#Broom standing up equinox series#

Good food and drink, music, usually a craft or game and at some point a circle. We're pretty flexible, because life is too busy not to be, and we like to informally involve our friends in celebrations, even though they aren't part of the coven. I am in a coven that is made up of three women, but we invite guests. What constitutes a coven? Are you in one?Ī coven is a group of two or more witches practicing together. Many witches, however, are not in a coven and they worship alone. The prime spot is outside, but in the winter, we worship indoors, usually in the high priest's or priestess's home. The Wiccan rede is 'Harm none, do what you will.' It's a very 'freeing' religion, with only one rule, really. I was raised Catholic, and it provided me with a good spiritual base, but this religion is more for me because it recognizes both men and women as the divine. Some people have seen our religion as a threat to Christianity, but it's not. Mostly due to fear and lack of knowledge. She taught me palmistry, astrology, tarot, numerology, cooking and gardening, and I am forever grateful to her for that.

So, I eventually moved upstairs from her and became her apprentice. During my reading, she told me that because I touch people's hands during manicures, that I could be in tune with their energy, and I should learn palmistry. We both liked her a lot and asked her to come to our salon to do a day of readings. When I was 23 years old I owned my first business, a salon, and the other owner and I got readings from this woman. We met every week on the same night for a year, and I taught her everything I knew from books and from the stories and teachings of other witches.īecause witches were persecuted in history, we have been secretive about our religion and until the '50s, very little was written down about it. I recently had the opportunity to teach a friend about the religion. Witchcraft is an oral tradition, and most witches are willing to teach anyone who is truly interested. Then there is a ceremony and a celebration. Other witches initiate you, usually after studying for one year and one day. Luna: A witch is one who follows nature's seasons, cycles of the moon and works with the earth's elements (earth, air, fire, water) as well as their own spirit (self), to shape his or her life. OnMilwaukee: What does it mean to be a witch? I first sat down with Luna 12 years ago to ask her the following questions, and recently posed them to her again. Luna is still practicing and the coven has dozens of initiated members and friends who stop in from time to time when they feel the desire for spiritual connection. I am no longer a member of the coven, but I have carried with me some beautiful practices from that time in my life, such as the only 'rule' of Wicca which I strive for every day: 'Harm none, do what you will.' Personally, I was in a coven for 10 years, one I started with Luna, a now 50-year-old Milwaukee woman. So much so that being a witch has become more mainstream, and in some circles, fashionable. In recent years, more and more people have understood the difference between the wicked witch of the west and a man or woman who identifies as a witch. More then one million Americans identify as Pagans or Wiccans, two often-misunderstood religions whose practitioners often identify as 'witches.' Both are nature-based, peaceful, spiritual practices that have nothing to do with Satanism. But she is not the witch we are talking about here. She is everywhere in October: on television and decorations, in advertisements, on that hand towel you got from the Dollar Store. Tis the season of the green-faced, wart-sprouting, cauldron-stirring witch.

#Broom standing up equinox series#

Hold My Broom is an OnMilwaukee exclusive series exploring the magickal, mystical and cackle-worthy.