dsaly1969
Member
In everyday life I tend to avoid the terms "witch" or "Wiccan" or "Christopagan", not because there is anything bad with any of them but because of all of the baggage that people attach to these words (especially as I live in a more conservative rural small town). So I practice ChristCraft which incorporates folk Christian devotional prayer practices involving a wide range of expressions along with a recognition of the Holy Spirit operating through the workings of Nature as well as through us to help ourselves and others. ChristCraft promotes an inclusive and Ultimate Reconciliation understanding of salvation through Jesus Christ (aka Christian Universalism). We are ALL saved through the grace, wisdom, and love of God through the Atonement. As per the Great Commandment taught by Jesus Christ, we should try to love others (and ourselves), no matter their ethnicity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, gender, religious persuasion, etc. as much as God loves us. If we did this we would be living in Zion (the Kingdom of God here on Earth). I view the Holy Trinity as God the Father, Holy Spirit the Mother, and Jesus the Son. The Trinity is the embodiment of the Great Commandment in divine community. We should reject any doctrines, teachings, or interpretations which would contradict the Great Commandment or would try to exclude certain groups of others from the all-embracing grace of God.
I honor the Christian Liturgical Calendar as it corresponds with the seasonal Wheel of the Year, and make use of various sacramentals from Catholic and other Christian traditions in my workings on behalf of myself and others. The Western Catholic liturgical calendar was laid on top of an existing pagan calendar so Samhain is All Saints'/All Souls Day, Yule is Christmas (incorporate Advent), Imbolc is Candlemas (Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord), Ostara is Easter (incorporate Lent), Beltane or May Day (May has traditionally been associated with celebrations of Mary and the presentation of flowers to her), Litha is the Feast of St. John the Baptist, Lammas is the Feast of First Fruits (usually fresh baked breads were brought to the church or you could move your celebration to the Assumption of Our Lady on August 15), Mabon (I would use the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on Sept. 15 personally).
And Catholic sacramentals work very well for petitionary prayers (what some might call "magick" or "spells" - again, loaded with baggage). Rosaries, novenas, Saint Devotions, praying the Psalms (common in Hoodoo, for example) could be correlated with the type of working you are doing whether asking for healing or guidance or protection, for example. There is a whole body of Catholic folk (magick) traditions.
In terms of ritual I go back to the roots of some of the rituals one finds in Wicca. These were adapted and simplified from Western ceremonial magick (Golden Dawn, et al) which had been adapted from earlier Freemasonry which has roots in the Judeo-Christian heritage anyways. I avoid tools and techniques which are explicitly Wiccan - like athames and drawing a circle. My tools are simple: a cup or chalice and a clay dish for communion, and maybe a candle, some incense, and a cross or crucifix. In my ceremonies I honor the four Archangels in the four cardinal directions (Raphael in the East - representing Air, Michael in the South - representing Fire, Gabriel in the West representing Water, and Uriel in the North representing Earth). I then pray and call upon the Holy Trinity to guide and watch over me. I may do readings from the Old Testament, pray a psalm, a reading from the Letters, and then a reading from the Gospel which is appropriate for the day. Then a short and simple Communion remembrance service may be appropriate. I then may pray the Lord's Prayer. This is followed up by petitionary prayers for myself and others where I may use a particular psalm, or prayer a Rosary or Chaplet, or certain prayers either already written or which I came up with myself. Others like to pray while knitting or another craft project or while silently meditating or other techniques. This ends with a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude.
I honor the Christian Liturgical Calendar as it corresponds with the seasonal Wheel of the Year, and make use of various sacramentals from Catholic and other Christian traditions in my workings on behalf of myself and others. The Western Catholic liturgical calendar was laid on top of an existing pagan calendar so Samhain is All Saints'/All Souls Day, Yule is Christmas (incorporate Advent), Imbolc is Candlemas (Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord), Ostara is Easter (incorporate Lent), Beltane or May Day (May has traditionally been associated with celebrations of Mary and the presentation of flowers to her), Litha is the Feast of St. John the Baptist, Lammas is the Feast of First Fruits (usually fresh baked breads were brought to the church or you could move your celebration to the Assumption of Our Lady on August 15), Mabon (I would use the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on Sept. 15 personally).
And Catholic sacramentals work very well for petitionary prayers (what some might call "magick" or "spells" - again, loaded with baggage). Rosaries, novenas, Saint Devotions, praying the Psalms (common in Hoodoo, for example) could be correlated with the type of working you are doing whether asking for healing or guidance or protection, for example. There is a whole body of Catholic folk (magick) traditions.
In terms of ritual I go back to the roots of some of the rituals one finds in Wicca. These were adapted and simplified from Western ceremonial magick (Golden Dawn, et al) which had been adapted from earlier Freemasonry which has roots in the Judeo-Christian heritage anyways. I avoid tools and techniques which are explicitly Wiccan - like athames and drawing a circle. My tools are simple: a cup or chalice and a clay dish for communion, and maybe a candle, some incense, and a cross or crucifix. In my ceremonies I honor the four Archangels in the four cardinal directions (Raphael in the East - representing Air, Michael in the South - representing Fire, Gabriel in the West representing Water, and Uriel in the North representing Earth). I then pray and call upon the Holy Trinity to guide and watch over me. I may do readings from the Old Testament, pray a psalm, a reading from the Letters, and then a reading from the Gospel which is appropriate for the day. Then a short and simple Communion remembrance service may be appropriate. I then may pray the Lord's Prayer. This is followed up by petitionary prayers for myself and others where I may use a particular psalm, or prayer a Rosary or Chaplet, or certain prayers either already written or which I came up with myself. Others like to pray while knitting or another craft project or while silently meditating or other techniques. This ends with a prayer of thanksgiving and gratitude.
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