I knew I'd get a responce to that blog, but... I've said it before and I'll say it again, I live in a tiny little city where if your not Christian or Athiest you are looked at as being f#@*ed up. Therefore, we have a handful of pagans at best. So the only people I've ever met who consider themselves to be wiitches are (always Wiccan) teenagers going through "that stage" where they feel the need to shock the rest of society. I thought it was only a term applied to Wiccans and I wondered why they dont just call themselves Wiccan. I truely learned something new when you said that there are pagans who are not Wiccans, but Witches. So, like I said, it was not my intention to offend anyone, I was expressing my views. Thank you for enlightening me, and because of this I'll get rid of that blog. I seem to be the product of a close-minded society that I considered myself NOT to be a part of....

All through my life, my dad (who is very much a Christian) has practiced and taught my family what he calls "witching for water" and has helped family members and friends find good places to dig wells. Anyone else here practice dowsing? Just curious to hear your stories and methods.

After some time of (inexcusably) semi-ditching my own spirituality, I'm back. I hope the Gods can forgive me and not "smite me "or something... but I tend to think they have a little more understanding than that. Back in high school I discovered Wicca. Wicca led to eclectic paganism, eclectic paganism led to Celtic paganism, and that was good. I'm English and Irish and I felt comfortable with Celtic paganism and a new-found pride in my heritage. Then I "fell in love". My boyfriend is not a very religious person, but I would describe him as Christian nonetheless. To boot, he has a tendancy to not understand or blatantly hate anything or anyone different from the norm. I have never strayed from my belief in the Old Ways, but I did set them aside for awhile. Now, I'm back where I left off and I realize that our relationship is fading, but the Gods are still there. Makes me realize that I have a choice: to be in a happy relationship, and abandon my gods out of fear of someone else's oppinions therefore feeling empty, or be honest with people and have a happy relationship AND be spiritually happy. I dont need anyone else to tell me, I've known it all along... I learn things the hard way.

Heart juice, anyone? Cause I've had my fill. Until recently I was a heavy smoker and I ate alot of salty foods, both of which must have wreaked havoc on the poor ol' ticker. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I had just gotten over a flu and suddenly found that every day I was getting weaker and weaker and having a harder time breathing. I'm a cashier and it got to the point where by the time I was done helping one customer, I was so out of breath that I would have to sit and take a break for five or ten minutes to catch my breath. I went to the emergency room and they told me it was just a flu. Finally, when it got bad enough (after me arguing that I WASN'T having a panic attack) they took me in. About 4 hours later they realized I had fluid in my pericardum (a thin sack around your heart) and it was restricting the movement of my heart, which in turn made it impossible to get a decent flow of blood to the rest of my body. Anyways, I was taken by ambulance to the next city over where they have a cardologist, who put in a tap between my ribs and drained an ounce of what I affectionately refer to as heart juice. I had to spend 3 nights in there. I've never had a hospital stay. I prayed to the Gods to get me out and now I pray to them to help make me healthier and to keep healthy. The good thing? I quit smoking! It's easy enough when your in a non smoking building and you have no energy to even get 5 feet from your bed! I'm sure the calming effects of the oxygen didn't hurt, either. Yaaay!