individual to tread a multi-faceted path and create their own way of finding spiritual fulfilment. Since I have started to formally study Druidry, Wicca and Witchcraft along with Shamanism/Native American beliefs I have the feeling of "arriving" and am completely at peace with myself, realising a greater connection to our Earth Mother.
I don't associate Witchcraft with television programmes like 'Charmed' or 'Bewitched', they may be great ('stagey') fun - but are stereotypical and not at all realistic. Neither do I wish to give the impression that I hover, dressed in flowing black robes, cat at my side, over a bubbling cauldron with smoke filling my kitchen - because that's not real life either, is it?.
Although I now choose to work as a solitary Witch, during my studies I have sought others and seen several different approaches, some that I respect deeply, some that were interesting but not for me and those that sadly have been theatrical and insincere where ritual is practised superficially. I have no wish for dramatic or shallow acts of devotion on my chosen path and was horrified to witness ritual carried out as if on stage, complete with exaggerated hand movements and fake smiles - these ceremonies meant less than nothing as they were not at all sincere and did not even observe the deeper issues of ritual and circle, which I believe are fundamental.
Druidry and the ways of the Witch have become a major part of my life - in fact I can't actually say that I can separate them from general day to day living any longer. Ritual is part of everyday life for us now and gives us the opportunity to clear away all negative energy while experiencing a deeper connection to Spirit and each other as we strive to quieten and simplify our lives.
The balance of responsibility and physical work that accompanies real life can reward us all with simple, uncomplicated happiness, which can be achieved when we harm none and treat everyone and everything with respect, compassion, honesty and care. Our earthly lives can be greatly enhanced by creating inner tranquillity and strength of mind through meditation and I believe that the Pagan way of life can help you to do this.
The freedom, which I now enjoy enables me to enjoy all aspects of my faith openly. My husband and I attend meetings of learning and read extensively. We make our own candles and other magical ingredients, decorate the house to celebrate the Sabbats and spend much of our spare time with friends who are like-minded sharing rituals and thoughts. However, I understand that not everyone will have this liberty and if you feel your life-style is such that it would be unwise to declare your feelings and beliefs, keeping them private is completely possible... ... ... I did it for years.
So do you have a mental picture of what a Witch looks like? Perhaps you thought that Druids only existed hundreds of years ago?
Druids and Witches are just like - well, you and me! They can live an eccentric life in idyllic surroundings with large gardens in which they potter endlessly (as it is each individual's free choice to be eccentric), or equally, they can and do live in town houses or flats that just have a few flower pots and window boxes! People who honour the Earth may have many children or none, they may have long black hair or short fair hair, they may be tall, short, slim or well-rounded (like me!) and they don't all advertise their beliefs by the wearing of large, pagan jewellery and robes!
People's lifestyles vary enormously today, and I feel that it is actually because of modern day living that we need to get back in touch with the natural world and use the special energies it has to offer. The Pagan way is essentially a natural way of life offering the knowledge and lore of our ancestors as a fulfilling and worthwhile spiritual path.
Today, as then, you will remain unaware of many that follow this path, you may sit alongside a Druid or a Witch at the cinema or on the train. You could stand next to one at the supermarket or be served by one, they are solicitors, market traders, nurses, doctors, tree surgeons, policemen and women, project managers and secretaries etc but the one common factor is that they are people to whom the natural rhythms of life are important (the turning of the wheel), who honour their planet and, most importantly, strive hard to harm none upon it
Once you know your Craft and have studied its laws and philosophies then you will then be able to make an informed choice about the way in which you work and make your way of honouring the Goddess and God meaningful and unique to you. There is no one right answer, many paths lead to the Source that connects us all, which is unconditional love.
Pagans firmly believe in "All Gods being One God".
The purpose of this Web Site (built by us with the help of our eldest son "Sunwise") and the good quality things that we create with magical intent, is to make Druidry and Witchcraft practise readily available to all, especially those who (up to now?) have believed that they did not fit the 'mould.'
"Secrets of
the Earth" offers an open door to
everyone who loves our beautiful planet and would like to adopt the path of the
old ways... ... ... well in this lifetime anyway...
May your own particular path bring you light and happiness.
With Bright Blessings From
Celtic Moon
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Copyright Celtic Moon - All Rights Reserved 2004