Sorry!

Arrivals Weekend =  very very busy and stressed me = no blog for today as nothing done to blog about. I plan to be back on schedule by next Sunday though!

Scheduling

Ok, I am off to start my MA tomorrow, so the daily updates are no more. Instead I plan to post something new each Sunday, probably evening time. The busy life of the eternal student and all that jazz.
Feel free to post questions in the comments sections, and I will attempt to answer them in future blogs.

Blessed Be

Getting Started

When I was first starting on my path, I didn't have many people to turn to for help. Of those people, none of them were older or particularly more experienced than I was. So alot of what I learned was through experience or the little advice I could glean. Now I want to share my experience for other people in my situation.

My first piece of advice, and most important: Do NOT do anything that doesn't feel right. Trust your instincts.

Secondly, don't go looking for things. Let them find you. Books, tools, tarot, it is important to use instinct, not common sense or desire. You will be drawn to the things intended for you. I own very few books, because many of the ones I pick up to look at don't feel right. My runes were given to me as a gift, they found me. My tarot I was drawn to from outside the shop. I could feel them from the street, when I saw it I could barely pull my eyes away. If something isn't meant for you it will find a way to be lost or your magic won't be as effective.

Build a Book of Shadows. It's important to keep a record of things that work for you.

Record dreams, meditations, any experiences you have. Each of them is a lesson, something important you need to know. What doesn't make sense now certainly will later, eventually. It will also help you keep a track of your abilities.

When you discover a new ability, nurture it. If you deny your gifts you are denying a part of yourself and that is dangerous to your perception of yourself. It is a way to suffocate yourself. You don't have to make a big deal of it if you don't want to, but make sure you don't hide it from yourself. I did that with my empathy for a while and it didn't help me, just made me doubt myself in so much more than just that.

Lastly, look for help, but do so responsibly. There are alot of people out there who don't know everything, or who will try to drive you down the wrong paths. Trust your instincts. If what they are telling you feels wrong, don't take it for gospel. I had someone who tried to manipulate me down the wrong path, and I got out of that relationship as quickly as I could. Do your research, find out as much as you can, but don't let that force yourself into a path you aren't comfortable with. At the end of the day, only you know what is right for you.

Personal Signs

By personal signs I mean the particular things which relate to yourself in your practices. For example, your tarot card, rune, totem animal, spirit guide, meditational guide. I always think it is good to know what yours are, as they give you a deeper understanding of yourself. Also, it's not as hard to work out as you think.

When you do a reading about your own life, does the same rune/tarot card often turn up? Or when you shuffle the deck does it often fall out? If you were to pick a card randomly from the deck is it often the same card? Do you feel drawn to a particular one?
As far as totem animals or guides, you should already know if you have been following those paths. If not, its easy to find out. Ask. Start to meditate/channel (after preparing suitably) and ask to meet them. They will turn up and reveal themselves.

Also don't be worried if some of them change from time to time. Those changes merely reflect changes in yourself and your values. Recognising that will help you understand how you are developing, how you are feeling. They aren't the answer to all your questions, but they are a good place to start.

For me, I know most of mine already, at least for now. I will list them here, so you can fully understand what I mean by each sign.

Tarot Card: The Lovers.
Rune: Beorc
Totem Animal: Kestrel
Meditation Guides: Horse and Wolf
Spirit Guide: Unknown.

Meditational guides aren't always animals, it just happens that mine are. This suits me, and helps me personally.
I have no knowledge of my spirit guide, if I have one, as I do not involve myself in Mediumship at this point. I have some small clairsentience, but I believe that is linked more to my empathy than any other ability, and so I have not pursued development in that area. Maybe later on in my life, when I am more settled.

Knowing my signs has taught me a great deal about myself and my values. It has helped me prioritise how I wish to develop, and which aspects of myself to nourish in order to feel fulfilment regarding my self.

If you already have the tools, why not try and find out? Just clear your mind, and let your sense choose, not your mind. I find the best way is to turn over everything so I can't see, close my eyes and hover my hand over my choices until I feel a "pull" in the palm of my hand. Then I turn over that item and look at it, then find out what it means. Be honest with yourself. Don't put it back. If you feel a pull over more than one card, turn all of the attracting cards over. Maybe you have a lesson to learn, or maybe more than one applies. There is no wrong answer, so long as you are honest about it. You can't put it back if you don't like it and try again. If you don't like what you read, maybe you have something to change about yourself. Go away, work on it, and then do the exercise again in a few weeks.
If you don't have the tools, I will be posting tomorrow regarding how to go about choosing your tools. Have a look and then when you do have them, have a go. Or, if you have a friend who has the tools, ask them to read for you regarding this. You never know what you will find out.

Soulmates

When I reveal I believe in reincarnation and memories of past lives, the first thing people assume is that I believe I have a soulmate and will spend my life looking for that one person.
To an extent, they are correct. But there is so much more to it than that.

Do I believe in the existence of soulmates? Yes, I do. Do I believe that everybody has one that they are destined to find in their lifetime? No. Maybe that sounds unusually cynical for a person of my beliefs. I will explain.

