I did not always know the words “Pagan” and Wiccan”. Like many others, I was brought up Christian and lived a somewhat sheltered life. But, to his credit, my dad shared his love of nature with me. We took nature walks and watched PBS science shows such as Wild Kingdom, Nature and NOVA. At a lake we sometimes visited he taught me to fish, and I gained an appreciation for the catch of the day. His parents lived on a farm, and my family and I visited often. I learned a lot about nature and farming there. A highlight was the pressing of apples into apple cider. Dad subscribed to National Geographic which I loved to read and look at the pictures, maps and diagrams.
As a child I intuitively did things which I would later check off as Pagan/Wiccan. When I was 8, I was presented with some clay in school from which I made a Mother Earth sculpture. I glazed her body green, and she lay around a lake which I glazed with translucent layers of blue (Check). I loved to climb trees and did so often (Check). As a teen visiting a beautiful grove I pointed out to Dad that we should hold church outside (Check).
When I was in college about 42 years ago, a good friend of mine gave me the book The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. As I read it I checked things off that made sense to me spiritually and was able to say at the time, “Yes, I’m a Pagan!” After about 10 years, I identified as Wiccan. I have a solitary practice although I have had the pleasure and do enjoy the company of various groups over the years. I have learned things that work and don’t work both in groups and alone. I am well grounded in Wicca and am an eclectic Wiccan who currently likes to incorporate Celtic lore and customs in my life.
I am a retired art teacher, and as such I enjoy sharing my ideas with others and look forward to letting you in on some of my ideas. I taught art to grades Kindergarten through 12 and Exceptional Children’s Program classes. People often ask me what my favorite medium is. I scratch my head for a little, and honestly I don’t have one favorite medium. Having taught a wide variety of media, I have an appreciation for them all. Different media have suited me in different times of my life. I currently do various crafts such as clay and wood burning. Pictured are a couple of candle holders I made for my personal use. I also enjoy seasonal crafts and am working on getting gourds ready to make into rattles. I’m deciding how to improve them over previous years.
Nature still fills me with wonder. I have put my feet in the oceans and felt the raw power surging through me. I have stood in awe of the moon. I have felt the life force of a tree when I sat with my back against it or gave it a hug. I have heard the music in the call of the loon, the hoots of a great horned owl and in the howls of wolves. As I make sense of all this, nature fills me with curiosity, too.
I keep up with the Wheel of the Year as well as lunar cycles. I am launching this blog on the crescent moon. I am currently decorating for Samhain. Part of that will be to start drying the gourds efficiently. I’ll let you know how it goes. That’s experimental. I love experimenting. That’s a little about me. How about you?
Auburn Greene
My Inner Wiccan 