Starting the Journey

My journey began on March 28, 2010. I have set a goal for Personal Initiation as a Wise Woman for March 29, 2011.

Practical Assignment: What does magick mean to you?

Magickal personal experiences:
*As a young child, I would sit and stare out the window during a thunderstorm and watch the raindrops dance across the asphalt.
*In Kindergarten, I recall returning to our classroom after parading around the school to discover the Easter Bunny hopping out the window and disappearing.
*Walking outside after work one cold evening, I was awe struck by the first snow fall of the winter that sent myriad snowflakes fluttering before me.
*On my way home from a friends house after a winter storm, I enjoyed a pleasant drive through the mountain forest that had been blanketed by ice and was now reflecting the sun throughout the frozen landscape.
*The day my son was born, weighing only 1 lb. 11 oz., he cried a faint greeting, opened his tiny eyes, and grabbed his father's finger, before being rushed off to the NICU.
*Celebrating our engagement with a handfasting that took place on the beautiful white beaches of Sarasota County, only hours after a hurricane passed by several miles off shore.
*Marrying my husband, Roy, in the courtyard of a castle located outside of Baltimore, Maryland surrounded by family and friends.
*Seeing the Badlands for the first time during our trip to Yellowstone; they were so extraordinarily different from anything I have ever seen.
*Touring the Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida (I think this is the location) and viewing the determination of one man to win the woman he loved (even if it didn't work) and pondering at the knowledge that scientists are not sure how he accomplished his task.
*Driving over the Skyway Bridge in the late evening after work on a calm and cool summer night; the bridge lit up and the quiet waters reflecting the lights from below.
*Lying in the grass on a camping trip with my best friend, Mindi, one summer evening, watching the stars and creating our own constellation: the smiley face ;)
*Driving back from my Great-Grandmothers funeral, noticing the sun break through the cloud filled sky and knowing it was her smiling down on us.
*Waking up after our first night in our vacation home outside of Yellowstone and seeing the breathtaking view outside our windows, past the mountain side, down into the valley and onto the lake.

Magickal characters from literature/fiction:

*Jack Skelington and his excitement at discovering a world so different from his own and his eagerness to share this revelation with others.
*The relationship between Edward and Bella and the entire Cullens family; their desire to be more than the accepted definition of a vampire or even a family; to have a bond so strong that they could endure any amount of pain to see the other person happy.
*Belle breaking the spell cast on the handsome prince releasing him from his beastly image and freeing all the servants, after admitting that she loved him for who he was.
*The relationship the Na'vi people and their environment in Avatar; very similar to that of the fairies of Fern Gully; they seem to have more than a reverence for nature; they were at one with nature.

Introduction

I have created this blog to chronicle my studies in magick. Although I am new to the Pagan religion (Is it appropriate to refer to it as a religion?), I have always been an individual who has found peace outdoors and is drawn to nature. I was raised a Christian and believe that many good lessons can come from studying the Bible, but do not agree with the idea of being a good person out of fear of going to 'hell' or to be rewarded in 'heaven.' I feel that the only way to really live a good life is to do what you feel is right simply for the self-gratification that follows.

Over the next year (or longer) I will be working through the book 'A Year and a Day in Magick: A complete week-by-week course to a lifetime in magick' by Cassandra Eason. I encourage you to post comments to assist me as I explore in more detail the Pagan way of life.