First of all, my definition of soulmate is not neccessarily a constant lover figure. It can be anyone, a best friend, a sibling, a parent, a fling, or the usual definition; a life partner. Nor do I believe that a person can have only one. I believe it is entirely possible to have multiple "soulmates". But that does not mean we will encounter them in every lifetime. I believe that it is possible to live several lives before encountering them, and once that first encounter takes place it will not neccessarily become a constant factor in various reincarnations.

I also do not hold to the view that a soulmate is the other half of your own soul. I believe they are a seperate soul, developed apart from yours, but who compliments you exactly and enriches your life. You are linked, but not inseperable. It is just as possible for a relationship with your soulmate not to work as it is with anyone else. Meeting them is not a get out of jail free card for the relationship. You aren't the same person every time and neither are they, it still takes work and understanding.

I believe that in each life there are people we are meant to meet, who we are destined to encounter who will shape our lives. I just don't believe they will be the same souls every time.

My beliefs about soulmates also link into my views on sexuality. It is my view, at least for me personally, that until I am settled with the person I am meant to spend my life with this time around, that I cannot define myself as gay or straight. I think until you meet "The One" so to speak, sexuality is fluid, because you are still searching and cannot know what form that person will have. So I guess I define myself as bisexual, and according to my beliefs that is how I view everyone. But if someone wishes to define themselves another way I won't argue. To me, that suggests you have some knowledge deep down of what form your partner will have in this life, and are able to fine-tune the search, so to speak. But love is love, and love is beautiful, no matter it's form.

My belief system

I mentioned in my first post that I follow an eclectic path of Wicca. I guess the easiest way for that to be understood is to explain it.

I don't follow a specific path, for example Gardnerian Wicca. I work alone or with people I trust. I choose my own methods, practices and beliefs. I take my information from many different sources, mixing and matching to suit my needs.

My main theology is this: I believe that everything in it's purest form comes from an energy source. This energy is what gives life, causes the seasons to change, is in essence that which begins things and sustains them. I believe that this energy divides into masculine and feminine, and I identify these two energies as the God and Goddess. All Gods, including the Christian God, Allah etc I identify as aspects of the God. All Goddesses are aspects of the Goddess. In this essence you could say I believe in all deities without exception, as I view them all to be one and the same. I apologise if this offends anyone, but ask that you accept that I am only stating my personal beliefs, not prescribing a system to anyone.
So when I refer to Apollo, or Hecate, Aphrodite or Hermes, I am calling on a particular aspect of this energy source, a specific trait which I desire to call upon for the nature of my work.
I believe that this energy is everywhere. It is within us, around us, it is in every living thing. Thus we can connect to this energy through a variety of sources. When we tap our own power, we also tap that of a greater.

Morally, I hold by the Wiccan Rede "An it Harm None, Do what Ye will" and the threefold law.I don't believe in dogmatic religion, which adheres to a strict and specific moral code. Each of us has our own moral compass to guide us in our actions. I trust to mine, and when in doubt I refer to the Rede. I feel it is important to consider all possible consequences of our actions. I try not to do anything I would not wish upon myself. I also will not work magic on a person or on their behalf without their permission. If you don't ask you won't always know the full story, and the best intentions can have bad consequences if taken without consideration of all factors.

As a general rule in my work I will refer to the Greek Pantheon of gods when calling down deities. I do this for two reasons:
1) I study Classics, and thus they are the pantheon I am most familiar with
2) It is what feels right to me. I think that is the most important rule. When practicing, if it doesn't feel right, don't do it. If you aren't comfortable and happy, you aren't on the right path for you. Explore, discover, research until you do feel happy. Don't be afraid to create your own path. My experience shows that Wicca is a very accepting faith when it comes to individuality within itself. There is no right or wrong way to do things. It is personal, not a general set of codes and orders. So take advantage of that fact.

Finally, I believe in reincarnation. I believe that when we die we pass to an alternative plane, where we review the lessons of our life and wait for rebirth to continue on the path of development we have chosen for ourselves. I believe that to an extent we control our own fate. There is a set destination, but how and when we get there, that is up to us to decide and make happen.

