Lonicera's Profile

A Bit About Me: You may call me Loni. I come from a strong Christian family, but at an early age I decided that I didn't hold the same religious views as my relatives. I did some research and some soul searching and decided that (at the time) Wicca was the religion more suited to my views. Thus, I began following the Wiccan faith and practiced the religion for a few years. However, I still didn't feel like the religion was giving me what I needed as far as spirituality goes. I moved away from the faith, however, I continued to practice magic, celebrate the Sabbats, and revere my deity: Bast.

My recent ritual experiences with my Goddess and a very close friend have led me to again rethink my religious choices and look into other paths. I came across something called Kemeticism. Kemeticism is the revival of the ancient religious practices of ancient Egypt. I worship an Egyptian Goddess, but I still hold onto some of the practices that my Wiccan teacher taught me as well. These include circle casting, the basics (not all paths necessarily need to learn them, depending on what it is you're doing), etc. I can relate to a lot of the beliefs and practices of Kemeticism, but I choose to have one singular deity as opposed to working with the majority. That coupled with my continued use of some of the ritual practices taught to me by my Wiccan relative led me to the conclusion, the realization, that my path is one of the Eclectic Kemetic Pagan or the Eclectic Kemetic Witch, depending on what one wishes to call it. All this time I've spent looking for my path, my religion, when in the end it was always right in front of me. I just needed the nudge in the right direction to realize that. I am currently researching Kemeticism to further my knowledge of the religion for both my benefit and anyone else that might have an interest in it. I have also looked into a few books on ancient Egyptian religion and plan on purchasing them in the very near future.

Now then, onto my areas of study and practice in regards to magic. I mainly work with herbs and their magical properties. I practice natural magic (magic that involves the use of herbs, crystals, oils, etc). I also study and practice divination (specifically ceromancy and some tarot), correspondences, chakra work, potion brewing, herbal remedies, absent healing, sympathetic magics, crystal magic, etc. I am also currently researching Druidism and Shamanism. I have bought a book on Celtic Shamanism and plan on doing further research on that particular branch. I'm looking into and self-teaching myself crystal healing in association with Reiki healing, color therapy, and astral projection.

I also do a lot of yoga, or I try to at least. It helps me with relaxation and meditation. I have built my own yoga sequence using one of the yoga sites I frequent. I've also been looking into Anusara yoga. If you are interested in looking into it, I've added two links below that may help.

http://www.anusara.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=85

http://www.yogajournal.com

A Note on Magic: Magic is the energy within nature and the natural world. We tap into this energy or impress our wills upon it to send our desires out into the universe with the intent of bringing about a desired change. Thus, because it's part of nature it's governed by nature's laws. It can't be used to change your gender, it can't be used to change your race, it can't change your species, you can't use it to control the elements or the weather, etc. It can't be used to reach unimaginable odds. As practitioners of magic, we must first learn to accept and understand its limitations and its basics before we can truly begin practicing or understanding it.

"Magic isn't a means of forcing nature to do your will. Magic is natural. It is a harmonious movement of energies to create needed change. If you wish to practice magic, all thoughts if it being paranormal or supernatural must be forgotten. " - Scott Cunningham - Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner .

~Before working with magic or spell casting there are some key things you need to know:

*Meditation

*Visualization

*Energy flow, control, and raising.

*Grounding

*Centering

*Belief in yourself and your abilities

*Circle Casting and Releasing

*Correspondences (colors, days, lunar phases, etc)

Please keep in mind that depending on who you talk to the basics can and often do differ. The above list are the basics that I studied when I first started practicing and are what I teach my students. You can add to this list or take subjects from it depending on your interests or what you feel you need or don't need to learn. However, I suggest studying all of them because you may very well need to know them in the future.

Also, a few beginners books that I would recommend are:

1. The Witch Book: The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, Wicca, and Neo-Paganism. ~ Written by Raymond Buckland.

2. Herb Magic for Beginners: Down-to-Earth Enchantments ~ Written by Ellen Dugan

3. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. ~ Written by Scott Cunningham.

4. Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner ~ Written by Scott Cunningham.

Tumblr: I'm also working on a blog. This blog is a place for me to chronicle my experiences with Paganism, magic, and the spiritual world (this includes hauntings, spirit encounters, etc). It is also a place for me to share my experiences and knowledge with others that might have similar interests and life experiences. I'm not really sure how the messaging system on there works as of yet, but if you wish to contact me there my username is loniceraluscina. My blog is called A Witch's Journey . The blog is located at: http://loniceraluscinia.tumblr.com/

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost

~ exert from a poem by J. R. R. Tolkien (He happens to be one of my favorite authors along with Dean Koontz, John Saul, and Kim Harrison)

There is no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat. - Wesley Bates

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. -Confucius

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. - Confucius