People often feel an emptiness, even a feeling of homesickness, although they have a home, a family, a job and a good life. It can translate into feeling down, or even depressed. Is your higher self trying to send you a message that you are ready for a spiritual path or new spiritual experience and inner evolution?
There are many spiritual paths or religions with structure and beliefs that assist you to experience the presence of God. Some of them are very rigid and defined with a Big Book, a clear idea of what God supposedly looks like and a structure of priests and congregations. Other religions may have inspired teachers that started the faith and the followers subscribe to their writings. These religions are dogmatic, which means the beliefs and practices of the devotees are all the same.
Wicca is an earth-based spiritual practice and it is non-dogmatic. This means that the goal of Wiccan practice is to connect with the Divine in nature and also to uncover your own soul's path, not blindly follow a sacred book. It is a path of experience, not faith.
This does not mean that there are no universal practices followed by all or most Wiccans. For example, there is a belief that the Divine can be both God or Goddess. Eight holy days during the year, called Sabbats, are celebrated on the same days in all Traditions and most Wiccans vow to follow the Wiccan Rede to the best of their ability: An it harm none, do as ye will, without interpreting the Rede for others.
When you follow the Wiccan way spiritual evolution follows, that is how we know it is a bonafide path. How do you know if you are making progress? You start to feel the presence of God, in whatever form is meaningful for you, and a feeling of joy and happiness awakens. Sometimes 'shadows' arise, showing you what you need to work on for inner equilibrium and healing. Each Wiccan tradition teaches methods for working with those shadows.
Core concepts may include ritual, meditation, healing, shamanism, celebrating Sabbats and Esbats (moons), connection with an immanent (found within) god/dess form and more. To find a Wiccan tradition that feels right to you will take some exploration, research, reading and effort, but it is well worth it. The adventure begins!
(Photo by Mary Janet Fowler and used with permission)
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