spellcraft

Spellcrafting vs Spell Casting

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

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This post was inspired by a video by the HearthWitch on YouTube.  I was watching this video when, somewhere near the beginning, she mentioned that a lot of people cast spells by using spells from books and following them to the letter.

This was a really new concept to me.  And… odd concept to me.   But then I started thinking about it.

L and I were taught spellcraft by our mother from a very young age, and a part of that was creating our own spells.  This was further encouraged when Z came into our lives, as she also does this kind of spellcraft.

And that got me to thinking.   Perhaps that’s why it was always called “spellcraft”.  My mother calls it spellcraft.  Z calls it spellcraft.  In our house, it was never “spell casting”, it was (and is) spellcraft.

I had always thought that the terms “spell casting” and “spellcraft” were interchangeable… but maybe they aren’t.

Maybe (and I think that for me this is more than a maybe, but realization of the truth of something) spellcrafting is crafting a spell.  Whether that is taking a pre-existing spell and crafting it into something that fits you and your needs, or making spells from scratch.

Whereas spell casting would be more of an umbrella term that includes spellcraft, but also includes ANY kind of casting spells.  Whether there is personal crafting involved in the spell or not.

I guess it’s kind of like cooking. Some people use a recipe and follow it strictly. Some use a recipe, but customize it how they wish. And others just go from scratch and make up their recipes on their own, whether that be before they get started, or on the go.

Just some musings, I guess, as I wrap my mind around this new realization.

 

Paganism and Practice

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

I discovered a new channel on Youtube (new to me, not new on YouTube) called Pagan Perspective the other day, and I really liked some of their weekly discussion topics.  I’m a bit inspired to follow along here on the blog, and so here is my first post.

Spiritual development is a progress, so sometimes thoughts and opinions change along the way, and sometimes we don’t even realize this has happened.  I think this is a nice way to share a bit more of my path with you, but also a way of looking a little more in depth at different aspects of my own faith and getting in touch with where I am at this moment on that journey.

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Topic for the Week of 7/22:  How often do people practice? What do you think about NeoPagans who believe without practice? Is it still a spiritual path?

I think that I have a hard time with the word “practice” in this question.  To me, “practice” usually refers to spellcraft, where as Paganism is a spirituality/belief system.

So, with that in mind, I would say that you can absolutely be a Pagan without “practicing” anything.  Just because you’re not lighting candles or what not does not change your beliefs and as long as you have your beliefs, you are still walking the path.

That said… perhaps there are “belief system” practices, right?  Because there’s things like daily devotionals, or meditation on deities, etc.  Still, I stand by what I’ve said above.  If you have a belief system, then you are on a spiritual path, regardless of the amount of “practice”  you are instilling within it.    As long as you have that belief and are following its tenants, then you’re there.

For example (and lets beat this horse to death, shall we?) we’ll look at Christians. A Christian is a Christian because they believe in the Almighty God and the tenants outlined in the Holy Bible.  If they do not go to church or say their nightly prayers does that mean they aren’t a Christian anymore?  Of course not.  They still have their belief system and thus, are still on their spiritual path.

On to my personal practices…

For me, it’s hard to separate spellcraft from my pagan practices, because in my case they are very interwoven together in how I connect with the energies of the elements, balance, and creation.

Over about mid-2016 through the beginning of this year, I had taken a bit of a hiatus from a physical practice.  I still did my ‘forest bathing’ and I still had my faith, but other than on Samhain, I wasn’t really doing any sort of a physical, tangible practice.

Even in those times, though, I was connected to my beliefs.  I was aware and comfortable with my connection with the earth in all the things I did that brought me in contact with it, I was instilling intention in my time in the kitchen and in my time working on jewelry that was to be sent out to others.   It was simply not being structured or physically expressed in ritual.

Prior to that (and again since the spring) I have returned to doing a daily devotional when I get up in the morning, which includes a short meditation each day, and I have returned to ritual and spellcraft on holidays, new moons, and full moons.  Not that these are the only times I do so, but they are the structured times that are planned for.

Therefore… back to the question at hand because I’m rambling all over the place.  How often do I practice?  Every day.   And I suppose that was always the case, even when I stepped away from a more structured practice for a time.

And I suppose that in the end, “practice” can be anything that instills your beliefs in your life, even if that is just in the way of one being consciously aware of their beliefs rather than abandoning them entirely.   Which, in a way, ties right back into what I said at the beginning of this post.