Cyber Cauldron

Eclectic witchcraft is a strange form of paganism as although their a few books on the subject these are often subjective based a persons own personal experiences. Unlike those who follow neo pagan paths such as Wicca, Oslac, Celtic Shamanism, druidic etc there is no one to say what you are doing is wrong! The Eclectic witch is someone who embodies the true heart of a pagan and natural magicks learning through books and experimentation creating a personal spiritual path.

The eclectic may be formally trained within one or more pagan path as I was but after many years of group practice may find that they need to find a more personal connection with the divine, one of the reasons the eclectic is a solitary path. The eclectic witch will often blend one or more paths ideologies and practices into a solid effective path, which will work for them alone. Most eclectic witches will often be Wiccan based and eclectic Wiccan’s now out number the Traditional Wiccan.

The eclectic witch focuses on witchcraft rather that ritual and rite – some may say that the eclectic is sloppy and had hock in their practice, but this is far from the truth. The eclectic learns to work on instinct combining magicks and daily life as part of the natural course.

For many neo pagan paths casting of circles / mystic plots and scared spaces is the only place where magicks are preformed for the eclectic this formality to magicks can become a barrier which stifles creativity and the magicks it self.

If you live with magicks as a major part of your daily existence then why create a circles / mystic plots and scared spaces to contain it???

The best way to look at the Eclectic witch is to understand the basic difference between Wicca and other neo pagan paths and witchcraft – Although Wiccan and other neo pagan path may draw from historical concepts of witchcraft they do not embody witchcraft in it true form. Wicca and other neo pagan paths are beliefs with rules and regulation governed by Elders. While witchcraft has been around since time immoral and has been called folk magic, ancestor worship, even goddess worship. It resides in cultural memory and encompasses a variety of methodologies, which enable its practitioners to produce changes in their world using the symbols of their choosing.

Many neo pagans will see the eclectic as a sort of poor relations or black sheep or even wild child working blindly with out structure. Often saying that the eclectic has chosen their path out of convenience for a single spiritual path or that it does not match historical evidence to support prescription drugs without the path. The fact that modern pagans try to recreate a version of witchcraft based of historical evidence and call it a belief is a smack in the face to our heritage – witchcraft is not about historical recreations through book learning it about learning through experience and understanding, which can only be gained truly connecting to oneself and the divine.

An eclectic witch like all pagans will find their path through personal discovery and guides, and studying the old and new ways – This does not mean that every eclectic witch is pagan I have know over my many years of Christians, Catholics and Jews who practice witchcraft along side their beliefs making them eclectic witches although they would never call themselves that.

So how does one be come an eclectic witch?

You must first start with yourself find out what is important to you and your world what inspires your heart in art /history /mythology and other subjects. You must connect with yourself and any mythology that you feel connected to. There will be a lot of trail and error (one of the reasons that the eclectic maybe formally trained in one or more path) find out what works and what does not. You have to also examine your ethics and understand why you are choosing this path.

Ethics of the Eclectic Witch.

The problems with ethics is a matter of personal nature so it can be difficult, no impossible to come up with a set of ethics that will suit all eclectics but hopefully good judgement and an awareness of consequences and abiding by the laws of the land and the divine will be at the heart of every eclectic witch. I know personal that the Wiccan “Do what you will but harm none” does not work for the eclectic neither does Crowleys “do what you want be the whole law” for myself I use my own personal credo “do the best with each action and if harm be done let it be done for the right reasons with divine blessing swiftly so healing can begin”.

Final thoughts

The eclectic witch does not choose to be eclectic it’s a process that takes many years of personal and spiritual development. Some solitary practitioners of other paths may not even realise that they are eclectic as over the years they have added and changed things from their path to suit a solitary existence.

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