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About Rev. Amy Blackthorn Ph.D, DD. HPS, RM
Expertise
I am a Reiki Master, I teach Wicca 101, 202 and more specific advanced subjects. I can answer questions on several Traditions. I have experience in subjects including, Astrology General Wiccan information, Dianic Wicca, Folk Magick and indigenous Religions, including Celtic Reconstruction, Native Herbal uses, Hoodoo and Green WitchCraft.
Experience
I have 15+ years experience in the above topics, including the Initiatory traditions of Gardnerian Wicca and Green WitchCraft.
Organizations
Maryland Delaware Wiccan Pagan Alliance, Alternative Religions Education Network, Lady Liberty League, Pagan Clergy Association
Publications
My first publication was in "The Seeker Journal" at the age of 16. This was an 18 page in depth look at the similarities between Wiccan holy days and Christian ones.
Education/Credentials
Numerous degrees including one in Horticulture and initiation into different Religious orders, including Intensives with Susun Weed and other Notable Wiccan and Pagan Authors, Scholars and Elders. Reiki Master
Awards and Honors
I run a Temple, in addition to my "mundane" life working in a hospital and running my own business.I have had 4 years of formal training in one Tradition, and was Initiated as a Green Witch. I've taught classes in MD, DE and PA. I've been contacted on several occasions to act as a Media liason for ABC television and the Sci-Fi Channel in matters of the Wiccan religion and have been featured locally on AM and FM stations, including multiple appearances on 'The Paranormal Cafe.'
I run Meeting groups locally for Witches and other Magickal people to meet and greet, and am currently working with friends in MD and DE to build stores to better serve our Community.
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You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Pagan/Wiccan Religion > Pagan/Wiccan Religion > witchcraft
Expert: Rev. Amy Blackthorn Ph.D, DD. HPS, RM - 10/25/2009
Question
hi,
im really intrested in becomming a witch, and what i really want to do is do spelld andstuff. can you please give me some spells that will help me?
thanks
Answer
No, I can't give you spells to learn, because you have to learn about how make them work. You don't just have a rhyming couplet and make things happen. This is Witch Craft, not the movie "The Craft".
I can help you learn what to do to start on your journey, but just sending you lists of spells won't help you.
Spells can work for anyone. Magic is a system, not a religion. It's also not good or bad. It's how you choose to use it.
I know magic works because I've been doing it for years. Wicca is just one of many faiths that embrace Magic. But Wiccans and Witches aren't
the only ones who use magic.
You can be both a Wiccan and a witch, these two words are not the same. None of these words has anything to do with devil worship.
One of the biggest sore points among Wiccans is the improper usage of the terms "Wiccan" and "Witch". Too many people use the terms interchangeably,
presuming that they both mean the same thing. They do not.
Wiccan
Wicca is just one of many faiths that embrace Magic. Wicca is a religion, and someone who follows that religion is called a Wiccan. Sometimes it
can be difficult to accurately define Wicca, and not all Wiccans will define themselves the same way. Observing the 8 Wiccan Sabbats, honoring the
Gods and/or Goddesses, creating sacred space for rituals, to name a few. Many traditional Wiccans also feel that belonging to a coven is also a
requirement and that those who practice their religion as a solitary, should not refer to themselves as Wiccan. Personally, I'm still not sure on
that point. Typical Wiccans also practice magick, and therefore are also witches. You cannot be a "natural Wiccan" any more than you could be a
"natural Christian".
Witch
The practice of witchcraft is not associated with any religion, therefore you can be a witch and yet also be a member of any number of
religions (or none). Using the natural energies within yourself, along with the energies of herbs, stones or other elements to make changes
around you is considered witchcraft. Though the skills and gifts that are part of witchcraft can be inherited from parents or grandparents,
you aren't automatically a witch just because your grandmother may have been one. The use of magick takes practice, experience and learning.
On a side note, a male witch is called a witch, not a warlock.
Pagan
While I'm explaining terminology, I thought I would throw in "Pagan" as well. Paganism refers to a variety of non-Christian/Jewish/ Islamic
religions that are usually polytheistic and are often nature-based. Wicca is only one Pagan religion, but there are others such as Santeria,
Asatru, or Shamanism. Many people do not necessarily identify with a specific religion, and just use the broad term "Pagan" to define their
spiritual path. Pagan religions are distinct and separate from each other, and it should not be assumed that they are just different names for
the same faith.
Suggested Reading List
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham
Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman’s Journey into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess by Phyllis Curott
Green Witchcraft by Aoumiel (Ann Moura)
True Magick by Amber K
Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development by Christopher Penczak
Heart of Wicca: Wise Words from a Crone on the Path by Ellen Cannon Reed
The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
Natural Magic by Marian Green
Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life by Pauline Campanelli
The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan
Witchcraft by Ronald Hutton
AmysGreenDreams.etsy.com
pagan.meetup.com
wicca.meetup.com
witches.meetup.com
azuregreen.com
abaxion.com
ecauldron.net
paganwiccan.about.com
witchvox.com
wicca.timerift.net
Christians becoming Wiccan
http://www.wicca-spirituality.com/christian-wicca.html
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