Past Lives

A tricky subject isn't it? At the end of the day, it comes down to what you believe. Personally, I believe in past lives. I believe in reincarnation. I don't believe it for any objective reason. I've never met someone who can prove they were someone else (and by this I don't mean a famous person from history, I mean you're average joe bloggs). But personally I find it difficult to believe that we can achieve our full purpose in one lifetime. Life is too short, how can we grow in so short a time?
But I also believe as a result of some of my experiences. Nothing mind-blowing, no giant revelations. But little hints and signs.
For example, I have a paralysing fear of a certain fairground ride: paratrooper. For those of you who don't recognise the name, it looks roughly like a series of umbrellas with seats attached around a circle. It's not a scary ride. It's slow, it doesn't go very high. It is designed for young children. And the one time my sister convinced me to go on it with her, I spent the entire time with my eyes clamped shut, clutching her arm and with death related newspaper headlines running through my head. I was utterly convinced it was going to break and I was going to die in some horrible freak fairground accident. And as soon as I got off the ride I went on a ride that relied on centrifugal force to keep me in place. Without a moments hesitation. To give a full understanding of this, my sister was 12. I was 15. Not exactly the right age to be scared of a kids ride. I have never had an incident with one. No-one I know was ever involved. No-one I know has ever even heard of one going wrong. I have no explanation.
My other example is to do with my relationships. Several of my friends I felt an instant kinship with. Most of all with my best friend from high school. The instant I met her it was as if I had always known her. We hit it off instantly, knew things about each other instinctively. We shared dreams, feelings, all sorts of things. Now part of that may have been that we met as both of us were "awakening" to our respective gifts, so to speak. But I know that no matter how long we are seperated for or how far apart we are nothing changes. We know each other inside and out. Even now we will text each other out of nowhere to check the other is ok. I'll get a gut feeling something is up and the next time we talk there will have been something happening at the time I felt it. Part of that is my empathy. Part is the fact she is my best friend. But I honestly believe another part is that we have known each other before.
You don't have to have memories to believe. It can rarely be proven, and it's very difficult to really know. One thing I have always wanted to do is a past life regression, but I don't have the means right now. Maybe one day. But I think if you are curious, it must be a wonderful experience and well worth doing.

Empathy

I believe myself to be an empath, and thus naturally I believe in the skill existing. Many people do not. Many people demand proof. To them I have only one thing to say: I can't prove it. Get to know me. If I text you randomly to find out if you're OK when you feel down, or have hurt yourself, or it seems like somehow, someway, I always know the right thing to do or say, maybe you will start to believe. Maybe you won't. That is your prerogative. I'm not here to change your mind. I can only go by my own experience.
I realised it might be a skill of mine when I was in my mid-teens. It was little things, like my ankle hurting in the middle of class, and later finding out my sister had twisted hers in PE. Or I would be in a really good mood, walk past someone in the street and suddenly just be extremely angry. No midpoint, just instant rage. So I did some research, and alot of self-analysis. I didn't believe it at first. I wanted to be able to prove it to myself. Eventually it just happened too many times, and I began to believe in myself and to trust my instincts. I was usually right.
I think for every person it is different. There isn't a set list of rules or tests to know. For example, much of my reading suggests empathy to be a constant barrage of information that you have to learn to block. Sure, some days it feels that way. But for me, it varies. When I'm positive, calm and together, I find I sense alot more. But when I become stressed, or have to much on my own plate, I begin to shut down automatically. My self automatically protects me until I'm ready. But after a certain point I do become incapable of blocking  and I get overwhelmed by emotions.
I wouldn't say I ever completely disconnect. As I mentioned in my last post, for me it seems to work through links. As I build attachments to people I connect with them. My empathy is in essence an extra sense of the world around me. It is an awareness of the connections between every living thing. It is as much a part of my sensory knowledge as touch, sight or sound. But as I have grown older I have learnt to block it out from choice, or to open myself up. I'm still learning, but it's there. 
If you think you might be empathic, try to focus on it. Start to trust your guts. If your best friend looks like the life and soul of the party but your gut says he/she is miserable, ask. You might just be able to help. Feel a random pain out of nowhere? Look around you. Does anyone appear to be experiencing what you are feeling? If so, trust it. But don't look for solid proof. All you will do is drive yourself mad trying to make things fit.
Lastly, in my opinion, I don't think true empathy is something you can learn. Anyone can learn to empathize from an understanding of events, from experience. But I think true empathy is an innate gift.
I could be wrong. As I said, I'm not here to be a how to guide. But in my experience, the empaths I know of began to experience the gift naturally, not out of training themselves to be empathic. I think if you suspect you have it you will be able to develop it. But if you don't understand what I mean innately, if it doesn't make complete sense to you, your gifts may lie elsewhere. And who knows where that may lead you?

Starting Out

I want to clarify one thing before I start this. I'm not experienced. I'm not a professional psychic. I'm a 21 year old postgraduate student. But I know who I am. I know what I am. I've done my research.
I've been following my path since I was 15. I've know of my skills since then, although it took me a few years to develop it to a recognisable attribute and start to have some reliability in what I sense.

So what am I? I'm a practicing Wiccan, of the eclectic variety. I don't follow a set path, I'm not part of a specific group. I follow my own beliefs, my own practices. I work alone, although eventually I would like to join a coven, but I need to be in one place constantly first. I want to know the people I work with in person. Having said that, I am willing to set up relationships with other practitioners and swap information. I am constantly looking to broaden my knowledge and horizons. This is a wonderful world we live in, when we can see it.
I am also an Empath. For those of you who don't know what that means, I will explain. An empath is someone who feels the emotions, and occasionally the physical sensations of the people they are around. For me I suppose I would say I develop links to people. People I'm close to I can often feel however far away they are. Less close there is a distance factor. And for strangers, it depends on the day, the strength of the emotion and my own sense of self.

My intention here is just to share my path, my beliefs, my experiments with like-minded people. Advice is welcome. Negativity is not. This is a postive place for people who care, and are open-minded. Please bear that in mind while reading.