Solitary Eclectic Wiccan

My path has many labels, and can be a bit complicated to explain briefly to others. This is mainly because I don't get asked many questions about it. I'm just going to try my best to explain what I can, and I might add to it later. In short, I'm a Solitary Eclectic Wiccan. That being said, I prefer to label myself as Pagan. Over the years that has been the label I feel most proud of, yet even I am not sure why. This path is the one that feels right for me, and I embrace that it might not be right for others.

Before becoming a Pagan, I was raised in a conservative Baptist church. As a kid, I loved going to church, reading my bible, and even the daily bible studies. My parents had each been raised Christian, though were of different denominations. Perhaps that's why they raised me to be Baptist, as the church was just down the road and new to both of them. Whatever the case, I was deeply devoted to my faith. My first job was working at a Christian based summer camp, and I have fond memories of those weeks. As I matured though, my religious beliefs began to shape, and I found my current path.

At thirteen, I began to embrace Wicca as a religious path. When my views of Christianity changed, I had started searching for a path, any path, that fit. Wicca's belief about God/ddess appealed to me,as well as those about nature, and so I kept doing more research into it. I discovered that many traditions believed a year of study was necessary, and so I spent that year really trying to learn all I could. There was always an uncertainty, because I was Solitary, that I was somehow doing it wrong. That first year was really eye opening, and I started to really listen to my own self for the first time in my life.

After that first year, I felt it necessary to do a year of observance. This meant that I would observe The Wheel of the Year, and keep my altar for each of the sabbats. Most importantly, it meant that I would not engage in any other magik based ritual. It was important to me that first year to listen to the God/dess, and grow before taking to spellcraft. To this day, I'm thankful for the lessons I learn by those two years. Those first years gave me much of the information, experience, and courage to continue my path now. After those two years, I performed my initiation ritual and felt comfortable calling myself Wiccan.

For me, that was the start of my path, and it's been eight years. There are times where I faltered, and wondered if it was the right path. It felt lonely at first, as I live in a small community where Pagans of any kind are rare. Slowly though, I've grown to realize that faltering is all part of the natural process. Soon I was learning where to find a sense of community. It wasn't all easy, there were always people who didn't understand, and some were in my own family. I was labelled a wytch, but chose to grow into the title. Now, the title of wytch is one of my most fond.

Lately, I've been going through another change on my path. For most of my path, I have followed a Greek/Roman pantheon. I've borrowed traditions from many paths, but always have I held true to that pantheon. Now however, I've chosen to embrace a Celtic pantheon. There are plenty of things to embrace within that change alone, but I'm also trying to become a Green Wytch as well. These two changes are going to be the subject of this blog, but I thought I'd just give a little introduction to where my path stands now. Either way, I look forward to learning, embracing, and practicing new ideas.