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"Simply known as "Owl" to many in the Pagan Community, Jacci and her husband Will are currently developing a Spiritual Retreat / Campground in the foothills of the Appalachians of NE Pennsylvania.   Owl was raised in a family Trad, and became interested in Wicca in the early 1970's. Now following an Eclectic Wiccan Path, Owl teaches a variety of classes related to Witchcraft. She has given workshops at a number of Pennsylvania Universities, and at many Pagan Gatherings over the years. Her poetry has appeared on many Pagan Websites, and her classes at various Metaphysical Shops have always been well attended.   Look for the little Crone carrying a big Bodhran, and wearing a smile. FOR OWL'S CLASSES FROM BBMMDC CLICK HERE

Owl (Jacci Sutton) has provided us with some basics that will educate those who are just starting out on their path while making those who have walked it a while think about what it means. THIRTEEN GOALS OF A WITCH 1. Know yourself - Study psychology, and use those techniques of self analysis. Be honest with yourself. We're not all perfect and each individual needs to understand their own motivation in order to establish goals. 2. Know your Craft - Study many Religions and practices. Look for the similarities which are basic Truths. No one book has all the answers, but all books can raise some good questions. 3. Learn - The more you know, the more you understand. All knowledge is helpful, how you use it is power. 4. Apply knowledge with Wisdom - gathering facts is like making a recipe. You take all of the ingredients, but until you blend them together they are not a Cake ! Knowing how to use knowledge to become more attuned and adept at your Craft takes understanding and familiarity with concepts. 5. Achieve balance - Allow yourself to select activities, and things which fulfill your life. Work conscientiously, play with commitment, cry when it is time to cleanse, and laugh as often as possible. 6. Keep your words in good order - Think before you speak. Say what you mean, and MEAN what you say. 7. Keep your thoughts in good order - Concentrate on those things which are important to you. Start each day with a reminder to yourself about what you want to accomplish, and why these things are important to you, and to the world in which we live. Having a life plan makes things easier. Your focus is your WILL And your will has Power. 8. Celebrate life - Acknowledge the times of Passages in your life, and the lives of others. Birth, Accomplishments, Joy, Sorrow, Death ... all of these things are part of being human. To remember an anniversary, a birthday, a graduation, is to tell someone you are glad they are alive. To go to a zoo, or a garden, is to appreciate the life forms which share the Earth. To raise a puppy, or a child, is to give back to the Earth the joy of living. To create something new is to honor the promise of possibilities. 9. Attune with the cycles of the Earth - Know that changes in our lives are constant. Nothing is forever. Cycles are part of our environment. Knowing that the cycles will affect us, understand and prepare for them. Being ready for changes will lesson their impact on our lives. Cycles can be great adventures, or devastating cataclysm for those unprepared to adapt. 10. Breathe correctly - Study Yoga, Lamaze, take singing lessons ... all of these disciplines will improve your health, and help you to focus on the importance of the Breath of Life. 11. Exercise the body - Take a walk, swim, ride a bike, dance, run, skip rope, ride a horse, go skiing, make love, run the vacuum, scrub the floor ... physical activity sharpens the mind, and releases the endorphins which give us energy. Energy is Power! 12. Meditate - exercise the mind. Allow it to function on many levels. Consciously stretch the mental muscles .. Allow yourself to access and interpret all of those things which we seem to overlook in our daily lives. Unlock your own secret awareness .. and then use it. 13. Honor the Goddess and God - Invite the Deities into your life. Allow yourself the pleasure and privilege of familiarity with the Male and Female aspects of yourself and your Deities. Embrace those things which we have come to identify as Male and Female, and look for our similarities and strengths rather than our differences and our weaknesses. When both aspects are in balance, the WHOLE can achieve greatness.   Blessed Be .. and have a Safe Journey on your chosen path ... Owl Wiccan Mystery  (or “What do you mean by that?”) Some things just stick in this old craw of mine, and I’d really like to clear the air! Now wait til I put on my flame proof cloak, because this could result in some singed feathers! So often I’ve heard people refer to themselves as “Self Initiated”. And I’ve listened politely while they’ve described their own feelings of commitment to the Craft, or to specific Deities. Now I don’t doubt their sincerity, nor their spirituality ... BUT ... it’s just NOT DONE! OK, let’s start with the definitions of two words with distinctly different connotations.     INITIATE - verb .. meaning TO START, BEGIN. To instruct in the first principles of something. To induct into membership by or as if by special ceremonies.   noun .. a person who is undergoing, or has passed an initiation. A person who is instructed in some special field.   DEDICATE - verb .. meaning TO DEVOTE TO the worship of a Divine being, esp. with Sacred Rites.   Dedicating oneself to the worship of specific Deities, and committing your energies to study, and developing a personal relationship with Deity is a wonderful experience. Adopting the practices of an existing pathway in order to develop your own personal spiritual practices is a common way for many to build the foundations of their faith. However, those who choose to join an existing community, with established practices and teachings, can indeed be INITIATED into that specific culture. When someone is an initiate of the Wiccan Trads, they will find that there are a myriad of disciplines which they will be required to learn, and in which they will become adept before progressing through a degree system. This is not just the “Wiccan” way, but the way of various Pagan, and non-pagan religions. To use these terms interchangeably does a great disservice to those Trads which strive to teach and preserve their belief systems. So the next time you claim to be “initiated”, or hear someone professing this status ... please question the true meaning of the statement. Let’s stop misusing the language, and confusing those who are coming into the Craft and perhaps leaving themselves open to ridicule or censure.   OK .. I’m ready <G> .. let the flames begin! BB .. Owl