New Roads, Old Paths

It starts with a whisper….a tease on the edge of the mind. Subtle strings that tug on your soul demanding attention, demanding release; they are forming and want to be unleashed on the world. Invasion in sleep as Those Who Claim You remind you gently of your obligations, of your path. They summon to them your Spirit so that they can read your soul and see if you are ready for that next path, that next road, the journey that lies ahead. It’s never easy; Spirit never makes it easy. Spirit asks that you do the work; find the clues, put them together and begin to understand the bigger picture. And when you do, the Others begin to appear.

She dances in the flame with her fire and her roses pulling your soul into dance with Her; She is a shadow at the moment but she waits for me to move into the flame and dance with Her. It requires an owning of my soul in a way that I have never done before and it scares me. Hers is a path that could be demanding, soul baring, stripping away of all pretenses and embracing the power within. Another comes from the heavens to call you to action and His strength is fiery while those who have watched you for a long time come through as you fall into that liminal space between waking and sleeping. He stands there in his black suit with his face painted like a skull, surrounded by the mist that he has come through. With Him his other stands, She looks right through you as her gaze pierces the very essence of your soul. ‘Go on girl, time to get to work’ but you don’t because you don’t know. You don’t know what the work is. You don’t know what the next step is. You are too exhausted to even try and understand what they possibly mean.

Even when you approach He who stands at the Crossroads, the Gatekeeper, you don’t know what lies beyond. The team of Spirits, of Beings who call to you wait no more. They begin to expect you to stand up and be counted, to know what the work is and begin to do it. Old Woman and Horned Spirit wait as does Panther – those who have been with me for a long time (one since childhood) know that I shall come back in my own time but nevertheless they too begin to push at my boundaries, reminding me that I serve as well as practice with.

My motley crew of Spirits, Guides and Keepers have no more patience and they let me know now that if I don’t do the work, I don’t see results. I do the work, I see results. It is what it is; anyone who works with Spirits (I refer to Deity, Angels, Guides, actual Spirits and all manner of beings in between as Spirits because it simplifies things) know that when they no longer have patience for your lack of commitment or movement they will come whack you upside the head and demand your attention. I don’t know what to do when They stand there with expectation because I have lived a long time without faith in myself. I have to find the way now because They expect no less than full immersion from me now. I’ve long wandered off the Path and it is no longer acceptable, I must step back onto that path and begin walking it again.

They are revealing new roads as I begin to immerse myself in my path again. My Craft has always been witchcraft; the traditional path without artifice or fanciness but grounded in simplicity. But the path of rootwork and hoodoo has slowly crept into my life. I was always hesitant to step onto that path even though it has been an interest and study of mine for a long time; I felt perhaps I was going to be practicing where I ought not to or appropriating where I shouldn’t be but Ancestors are funny things, Spirit is funnier still and they will push you where they think you need to go. So I began to learn and I began to practice; although I have gathered knowledge on hoodoo for quite a number of years; the actual proper practice of it is still rather new to me.

Over the past six months I have learned from a gentle teacher what it is to serve, to work with Spirits and to begin building a relationship that is mutually beneficial and grounded in respect. He was the first Spirit I built a proper altar to; the first one I have really practiced giving offerings and connecting with. When you commit to Spirit; when you approach them and begin to understand them, it shifts your perspective. Spirits, Deities, Angels even, they are all sentient beings with personalities of their own, expectations and gifts of their own and they might not always be what you expect or what you imagine. It’s been a learning process to actually build a relationship, to make offerings, to sit and talk with your Spirits and let them know what is going on in your life. It was something that was very new to me and something I am still working on to this day.

The Autumn Equinox is an interesting time for me. It is definitely when I feel most connected to my path. It might be because I am an Autumn baby, the crispness in the night air, the slowly cooling days, I don’t know. Something about this season flips a switch in me; I feel more in tune, more creative, more connected than any other time of the year. It’s shown me that it is time to get back into my work; the herbs, the oils, the candles, the Craft. It is time to begin to practice ritual again, craft spellwork again, dive deeper into my divination practices, making the tools of my Craft again. It is time to embrace the path of Witch again; living and breathing my Craft each and every day. Spirit demands no less.