I walk the Ancient Pathways,
Through Dark and Light I go,
Through lands of untold Magick
Where in strength and love I grow.
And though my love is darkness
And my strength is found in lust
And I hunger for the knowledge
That lays hidden in the dust,
I remember that my heart is pure,
The my mind holds secret sight
Thus, from the darkness that I travel
Grows a soul imbued with light.

~ Dianna ~ 2000

DARKNESS IS BUT A SHADOW OF LIGHT...
ENTER THE DARKNESS, AND LIVE IN THE LIGHT.

The practice of witchcraft is not a new thing... nor is it practiced in the same way that it was hundreds of years ago. Times have changed, and so must the craft for it to be affective. I am not going to write about the techniques and history of witchcraft... if you want more information in this area, either email me directly, or go to the "body, mind, spirit" section of almost any bookshop.

What I am going to write about here is the "art" of the craft. In order to practice it successfully you must infuse it with your heart and soul... every ritual, ceremony, spell, chant, etc. must be marked with your identity, for you are a being with an energy that is unique. To work good "magick" you must know yourself as completely as possible, so dare to find out who you are. Books will provide you with respectable guidelines, but in life and in magick, it is you who sets your boundaries and you who breaks them.

Different witches will say different things about the craft. For me, it is a very natural practice... quite simply, it is a way of being, not something that is separate from you. It is about growing and evolving, about nurturing the self and the ego and recognising both for what they are and what they are not. It is about accepting change in your life, about accepting life for what it is... It is about finding balance within yourself, about finding your centre and learning how to use your energy and the energies around you. And all of this is done using "tools" such as ceremonies and rituals, spells, chants, mantras and meditation, dreaming and journeying, etc.

The form of witchcraft that I practice is Green Witchcraft (although in truth, the craft has no colour, but the colour we choose to give it). This means that I also work with tools from the earth and nature, incooperating herbs, flowers, trees, the elements, crystals and stones, colours, etc. I rarely have fixed words or movements in the things that I do, prefering to work in an intuitive way and letting Spirit flow through me. My aim in everything that I do is to combine the physical with the spiritual, for they are not separate from each other.

I bring shamanism quite heavily into my craft, for I have a great love for it and have been studying and practicing shamanism since 2000. I find that the two compliment each other very well - shamanism is Yang, Fire and Hot; witchcraft is Yin, Air and Cool - at least, this is how I have found it to be.

The craft is a personal journey for each individual person and no one can tell you how to practice it, in the same way that no one can tell you how to live your life... it is solely for you to find out, and therein lies the challenge and the fun. Live life impeccibly and always remember that the greatest gift you can give to anyone, is the greatest gift you can give to yourself - FEEL PLEASURE IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO - abundance feeds abundance.