LES HEWITT describes his personal journey of spiritual awakening and transformation through wicca, leading to a deeper self-discovery and connection with a spirit guide.
For many people, 1 January brings a sense of renewal for the upcoming year. This usually means a resolution to keep for the year to come that rarely last.
2023 had been something of a pivotal breakout year for myself. The year began, then continued, much like numerous others have. The first several months of this were as standard as numerous previous years. This began to shift shortly after Easter.
Up until this time, I had been a semi Roman Catholic. Never the most devout and dedicated follower, it was a religion that a dedicated tenet of how my childhood and formative years were spent. This began to have less of a tangible feature as the years went on, but was never replaced.
This conversation had no sudden epiphany or revelation. Realisation began to dawn on me with a more gradual process. Looking back now, mere weeks before Yule, perhaps a key moment of this path occurred when a chance comment to my closest friend, Kim, set the proverbial ball rolling.
At that time, it was just a casual suggestion about learning basic meditation in order to combat the stresses of every day life.
Over the course of the following week or two, these basic breathing techniques seem to have an unintended effect upon me.
Stress management was being handled and eased, but during this transformation all sorts of possibilities began to open up. All of these did require substantial soul searching and dominated a lot of time during the summer months. Just about everything else was put on hold.
Long warmish summer days were spent researching and developing instincts and intuition. Formative studies were done solo through books, YouTube videos and online web pages.
Growing as a Wiccan
As certain knowledge was satisfied with what was being studied, other forms of knowledge, skill and ability opened up. This was more than just the basics of witchcraft – such as the Wiccan Rede and the Sabats. This was more practical side of paganism and magick.
Just reading and absorbing this material was just the start of the most fascinating and intriguing journey that anyone could make. The more that I read, the more that I learned. There was something much deeper at play there though.
The more I learned about the Wiccan way, the less I seemed to know. Certain things made more sense; others less so.
This felt like less than the tip of an iceberg. Anyone can study any subject that they want to learn about or utilise in some style. Adapting an entire belief system is more than life changing. It’s perception altering.
It was late summer when several channels from YouTube provided a treasure trove of inspiration and awareness. The primary source provided was the extensive experience and wisdom of Ginny Metheral. A fourth generation witch that cannot be recommended highly enough.
Ever since the discovery of this wonderful resource, all of my perceptions and intuitions have come along in leaps and bounds. While this study was ongoing, I did use some of what I had taken on board to begin collecting necessary tools and equipment to begin my practice.
Crystals, incense, candles, books, smudging sticks, tarot cards and even a magick wand.
As November progressed, a huge breakthrough on this journey took place. Working along with Ginny, I had my first contact with my spirit guide. This profound revelation was a huge turning point. Just how big remains to be seen. Study is currently continuing and will do so for the forseeable and long term future.
A very select few know this about me. Now it is going to be official. I am a witch. And I am proud to call myself that.
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