A synchronistic convergence of multiple blessings
has made it possible for me to be planning to
attend The Day for Doreen in London on Sept. 13.
Just like finding the Craft many years ago, this will be
a home-coming of sorts and a day of true celebration
for me.
The coven into which I was initiated fell to religious persecution which included physical attack on
the covenstead. My High Priest had not given
The Second Degree to any members at that time
so we had no way to continue that Tradition without breaking our oaths.But The Goddess and God provide.
Along came Doreen Valiente’s book,
“Witchcraft for Tomorrow” with her Liber Umbrarum
(A Book of Shadows) in the back.
Her writings gave us direction that allowed us
to continue our practice and work with others
in a manner similar to our Tradition (in spirit as well as in technique) without breaking any previous oaths.
I wrote out her rituals in red ink on art “parchment.”
We not only read her book but worked from it
which is about as high a compliment as one can give
an author of magical tomes.So her Day will my chance to honor her, standing
side by side with others who not only knew her from her works like I did, but who knew her and loved her
as a person as well as a High Priestess.Since I have no knowledge whatsoever of anything
that has happened politically among the
magical people of Europe, I can not address what
may or may not have happened among the
powerful and outspoken personsalities involved
in the journey and growth of our religion of modern
Witchcraft/Wicca.I can speak only as a practicing Witch and
High Priestess who would value the opportunity to expand my knowledge and wisdom through a museum and study center such as has been proposed
to house the magical possessions of the late
Doreen Valiente and other magical people who may
choose to leave their collections to said museum.Doreen says on page 177 of “Witchcraft for Tomorrow”
if you do not like the way they do things,”
(meaning leaders using her book to run a coven)
“then take this book and get out and form your own coven–the more the merrier!”
Isn’t this a great attitude to have toward any
positive magical resource whether it be people,
covens, books, study centers, even musuems–
“the more the merrier?”Having been a Witch who has faced religious persecution for real and is seeing the rise of
radical fundamentalist religion take over in the USA,
I know magical folk have much more to gain from
uniting and standing together than we do from the
bitter in-fighting so prevalent and popular today.
So what if we disagree on this point or that bit
of lore–we have everything to gain as well as
everything to lose by the decisions we make today
in regard to one another.I am looking forward to The Day for Doreen to
remember and celebrate a great Witch and woman.
I am looking forward to the day her collection
is displayed and her story told to magical and
non-magical people alike.
I celebrate all positive efforts being made to
restore our magical religion (in all its many names and
manifold attributes) to one of honor, wisdom and
love. So Mote It Be! Blessed Be, Meredydd